Module 1

Introduction- Components of Environment- Definition –Air Pollution- History of air pollution episodes-
Various Sources of Air pollution – Air Pollutants- Types of Air Pollutants

Introduction

Air pollution is the addition of gases, chemicals, and particle matter into the atmosphere. Air pollution
primarily comes from burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, petroleum, and coal. Humans are the main
cause of air pollution. Industry, including factories and power plants, burn large quantities of fuel.
Burning coal and petroleum releases sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxide into the air. Airplanes, boats, and
cars burn petroleum, releasing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The waste in landfills releases
methane. Sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and methane all have a very negative
effect on air quality. These pollutants can also contribute to the greenhouse effect. Some air pollution is
not directly caused by humans: for example, animals emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, and
volcanoes release sulfur oxide. However, most air pollution is linked directly or indirectly to human
activity. This means that air pollution can be best controlled by modifying human activity to burn a
smaller quantity of fossil fuels.

Components of the environment

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The word environment is derived from the French word “environ”. The meaning of the French word is

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somewhat related to “encompass” “encircle” etc. It is believed to have been introduced into the subject

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by biologist Jacob Van Erkul in the early 1900s.

With environment being such a generalized term, its classification and an understanding of its
composition becomes a necessity.

Environment can be defined as the natural surroundings of that organism which directly or indirectly
influences the growth and development of the organism.

Environment is defined as the surroundings in which an organization operates including air,

water, land and natural resources, flora, fauna, humans and their inter relations” – ISO Definition

Environment is the sum total of all living and non living factors that compose the surroundings of

man .
Classification-Biotic and abiotic

Biotic: It Includes all the living organisms. e.g. plants, animals, birds etc. •

Abiotic: All the non living things are included in this category. e.g. Climatic conditions, soil, minerals etc.

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Here the components are classified in terms of biotic and abiotic based upon life. The biotic components
are further listed as producers, consumers and decomposers and the abiotic components are classified
as climatic(water, air)and edaphic

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Conflict for the classification of environment
The conflict of words and thoughts between scientists of European origin and American origin has had
its toll on the subject of environment.

Though air, water and land are the components of environment, the British and American scientists put
in two different manners

Components of Environment as per British literature

components are classified in terms of biotic and abiotic based upon life.

The biotic components are further listed as producers, consumers and decomposers and the abiotic
components are classified as climatic (water, air)and edaphic (land).

It is from this component system that the study of structure of ecosystem was evolved.

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(A) Physical Environment: External physical factors like Air, Water, and Land etc. This is also called the
Abiotic Environment.

(B) Living Environment: All living organisms around us viz. plants, animals, and microorganisms. This is
also called the Biotic Environment

Abiotic components

In biology, abiotic components are non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment.

Abiotic phenomena underlie all of biology.

Abiotic factors, while generally downplayed, can have enormous impact on evolution.

Abiotic components are aspects of geodiversity.They can also be recognized as "abiotic pathogens"

From the viewpoint of biology, abiotic influences may be classified as light or more
generally radiation, temperature, water, the chemical surrounding composed of the
terrestrial atmospheric gases, as well as soil. The macroscopic climate often influences each of the
above. Not to mention pressure and even sound waves if working with marine, or deep underground,
biome.

Biotic environment

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The living things in an ecosystem are called biotic factors. Living things include plants, animals, bacteria,

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fungi and more. The non living parts of an ecosystem are called abiotic factors. In an ecosystem some
abiotic factors are sunlight, temperature atmospheric gases water and soil.Mar 28, 2013

Components of Environment as per American literature

the components of environment are listed as

1. Hydrosphere (Water)

2. Atmosphere (Air)

3. Lithosphere (Land)

4. Biosphere (Flora/Fauna/Microbes)

5. Anthrosphere (man made things)

by our physical faculties (seen, heard, touched, smelled and tasted.)

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The earth’s crust consisting of the soil and rocks is the lithosphere. The soil is made up of inorganic and
organic matter and water. The main mineral constituents are compounds or mixtures derived from the
elements of Si, Ca, K, Al, Fe, Mn, Ti, O etc. (Oxides, Silicates, and Carbonates).

The organic constituents are mainly polysaccharides, organo compounds of N, P and S. The organic
constituents even though form only around 4% – 6% of the lithosphere, they are responsible for the
fertility of the soil and hence its productivity.

