Air Pollution

Air Pollution

When toxic substances are released into the atmosphere , the air that man breathes becomes contaminated . This is what is known as air pollution It occurs wherever man is - inside the home or other buildings , or outside of them . Air pollution which occurs outside is called outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution is what occurs inside homes and buildings . Air pollution , may it be outdoor or indoor , is generally caused by human activities (Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution

Some significant sources of outdoor air pollution are motor vehicles industrial

plants , thermal power plants , the burning down of forests for the purpose of converting the land for agricultural purposes , or even the simple burning of trash . There are three general types of outdoor air pollution , namely : particles or particulate matter , noxious gases and lead . An example of particulate matter is the smoke from burning fuel like diesel (Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution

Particulate matter or simply PM is a mixture of liquid droplets and very small particles which are made up of several components like metals organic chemicals , dust particles , and acids like sulfates and nitrates PM is very dangerous to the health of people because of the size of the particles which are less than 10 micrometers in diameter . Because of their smallness , once inhaled by humans , they could easily enter the lungs by passing through the nose and throat and cause serious health problems (U .S . Environmental Protection Agency

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) has come up with two categories of PM . The first group , referred to as Inhalable coarse particles ' have a diameter of between 2 .5 micrometers and 10 micrometers . These are usually found in areas where dusty industries and roadways are located . The second category is composed of fine particles ' whose diameters are less than 2 .5 micrometers (2 .5 micrometer is equal to .0001 inches . Fine particles are found in haze and smoke coming from forest fires . They also result from the reaction of gaseous emissions from automotive vehicles and industrial plants in the air (U .S . Environmental Protection Agency

The other type of outdoor pollution occurs when noxious gases are released into the air . Examples of noxious gases are carbon monoxide (CO , sulfur dioxide , and nitrogen dioxide . These gases , once in the air , figure in further chemical reaction to create acid rain and smog (Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution . CO is a gas which is both odorless and colorless . It results when the carbon component of fuel is not completely burned . One of the sources of CO is motor vehicle emission this is why the greater concentration of CO could be found in traffic congestions or in areas frequented by great numbers of motor vehicles Plants involved in the manufacture of chemicals and the processing of metals and forest fires are also sources of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide reduces oxygen supply to the heart , brain , and other organs of the body , thereby putting to risk individuals who have cardiovascular diseases...