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Air Pollution Basics

1. 1. Air Pollution Basics Causes Pollutants Effects Prevention and Control


2. Air and its Components  Air is a mixture of many gases including Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Water
Vapor and other trace gases.
3. What is Air Pollution…??  Any change in the Earth’s atmospheric composition of gases that has harmful
effects.
4. Air Pollutants…?? CO SO2 Pb Ozone Nox PM2.5, PM10 CFCs HCFCs Hg Aerosols Asbestos Volatile
Organic Compounds Propellants Six Major Pollutants Categorized by EPA,US
5. Causes – Natural sources??  Dust  Gases released from the body processes of living beings (CO2 during
respiration, CH4 from cattle’s digestion, oxygen from plants during photosynthesis)  Pollen Dispersal  Smoke
from forest fires, volcanos  Evaporation of organic compounds  Natural radioactivity
6. Dust Pollution Wind erosion Sweeping of Roads
7. Other Gases Pollution CO2, O2 Release NH3 Release
8. Pollen Dispersal Allergic Reaction Lifted by Wind
9. Smoke Pollution Forest Fire Forest Fire Volcano eruption
10. Uttarakhand Forest Fire Forest Fire
11. Evaporation of organic Compounds Large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room
temperature. E.g : Personal care products such as perfume and hair spray Cleaning agents Dry cleaning fluid,
paints, Lacquers, varnishes, Hobby supplies Copying and printing machines
12. Natural Radioactivity From Naturally occurring elements in soil and rock. Unstable nucleus Emit 3 kinds of
radiations like α-particle (alpha-particle), β- particles(beta-particle) and γ-rays ( gamma-rays) or γ-radiation Eg.
uranium, thorium, and radium
13. Causes- Man Made Sources??  Burning of Fossil Fuels – Coal, oil, natural gas and gasoline to produce
electricity and power vehicles. – SO2, CO, NOx, SPM  Agricultural activities – NH3 is very common byproduct.
 Landfill activities- CH4  Exhaust from factories and industries - CO, Hydrocarbons, organic compounds. 
Mining Operation – Dust  Use of chemicals like cleaning products, painting supplies  Artificial radioactivity
14. Fossil Fuel Burning
15. Vehicular Emission Allergic Reaction
16. Agricultural Activities
17. Landfill Activities
18. Exhaust from factories and Industries
19. Bhopal Gas Leak  Happened in Dec, 1984  Company Responsible : Union Carbide (Now Dow Chemicals)
 Leak of Methyl Isocyanate Gas
20. Mining Operations
21. Chemical Products
22. Pesticide DDT  Happened in 1962  Synthetic pesticides DDT used to combat typhus and malaria.  It is
non degradable so accumulated in the environment.  Decimated Bald eagle and other bird populations  Later
turned up in human breast milk and was linked with premature births.
23. Artificial Radioactivity
24. Chernobyl Nuclear Accident  Happened in April, 1986  Plant’s core went melt down  Released 100 times
more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Japan.  19-mile exclusion zone around the plant remains
uninhabitable.  4000 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed among children and adolescents, mainly due to
contaminated milk.
25. Effects…??  Human health – Respiratory and heart problems, Cancer  Poor Visibility  Global warming –
Greenhouse gases like CO2  Acid Rain - Water droplets + NOx, SOx  Eutrophication – Depletion of Oxygen
content in water bodies  Depletion of Ozone Layer – Presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro
chlorofluorocarbons
26. Poor Visibility - Smog = Smoke + Fog
27. Sulfurous smog (or 'London-type' smog) Happened in Dec, 1952 due to Industrial revolution. Use of sulfur-
bearing fossil fuels, particularly coal High concentration of Sox, Humidity and low temperature in the air Thermal
Inversion Smoke + SOx + Fog droplets = Sulfurous Smog
28. Worst Type of Smog – Thermal Inversion  Abnormal arrangement of air masses  causes pollutants to be
trapped near the earth’s surface  Stop horizontal winds  Warm air collects over the polluted air, acting as a lid
to stop the pollutants from being dispersed.
29. Photochemical smog('Los Angeles- type' smog) Happened in 1944 due to Automobile Pollution
30. London-type smog in Beijing, China
31. New York-type' smog Happened in Nov,1966 in New York
32. Delhi -type' smog Due to high vehicular and industrial emissions, construction work and crop burning in
adjoining states.
33. Solutions to reduce Smog  Alkaline Scrubbers reduce SO2 and SO3 levels  Electrostatic precipitators
reduce particulates  Catalytic Converters change NO to N2,  Lean burning engines reduce Nox but create
more CO and Hydrocarbons.
34. Global Warming
35. Major Greenhouse Gases Major Sectors releasing Greenhouse Gases
36. Acid Rain
37. Eutrophication
38. Eutrophication Decrease in Oxygen Content in water bodies
39. Depletion of Ozone Layer
40. How does Air Pollution Move? Emission Source (i.e., smokestack, chimney, exhaust pipe) Receptor (i.e.,
soil, vegetation, water bodies, human lungs)
41. Solutions…??  Use public mode of transportation  Conserve energy – Switch off fans and lights – Save
electricity – Save fuel burning  Understand the Concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle  Emphasis on clean
energy resources like solar, wind and geothermal  Use energy efficient devices – CFL lights against
conventional lights
42. Conclusion…??  Air Pollution is one of the major concerns and a challenge we need to overcome to see a
tomorrow.  This is a direct attempt at slacking Global warming.  World wide on personal, industrial and Govt
level know the intensity at which Air Pollution is rising.  We must not forget that air is what we breathe in to
survive every day.
43. Keep the air clean because we breathe 7 or 8 liters of Air per minute

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