HYDROSPHERE

This comprises all water resources both surface and ground water. The world’s water is found in oceans
and seas, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, glaciers and snowcaps in the Polar Regions in addition
to ground water below the land areas. The distribution of water

Oceans and Seas 96–97 %

Glaciers and polar icecaps 2–3 %

Fresh water < 1%

The water locked up in the Oceans and Seas are too salty and cannot be used directly for human
consumption, domestic, agriculture or Industrial purposes. Only less than 1% of water

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. Water is considered to be a common compound with uncommon properties. These uncommon

aquatic life on earth.

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properties (e.g. anomalous expansion of water) are mainly responsible for supporting terrestrial and

ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere, which is a gaseous cover, protects the earth from cosmic radiations and provides life
sustaining Oxygen, the macronutrient Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis. The
atmosphere screens the dangerous UV radiations from the sun and allows only radiations in the range of
300 nm – 2500 nm (near UV to near IR) and radio waves. The atmosphere plays a major role in
maintaining the heat balance of the earth by absorbing the re-emitted radiation from the earth. In
addition the atmosphere is the medium of carriage of water from the oceans to the land in the
hydrological cycle

It is the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth and extends upto 500 kms above the earth’s

surface. The composition of the atmosphere is given below in the tables

name percentage
nitrogen 78.1
oxygen 20.9
watervapour 0.1 to 5

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argon 0.9
Carbon dioxide 0.03

Lithosphere

Earth's lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, which constitute the hard and rigid
outer layer of the Earth. The lithosphere is subdivided into tectonic plates. The uppermost part of the
lithosphere that chemically reacts to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere through the soil
forming process is called the pedosphere. The lithosphere is underlain by the asthenosphere which
is the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper mantle. The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere
boundary is defined by a difference in response to stress: the lithosphere remains rigid for very long
periods of geologic time in which it deforms elastically and through brittle failure, while the
asthenosphere deforms viscously and accommodates strain through plastic deformation.

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*The trace constituents include Helium, Neon, Krypton, xenon, SO2, NO2, Ammonia, Ozone, and

Carbon monoxide etc.

BIOSPHERE

The biosphere is a capsule encircling the earth’s surface wherein all the living things exist.

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This portion extends from 10000 m below sea level to 6000 m above sea level. Life forms do

not exist outside this zone. The biosphere covers parts of other segments of the environment

viz. Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. Life sustaining resources like food, water and

oxygen present in the biosphere are being withdrawn and waste products in increasing quantities

are being dumped. The biosphere has been absorbing this and assimilating them. However the

rate of waste dumping has gone beyond the assimilating capability of the biosphere and signals

of this stress is becoming evident.

Layers of the atmosphere

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TROPOSPHERE

Troposphere is the layer of air nearest to the ground. Temperature decreases with height.

The average temperature drops from 15ºC at sea level to –56.5ºC at 11,000 m above sea level.

Mixing of the air molecules due to their constant movement (winds) keeps the composition of

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the gases more or less same throughout the troposphere. An exception to this is water vapor.

Most water vapor evaporates from the surface of the Earth and is found in the lower troposphere.

Most of the weather occurs in the troposphere. Tropopause is the top of the troposphere, which

is a transition layer between Troposphere and Stratosphe

STRATOSPHERE

Stratosphere is the layer of air above the troposphere where temperature increases with height.

The average temperature rises to –2.5ºC at 50,000 m above sea level. Ozone is found in higher

concentrations between 20 and 30 km above the surface. Hence sometimes this layer is referred

to as the “ozone layer”. Ozone absorbs radiant energy from the sun and hence warmer temperatures

are encountered in the stratosphere. Stratopause is the top of the stratosphere, which is a transition

layer between Stratosphere and Mesosphere.

MESOSPHERE

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Mesosphere is the layer of air above the stratosphere where temperature decreases with

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height. The average temperature decreases to –90°C at 90,000 m. This is the coldest layer of

the atmosphere. Mesopause is the top of the mesosphere, which is a transition layer between

Mesosphere and Thermosphere.

THERMOSPHERE

Thermosphere is the layer of air above the mesosphere. The temperatures in the thermosphere

increase with increasing height, but there are not many molecules in this layer. The air becomes

less and less dense as we reach space.

