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Clean air is the foremost requirement to sustain healthy lives of humankind and those
supporting ecosystems which in return affect the human being. The air is composed of 99.9% of
nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases. Humans are dependent to air. We breathe about 35
lbs. of air per day as compared with the consumption of 3 to 5 lbs. of water and 1 lbs. of dry
food.
One of the problems we are facing today is air pollution. Air pollution is a mixture of
solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and
mold spores may be suspended as particle. Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them
increase the chance youll have health problems. People with heart or lung diseases, older adults
and children are at great risk from air pollution. Air pollution isnt just outside- the air inside the
buildings can also be polluted and affect your health.
In this research paper, we are going to discuss what is air pollution, the cause of air
pollution. And also the solution and how we can prevent air pollution.
The atmosphere is a complex dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support
life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has been long recognized
as a threat to human health as well as to the Earths ecosystems.
Overview of Emissions
Emission is the term used to describe the gases and particles which are put in the air or
emitted by various sources. Pollution discarded into atmosphere by residential, commercial, and
industrial facilities. Technically an emission is anything thats been released out into the open.
But more often it refers to gases being released into the air, like greenhouse gasses or emissions
from power plants and factories. What are emissions? Where do they come from?
National Trends
The amounts and types of emissions change every year. These changes are caused by
changes in the nation's economy, industrial activity, technology improvements, traffic, and by
many other factors. Air pollution regulations and emission controls also have an effect.
The National Air Pollutant Emission Trends report summarizes long-term trends in emissions of
air pollutants and gives in-depth analysis of emissions for the current year. The report also
discusses emission evaluation and prediction methodologies.
Criteria Pollutants
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is mainly concerned with
emissions which are or could be harmful to people. EPA calls this set of principal air
pollutants, criteria pollutants. The criteria pollutants are carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb),
nitrogen dioxide(NO2), ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM), and sulfur dioxide (SO 2). There are
also a large number of compounds which have been determined to be hazardous which are
called air toxics.
Sources
There are many sources of emissions. These have been grouped into four categories:
point, mobile, biogenic, and area.
Point sources include things like factories and electric power plants. Mobile sources include
cars and trucks, of course, but also lawn mowers, airplanes and anything else that moves and
puts pollution into the air.
(dates) for achieving attainment of NAAQS since many areas of the country had failed to meet
the deadlines.
Section 112 of the Clean Air Act addresses emissions of hazardous air pollutants. Prior to
1990, CAA established a risk-based program under which only a few standards were developed.
The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments revised Section 112 to first require issuance of technologybased standards for major sources and certain area sources. "Major sources" are defined as a
stationary source or group of stationary sources that emit or have the potential to emit 10 tons per
year or more of a hazardous air pollutant or 25 tons per year or more of a combination of
hazardous air pollutants. An "area source" is any stationary source that is not a major source.
For major sources, Section 112 requires that EPA establish emission standards that
require the maximum degree of reduction in emissions of hazardous air pollutants. These
emission standards are commonly referred to as "maximum achievable control technology" or
"MACT" standards. Eight years after the technology-based MACT standards are issued for a
source category, EPA is required to review those standards to determine whether any residual risk
exists for that source category and, if necessary, revise the standards to address such risk.
http://bentoncleanair.org/index.php/air-quality/air-quality-index
Criteria of Pollutants
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
for six common air pollutants. These commonly found air pollutants (also known as "criteria
pollutants") are found all over the United States. They are particle pollution (often referred to as
particulate matter), photochemical oxidants and ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur
oxides, nitrogen oxides, and lead. These pollutants can harm your health and the environment,
and cause property damage. EPA calls these pollutants "criteria" air pollutants because it sets
NAAQS for them based on the human health-based and/or environmentally-based criteria
(characterizations of the scientific information).
The set of standards based on human health for protection of public health is
called primary standards. Another set of standards intended to prevent environmental and
property damage for protection of public welfare is called secondary standards. Where a criteria
pollutant is actually a group of pollutants (e.g., nitrogen oxides), the standards are set for key or
indicator pollutants within the group (e.g., nitrogen dioxide).
