Major Atmospheric Pollutants

Atmospheric pollutants are compounds that build up in the air to the point where they can be hazardous to living creatures or things exposed to the air. Smoke, smog, & gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, & hydrocarbon fumes are all examples of common air pollutants. In smoke and haze, solid or liquid pollutants are seen, whereas gaseous contaminants are often invisible. 

When sulfur and nitrogen oxides interact with atmospheric moisture to form sulfuric and nitric acid, it causes severe air pollution. Acid rain causes damage to lakes, rivers, flora, buildings, and other items when the acids are released into the atmosphere. Because sulfur and nitrogen oxides can travel great distances in the atmosphere and cause damage before being washed up by precipitation.

Smoke is an old atmospheric pollutant, but the increased usage of fossil fuels has exacerbated the problem in recent centuries. When sulfur dioxide fumes, which are often generated by coal burning, are inhaled with smoke, the toxicity of the smoke rises. Asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema can all be made worse by smoking, and long-term exposure can lead to lung cancer.

Major Atmospheric Pollutants

• Ozone is a naturally occurring gas in the environment (O3)
• Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 
• Carbon monoxide is a highly toxic gas (CO)
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

The Ozone Layer 

It is the first layer of the atmosphere (O3). A mechanic’s or a print shop’s emissions are not only unpleasant to breathe, but they also contribute to the haze that plagues our cities. In the presence of sunlight, a chemical reaction between man-made VOCs and nitrogen oxides produces ground-level ozone. This helps explain why ozone rates are higher during the summer and thus more harmful.

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

Another dangerous sort of air pollution is nitrogen oxides, a mixture of different compounds. When particulate matter (PM) and ozone react in the air, they produce ozone. They are both extremely reactive and odourless.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) 

Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that is colourless and odourless. While it is often thought of as an indoor hazard, it substantially impacts outdoor air pollution.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 

If you ever walk alongside a busy main road, you may be engulfed in a heavy cloud of deadly fumes by a large truck or bus. Sulfur dioxide is one of a series of highly reactive gases known as sulfur oxides, and it is produced by burning fuel. These gases react with particulate matter in the air, resulting in smog in high concentrations.

Causes of Atmospheric Pollution

• Winds and air currents – can mobilize pollutants from the ground and carry them over huge distances
• Wildfires – release carbon monoxide and particulate matter into the atmosphere; they can damage large areas, although they are usually limited and contained
• Microbial decaying processes – microorganisms found in all environments play an important role in the natural decaying of living creatures and environmental toxins, resulting in the natural release of gases, particularly methane gas
• Radioactive decay activities — for example, natural decay processes of the Earth’s crust release radon gas, which has the potential to collect at enclosed locations such as basements
• Increasing temperatures cause an increase in the number of toxins that are released into the air from contaminated soil and water

Causes of the Anthropogenic activities

• Mine tailing disposal – due to their small particle nature, mine tailings are a source of metals in the ambient air that can be transported across broad distances by the wind
• Foundry activities – release a range of metals into the air, which is absorbed by particulate matter dispersed in the air due to the processing of metallic raw materials
• Transportation — as a result of the internal combustion of various fuels, transportation releases various air pollutants through exhaust emissions
• Construction and demolition activity – numerous construction materials harm the air
• The demolition of ancient buildings, which may contain various banned substances such as PCBs, PBDEs, and asbestos, poses a particular danger
• Coal Power Plants – when coal is burned, a variety of gases, as well as particulate matter containing metals and organic compounds, are released
• Landfill disposal procedures – typically generate methane as natural microbial decomposing activity in the disposal region intensifies
• Agriculture pollutes the air by emitting ammonia gas and using pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides that contain harmful volatile organic compounds
• Controlled burning in forest and farm management includes gas and particulate matter emissions from controlled burning
• Military operations – may expose people to harmful chemicals as a result of drills and training
• Smoking – releases a variety of harmful substances and dust particles into the atmosphere, including organic and inorganic compounds, some of which are carcinogenic

Atmospheric Ozone

The ozone layer, also known as the ozonosphere, is an area of the upper atmosphere that lies between 15 and 35 kilometres (9 and 22 miles) above the Earth’s surface and contains relatively high ozone concentrations (O3). The stratosphere, which extends from 10–18 km (6–11 miles) above Earth’s surface to around 50 km (about 30 miles), contains approximately 90% of the ozone in the atmosphere. The atmosphere’s temperature increases with increased altitude in the stratosphere, a process caused by the ozone layer’s absorption of solar energy. The ozone layer efficiently protects practically all solar radiation with wavelengths shorter than 290 nanometres from reaching the Earth’s surface, including UV and other types of radiation that can harm or kill most living organisms.

Conclusion

While the impacts of atmospheric pollutants on material, flora, and animals may be quantified, only epidemiological evidence can be used to assess the health effects on humans. The majority of the evidence comes from occupational exposure to significantly higher pollutant concentrations than the general population. Furthermore, these pollutants have major health impacts such as smoking and other lifestyle variables.