Temperature variation in the atmosphere

Higher up in the troposphere, where less heat from the surface warms the air, the
temperature drops. Typically, the temperature drops about 6.5° C with each increase in altitude
of 1 kilometer (about 3.6° F per 1,000 feet). The rate at which the temperature changes with
altitude is called the "lapse rate"

Figure below shows the temperature variation along with altitude

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Air pollution episodes KTU NOT
History has witnessed numerous disasters, both natural and manmade, that are remembered even today for
their devastating impact on human health and environment. Every disaster / accident leaves behind it,
victims, either in form of direct loss of lives and properties or indirectly by altering the natural processes.
Atmospheric pollution has often been the cause of many accidents, which had far reaching effects on the
environment. Winters often provide favourable atmospheric conditions for the pollution episodes to
occur. In this article, I have tried to bring forward the major air pollution episodes and their
environmental impacts, which I hope, will help the readers realize the importance of clean environment.

The Major Air Pollution Episodes

From centuries, urban air pollution has posed a problem for city dwellers. The earlier manifestation of
pollution was the smoke produced by burning poor quality coal in relatively cold climates in Northern
Europe. This caused high sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particle exposure, sometimes with serious health
impacts. The Industrial Revolution introduced point sources of larger emissions from various processes.
The most important of these was the burning of coal for energy production, resulting in SO2 and
combustion particles (smoke).

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history of air pollution episodes

1) Meuse valley 1930

2) Donora pensylvania 1948
3) Great London smog-1952
4) Los Angeles smog -1973
5) Bhopal gas trajedy-1984
6) Kuwait oil fires -1991
7) Yokkaichi astma -1960-1972
8) Melbourne dust storm-1983
9) Malaysian haze-2005

Coal burning in small and large sources was allowed to continue without required abatement well into the
20thcentury. Elevated stacks were the only mode of pollution abatement. Large emissions of SO2 and
smoke particles overloaded the atmosphere during temperature inversions in stable high-pressure
situations with stagnant air, leading to notorious air pollution episodes. The 1952 London episode was the
worst, resulting in an estimated 4,000 deaths in five days.

Although the components of air pollution have changed over the years, with the emergence of industrial

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sources like toxic gases - methyl isocyanide (CH3CN) in the case of Bhopal disaster in 1984; coal still

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remains an important source of air pollution. In addition, vehicular pollution sources have expanded

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rapidly in the last three decades. Traffic activity in urban areas of industrialised western nations has
witnessed a four to five fold increase over the decades. In developing nations, this increase has been ten-
fold to more. Prime examples of urban air pollution are the smog in London and photochemical smog in
Los Angeles and Mexico City. The table below shows the history of major air pollution episodes and their
effects. A brief description of these major pollution episodes and its effects are presented.

London Episodes, 1873-1963

The industrial revolution in the 19th century saw the set in of air pollution in Europe on a large scale. The
industries and the households relied heavily on coal for heating and cooking. Due to burning of coal for
heat during the winter months, emissions of smoke and sulphur dioxide were much greater in winters than
they were during the summer months. Smoke particles trapped in the fog gave it a yellow/black colour
and this smog often settled over cities for many days.

The effects of smog on human health were evident, particularly when smog persisted for several days.
Many people suffered respiratory problems and increased deaths were recorded, notably those relating to
bronchial causes. The smog-related deaths were first recorded in London in 1873, when it killed 500
people. In 1880, the toll was more than 1000. London had one of its worst experiences of smog in
December 1892. It lasted for three days and resulted in about 1000 deaths. Despite gradual improvements
in air quality during the 20th century, eight air pollution episodes occurred in London between 1948 and
1962. The December 1952 episode is the major episode in the history of air pollution.

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The “Killer Smog” began on Thursday, Dec. 4, 1952 as a high-pressure air mass created a subsidence
temperature inversion over southern England. With the particulate and SO2 levels going up due to
extensive use of coal as fuel for space heating and electric production, the fog turned black. At the same
time the high-pressure area stalled and became stationary. The build up of pollutants combined with the
fog resulted in essentially zero visibility. Within a matter of three days, the pollutants were concentrated
enough to cause deaths. The old and respiratory affected died first, but younger people exposed to the
outside atmosphere were also affected. The maximum daily SO2 concentration recorded at that time was
1.34 ppm (about 4000 µg/m3, standard SO2 conc. in clean dry atmosphere is 0.0002 ppm) and smoke
levels were 4.46 mg/m3. The Great London Smog lasted for five days and lifted on 9th Dec, resulting in
about 4000 deaths.

