Factors That Contributed to Air Pollution

Causes of Air Pollution

Harm from air pollution was first exposed when fires were built in poorly ventilated caves. Since then pollution of the earth's surface has dramatically increased. Lately, ecological pollution harms have been neighboring and slight because of our own planets ability to take in and clean minor quantities of pollutants. The industrialization of civilization, motorized vehicles being introduced, and the rapid growth of the population, is factors contributing toward the growing air pollutants. In today’s time it is critical that solutions must be found to better the air. The main and major air pollutants found in most city areas are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter, liquid or solid form. These pollutants are isolated throughout the world's atmosphere in areas high enough to increasingly cause serious health risks. Serious health problems can take place rapidly when air pollutants are intense, such as when huge injections of sulfur dioxide and suspended particulate matter are emitted by a huge volcanic eruption.
The first main reason for air pollution is car exhausts which lead to about 45 to 50 % of the total air pollution. It is formed due to the manufacture of unburned fuel in the form of oxides of Nitrogen and hydrocarbons. These black gases produced by unfiltered car exhaust may bring many health problems upon people such as asthma or in extreme cases, could eventually lead to difficulty in breathing. One of the hydrocarbons produced is Carbon monoxide (CO) which is one of the most dangerous gases resulting in many health problems. Also this can affect the younger society mostly by making them disable as it cause major problems to the brains.
The second main cause of air pollution is Nitrogen oxides. Essentially Nitrogen oxide is one of the damaging gases which are produced into the atmosphere due to a variety of human activities, one being burning of fuel. Nitrogen oxide can be a very dangerous substance; when shared with rain water, it forms Nitrogen trioxide (NO3) which is acidic and causes an alter in the soil Ph. When acidic rains pour on soil, it increases its acidity causing the harm of crops and makes soil not fitting for replant.
The last but not least major air pollutant is Sulfur dioxide (SO2). The Sulfur dioxide is emitted due to the burning of Sulfur(S) that contains fuels such as coal and fossil fuels. furthermore, being open to the elements of a high concentration of SO2 may result in breathing problems, while short-term contact has been linked to three damaging troubles such as wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Also, it causes acid rains like Nitrogen Oxides.
An additional major environmental trouble caused by air pollution is global warming or the "greenhouse effect". The greenhouse effect is caused by solar energy being trapped by CO2, Methane, Ozone (O3), Nitrous gas, and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that are in the air. The solar energy starts off in the atmosphere as light then after it hits our planet and loses some of its energy, it then becomes heat. Because the heat does not have as much energy it cannot travel back through the blanket of gases. The Earth has a natural greenhouse effect caused by the CO2 in the atmosphere. If the natural greenhouse effect was possible the Earth would be too cold to live on.
Production is looking for solutions to the air pollution problems that we have. The best solution would be to stop burning fossil fuels all together but at the same time there are no better alternatives. Scientists are trying ways to cut down on pollution. One way is to wash the coal before they burn it. Washing it takes off most of the sulfur but not all of it. The rest would have to be detached chemically but this process is still being looked upon. The problem with this is where will all the excess sulfur go? Another solution is to clean the smoke before it is released into the air. Many filters have been installed in smoke stacks but again this solution is not 100% efficient.