INTRODUCTION

Air pollution occurs when harmful substances including

particulates and biological molecules are introduced into Earth's
atmosphere. It may cause diseases, allergies or death of humans; it
may also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals and
food crops, and may damage the natural or built environment. Human
activity and natural processes can both generate air pollution.

Fig1 :- Air pollutant releasing from factories

An air pollutant is a substance in the air that can have adverse

effects on humans and the ecosystem. The substance can be solid
particles, liquid droplets, or gases. A pollutant can be of natural

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 origin or man-made. Pollutants are classified as primary or
secondary. Primary pollutants are usually produced from a process,
such as ash from a volcanic eruption. Other examples include
carbon monoxide gas from motor vehicle exhaust, or the sulphur
dioxide released from factories.

The World Health Organization estimated in 2014 that every year air
pollution causes the premature death of some 7 million people
worldwide. India has the highest death rate due to air pollution. India
also has more deaths from asthma than any other nation according to
the World Health Organization. In December 2013 air pollution was
estimated to kill 500,000 people in China each year. There is a
positive correlation between pneumonia -related deaths and air
pollution from motor vehicle emissions.

Fig2 :- Air pollution released by motor vehicles

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 CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION

1. Emissions from Industrial Plants and Manufacturing Work: -

With the current rate of industrialization and increased

manufacturing activities, high levels of smoke, sulphur dioxide, and
particulate matter are emitted into the air. In a typical industrial plant,
for instance, it is easy to notice the long chimneys or smokestacks
erected into the air, emitting large amounts of fumes and smoke from
it.

Industrial plants, factories, and power plants release high

amounts of organic compounds, chemicals, particulate matter, and
carbon monoxide into the air. Industrial plants that refine petroleum,
manufacture cement, produce metals such as steel and aluminium,
process plastics, or manufacture chemical products are among the
industries and manufacturing activities that release lots of foreign
harmful materials into the air.

Fig:-3 Air pollution from industries

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2. Combustion from Fossil Fuels: -

In the modern world, fossil fuel combustion is the biggest

contributor to air pollution. The leading culprit today is traffic, but
factories and power plants also continue to contribute to some extent.
Conventional power plants that combust fossil fuels to produce
energy emits hazardous gases such as oxides of nitrogen, Carbon
Monoxide, particulates, and hydrocarbons into the air.
The number of cars on our roads are overwhelming and
increasing, with an estimated number of more than half a billion cars
on the road. Heavy duty trucks, shipping vessels, trains, and airplanes
also combust lots of fossil fuels to function. All these transportation
utilities are power-driven by diesel and gasoline engines that combust
petroleum to produce energy.

Fig4 :- Air pollution by burning of coal

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3. Farming Chemicals and Household Products:-

Use of household and farming chemicals produce

considerable amounts of harmful foreign substances into the
atmosphere and have the potential to cause air pollution. Dusting of
crops, painting supplies, home fumigation, household cleaning
products, fertilizer powder, insect/pests’ sprays, hair sprays, and
deodorant sprays release harmful chemicals into the air, causing
pollution.

High concentrations of these chemicals within a confined

area can be hazardous and can cause serious health and breathing
problems. Since they are regularly used products, they also qualify as
major causes of air pollution as they release toxic particles and
chemical gases into the atmosphere.

Fig 5:- Air pollution by aeroplane take off

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4. Natural Causes of Air Pollution: -

The majority of people only perceive air pollution as a

consequence of human actions. In some cases, natural events can as
well cause air pollution. However, they are rarely witnessed, and
some of them are very disastrous and difficult to prevent from
happening. Examples of natural events that lead to air pollution
include volcanic eruptions, whirlwinds, forest fires, and gaseous
releases from decaying plants and animals or radioactive decay of
rocks.

Fig 6:- Air pollution from volcanoes

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 5. Other Causes: -

The majority of developing countries burn charcoal, wood, and

crop waste to produce fuel used for cooking and heating. As such, the
traditional practice of wood and charcoal burning is usually a chief
contributor to indoor air pollution in developing nations. Burning
charcoal, wood, and crop waste release Carbon Monoxide (CO),
Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and particulate matter into the atmosphere
that potentially causes air pollution.