Bhopal Disaster, 1984

In the mid night of 2nd - 3rd December 1984, in a densely populated area of Bhopal, Central India, a
poisonous vapor burst from the tall stacks of the Union Carbide pesticide plant. About forty tons of toxic
gases had leaked from the Carbides Bhopal plant and spread throughout the city. The cause was the
contamination of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) storage tank with water carrying catalytic material.

Residents of the city awoke to clouds of suffocating gas, unaware of the magnitude of the devastation,
which had engulfed them. The city of Bhopal was immediately turned into a city of dead bodies, and the

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whole place smelled of burning chilli peppers. Of the million people living in Bhopal at that time, more

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than 2,000 died immediately (one fourth of actual figures) and as many as 300,000 were injured. In

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addition, about 7,000 animals were affected, of which about 1000 were killed. The precise number of
deaths still remains a mystery till date. The degree of injury was so high that about 30% of the injured
were unable to return to their jobs. Among the survivors, most of them still suffer agonizing pain from the
disastrous effects of the massive poisoning while there are still apprehensions of the future generations
being affected. The Bhopal Disaster was the worst episode in the history of industrial air pollution.

Donora Fog, 1948

Horror visited the US Steel company town of Donora on the Halloween night of 1948, when a
temperature inversion descended on the town. Fluoride emissions from the Donora Zinc Works smelting
operation and other sources containing sulphur, carbon monoxide and heavy metal dusts were trapped by
weather conditions, causing 20 deaths within 14 hours.

Cold ground and high-pressure conditions intensified the elevated inversion of the anticyclone that
arrived in the region. The situation was aggravated by local conditions of meteorology, industrial
pollutant emissions and peculiar terrain of the area. The meteorological conditions and the geographical
characteristics of the area produced a strong temperature inversion with a temperature gradient as high as
33oC/km. The fog was held close to the ground by the stability of the elevated inversion layer. During the
third and fourth days of the episode, as ambient levels of pollutants escalated, almost half of the
population of 14,000 people became ill. Almost 43 % of the population in Donora and Webster, PA
experienced the effects of the smog. Most of the affected were above the age group of 60 years and above

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(29% of this group were seriously affected). The health effects were mainly symptoms affecting the lung,
and in particular, upper respiratory symptoms such as nasal discharge, constriction of the throat, or sore
throat were experienced.

Meuse Valley, 1930

An episode occurred in the first week of December 1930, when a thick mist lay over large parts of
Belgium. On December 3rd, 4th and 5th, several thousand cases of acute pulmonary attacks occurred in the
densely populated valley of the Meuse, east of Liege, resulting in 60 deaths. Post episode investigations
led to the conclusion that the cause was poisonous products in the waste gas of the many factories in the
valley, in conjunction with unusual climatic conditions. During that time, the day temperature was a little
above freezing point while at night it measured up to 10oC below, while the wind speed was only 1-
3km/hr. It was impossible to indicate any definite substance or chemical compound as the cause, but the
investigators were of the opinion that the disaster in all probability had been brought about by sulphur
dioxide (SO2) or oxidation products of that compound, of which quantities were found in the factory
smoke. The investigation also looked into the question of fluorine intoxication, however its role is
doubtful.

The cases of illness were reported after the mist had lasted about 2 days. It was estimated that the total
number of cases was several thousands. In three days, there were 60 deaths, of which fifty-six were in the
eastern half of the valley and only four deaths were reported from the west of Engis. The area around
Engis was the worst affected.

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Mexico, Poza Rica, 1950

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A catastrophic exposure episode involving the release of large quantities of hydrogen sulfide occurred in
Poza Rica, Mexico in November 1950. Poza Rica, a city of 22,000 people located about 210 km northeast
of Mexico City, was then the centre of Mexicos leading oil-producing district and the site of several oil
field installations, including a sulphur-recovery plant. An early morning malfunction of the waste gas
flare resulted in the release of large quantities of unburned hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere. The
unburned gas, aided by a low-level temperature inversion and light early morning breezes, was carried to
the residential area adjacent to the plant area. Residents of the area succumbed while attempting to leave
the area and assisting stricken neighbours. Within a matter of 3 hours, 320 persons were hospitalised and
22 were killed.

