WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION?
*Air is the ocean we breathe. Air supplies us with
oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live. Air
is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert
gases. Human activities can release substances into
the air, some of which can cause problems for
humans, plants, and animals.
HISTORY OF AIR POLLUTION
 Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries
was based on the use of coal.
 in the Middle Ages the use of coal in cities such as
London was beginning to escalate.
 Industriess were often located in towns and cities, and
together with the burning of coal in homes for domestic
heat, urban air pollution levels often reached very high
levels.
 During the first part of the 20th century, tighter
industrial controls lead to a reduction in smog pollution
in urban areas
 What is and what is not an air pollutant.
Many of the things generally considered
pollutants are present in the natural air.
Three T’�s in the atmosphere



tonnage,
toxicity
time
AIR POLLUTANTS
Three widespread air pollutants cause the most damage to
the environment and human health:
 Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
 Nitrogen oxides (NOx).
 Particulate matter (PM)
TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION
Indoor Air Pollution
 Many people spend large portion of time indoors - as
much as 80-90% of their lives. We work, study, eat,
drink and sleep in enclosed environments where air
circulation may be restricted.
 For these reasons, some experts feel that most of the
people suffer from the effects of indoor air pollution
more than outdoor pollution.
 Tobacco smoke, cooking and heating appliances,
and vapors from building materials, paints,
furniture, etc. cause pollution inside buildings.
Outdoor pollution
 Smog is a type of large-scale outdoor pollution. It is
caused by chemical reactions between pollutants
derived from different sources, primarily
automobile exhaust and industrial emissions.
CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION
 Power plants
 Transportation
 Light pollution
 Burning of solid waste
POWER PLANTS
 Represent a very grim sector of business when it
comes to the contribution to air pollution.
TRANSPORTATION
 The growing use of old, poorly maintained
passenger cars and the use of diesel fuel have
dramatically worsened air quality.
LIGHT POLLUTION
 The lightening of the night sky due to artificial
light being scattered about
BURNING OF SOLID WASTE
 Hundreds of millions of tons of solid waste are
collected and disposed of each year.
We All Cause Air Pollution!
 directly through our use of electricity, fuels, and
transportation.
 indirectly, when we buy goods and services that use
energy in their production and delivery
 the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, natural gas,
and gasoline to produce electricity and power our vehicles.
RESULTS OF AIR POLLUTION
1. GLOBAL WARMING
2.ACID RAIN
3.HEALTH EFFECTS
4.OZONE DEPLETION
1.GLOBAL WARMING
 Air pollution includes greenhouses gases
(carbondioxide,water vapor,methane..)
 Greenhouse gases are a natural part of Earth’s
atmosphere.
 Greenhouse gases cause global warming by trapping
heat from the Sun in the Earth’s atmosphere
2.ACID RAIN
Acid rain occurs when emissions of sulfur dioxide or
nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere react with water,
oxygen, and oxidants to form acidic compounds.
3. HEALTH EFFECTS
 SHORT-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS
Irritation to the eyes, nose and throat
bronchitis and pneumonia, headaches,
nausea, and allergic reactions.
 LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS
Chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer,
heart disease, and even damage to the brain,
nerves, liver, or kidneys.
4. OZONE DEPLETION
Ozone layer acts protective blanket for earth, shields
earth from harmful UV radiation of the sun adversly
affected by air pollution.
(CFC chloroflorocarbon,aerosol)
SOLUTIONS
 Save energy
 Choose recycled products
 Use public form of transport
 Reduce the use of aerosols
 Do not smoke
DO YOU KNOW?
 The health costs of human exposure to outdoor air
pollutants range from $40 to $50 billion.
 An estimated 50,000 to 120,000 premature deaths
are associated with exposure to air pollutants.
 People with asthma experience more than 100
million days of restricted activity, costs for asthma
exceed $4 billion, and about 4,000 people die of
asthma.