In some regions, waste is incinerated instead of being land-filled

or recycled and as such, it substantially contributes to air pollution.
Some agricultural practices like burning agricultural land after harvest
or burning as a mechanism for clearing land cover is also a significant
cause of air pollution.

Fig 7 :-Air pollution due to the burning of tyres.

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 EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH:-

Air pollution has both acute and chronic effects on human

health, affecting a number of different systems and organs. It ranges
from minor upper respiratory irritation to chronic respiratory and
heart disease, lung cancer, acute respiratory infections in children and
chronic bronchitis in adults, aggravating pre-existing heart and lung
disease, or asthmatic attacks. In addition, short- and long-term
exposures have also been linked with premature mortality and
reduced life expectancy. These effects of air pollutants on human
health and their mechanism of action are briefly discussed.

Fig 8:-Peoples are using masks to be safe from

Air pollutant

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EFFECTS ON ANIMALS: -

In addition to affecting individual animals or populations

directly, air pollutants also affect wildlife indirectly by causing
changes in the ecosystem. Vegetation affords cover for protection
from predators and weather, provides breeding and nesting habitat,
and also serves as a food source. Therefore, any change in vegetation
could indirectly affect animal populations. Many studies have found
that invertebrates show a preference for, or are better able to establish
themselves in, air pollution-injured vegetation. Although birds and
mammals are not directly affected by water acidification, they are
indirectly affected by changes in the quantity and quality of their food
resources. Some birds such as the osprey, find difficulty in living
around an acid lake because there are far fewer fish to be found.
However, the diver finds hunting easier in an acid lake because the
water of an acid lake is clearer than that of a normal lake. In Scotland,
Otters are quite rare around acidic streams and rivers, as their main
food supply, fish, are reduced.

Fig 9:- Birds are fainting because of the effects of air pollutants

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EFFECT ON ENVIRONMENT: -

Environmental degradation has increased over the last

several decades. Vehicular emissions, rapid industrialization and
urbanization are the main sources of air pollution. A compelling
reason for controlling air pollutants, such as suspended particulate
matter (SPM), particulate matter (RPM) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) is
their damaging effect on human health. Of all air pollution
constituents, the WHO has identified SPM as the most sinister in
terms of its effect on health. India stands third (after china and US)
among the countries with highest CO2 emissions, with annual
CO2 emission estimate of 2,069,738 (in thousands of CO 2 metric
tons). As the World Health Organization (WHO) points out, outdoor
air pollution contributes as much as 0.6 to 1.4 percent of the burden of
disease in developing regions, and other pollution, such as lead in
water, air, and soil, may contribute 0.9 percent (WHO, 2002).

Fig 10 :-Air pollution from volcanoes

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS ON
HEALTH

I. Health Effects of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2):

Human beings chronically exposed to SO2 have higher

incidence of cough, shortness of breath, bronchitis, colds of long
duration and fatigue. Most of the SO2 in the atmosphere is converted
to sulphate salts, which are removed by sedimentation or by washout
along with precipitation thereby making rain water acidic due to
sulphuric acid formation.
The most common acute exposure to SO2 at concentration > =
0.4 ppm (parts per million) is induction of asthmatics after exposure
lasting only 5 minutes. Increased prevalence of cough in children with
intermittent exposure to SO2 levels of 1.0 ppm is observed.

II. Health Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2):

The oxides of nitrogen are toxic gases which enter the human
body during breathing. High concentration of NO2 may increase
susceptibility to respiratory pathogens and also increases risk of acute
respiratory diseases like bronchitis, chronic fibrosis, emphysema and
bronchopneumonia. N02 exposure can cause decrement in lung
functions.
It has been established that continuous exposure with as little as
0.1 ppm NO2 in air over a period of one to three years increases
incidence of bronchitis, sedema, emphysema, oedema and adversely
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affects the performance of lungs. US study by Hasselblad et al. (1992)
indicate that repeated N02 exposure increases respiratory illness in
children.