Air pollution in Los angeles

Since the beginning of the Industrial revolution, Los Angeles began accelerating its industrialization.
Factories had been heavily built in this area; people immigrants into this area from all over the world. The
economy, technology, culture, population had gone through a quick growth. However, the bad things are
yet to come. Factories immoderately output tens of black smog into the air; registered vehicles,
particularly at 40s of the 20th century had developed into more than 2 millions runs on the road in Los
Angeles area, and for more, this numbers have doubled in less than a decade, which means that the output

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of tail gases also have been doubled; products been produced and been consume in frequently because of
the large population, leads industry to produce more, and more and more harmful gases have been blow
into the air. Finally become a bad cycle, which can worsen the quality of the air in the Los Angeles area
through decades.The chart and graph below shows the growth in Registered Vehicles:

The Primary location that this blog will focus on is in the City of Los Angeles. Over Time, Los Angeles
has garnered a bad reputation as having one of the most visible effects of air pollution in the world. (Berg,
Linda page 201). This visual effect has been ongoing since the 1940s and is attributed to a phenomenon
known as photochemical smog (Berg, page 201). This visible layer of smog over Los Angeles is a result
of the Nitrogen Oxides and Hydrocarbons from Automobile exhaust reacting with the oxygen in the
atmosphere in combination with the Sun’s solar energy (Berg page 201-202)

Major air pollutants

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Particulate Material

Thousands of different solid or liquid particles suspended in air

Includes: soil particles, soot, lead, asbestos, sea salt, and sulfuric acid droplets

Dangerous for 2 reasons

May contain materials with toxic or carcinogenic effects

Extremely small particles can become lodged in lungs

Nitrogen and sulphur oxides

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Gases produced by the chemical interactions between atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen at high
temperature

Problems

Greenhouse gases

Cause difficulty breathing

Sulfur Oxides

Gases produced by the chemical interactions between sulfur and oxygen

Causes acid precipitation

Carbon Oxides and Hydrocarbons

Carbon Oxides

Gases carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2)

Greenhouse gases

Hydrocarbons

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Diverse group of organic compounds that contain only hydrogen and carbon (ex: CH4- methane)

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Some are related to photochemical smog and greenhouse gases

Ozone

Tropospheric Ozone

Man- made pollutant in the lower atmosphere

Secondary air pollutant

Component of photochemical smog

Stratospheric Ozone

Essential component that screens out UV radiation in the upper atmosphere

Man- made pollutants (ex: CFCs) can destroy it

Low level exposure

Irritates eyes

Causes inflammation of respiratory tract

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Can develop into chronic respiratory diseases

Photochemical smog

Photochemical smog refers to smog produced when sunlight interacts with molecules of harmful
chemicals and pollutants in the Earth's atmosphere. Photochemical smog classifies as air pollution. It
exists in areas around the world, and concentrates primarily in the thick airs above cities and major
metropolitan regions. It tends to occur more often in summer, because that is when we have the most
sunlight.

Several different chemicals combine during the process of photochemical smog formation. The
chemicals comprising this type of air pollution include nitrogen oxide, Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs), ozone and a synthetic substance called PAN. These chemicals enter the atmosphere from
different sources.

Nitrogen oxide leaches into the air in the exhaust emissions of trucks and cars. Burning gasoline
produces this synthetic compound, which rises into the atmosphere. Car and truck fuel also produce
VOCs. However, VOCs also escape into the air from paint products and pesticides.

Photochemical smog develops from excessive amounts of ozone, which is a type of synthetic oxygen.
PAN molecules, also synthetic compounds, form with the interaction of other synthetic compounds i

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What are the dangers? Photochemical smog can have an effect on the environment, on people’s health

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and even on various materials. The main visible effect is the brown haze that can be seen above many

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cities. The brown tinge is caused by very small liquid and solid particles scattering the light. Plants
Chemicals such as nitrogen oxides, ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) can have harmful effects on
plants. These substances can reduce or even stop growth in plants by reducing photosynthesis. Ozone,
even in small quantities, can achieve this, but PAN is even more toxic to plants than ozone. Health The
biggest concern about photochemical smog is the effect it has on people’s health.

forces, influences and conditions, which affect the life, nature, behaviour and the growth, development
and maturity of living organisms.’

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Classification of pollutants
Natural pollutants

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Aerosols

Gases and vapors

Natural pollutants
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Pollen grains

Bacteria

Products of volcanic eruption

2) Aerosols

Dust , fog , mist,smoke and fumes

3)Gases and vapors

Pollen grains

Pollen grains are minute bodies in the form of fine to coarse dust from certain plant species. They
contain pores through which their proteins can be distributed to human upper airways; which means we
are inhaling pollen grains almost everywhere. Pollen from birch trees and ragweed are responsible for

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hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis (the inflammation of the lining of the nose, characterised by
nasal congestion, sneezing and itching) and other allergenic problems.

