Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living being ,or cause damage to the climate or to materials.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
AIR POLLUTION

2. INTRODUCTION
• Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the
atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause
damage to the climate or to materials.
• Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air—pollutants which are harm to
human health and the planet as a whole.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year air pollution is responsible
for nearly seven million deaths around the globe.
• Nine out of ten human beings currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO’s guideline
limits for pollutants, with those living in low- and middle-income countries suffering the
most.
• In the United States, the Clean Air Act, established in 1970, authorizes the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to safeguard public health by regulating the
emissions of these harmful air pollutants.
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3. DEFINITION
• “Air Pollution is the release of pollutants such as gases, particles, biological
molecules, etc. into the air that is harmful to human health and the
environment.”
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4. TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION
• PRIMARY AIR POLLUTION
The pollutants that directly cause air pollution are known as primary pollutants. Sulphur-dioxide emitted
from factories is a primary pollutant.
• Primary pollutants are any type of pollutant directly into the environment. They differ from secondary
pollutants because secondary pollutants must form in the atmosphere, whereas primary pollutants do not.
Primary pollutants can be emitted from many sources including cars, coal-fired power plants, natural gas
power plants, biomass burning, natural forest fires, volcanoes, and many more.
• The effects of primary pollutants are of concern as they can be harmful to humans, animals and
plants.[2] Their contribution to the formation of secondary pollutants is also concerning, as this is what
causes harmful ground level ozone to form, along with different smogs, especially in densely populated
cities such as Los Angeles.
• The emission of primary pollutants has decreased considerably in the past years, due to improved
regulations, technology and economic changes
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5. TYPES OF PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
• Types of primary pollutants include:[4]
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Sulfur oxides (SOx)
• Particulate matter (PM)
• Mercury
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Vehicles are a major contributor to primary pollutants,
emitting the majority of CO and NOx emissions in Canada

6. • Oxides of Sulphur
• Sulphur Oxides are generally a product of the Volcanoes, Industrial processes, Coal and
petroleum, because most of them have Sulphur as a component. The Sulphur Dioxide in
presence of a catalyst such as NO2 causes Acid Rain, because of the formation of Sulphuric
Acid. The Indian Coal is though low in sulphur content but still coal consumption is a major
danger of acid rain because of the coal based power plants.
• Oxides of Nitrogen
• Most of the Nitrogen Oxides are produced due to high temperature combustion. In the cities the
brown haze dome above the cities is mostly because of the Nitrogen Oxides. The most
important toxic gas is Nitrogen dioxide which is brown, with sharp odour.
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7. • Oxides of Carbon
• Carbon Monoxide, which is colourless, odourless and non irritating but very poisonous gas is
the product of incomplete combustion of the natural gas, coal or wood. The vehicle exhaust is
the major source of CO.
• The Carbon Dioxide is associated with the Ocean Acidification and is emitted from combustion,
factories and respiration of living organisms
• Then, we have primary pollutants such as Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs which are
methane (CH4) and non-methane (NMVOCs).
• Methane is a GHG which contributes to Global Warming.
• The NMVOCs include the aromatic compounds such as Benzene, Toluene, Xylene which are
proved or suspected carcinogens.
• Another dangerous compound is the 1,3-butadiene, often associated with industrial uses.
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8. • Particulate Matter
• The particulate matters are the fine particles which may be either solid or liquid, suspended in a
gas. They are different from the Aerosols. Aerosols are particle and gas referred together. The
aerosols which are created by the Human activities are anthropogenic aerosols. They account
for around 10% of the total aerosols in the atmosphere.
• Other Primary Pollutants
• Another category of the primary air pollutants is toxic metals such as Cadmium, Lead and
Copper, which are products of the Industrial processes. The Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are
proved to be harmful to the ozone layer emitted from products currently banned from use. In
agriculture process, Ammonia is emitted which has characteristic pungent odor. It is a precursor
to foodstuffs and fertilizers. Ammonia is also a building block for the synthesis of many
pharmaceuticals.
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9. • SECONDARY AIR POLLUTION
The pollutants formed by the intermingling and reaction of primary pollutants are known as
secondary pollutants. Smog, formed by the intermingling of smoke and fog, is a secondary
pollutant.
• Ground Level Ozone
• The most important secondary pollutant is the Ground Level Ozone or Tropospheric
Ozone. Emissions from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline
vapours, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of Nox and VOC. Ground Level
Ozone forms due to reactions of the NOx, Carbon Monoxide and VOCs in presence of sunlight.
• Smog
• Another most important secondary pollutant is the Smog, which has made up of Smoke and Fog.
Traditionally, the smog has resulted from large amounts of coal burning in an area caused by a
mixture of smoke and sulphur dioxide. Now-a-days, the Vehicle emissions and Industrial
emissions that are acted on in the atmosphere by ultraviolet light from the sun to form secondary
pollutants that also combine with the primary emissions to form photochemical smog.