Fig 11:- S02 Fig 12:- NO2

III. Health Effects of Carbon Monoxide (CO):

Carbon monoxide is absorbed from the lung tissue in blood

stream. Competitive bending between carbon monoxide and oxygen
to haemoglobin (Hb) in red blood cells (RBC) then occur forming
carboxy haemoglobin (COHb) and oxyhaemoglobin (O2Hb)
respectively. Toxic effects of CO are mainly due to its high affinity
for Hb which is 240 times greater than oxygen affinity. The COHb in
blood of exposed population may be between 3.0 and 5.3 per cent
whereas the safe limit is less than 2 per cent.

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IV. Health Effects of Benzene:

Benzene is a hazardous air pollutant which accelerates

carcinogen city and human health risk from ambient air. Various
studies have provided evidence regarding effect of benzene linked to
genetic change, chromosomal aberration, etc. International Agency
for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified benzene as
carcinogenic to humans which increases the frequency of cancer in
human.

Fig13:-CO Fig:-14:-Benzene

V. Health Effects of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC):

The volatile compounds have potential carcinogenic effects on
human beings and are termed as air toxins. These compounds react
with oxides of nitrogen in the presence of sun light and give rise to
photochemical smog. This smog is a dense haze which restricts
visibility. Hazy fumes cause irritation to eyes and lungs and damage
plant life.

VI. Health Effects of Lead:

Lead particles from the ambient air can be inhaled, can settle
down as dust in neighbouring area, on vegetation and water bodies
and may be partly ingested. Out of the total estimated release of lead
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from the vehicular emission, about 50-70% is released as emission
into the environment and the remaining part gets deposited. Lead is
pervasive environmental poison which affects virtually every system
in the body. It can damage the kidneys, the nervous system, the
reproductive system and cause high blood pressure.

Fig 15:-Lead

Fig 16:- Effects of harmful air pollutant

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 WAYS OF REDUCING
AIR POLLUTION

#1 Reduce the air pollution of your automobile

When you are out for a drive, do not idle your vehicle. Drive less by
combining trips, telecommuting, carpooling, car sharing, riding a
bike, walking, or using public transit. Bring your lunch to work, so
you do not have to drive out during the lunch break, or agree with
your co-workers on going to get lunch together. Do not speed up or
drive aggressively because that only produces more emissions. And if
possible avoid driving out during rush hours.

Fig 17:- Pollution creating by vechiles

#2 Save energy
When you save energy, whether it is at home, at work, or while you
are travelling, you will be reducing air polluting particulates as well
as carbon emissions that pollute the air. For more information on how
you can save energy.

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 Fig18:- switching off the appliances

#3 Do not smoke inside your home.

Cigarette smoke contains up to 70 carcinogenic substances and toxins
that remain in the indoor air for a long time. Exposure to this second
hand smoke can cause serious health problems to other family
members. Some of the health deteriorating compounds found in
smoke include lead, arsenic, ammonia and carbon monoxide. By
smoking in a confined space, the level of these compounds quickly
exceed safe limits without you even realizing the danger associated
with inhaling them.

Fig19:- No Smoking

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#4 Plant Trees :-
Trees around your house and in your neighborhood will help reduce
air pollutants. Trees have the unique ability to clean the air of gaseous
pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur
dioxide, and ozone, as well as particulate pollutants. Except being
natural air filters, trees also cool down the temperature by a few
degrees, which makes them a great substitute for energy demanding
and polluting air conditioners.

Fig20:- Planting trees

#5 Recycle and buy recycled products.

It takes more energy and natural resources to make new things,
increasing the environmental footprint (including the air pollution that
is produced) of those products, compared with those products that are
made from recycled materials.

Fig21:- Recycled paperboard

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OBJECTIVE OF AIR POILLUTION
CONTROL DEVICE

A) TO REDUCE PARTICULATE MATTER

1. Wet scrubbers: Are effective air pollution control devices for

removing particles and/or gases from industrial exhaust streams.
A wet scrubber operates by introducing the dirty gas stream with
a scrubbing liquid – typically water. Particulate or gases are
collected in the scrubbing liquid.

