14.

3: Air Pollutants
 14.3.1: list major air pollutants;
14.3.2: describe sources and explain effects of air
pollutants;
14.3.3: describe how incineration of waste
material contributes to the problem of air
pollution giving examples from daily life;

4.3.4: suggest what the government should do more

to control air pollution resulting
from auto exhaust;
Air is the Earth's atmosphere. It is the
clear gas in which living things live
and breathe. It has an indefinite
shape and volume. It has
no color or smell. It
has mass and weight. It is a matter as
it has mass and weight. Air
creates atmosphere pressure.
14.3.1: list
major air
pollutants;
 What is air pollutants?
• A substance in the air that can cause
harm to humans and the environment
is known as an air pollutant. Pollutants
can be in the form of solid particles,
liquid droplets, or gases. In addition,
they may be natural or man-made.
Six major air pollutants

• Carbon monoxide (CO)

• Ozone (O3)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
• Sulfur oxides (SOx)
• Carbon dioxide (CO2 )
• Lead (Pb)
Major sources of pollutants
 14.3.2: describe
sources and explain
effects of air
pollutants;
There are two types of pollutants:

Primary pollutants
Secondary pollutants
Primary pollutants:
Primary pollutants are those gases or particles that are
pumped into the air to make it unclean. They include
carbon monoxide from automobile (cars) exhausts and
sulfur dioxide from the combustion of coal. Primarily
air pollutants can be caused by primary sources or
secondary sources. The pollutants that are a direct
result of the process can be called primary pollutants. A
classic example of a primary pollutant would be the
sulfur-dioxide emitted from factories
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
 Nitrogen Dioxide
•reddish, brown gas
•produced when nitric oxide combines with
oxygen in the atmosphere
•present in car exhaust and power plants
•affects lungs and causes wheezing;
increases chance of respiratory infection
NITROGEN DIOXIDE (N02)
SULPHUR DIOXIDE (S02)
GREEN HOUSE GASES
 Carbon Dioxide
•Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main
pollutant that is warming Earth. Though living
things emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, carbon
dioxide is widely considered to be a pollutant when
associated with cars, planes, power plants, and other
human activities that involve the burning of fossil
fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. In the past 150
years, such activities have pumped enough carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher
than they have been for hundreds of thousands of
years.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
PARTICULATE MATTER
Secondary pollutants:

When pollutants in the air mix up in a

chemical reaction, they form an even more
dangerous chemical. Photochemical smog
is an example of this, and is a secondary
pollutant. Secondary pollutants are the
ones that are caused by the inter mingling
and reactions of primary pollutants.
Smog created by the interactions of several
primary pollutants is known to be as
secondary pollutant.
GROUND LEVEL OZONE
 SMOG
Smog is caused when car
POLLUTANT SOURCES EFFECTS
emissions and industrial

SMOG. Smog is
pollution interact with
Smog affects plant life and
sunlight. Smog is often
the health of animals and
caused by heavy traffic, high
another common humans. It is harmful to
temperatures, sunshine and
secondary pollutant. humans, animals, plants and
calm winds. These are few of
Smog is a yellowish or the nature as a whole. Smog
the factors behind increasing
blackish fog formed lead to bronchial
level of air pollution in
mainly by a mixture of diseases.Heavy smog
atmosphere. During the winter
pollutants in the results in a low production
months when the wind
atmosphere which of the crucial natural
speeds are low, it helps the
consists of fine element vitamin D leading to
smoke and fog to become
particles and ground cases of rickets among
stagnate at a place forming
level ozone. Smog people. Smog can be
smog and increasing
which occurs mainly responsible for any ailment
pollution levels near the
because of air from minor pains to deadly
ground closer to where
pollution, can also be pulmonary diseases such as
people are respiring. It
defined as a mixture of lung cancer. Smog is well
hampers visibility and
various gases with known for causing irritation
disturbs the environment. The
dust and water vapor. in the eye. It may also result
atmospheric pollutants or
Smog also refers to in inflammation in the
gases that form smog are
hazy air that makes tissues of lungs; giving rise
released in the air when fuels
breathing difficult. to pain in the chest. Other
are burnt. When sunlight and
issues or illnesses such as
its heat react with these gases
cold and pneumonia are
and fine particles in the
SMOG
FORMATION OF SMOG
EFFECTS OF SMOG
Any visible or invisible particle or gas found in the air that is
not part of the original, normal composition.

