CHEMISTRY PROJECT

ON

AIR
POLLUTION
 By

Anshu
Chandra

CONTENTS
1. What is air pollution?
2. Pollutant
3. Main pollutants
4. Exposure
5. Health effects
6. Economic effects
7. Reduction efforts
8. Conclusion
What is air pollution?
The presence in or introduction into the air of a
substance which has harmful or poisonous effects. Air
pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of
substances including gases, particulates, and biological
molecules are introduced into Earth's atmosphere. It may
cause diseases, allergies and even death to humans; it
may also cause harm to other living organisms such as
animals and food crops, and may damage the natural or
built environment. Both human activity and natural
processes can generate air pollution.

Pollutant
An air pollutant is a material 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 origin or man-made.
Pollutants are classified as primary or secondary. Primary
pollutants are usually produced by processes such as ash
from a volcanic eruption. Other examples include carbon
monoxide gas from motor vehicle exhausts or sulphur
dioxide released from the factories. Secondary pollutants
are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air
when primary pollutants react or interact. Ground level
ozone is a prominent example of secondary pollutants.
Some pollutants may be both primary and secondary:
they are both emitted directly and formed from other
primary pollutants.

Main pollutants
1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) – Because of its role as a
greenhouse gas it has been described as "the
leading pollutant" and "the worst climate
pollution". Carbon dioxide is a natural component
of the atmosphere, essential for plant life and
given off by the human respiratory system. This
question of terminology has practical effects, for
example as determining whether the U.S. Clean
Air Act is deemed to regulate CO2 emissions. CO2
currently forms about 410 parts per million (ppm)
of earth's atmosphere, compared to about 280
ppm in pre-industrial times, and billions of metric
tons of CO2 are emitted annually by burning of
fossil fuels. CO2 increase in earth's atmosphere
has been accelerating.
2. Sulphur oxides (SOx) – particularly sulphur
dioxide, a chemical compound with the formula
SO2. SO2 is produced by volcanoes and in various
industrial processes. Coal and petroleum often
contain sulphur compounds, and their
combustion generates sulphur dioxide. Further
oxidation of SO2, usually in the presence of a
catalyst such as NO2, forms H2SO4, and thus acid
rain. This is one of the causes for concern over the
environmental impact of the use of these fuels as
power sources.
3. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) – Nitrogen oxides,
particularly nitrogen dioxide, are expelled from
high temperature combustion, and are also
 produced during thunderstorms by electric
discharge. They can be seen as a brown haze dome
above or a plume downwind of cities. Nitrogen
dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula
NO2. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. One of
the most prominent air pollutants, this reddish-
brown toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting
odour.
4. Carbon monoxide (CO) – CO is a colourless,
odourless, toxic yet non-irritating gas. It is a
product of combustion of fuel such as natural gas,
coal or wood. Vehicular exhaust contributes to the
majority of carbon monoxide let into our
atmosphere. It creates a smog type formation in
the air that has been linked to many lung diseases
and disruptions to the natural environment and
animals. In 2013, more than half of the carbon
monoxide emitted into our atmosphere was from
vehicle traffic and burning one gallon of gas will
often emit over 20 pounds of carbon monoxide
into the air.

Exposure
Air pollution risk is a function of the hazard of the
pollutant and the exposure to that pollutant. Air
pollution exposure can be expressed for an individual, for
certain groups (e.g. neighbourhoods or children living in
a country), or for entire populations. For example, one
may want to calculate the exposure to a hazardous air
pollutant for a geographic area, which includes the
various microenvironments and age groups. This can be
calculated as an inhalation exposure. This would account
for daily exposure in various settings (e.g. different
indoor micro-environments and outdoor locations). The
exposure needs to include different age and other
demographic groups, especially infants, children,
pregnant women and other sensitive subpopulations. The
exposure to an air pollutant must integrate the
concentrations of the air pollutant with respect to the
time spent in each setting and the respective inhalation
rates for each subgroup for each specific time that the
subgroup is in the setting and engaged in particular
activities (playing, cooking, reading, working, spending
time in traffic, etc.). For example, a small child's
inhalation rate will be less than that of an adult.

Health effects
In 2012, air pollution caused premature deaths on average
of 1 year in Europe, and was a significant risk factor for a
number of pollution-related diseases, including
respiratory infections, heart disease, COPD, stroke and
lung cancer. The health effects caused by air pollution
may include difficulty in breathing, wheezing, coughing,
asthma and worsening of existing respiratory and cardiac
conditions.

1. Mortality- 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.
2. Cardiovascular disease-A 2007 review of evidence
found ambient air pollution exposure is a risk factor
correlating with increased total mortality from
cardiovascular events (range: 12% to 14% per 10
micro g/m3 increase). Air pollution is also emerging
as a risk factor for stroke, particularly in developing
countries where pollutant levels are highest.
 3. Cancer(lung cancer)- A review of evidence regarding
whether ambient air pollution exposure is a risk
factor for cancer in 2007 found solid data to
conclude that long-term exposure to PM2.5 (fine
particulates) increases the overall risk of non-
accidental mortality by 6% per a 10 microg/m3
increase. Exposure to PM2.5 was also associated with
an increased risk of mortality from lung cancer
(range: 15% to 21% per 10 micro g/m3 increase) and
total cardiovascular mortality (range: 12% to 14% per
a 10 micro g/m3 increase).

Economic effects
Air pollution costs the world economy $5 trillion per year
as a result of productivity losses and degraded quality of
life, according to a joint study by the World Bank and the
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the
University of Washington. These productivity losses are
caused by deaths due to diseases caused by air pollution.
One out of ten deaths in 2013 was caused by diseases
associated with air pollution and the problem is getting
worse. The problem is even more acute in the developing
world. "Children under age 5 in lower-income countries
are more than 60 times as likely to die from exposure to
air pollution as children in high-income countries." The
report states that additional economic losses caused by
air pollution, including health costs and the adverse
effect on agricultural and other productivity were not
calculated in the report, and thus the actual costs to the
world economy are far higher than $5 trillion.

Reduction efforts
Various air pollution control technologies and strategies
are available to reduce air pollution. At its most basic
level, land-use planning is likely to involve zoning and
transport infrastructure planning. In most developed
countries, land-use planning is an important part of
social policy, ensuring that land is used efficiently for the
benefit of the wider economy and population, as well as
to protect the environment.

Conclusion
We, on our behalves as concerned citizens should try our
best to reduce air pollution in any feasible and reliable
way. We should try to understand the harmful effects of
air pollution and make efforts to reduce it for our own
better future.