Air Pollution General

What is pollution? Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment

Definition Air pollution may be defined as the presence in the air (outdoor atmosphere) of one or more contaminants or combinations thereof in such quantities and of such durations as may be or tend to be injurious to human, animal or plant life, or property, or which unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property or conduct of business.

Episode An air pollution incident in a given area caused by a concentration of atmospheric pollutants under meteorological conditions that may result in a significant increase in illnesses or deaths. May also describe water pollution events or hazardous material spills.

Air Pollution Episode period of abnormally high concentration of air pollutants, often due to low winds and temperature inversion, that can cause illness and death

CLSSIFICATION OF POLLUTANT Pollutant can be classified into THREE that are: 1) Origin Primary pollutants – such as SOx, NOx and hydrocarbon (HC) are those emitted directly to the atmosphere and were found in the form in which they were emitted. Secondary Pollutants – such as O3 and peroxyacethyl nitrate (PAN) are those formed in the atmosphere as the result of chemical reactions among the primary pollutant and chemical species present in the atmosphere.

PARTICULATES Particles can be classified from their mode of formation as dust, smoke, fumes, fly ash, mist, or spray. The sizes range from 1000 µm – 0.01 µm. The particles sizes from 100 µm – 0.01 µm are the major interest in air pollution studies because within these sizes the particulates can easily settle in lower respiratory tract (LRT).

Effects

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