Air pollution occurs when gases, dust particles, fumes (or

smoke) or odor are introduced into the atmosphere in a way
that makes it harmful to humans, animals and plant. This is
because the air becomes dirty (contaminated or unclean).
The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air (made up of various gases) called the
atmosphere. The atmosphere helps protect the Earth and allow life to exist. Without it,
we would be burned by the intense heat of the sun during the day or frozen by the very
low temperatures at night
.
Anything additional gas, particles or odors that are introduced into the air (either by
nature or human activity) to destroy this natural balance can be called air pollution.
Things that pollute the air are called pollutants. Examples of pollutants include nitrogen
oxides, carbon monoxides, hydrocarbons, sulphur oxides (usually from factories), sand or
dust particles, and organic compounds that can evaporate and enter the atmosphere.
Causes Of Air
Pollution
What causes air pollution?
Air pollution can result from both human and natural actions.
Natural events that pollute the air include forest fires,
volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation
of organic compounds and natural radioactivity. Pollution
from natural occurrences are not very often.
Human activities that result in air pollution include:

1. Emissions from industries and

manufacturing activities
Have you seen a manufacturing company before? You will notice that there
are long tubes (called chimneys) erected high into the air, with lots of
smoke and fumes coming out of it. Waste incinerators, manufacturing
industries and power plants emit high levels of carbon monoxide, organic
compounds, and chemicals into the air. This happens almost everywhere
that people live. Petroleum refineries also release lots of hydrocarbons into
the air.
INDUSTRIAL EMISSION
2. Burning Fossil Fuels
After the industrial age, transportation has become
a key part of our lives. Cars and heavy duty trucks,
trains, shipping vessels and airplanes all burn lots
of fossil fuels to work. Emissions from automobile
engines contain both primary and secondary
pollutants. This is a major cause of pollution, and
one that is very difficult to manage. This is because
humans rely heavily on vehicles and engines for
transporting people, good and services.

Fumes from car exhaust contain dangerous gases

such as carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen,
hydrocarbons and particulates. On their own, they
cause great harm to people who breath them.
Additionally, they react with environmental gases
to create further toxic gases.
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
 3.Agricultural activities:
Ammonia is a very common by product
from agriculture related activities and is
one of the most hazardous gases in the
atmosphere. Use of insecticides, pesticides
and fertilizers in agricultural activities has
grown quite a lot. They emit harmful
chemicals into the air and can also cause
water pollution.
AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES
 4. Mining operations:

Mining is a process where in minerals

below the earth are extracted using large
equipments. During the process dust and
chemicals are released in the air causing
massive air pollution. This is one of the
reason which is responsible for the
deteriorating health conditions of workers
and nearby residents.
MINING OPERATIONS
 5. Indoor air pollution:
Household cleaning products, painting supplies emit
toxic chemicals in the air and cause air pollution. Have
you ever noticed that once you paint walls of your house,
it creates some sort of smell which makes it literally
impossible for you to breathe?
Suspended particulate matter popular by its acronym
SPM, is another cause of pollution. Referring to the
particles afloat in the air, SPM is usually caused by dust,
combustion etc.
Cooking and heating with solid fuels on open fires or
traditional stoves results in high levels of indoor air
pollution. Indoor smoke contains a range of health-
damaging pollutants, such as small particles and carbon
monoxide.
According to Global Health Risks: Mortality and burden
INDOOR POLLUTION
Acidification: Chemical reaction
involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds
which can cause harm to vegetation and buildings.
Sometimes, when an air pollutant, such as sulfuric
acid combines with the water droplets that make up
clouds, the water droplets become acidic, forming acid
rain. When acid rain falls over an area, it can kill trees
and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife.
Acid rain destroys the leaves of plants.
When acid rain infiltrates into soils, it changes the
chemistry of the soil making it unfit for many living
things that rely on soil as a habitat or for nutrition.
Acid rain also changes the chemistry of the lakes and
streams that the rainwater flows into, harming fish
and other aquatic life.
ACID RAIN
ACID RAIN
Eutrophication:

