2.

5 Air pollution
Air pollution is the presence of certain substances in the air in high enough
concentrations and for long enough durations to cause undesirable effects. In
reality, air is never perfectly clean.

Air pollutants
Air pollutants are airborne particles and gases that occur in concentrations
that endanger the health and well-being of organisms or disrupt the orderly
functioning of the environment. Pollutants can be grouped into two
categories:
• Primary pollutants, which are emitted directly from identifiable sources.
• Secondary pollutants, which are produced in the atmosphere when certain
chemical reactions take place among primary pollutants.
The major primary pollutants include, particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, and
lead. Atmospheric sulfuric acid is one example of a secondary pollutant. Air
pollution in urban and industrial areas is often called smog. Photochemical
smog, a noxious mixture of gases and particles, is produced when strong
sunlight triggers photochemical reactions in the atmosphere. A major
component of photochemical smog is ozone.

General effect of air pollution:

• Soiling and deterioration of building surfaces, corrosion of metals,
weakening of textiles, leather, rubber, nylon and other synthetic products.
• Discoloration of painted surfaces. Sulfuric acid mist reacts with marble,
limestone and mortar making them water-soluble.
• Damage to trees and plants, bleaching or discoloring the leaves, damaging
the foliage of trees for photosynthesis.
• Unsightly haze and reduction of visibility. Accumulation of particles in
the atmosphere can appreciably reduce the amount of solar energy that
reaches the surface of the earth.

Greenhouse effect/global warming:

Accumulation of trace gases in the air from human activities traps heat from
the sun and makes the atmosphere warmer than normal.

Greenhouse gases are necessary to life as we know it, because they keep the
planet's surface warmer than it otherwise would be. But, as the concentrations
of these gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the Earth's temperature
is climbing above past levels. According to NOAA and NASA data, the
Earth's average surface temperature has increased by about 1.2 to 1.4ºF in the
last 100 years.
If greenhouse gases continue to increase, climate models predict that the
average temperature at the Earth's surface could increase from 3.2 to 7.2ºF
above 1990 levels by the end of this century. Scientists are certain that human
activities are changing the composition of the atmosphere, and that increasing
the concentration of greenhouse gases will change the planet's climate. But
they are not sure by how much it will change, at what rate it will change, or
what the exact effects will be.

Greenhouse effect contributors:

• Carbon dioxide (60%): Very small amount of CO2 in the atmosphere
naturally, and therefore human emission of CO2 causes a relatively large
change in the concentration level.
• CFC (chlorofluorocarbons) (25%):
• Methane, nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone, other trace gases (15%)
Consequences of the greenhouse effect:
• More active hydrologic cycle, increasing cloudiness, precipitation.
• Rising sea levels because of thermal expansion of seawater, melting of
glaciers, changes in pattern of precipitation and runoff and in
evaporations rates into the warmer atmosphere
• Higher temperature and humidity may increase chances of disease.
• Changes concentration of salt in seawater causing a bad environment for
some natural life forms.