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Air pollution effects are many, and they may be really harmful.
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AIR POLLUTION EFFECTS
Introduction
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Effects on Humans
Sulfur Dioxide Effects
Sitemap | Sitemap Two Nitrogen Dioxide Effects
How To Browse This Site Carbon Monoxide Effects
Ozone Effects
Ammonia Effects
Volatile Organic Compounds
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Effects on Animals
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Air Pollution Affects Your Health
Effects on Environment
Economic Losses
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What is RSS? We can distinguish between short-term acute effects and long-term chronic effects of air pollution.
Acute effects may be brought on, for instance, by pollution episodes, while chronic effects may
Add to Google generally affect a greater proportion of the population. (1)
Clean Investing Blog It is important to remember that air pollutants are transboundary, i.e. they know no borders and
travel easily from their sources towards other locations spreading pollution throughout the world.
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The respiratory system is by far the most important route for entry of air pollutants into the body
(2) and thus becomes their primary target.
Air pollution affects virtually everyone but is considered to affect poorer people more than
wealthier ones (3).
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● Irritation of eyes, nose, throat; damage to lungs when inhaled come e
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● Acute and chronic asthma Coal Power Plant, USA investme
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● Bronchitis and emphysema (as a result of synergy between SO2 and suspended particulate
matter)
● Lung cancer
One of the best known sulfur-related pollution episodes took place in London
between December 5-9, 1952 when high concentrations of air pollution were
Because of the cold winter, Londoners were burning more low-quality, high-
sulfur coal to heat their homes.
Experts conclude that it may have been a combination of sulfur oxides with
particulates and other air pollutants that produced such heavy pollution. (8)
The results were 4,000 deaths which occurred during this period and another
8,000 in the months that followed.
Many deaths were due to respiratory tract infections from hypoxia (low levels of
oxygen in the blood) and due to the obstruction of air passages by pus arising
from lung infections. (9)
In Poland, it was found that new army recruits living in areas polluted by sulfur
dioxide had 4 times more asthma and 3 times more bronchitis than people from
cleaner areas. Also, men living in the most polluted areas of Krakow were
reported to have losses of lung function equivalent to the effects of smoking.
(11)
Sulfur dioxide also affects animals, plants and the environment which we discuss below.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a gas of reddish-brown color with a distinct sharp, biting odor. It is often
analyzed in conjunction with another nitrogen gas – nitric oxide (NO). Together these two gases
are referred to as NOx.
NOx can destroy organic matter, ex. human tissue. Exposure to high
concentrations of NOx can make living organisms more susceptible to
bacterial infections and lung cancer. (14)
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Air Pollution Effects
Just like other pollutants, nitrogen dioxide affects people with existing
medical conditions more severely than healthy people.
Another group at higher risk is children. For instance, children aged 12 and younger who are
exposed to NOx suffer more respiratory illness than the ones who are not exposed. (16)
Depending on different NO2 concentrations in the air, nitrogen dioxide pollution effects may be as
follows (17, 18):
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● Increased incidence of respiratory illness
It is important to note that nitrogen dioxide is a major component of the photochemical smog and
thus a contributor to the formation of ozone which is another serious air pollutant. See more about
effects of ozone here.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an extremely toxic gas which affects the ability of the body to receive
oxygen. Hemoglobin which transports oxygen in the blood is bound by carbon monoxide, which
leads to the shortage of oxygen in the body. (19)
Carbon monoxide is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries around the world.
(20)
Unlike many other air pollutants, carbon monoxide does not directly affect eyes, nasal passages or
lungs. (21)
● Loss of vision
● Abdominal pain
Kathmandu Pollution
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● Severe effects on the baby of a pregnant woman
● Impaired performance on simple psychological tests and arithmetic; loss of judgment of time
Carbon monoxide pollution effects are exacerbated in weaker people, specifically in those with
heart and lung diseases. (25)
What makes this gas even more dangerous is the fact that it is invisible and odorless, and thus not
immediately detectable as a hazard.
It can be found in the stratosphere where it occurs naturally and plays a beneficial role by
protecting the Earth from ultraviolet sunlight; and in the troposphere where it occurs naturally
and also forms part of the human-caused photochemical smog.
It is of course the tropospheric ozone that we are interested in as an important air pollutant.
The chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the
presence of sunlight results in the photochemical smog; the tropospheric ozone is an end product
of this reaction and a component of the smog itself.
Exposure to ozone over long periods of time leads to a stiffening of the lungs and a reduced ability
to breathe. (27)
As an example, a study conducted in California in the 1980s shows that children living in ozone-
polluted areas have smaller than normal lungs and adults lose up to 75% of their lung capacity.
Santiago Smog
(28) Photo: Phil Whitehouse
So, exposure to the tropospheric ozone may cause (29, 30, 31):
● Aggravation of asthma
● Fatigue
● Cancer
Ammonia is a colorless, pungent, hazardous caustic gas composed of nitrogen and hydrogen.
Though ammonia is used for different applications in many sectors, agriculture is its largest
consumer and producer.
Livestock farming, animal waste and fertilizer application are the biggest sources of atmospheric
ammonia emissions within the agricultural sector.
Gaseous ammonia is a dangerous air pollutant. Breathing in large amounts can cause death. (32)
● Pulmonary edema
● Asthma
● Lung fibrosis
● Skin burns
● Ulceration & perforation of the cornea (can occur months after exposure); blindness
As a result of this accident, one man died and many others were seriously
injured. (36)
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are defined as organic compounds which easily evaporate and
enter the atmosphere.