Rain can carry and deposit the Nitrogen in some

pollutants on rivers and soils. This will adversely affect
the nutrients in the soil and water bodies. This can
result in algae growth in lakes and water bodies, and
make conditions for other living organism harmful.
Eutrophication is a condition where high amount of
nitrogen present in some pollutants gets developed on
sea’s surface and turns itself into algae and adversely
affects fish, plants and animal species. The green
colored alga that is present on lakes and ponds is due to
presence of this chemical only.
 5.Effect on Wildlife:
• Just like humans, animals also
face some devastating effects of
air pollution. Toxic chemicals
present in the air can force
wildlife species to move to new
place and change their habitat.
The toxic pollutants deposit over
the surface of the water and can
also affect sea animals.
WILD LIFE AFFECTED BY POLLUTION
 6. Depletion of Ozone
layer:
Ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible
for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV)
rays. Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to the
presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro
chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. As ozone layer
will go thin, it will emit harmful rays back on earth
and can cause skin and eye related problems. UV rays
also have the capability to affect crops.
CFCs CAUSE OZONE DEPLETION
AIR POLLUTION AFFECTING HUMAN
 GREEN HOUSE EFFECT In
the result of air pollution number of green
house gases are increase rapidly. The
man-made (or anthropogenic) component
of the greenhouse effect is caused by
man’s activities that emit greenhouse gases
to the atmosphere.
The most important of these is the burning
of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels contain carbon,
and when they are burnt this carbon
combines with oxygen in the atmosphere
to form carbon dioxide.
GREEN HOUSE EFFECT CAUSE
GLOBAL WARMING
 WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming is an occurrence which results to the rise in the
average temperature of the earth's atmosphere. Due to extreme
pollution from factories and automobiles in the earth's atmosphere,
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide form a thick
layer in the upper atmosphere and traps the sun's rays from being
reflected back to outer space. This eventually leads to a rise in
temperatures as the sun warms the earth. Global warming also called
the greenhouse effect occurs as a result of the gradual increase of the
air temperature in the earth's lower atmosphere. The gases from the
greenhouses escape to the atmosphere to form a blanket' that
prevents the suns radiations from going to the stratosphere thus
keeping the earth an average of 33 degrees centigrade warmer than
it would be if this greenhouse effect did not occur. Some green house
gases are like carbon dioxide, methane, Nitrous oxide and
Chlorofluorocarbons
Ground-level ozone:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants
create a poisonous gas ozone (O3). Gas
Ozone can affect people’s health and can
damage vegetation types and some animal
life too.
EFFECTS OF GROUND LEVEL OZONE
Particulate matter:
Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter
which can be very harmful to our health. The level of effect
usually depends on the length of time of exposure, as well
the kind and concentration of chemicals and particles
exposed to. Short-term effects include irritation to the eyes,
nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as
bronchitis and pneumonia. Others include headaches,
nausea, and allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can
aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with
asthma and emphysema. Long-term health effects can
include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart
disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or
kidneys. Continual exposure to air pollution affects the
lungs of growing children and may aggravate or complicate
medical conditions in the elderly.
EFFECT OF PARTICULATE MATTER ON HUMAN HEALTH
 14.3.3: describe how
incineration of waste
material contributes to the
problem of air
pollution giving examples
from daily life;
 Air
Problems Caused By
Incineration Of Waste
Materials.
Incinerator plants are the source of serious
toxic pollutants: dioxins; furans; acid gases;
particulates; heavy metals; and they all need
to be treated very seriously. There must be
absolute prioritization given to human health
requirements and protection of the
environment. The emissions from incinerator
processes are extremely toxic.
Some of the emissions are carcinogenic… We
must use every reasonable instrument to
eliminate them altogether.
Many people would like to believe that waste
disappears when it is burnt. In fact the burnt waste is
transformed into ashes and gas. (A large incinerator
produces the equivalent of 300 wheelie bins of exhaust
gases from its chimneys every second). As this
happens, chemical reactions lead to the formation of
hundreds of new compounds, some of which are
extremely toxic. The number of substances released
from a waste incinerator may run into thousands. So
far, scientists have identified a few hundred substances
as hazardous. Numerous studies confirm that a typical
incinerator releases a cocktail of
toxic chemicals, including dioxins, lead, cadmium,
mercury and fine particles, into the atmosphere
14.3.4: suggest what the
government should do
more to control air
pollution resulting
from auto exhaust;
Controlling Air
Pollution.
Government (or community) level prevention
Governments throughout the world have already taken
action against air pollution by introducing green energy.
Some governments are investing in wind
energy and solar energy, as well as other renewable
energy, to minimize burning of fossil fuels, which cause
heavy air pollution.
Governments are also forcing companies to be more
responsible with their manufacturing activities, so that
even though they still cause pollution, they are a lot
controlled. Companies are also building more energy
efficient cars, which pollute less than before. Government
should provide local transport to people to reduce
burning fossil fuels.
Air pollution prevention, monitoring and
solution.

Solution efforts on pollution is always a big

problem. This is why prevention
interventions are always a better way of
controlling air pollution. These prevention
methods can either come from government
(laws) or by individual actions. In many big
cities, monitoring equipment have been
installed at many points in the city.
Authorities read them regularly to check the
quality of air.