Ozone
Ozone is a gas that is formed when nitrogen oxides react with a group of air pollutants
known as 'reactive organic substances' in the presence of sunlight.
Particulate Matter
Airborne particles are sometimes referred to as 'particulate matter' or 'PM'. They include
dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Some particles are large enough or dark enough to be
seen as soot or smoke, while others are so small they can only be detected individually with a
microscope.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a gas and is found in air. High levels of carbon monoxide are
poisonous to humans and, unfortunately, it cannot be detected by humans as it has no taste or
smell and cannot be seen.
Nitrogen Dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide is a nasty-smelling gas. Some nitrogen dioxide is formed naturally in
the atmosphere by lightning and some is produced by plants, soil and water. However, only about
1% of the total amount of nitrogen dioxide found in our cities' air is formed this way.
Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is a gas. It is invisible and has a nasty, sharp smell. It reacts easily with
other substances to form harmful compounds, such as sulfuric acid, sulfurous acid and sulfate
particles.
Lead
Lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal that is found in the Earths crust. Lead can be
released into soil, air and water through soil erosion, volcanic eruptions, sea spray and bushfires.
The natural concentration of lead in the air is less than 0.1 microgram per cubic meter.
Air Toxics
Air toxics are sometimes referred to as 'hazardous air pollutants'. Air toxics as gaseous,
aerosol or particulate pollutants that are present in the air in low concentrations with
characteristics such as toxicity or persistence so as to be a hazard to human, plant or animal life.
Biological Pollutants
Are another class of pollutants. They arise from sources such as microbiological
contamination, e.g molds, the skin of animals and humans and the remains and dropping of pests
such as cockroaches. Biological pollutants can be airborne and can have a significant impact on
indoor air quality.
distribution, as well as activities to reduce pollution in the mega-cities. They noted that the
lessons learned in developed countries curbing their pollution problems may bring progress in
other mega-cities of the world.
http://energytopicstrends.blogspot.com/2014/11/air-pollution-in-todays-megacities.html
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/sSC5EXT_uhI/VGgjWWfUEVI/AAAAAAAABm8/fnlCOSglSBQ/s1600/Capture.PNG
The growing trend of human civilization moving away from rural areas to urban areas in
order to have a better life raises the importance of making sure the current and future megacities
of the world have the cleanest air possible.
So where does this chemical reaction occur? Anywhere you have gasoline vapors, car
exhaust fumes, a large storage of chemical agents, and factory or utility plant emissions. Reduce
these key elements and you can reduce the amount of ground-level ozone you are exposed to.
Step 4: Go Solar
Electricity might seem a green way to heat your home, but the VOCs generated by
electrical utility plants are among the highest in all forms of manufacturing. Nitrogen oxides are
also a byproduct of electrical utilities and as we learned in Step 1, combining the two can lead to
deadly increases in ground-level ozone. Utility companies produce more sulfur dioxides than
petroleum plants and the amount of other resources necessary to operate the plants make electric
utilities a less-than optimum choice when looking to power your home.
Todays solar panels are unique in both design and installation. Whereas previous
generation panels were large and unsightly perched above your roof, modern versions are
colorful, install directly into the roof tiles and can usually generate enough electricity to power
your home, heat your hot water and have enough left over to sell back to the utility company.
This is especially important if you use a lot of chemical fertilizers or other treatments on
your patch of ground because those chemicals will mix with others once airborne and could
cause even greater health problems.
If you have a large non-landscaped area of your yard, make sure it stays damp and is not
allowed to completely dry out, creating dust. If you are not ready to plant, sprinkle the area with
water every few days to keep the dust in check. Better yet, cover with plastic sheeting to keep the
ground from drying out while generating your own solar watering system at the same time.
Conclusion
Air pollution increases rapidly due to globalization and rapid increase of population. It is
time for us to act to prevent pollution. It is the responsibility of everyone to protect our
environment. Let us fulfill our responsibilities in environmental protection, creating a quality
ecological environment and sharing wonderful green living together.
References
Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science by Gilbert M. Masters
Environmental Engineering by Salvato, Neweron & Agardy
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/emission.html
https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollutant_Standards_Index
https://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants
https://www3.epa.gov/airquality/emissns.html