Fig22 :- Wet scrubber

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 2. Electrostatic precipitator (ESP): is a filtration device that
removes fine particles, like dust and smoke, from a flowing
gas using the force of an induced electrostatic charge
minimally impeding the flow of gases through the unit.

-
Fig23:- Electrostatic precipitator

B) TO REDUCE NO2

1. Exhaust gas recirculation A widely adopted route to reduce

NO2 emissions is Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR). This
involves recirculating a controllable proportion of the engine's
exhaust back into the intake air. A valve is usually used to
control the flow of gas, and the valve may be closed completely
if required.
The substitution of burnt gas (which takes no further part
in combustion) for oxygen rich air reduces the proportion of the
cylinder contents available for combustion. This causes a
correspondingly lower heat release and peak cylinder temperature,
and reduces the formation of NOx. The presence of an inert gas in the

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cylinder further limits the peak temperature (more than throttling
alone in a spark ignition engine).

Fig24:- Exhaust Gas Recirculation

2. Catalytic converter Pollutant gases are made of harmful

molecules, but those molecules are made from relatively
harmless atoms. So if we could find a way of splitting up the
molecules after they leave a car's engine and before they get
pumped out into the air, we could crack the problem of
pollution. That's the job that a catalytic converter does.

Fig26:- catalytic converter

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CASE STUDY: AIR POLLUTION IN
KOLKATA

SYNOPSIS:

1. The purpose of this case study is to highlight the various effects on

human health, environment, animals.
2. Comprehensive study on the seasonal changes in Kolkata (West
Bengal (pollution control board )
3. The objective is to understand the source apportionment of air
pollution. We want to know how much and what kind of pollution is
coming from burning of waste, vehicles, dust, flow of winds, etc
4. Changes on various old tourist places are also observed.

BEFORE AFTER

Fig27:- Change in Victoria Memorial (KOLKATA) from last ten years

due to air pollutant which is effecting the colour Of Victoria Memorial

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 5.Peoples are wearing masks to avoid this harmful air pollutants.
Especially the policeperson and traveller through bikes and scooters
are using masks to get protect from air pollutant.

Fig28:- Masks were highly used in roads

OBSEVATIONS:

1. According to West Bengal pollution board air pollution is

increasing at high rate every year being a mega city, government
should launch some rules to reduce the air pollution.
2. Peoples should be well trained, so that they can take
necessary steps to protect them from air pollution. e.g they
should wear masks.

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 Fig29:- Air pollutants increasing in Kolkata.

Conclusion:
1. Air pollution is gripping all over India and one of the main city
is Kolkata.
2. Its effecting the human health and also effecting our
environment and other natural sources.

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 CONCLUSION
Urban air pollution has long been a serious problem in the FSU, reflecting
both the importance of highly polluting, resource-intensive industries for
the national economy and political factors such as the low priority of
environmental issues and lack of public participation. At the beginning of
the transition from a centrally planned to a free market economy and a
more open society, it was assumed that environmental performance in the
FSU would improve. In particular, a shift away from heavy industries to
less resource-intensive sectors and improvements in energy efficiency
were expected to reduce air pollution levels. All countries of the FSU
experienced a decline in industrial output following the change in
economic regime and emissions of main pollutants have fallen as a result
of a slump in production.
Many commentators saw this as a much needed break for the environment.
However, while absolute levels of emissions have decreased, the ongoing
economic crisis and persisting financial problems have ensured that
decreases in emissions have been smaller than declines in output as a
result of the associated deterioration of regulatory mechanisms, a lack of
investment into pollution abatement equipment, weak enforcement of
environmental legislation and public disengagement. In the areas
benefiting from economic changes, and especially in large cities,
environmental pressures have increased because of growing car
ownership. As the environmental benefits of the economic downturn are
uncertain, and new sets of pollution problems face the FSU, has economic
restructuring been good for the environment? When and where will
emissions return to their pre-transition level? Is decoupling of economic
and emission trends feasible? How to implement the 'win-win' strategies in
the future? Pursuing the transformation of their country into the world's
most industrialized society, the Soviets believed that these problems could
be solved. Or could they!!!

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

a) Comprehensive Book
b) Together with Book
c) Dinesh Book
d) Wikipedia
e) Google

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