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10. • AICD RAIN
• Acid rain refers to the precipitation with elevated levels of hydrogen ions or a low pH. When
fossil fuel is burnt, some of the elements within their molecules combine with oxygen and form
oxides.
• The oxide produced in a large quantity is carbon dioxide, followed by smaller quantities of
Sulphur Oxides and Nitrogen Oxides.
• All of these oxides form the acidic solution when they dissolve in water. Out of these oxides,
the Nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally by lightning strikes.
• Similarly, the Sulfur Dioxide can also be produced by the volcanic eruptions. But these natural
phenomena did not contribute the acidic rains as compared to the anthropogenic activities.
• The Acid Rains have been seen in many parts of the world more prominently since 1970s. In
some parts of the world the Acid Rains with as low as 1.5pH has been witnessed.
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11. EFFECTS OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AIR
POLLUTANTS
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12. • Health hazards
• In terms of health hazards, every unusual suspended material in the air, which
causes difficulties in normal function of the human organs, is defined as air
toxicants.
• According to available data, the main toxic effects of exposure to air pollutants are
mainly on the respiratory, cardiovascular, ophthalmologic, dermatologic,
neuropsychiatric, hematologic, immunologic, and reproductive systems.
• However, the molecular and cell toxicity may also induce a variety of cancers in
the long term. On the other hand, even small amount of air toxicants is shown to be
dangerous for susceptible groups including children and elderly people as well as
patients suffering from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
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13. • Respiratory disorders
• Because most of the pollutants enter the body through the airways, the respiratory system is
in the first line of battle in the onset and progression of diseases resulted from air pollutant.
• Air pollution is also considered as the major environmental risk factor for some respiratory
diseases such as asthma and lung cancer. Air pollutants, especially PMs and other respirable
chemicals such as dust, O3, and benzene cause serious damage to the respiratory tract.
• Asthma is a respiratory disease which may be developed as a result of exposure to air
toxicants. Some studies have validated associations between both traffic-related and/or
industrial air pollution and increasing the risk of COPD. Treatment of respiratory diseases
due to air pollution is similar to the other toxic chemical induce respiratory disorders.
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14. • Cardiovascular dysfunctions
• Many experimental and epidemiologic studies have shown the direct association of air
pollutant exposure and cardiac-related illnesses. Air pollution is also associated with
changes in white blood cell counts which also may affect the cardiovascular functions.
• On the other hand, a study on animal models suggested the close relationship between
hypertension and air pollution exposure.The traffic-related air pollution, especially exposure
to high levels of NO2, is associated with right and left ventricular hypertrophy.
• In addition to the antidote therapy that exists only for a few cardiotoxic substances like CO,
usual treatment of cardiovascular diseases should be carried out.
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15. PREVEVENTION OF AIR POLLUTION
• Avoiding the burning of garbage and smoking – burning of garbage is a huge
contributor to air pollution. Another contributor to air pollution is cigarette smoking.
Avoiding these activities and spreading awareness of their negative consequences can
be of great help in the prevention of air pollution.
• Using public transport is a sure short way of contributing to less air pollution as it
provides with less gas and energy, even carpools contribute to it. In addition to less
release of fuels and gas, using a public transport can also help in saving money. Lesser
vehicles on roads will contribute to lesser emissions. Using public transport will help in:
• Reducing the overall emissions
• Number of vehicles reduced on the roads
• Lesser traffic congestion episodes
• It is pocket friendly alternative
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16. • Turn off the lights when not in use
• The energy that the lights take also contribute to air pollution, thus less consumption of
electricity can save energy. Use energy saving fluorescent lights to help the
environment.
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17. • Recycle and Reuse
• The concept of recycle and reuse is not just conserve resources and use them judicially but
also is helpful for air pollution as it helps in reducing pollution emissions. The recycled
products also take less power to make other products.
• No to plastic bags
• The use of plastic products could be very harmful to the environment as they take a very
long time to decompose, due to their material made up of oil. The use of paper bags instead
is a better alternative as they decompose easily and are recyclable
• Avoid usage of crackers
• The use of crackers during festivals and weddings is sadly one of the biggest
contributors to air pollution, leading to a layer of smog which is extremely harmful
for health. So, practice of no crackers should be implemented.
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18. • Avoid using of products with chemicals
• Products that use the chemicals in their usage or smell strongly, like paints or perfumes
should be used less or outside the house. There can also be an alternative to use
products with low chemical content and organic properties.
• Implement Afforestation
• Last but not the least, plant and grow as many trees as possible. The practice of planting
trees provides a lot of benefits to the environment and helps with the release of oxygen.
• Reduction of forest fires and smoking
• The collecting of garbage and getting it on fire in dry seasons or dry leaves catching fires
is a huge factor for causing air pollution, moreover smoking also causes air pollution and
causes the air quality to worsen along with obviously damaging one’s health
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19. PRESENTED BY
KIRUTHIGA DEVIT
III-BSc BIOCHEMISTRY