ARGONZA, Christian Gil D.

ME193-2/B1
ME-5

A Reaction Paper about a Report on Sources of Air Pollutants

This report is about where the air pollutants that was discussed in the earlier, came from.
In the report, it is said that there are two major sources of air pollutants namely the “primary air
pollutants” and “secondary air pollutants”. The reporters initiated their report by enumerating the
common air pollutants. Some of the enumerated air pollutants are the nitrogen dioxide, carbon
monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, smog, and ground level ozone. The reporters also
tackled about how these air pollutants being dispersed. Consequently, they highlighted the
formation od secondary air pollutants and the environmental effects.

According to the reporters, the primary pollutants are pollutants that can be observed within
our daily live. Examples of which are mobile sources, stationary sources, area sources, and natural
sources. It is not new to us that the mobile sources are one of the major contributors of air pollution.
However, I learned during this report that, despite being one of the major causes of air pollution,
the mobile sources are being regulated efficiently up until to this date. Next is the stationary
sources, according to the reporters, these air pollutants came from power plants and such industrial
infrastructure. I was fascinated to learn that the major contributor of air pollution in this category
is the petrochemical plants, which gives off sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and more.

In the report, it was saddening to learn that these air pollutants are being dispersed through
natural water cycle, this is also known as the wet deposition. Air pollutants that is coming from
these sources are being distributed to the atmosphere causing it to mix in the water cycle. With
this, the dispersion of the air pollutants together with the health hazards that it carries are becoming
more potent. On the other hand, the dry deposition is where these air pollutants are being carried
through the aid of wind. While the report is in the process of progression, the reporters played a
video that really staggered me and stimulated my brain. A documentary video stated that, during
2014, the earth has met its hottest year. This is due to carbon dioxide emission and its
concentration. I also learned the places where the concentration of carbon dioxide is prominent,
these places are North America, Europe, and East Asia. Also, I learned from one of the video
presented by the reporters, that recently in the year 2014, a traffic ban in Paris was enforced
because of the prominent air pollution, specifically the smog dispersion.
 Moving on to the secondary pollutants. According to the reporters, secondary pollutants
are pollutants that was formed in the atmosphere before it is dispersed. Examples are
photochemical smog, acid rain, and ground level ozone. These types of pollutants were clearly
discussed by the earlier reporters. It is said that; photochemical smog is formed from the emission
of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons aided by the sun. Acid rain are pollutants that is a product of
pollutants mixing into the rain cycle. Moreover, ground level ozone is formed through the mixture
of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and sunlight. These ground level ozone traps the
heat inside the atmosphere causing hotter climate.

Because of these pollutants many health hazards are being watched out. One of which that
I learned from this report are the respiratory problems like asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Not
only it can affect the health of the people, it also affects the health of the environment. One that I
learned is that, fish in like may die during acid rain. However, the major problem that we are
currently facing right now that is caused by these air pollutants is the climate change. Despite these
health hazards and environmental hazards, people such as the government and non-government
organization are trying to minimize the air pollution by making clean air laws and conducting
activities such as tree planting and forest rehabilitation.

Overall, I learned a lot from the report of this group. However, I was hoping for more
information of how we can counter these air pollution to solve the problem about climate change.