Air Pollution and Contaminated Environment

Air Pollution

Our earth is the only planet in the universe that has a life - appropriate environment. For survival, air and water are needed. Earth provided these essential things and they were used by man. Over the period, this use has resulted in severe air pollution problems that can be dangerous.

Air pollution can be regarded as the presence of harmful substances in the environment usually resulting from human tasks or from natural cycles, causing negative effects to humans and the environment. Air pollution is a term that describes undesirable chemicals or other components that contaminate the air we breathe, potentially causing air quality degradation.

Outside or indoors air pollutants occur and may be natural or man-made. Air pollution occurs in both urban and rural areas, sometimes known as air pollution, but a different air contaminant mix is found in the campsites than in a city. Typical human-made urban air pollutants include oxides, carbon monoxide, dioxide of sulfur, hydrocarbons and particulates.

All these pollutants are referred to as primary pollutants because they are released into the atmosphere directly. Common sources include energy and power plants (sulfur dioxide) as well as road transport (carbon monoxide, particulates and nitrogen oxides). They are the main fuels of these pollutants. Ozone is a secondary pollutant, caused by chemical reactions in the air. While ozone builds up in urban centres during hot summer days, the rural areas usually have higher levels due to the specific nature of the ozone-formation reactions.

Common internal air-contaminating substances include carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and cigarette smoke benzene, synthetic furnishing, vinyl flooring and paints, and volatile organic composition (VOC). Furthermore, organic pollutants like dust mites and mould are available. Because most of us spend 80-90% of our time indoors, the quality of the air could really affect our health.