Introduction Causes

Effects Survey Measures

Index

Major Pollutants

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere. It is the term used to describe any harmful gases in the air we breathe.

The causes are divided into

two types: MAN MADE CAUSES NATURAL SOURCES

 Combustion of fuel is one of the major causes o f air pollution in urban areas. Burning of fossil useless ucha s natural as and gasoline leads to the emission of carbon dioxide and other gases, which deteriorate the quality of air, making it polluted. Increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is one of the prime causes of air pollution .Power plants, exhaust fumes of automobiles, airplanes and other human activities involving the burning of gasoline and natural gas are related to the emission of things greenhouse gases.

 Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are both considered to be pollutants also, no fossil fuels are perfectly pure and no engine is perfectly efficient, so small articles of soot are also released in to the atmosphere , along with trace amounts of other undesirable substances. Other man-made causes of air pollution includes smokestack emissions from factories. The substances emitted at these sources can include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide ,which are responsible for the formation of acid rain. The chlorofluorocarbon(CFCs),a class of synthetic chemicals used in refrigerants and aerosol propellant shave caused hole in Earth's ozone layer. The use of this banned chemicals is related with the increasing levels of air pollution. Increased road and air traffic is another reason related to the high level of air pollution.

 it has become an issues imply because of the steady increase both in the number of the vehicles in use and the distance travelled by each vehicle each year. Number of registered motor vehicles increased from 0 .306 million in 1951 to 58.863 million in 2006 it is the fastest growing source of CO2 emissions. Toxic metals such as lead, cadmium and copper also contribute in air pollution. Fumes from paint, hair spray, varnish, aerosol sprays and other solvents.

 Natural sources of air pollution can be dangerous at times. These sources include: dust picked up by wind erosion Pollens from various plants and weeds The emission of methane by livestock Smoke from wildfires. Volcanic eruptions are perhaps the largest single source of air pollution, natural or man-made, that humans have ever dealt with. These can produce clouds of abrasive volcanic ash and other harmful substances such as chlorine and SULPHUR

 Like photo chemical pollutants, sulphur oxides contribute to the incidence of respiratory diseases. Acid rain, a form of precipitation that contains high levels of sulphuric or nitric acids, can contaminate drinking water and vegetation, damage aquatic life, erode buildings and has a negative effect on health.

 The dramatic and debilitating effects of severe air pollution episodes in cities throughout the world-such as the London smog of 1952 that resulted in 4,000 deathshave alerted government to the necessity of crisis procedures. Even everyday level so fair pollution may insidiously affect health and behavior.