First , they are precursors to the formation of ozone (which is part of the photochemical smog);
second, they include compounds which are carcinogenic and mutagenic in their own right. (37)
Some other VOCs, ex. carbon tetrachloride and PCBs, are believed to produce abnormal changes
in fetus development (42) and consequently lead to birth defects. Carbon tetrachloride also leads
to liver damage (43).
Vinyl chloride causes Raynaud's phenomenon (spasms in the small arteries that cause the
extremities to become pale and cold, as well as painful), necrosis of the small bones of the hand,
liver damage, and a rare, highly malignant tumor of the liver. (44)
● Short-term breathing of low levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart
rate, headaches, tremors, confusion and unconsciousness; exposure to high levels of benzene
may result in death
● Chronic effects:
❍ Damage to the bone marrow
❍ Excessive bleeding and depression of the immune system increasing the risk of infection
❍ Leukemia
● Short-term exposure to high levels of 1,3-butadiene may lead to distorted blurred vision,
vertigo, general tiredness, decreased blood pressure, headache, nausea, decreased pulse rate,
and fainting
● Long-term exposure to high levels can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer
● Anemia
● Liver damage
❍ Memory loss
● Cardiovascular diseases
Airborne particles are tiny fragments of solid or liquid nature suspended in the air (which are
called aerosols).
Particles may be primary – when emitted into the atmosphere directly by sources, or secondary –
when formed in the atmosphere through the interaction of primary pollutants.
For example, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are primary pollutants which may transform in the
air into sulfates and nitrates. (47)
Combustion of fossil fuels by road transport, power plants etc. is a major source of particulate air
pollution.
Particles may come in a whole variety of chemical compositions including heavy metals such as
cadmium, mercury and lead. (50)
They often act in synergy with other air pollutants, ex. sulfur dioxide, to produce negative health
effects in humans.
As particulate pollution levels rise, it is common to see an increase in hospital admissions for (51):
● Sore throats
● Head colds
● Burning eyes
● Lung disease
As with other pollutants, children are of course more susceptible to particulate pollution.
Specific children’s disorders caused by airborne particles may include (52, 53, 54):
● Infant death
● Aggravated asthma
● Chronic bronchitis
● Irregular heartbeat
❍ For example, a major study conducted in the US between 1982 and 1989 found that
people living in American cities with the highest levels of particulate air pollution were
15% to 17% more likely to die one to three years early (56)
● Probably one of the best examples here is that of acid rain and how it affects freshwater animal
life.
So acid rain also falls on streams and lakes, acidifies them and
destroys fish life in these freshwater ecosystems. (58)
● Pollution may also affect animals through plants on which they feed.
For example, pea aphids feed on pea plants exposed to sulfur dioxide in the air. High
exposure to sulfur dioxide negatively affects the health of the pea plants, and
therefore, the health of the aphids as well. (62)
● Excessive ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun through the ozone layer in the upper
atmosphere which is eroded by some air pollutants, may cause skin cancer in wildlife (63)
It is also probably logical to assume that many higher order animals (especially those closely
related to humans, ex. mountain gorillas) experience air pollution effects similar to those
experienced by humans.
Air pollution can have both long-term and short-term effects on plants.
● Physical injury to leaves is the immediate effect of air pollution on plants. Here is how leaves
are affected by different air pollutants (65):
❍ Ozone produces a speckle of brown spots, which appear on the flat areas of leaf between
the veins
❍ Nitrogen dioxide: irregular brown or white collapsed lesions on intercostal tissue and
near the leaf edge
Another good example is that of the Black Triangle – the area where the
borders of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic meet, with significant
brown coal deposits.
Industrial activity in this area led to high sulfur emissions which resulted in
devastation of many square kilometers of forest (incl. the Norway spruce
forest), particularly above an altitude of 750 m. (67)
However, it has been noted that sulfur dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere
have recently been significantly reduced almost throughout the world (68) and do not
carry such dramatic effects as they used to during the 20th century.
Lichens are considered to be most sensitive to sulfur dioxide. During the period of
high levels of sulfur pollution, large parts of Europe lost many species of lichen and
became known as “lichen deserts”. But as sulfur pollution levels dropped, many
lichen species re-appeared. (69)
Sulfur dioxide may also affect higher plants, including wild species, crops and trees
(though some species may develop sulfur dioxide tolerant populations in response to
long-term exposure).
● Nitrogen dioxide , another air pollutant, may act in synergy with sulfur dioxide to produce a
negative effect on plants’ photosynthesis. (71)
● Tropospheric ozone can prevent plant respiration by blocking stomata and negatively affecting
plants’ photosynthesis rates which will stunt plant growth; ozone can also decay plant cells
directly by entering stomata. (72)
● Particles, just like ozone, often affect plants & trees via blocking of leaf stomata through which
plants undertake the gas exchange necessary for photosynthesis and respiration. (73)
“In sufficient quantities, dusts [i.e. particles] may form a smothering layer on
leaves, reducing light and hence lowering photosynthetic rates.
So, particulate air pollution effects on plants & trees may be as follows (75):
● Blocked stomata
● Reduced photosynthesis
● Acid rain (a product of air pollution) severely affects trees and plants as well.
It can kill trees, destroy the leaves of plants, can infiltrate soil by making it
unsuitable for purposes of nutrition and habitation. (76)
It is also associated with the reduction in forest and agricultural yields. (77)
The effects of acid rain have been known for a long time.
Though experts admit that the problem of acid rain is generally under control, it’s still worth
reiterating the effects brought on by acid rain on the wider environment.
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Air Pollution Effects
● Soil
Apart from direct health-related and other environmental issues, air pollution brings with it
economic losses as well.
Some of the economic losses caused by air pollution are as follows (80):
● Decreased productivity
We can only imagine the economic losses incurred by developing countries such as China, where
air pollution levels are among the highest in the world.
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