Effect of air pollution

to human health

Air pollution can harm lung development in children,

can help cause early childhood asthma, and can
produce a range of respiratory symptoms in children
and adults. Higher air pollution levels have also been
associated with a higher incidence of heart problems,
including heart attacks, and toxic air pollutants can
cause non-cancer health effects, and can increase
the risk of developing cancer. People with asthma or
other lung and heart conditions are most vulnerable
to the effects of air pollution; children are especially
vulnerable, since their lungs are still growing and
developing, and they spend more time outdoors, and
breathe faster than adults. Older adults, and adults
who work or exercise outdoors for extended periods
of time, are also vulnerable.

Effect on human Health

Air pollution can effect our health in many
ways with both short term and long term
effect.
Examples of short term effect are irration to
nose, eye, throat, bronchitis, headache etc.
Example of long term affect are : lung
disease, chronic respiratory problem, damage
to heart, brain, eyes etc.

Major toxic metals and their effects

Element

Sources

Health Effects

Lead

Auto exhaust, paints,

batteries

Neurotoxin, effects blood

system behaviour,
disorders, death

Cadmium

Coal, zinc mining,

tobacco smoke

Cardiovascular disease
and hyper tension,
kidney damage

Nickel

Combustion of coal,
diesel, tobacco smoke,
chemical and cataylst

Respiratory symptoms,
lung cancer

Mercury

Combustion of fossil
fuels, chlora-alkali cells,
evaporation from coal
mining

Nerve and brain damage,

kidney damage.

Gaseous Pollutants
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
- Aggravates respiratory diseases in humans.
- Even health people experience bronchoconstriction when
exposed to few min of SO2.
Concentration
(ppm)

Effects

0.2

Low conc causing a human response

1.6

Threshold for bronchoconstriction in

humans

8-12

Immediate throat irritation

10

Eye irrition

20

Immediate coughing

Carbon monoxide

 Oxide of nitrogen (NO, NO2)

- Effects of atmospheric NO2
Effect

NO2 conc
(ppm)

Exposure

Increase in acute
respiratory
diseases

0.006 0.1

2 3 years

Increase in airway
resistance

10 minutes

Pulmonary edema

90

30 minutes

Hydrocarbons

Effect of air pollution on vegetation

Decrease yield in argiculture

Suppressed growth of vegetables
Leaf injury and damage to young plants.
Decreased growth rate and increased
death rate.

Effect of air pollution on vegetation

The main air pollutants are represented by
gases forms, particles in suspension,
different ionizing radiation and noise.
The gases forms are: oxidized and reduced
forms of carbon (CO2, CO, CH4), of nitrogen
(NO2, NO, N2O4, NH3, NH4+), SO2, O3, C6H6
vapours, Hg, volatile phenols, Cl2, etc.
The particulate forms are: PM10 and
PM2.5 particulate matter, heavy metals
with toxic effect (Pb, Ni, Cd, As), polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs, etc.

 Atmospheric pollutants have a negative effect on the plants;

they can have direct toxic effects, or indirectly by changing
soil pH followed by solubilization of toxic salts of metals like
aluminum. The particulate matters have a negative
mechanical effect. They cover the leaf blade reducing light
penetration and blocking the opening of stomata. These
impediments
influence
strongly
the
process
of
photosynthesis which rate declines sharply.
Also the leaves of the trees have an important role in
retention of the particulate matters; they are mostly affected
when the wet and dry atmospheric deposition increase.
The vegetation plays an important positive role in
atmospheric purification and air pollutants reduction.
The primary producers represented by plants are an
important component in biogeochemical cycles. The
vegetation made exchanges with a part of the atmospheric
gases by photosynthesis, respiration processes, and the final
stage of litter decomposition which mineralization.

 The plants play an important role in reducing atmospheric

CO2 content, by photosynthesis. This reduction of
atmospheric CO2 content has an important role in
reducing of greenhouse gases, participating in reducing
greenhouse effect and its consequences on climatic
changes. The carbon stored in plants is the result of
balance between carbon fixed by photosynthesis and
carbon released in the atmosphere by respiration.
As the structure of vegetation is more complex, the
carbon stock in plants biomass is higher and the period of
storage is longer. The most efficient type of vegetation in
storing carbon in terms of carbon stored in plants alive is
the temperate-continental forest; and in terms of carbon
stored in dead organic matter are peat lands.
Trees have also been planted to reduce the intensity of
ionizing radiation and noise in different urban and
industrial areas. The existence of vegetation in an area
creates
a
microclimate
where
the
temperature
differentials between day and night are buffered.
This prevents the occurrence of warmer temperatures
which stimulate the production of volatile pollutants into
the atmosphere.

Effect of air pollution to environment

and materials
Air pollution damages materials, but it has
changed dramatically in the past century, with a
reduction in the concentration of corrosive
primary pollutants in urban atmospheres. At the
same time, architectural styles and types of
materials have changed, as we have moved to
more organically rich, photochemically active
atmospheres.
Contemporary air pollutants have the potential to
degrade organic coatings and polymers, which
are of great importance to modern structures,
while increasing amounts of fine diesel soot spoil
the simple lines and smooth areas characteristic
of many modern buildings.

Phenomena of acid rain

Acid rain is very bad and can hurt the environment. It can burn
the leaves on your favorite plants and trees. It can even hurt
the animals that live in the environment by stopping them
from having babies.
Currently, there are programs within the government that
make factories limit the amount of bad stuff they produce. So
far, it seems like these programs are working, but only time
will tell.
This diagram was created by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). It shows that factories produce bad things called
SO2 and NOx and release them into the air (These are the
yellow dots on the picture). When SO2 and NOx combine with
the air, acid rain is created.

Phenomena of global warming and

greenhouse
effect
Global warming is one of the worst environmental problems
that the modern world is facing due to several unfavorable
human behaviors. According to scientists and scientific
research,
global
warming
increases
the
average
temperature of the earths near surface, air and the ocean.
As a result of global warming unwonted environmental
effects take place, such as the rise of sea level which causes
several problems to small islands like Maldives islands.
Because of the global warming, there can be changes in the
amount of precipitation, extreme weather conditions like
droughts and heat waves. And also global warming can
affect the biodiversity of the world by eliminating animal
and plant species due to the shifting of the temperature.

Phenomena of ozone depletion

Ozone depletion describes two distinct but
related phenomena observed since the late
1970s: a steady decline of about 4% per decade
in the total volume of ozone in Earth's
stratosphere (the ozone layer), and a much larger
springtime decrease in stratospheric ozone over
Earth's polar regions. The latter phenomenon is
referred to as the ozone hole. In addition to these
well-known stratospheric phenomena, there are
also springtime polar tropospheric ozone
depletion events.

Ozone is a relatively simple molecule, consisting

of three oxygen atoms bound together. Yet it has
dramatically different effects depending upon its
location. Near Earth's surface, where ozone
comes into direct contact with life forms, it
primarily displays a destructive side. Because it
reacts strongly with other molecules, large
concentrations of ozone near the ground prove
toxic to living things. At higher altitudes, where
90 percent of our planet's ozone resides, it does
a remarkable job of absorbing ultraviolet
radiation. In the absence of this gaseous shield
in the stratosphere, the harmful radiation has a
perfect portal through which to strike Earth.
Stratospheric ozone occupies the region of the
atmosphere between 10 and 50 kilometers from
the earth's surface and provides a shield against
damaging
ultraviolet
radiation.