Products of volcanic activity

When volcanoes erupt, they emit a mixture of gases and particles into the air. Some of them,
such as ash and sulphur dioxide, have a cooling effect, because they (or the substances they
cause) reflect sunlight away from the earth. Others, such as CO2, cause warming by adding to
the the greenhouse effect

Aerosols
Solid or liquid particles of microscopic size in gaseous media such as dust ,mist.It is a colloidal system in
which the dispersion medium is gas and the dispersed phase is solid or liquid Aerosol is applicable when
the particle is suspended in the air when it is settled the term is not applicable

Size of aerosol generally varyfrom0.01μ to 100μ

Various aerosols are

Dust,smoke ,mist, Fog and fumes

gases
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Dust –composed of solid particles larger than colloids capable of temporary settlement in air or other

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Dust is produced by crushing , grinding of organic and in organic particles generally size more than 20 μ
in diameter and maybe about 200 μ

Most of thedust particles settle to the bottom but particles with size less than 5 μ may not settle

Smoke

Finely divided particles formed by incomplete combustion. Mainly carbon particles and other
combustible materials .size is less than

1μ

Mist

Low concentration distribution of liquid particle of large size predominantly water droplets size
between500-40μ

Fog

Visible aerosls in which the dispersed medium is the liquid .Formation by condensation is usually
referredn.it is dispersion of water vapor or ice near the earth surface reducing visibility to less than 0.5
km .natural size ranges from 40-1μ

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Fumes-These are solid particles generated by condensation from the gaseous state .fumes floculate

Gases and vapours

Sulphur compounds

SO2,SO3,H2S

Nitrogen compounds

NO,NO2,NH3

Oxygen compounds

Halogen compounds

Organic compounds

Radioactive compounds

Hydrogen sulphide

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Main source is combustion of coal

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It depends on the quality of coal used

Presence of sulphur in coal varies from 1 to 5%

generally in fuel gases it is 0.05 to 0.25 %

Another common source sulphur dioxide is atmosphere mining operations

Hydrogen Sulphide

Foul smell gas

Result of anaerobic digestion

Volcanoes erupt hydrogen sulphide

Main source is pulp industry ,petroleum refineries ,coke oven plants

Strong odor is the main problem

Methyl mecaptan CH3SH,dimethyl sulphideCH3SCH3 Dimethyl disulphide CH3SSCH3

Hydrogen Fluoride

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Main source phosphate industries, aluminum industry ,brick plants ,Pottery ,small amount from
metallurgical operations .zinc foundries ,steel furnaces ,burning of coal

Important contaminant even extremely in low concentrations

Harmful to vegetation in addition to human beings

Chlorine and hydrogen chloride

Equipment failure in water treatment plant may lead to chlorine leak

Available in polluted atmosphere as hydrogen chloride

Chlorine containing organic compounds like perchloroethyline and as inorganic chlorides

Leakage from industrial manufacturing process

Main bad effect are respiratory irritation

Corrosion by hydrogen chloride

Damage to vegetation

Oxides of nitrogen

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Second most abundant contaminant in most of the cities next to sulphur dioxide

Nitric acid manufacturing industries discharge oxides of nitrogen

Automobile industries and large power plants

Source –atmospheric oxidation of nitrogen-N2O,NO,NO2,NO3,N2O3,N2O4,N2O5

Carbon Monoxide

From incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials especially in automobile industry

It is highly poisonous

Symptoms and Health Effects. Breathing CO can cause headache, dizziness, vomiting, and
nausea. If CO levels are high enough, you may become unconscious or die. Exposure to
moderate and high levels of CO over long periods of time has also been linked with increased
risk of heart disease.

Ozone

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a colourless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odour and powerful oxidizing properties, formed
from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O2) in
having three atoms in its molecule (O3).

Ozone can be harmful to health. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low
amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation

Aldehyde
an organic compound containing the group —CHO, formed by the oxidation of alcohols. Typical
aldehydes include methanal (formaldehyde) and ethanal (acetaldehyde).

Formed during the combustion of diesel,fuel oil and natura lgas

Incomplete oxidation of motor fuel and lubricating oil leads to the formation of formaldehyde

It is irritating to eye

Organic vapors

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Large number of chemicals including paraffin's olefins ,acetylenes ,aromatic hydrocarbon ,

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chlorinated hydrocarbons .produced by combustion of processes in automobiles. They are
responsible for formation of smog

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