I thought I saw a blue jay This morning. But the smog Was so bad that it turned Out to be a cardinal holding Its breath!

Clean air consists mostly of Nitrogen, oxygen, argon, Carbon dioxide and water. When harmful substances End up in the air at unhealthy Levels, the result is Air pollution.

Most air pollution is the Result of human activities, But pollutants can Come from natural sources As well. A volcano, for example, can Spew clouds of particles And sulfur dioxide that Can harm animals.

A pollutant that is put Directly into the air by Human activity is called a Primary pollutant. Secondary pollutants are Formed when a primary Pollutant comes into contact With other pollutants and A chemical reaction Takes place.

An example of a primary Pollutant is smoke. An example of a secondary Pollutant is ozone.

Air pollution is nothing new years ago people Complained about the dirty Air in Rome, and in 1273 King Edward I decreed that Burning dirty coal was Illegal!

Over 1/3 of our air Pollution comes from Gasoline burned in cars. The clean air act, passed in 1970 and strengthened in 1990, gives the EPA the Authority to regulate Automobile emissions.

The EPA required that all Of the lead be removed In gasoline, the result Was a 78% decrease in Pollution by In addition, catalytic Converters clean exhaust Gases of pollutants.

Very few car companies are Creating prototypes that Run on other fuels. Brazil has become totally Self serving by mandating That all cars run on Ethanol made from Sugar cane.

Many industries and power Plants that generate Electricity must burn Fuel to get the energy They need. But it is easier to clean one Smoke stack than it is to Clean the millions that Are on cars.

The clean air act requires Many industries to use Scrubbers or other Pollution-control devices. Electrostatic precipitators Remove from the air 22 million tons of ash Each year in the US alone.

Air circulation in the Atmosphere usually keeps Air pollution from reaching Dangerous levels. Sometimes, however, pollution Is trapped near the earth By a temperature inversion.

Normally, air temperatures Decrease with height, but in a thermal inversion, The air above is warmer Than the air below.

When air pollution hangs Over urban areas and Reduces visibility, it is Called smog.

Air pollution can cause Serious health problems, Especially to those who Are very young and Very old.

If a person’s lungs are Perpetually irritated by Pollutants, bronchitis May result. Pollutants are also Largely responsible for Aggravating bronchial asthma.

Air pollution is not limited To the outdoors. The air inside a building is Sometimes worse than the Air outside. Sources inside that cause Pollution can be found in Carpets, paints, and Certain building materials.

Building with particularly Poor air quality are said To have sick-building syndrome. This happens usually when They are tightly sealed to Insulate against the weather.

Radon gas can enter houses Through the basement cracks And can cause cancer. Asbestos also causes cancer. It was placed in millions of Buildings because it is also Resistant to fire and very Strong.

Acid precipitation is Highly acidic precipitation That results from the Burning of fossil fuels.

When acid rain persists in Areas, it can change the pH of a pond, or lake, and Then kill all of the fish And plants. Precipitation is considered To be acid if it has a pH Less than 5.6

Many cities in the North East US receive soda-pop Rain that has a pH of Around 3.5 Acid precipitation can Dissolve common building Materials like concrete.

The formation Of Acid Precip.

The effects of acid precip Are worst in the spring when Snow melts and rain persists. This causes the acid shock Effect that can wipeout Entire ecosystems at once.

To counteract the effects Of acid rain, many states Spray tons of powered lime on acidified lakes To change back their pH.

The problem with stopping Acid rain is that it falls Far away from the source Of the pollution. Acid rain in the eastern US Comes from pollution Produced on the west coast.

A global look at Acid precipitation.

In 1985, the UN Helsinki Declaration was enacted, Which required countries to Cut sulfur-oxide emissions By 30%, the US Did not sign! In 2005 the international Community came together in Kyoto Japan to stop Pollution that leads to Global warming, again The US did not sign!