Air pollution - Revision history

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	[[Category:Done ~~2016~~-01~~-15~~]]		[[Category:Done 2026-07-01]]
	[[File:smokestackse.jpg\|250px\|thumb\|Figure 1. Point source air pollution includes all stationary sources of pollution, such as [[power plant]]s.<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/AlfedPalmersmokestacks.jpg</ref>]]		[[File:smokestackse.jpg\|250px\|thumb\|Figure 1. Point source air pollution includes all stationary sources of pollution, such as [[power plant]]s.<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/AlfedPalmersmokestacks.jpg</ref>]]
	<onlyinclude>'''Air pollution''' is the presence of any substance at high enough levels in the [[atmosphere]] to threaten the health of human, animal and plant life.</onlyinclude><ref name=hackett1>G. Tyler Miller, Jr. and D. Hackett, "Pollution," in ''Living in the Environment'', 2nd ed. USA: Nelson , 2011, ch.1, sec.4, pp.9</ref></onlyinclude> There are many types of [[pollutant]]s that can be [[emissions\|emitted]] in a variety of ways however they are often split into two categories, '''natural''' and '''human'''.		<onlyinclude>'''Air pollution''' is the presence of any substance at high enough levels in the [[atmosphere]] to threaten the health of human, animal and plant life.</onlyinclude><ref name=hackett1>G. Tyler Miller, Jr. and D. Hackett, "Pollution," in ''Living in the Environment'', 2nd ed. USA: Nelson , 2011, ch.1, sec.4, pp.9</ref></onlyinclude> There are many types of [[pollutant]]s that can be [[emissions\|emitted]] in a variety of ways however they are often split into two categories, '''natural''' and '''human'''.
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	[[File:calgarypol.png\|800px\|thumb\|center\|Figure 2. Smoggy vs clear day in Calgary.<ref>via the Calgary Herald.</ref>]]		[[File:calgarypol.png\|800px\|thumb\|center\|Figure 2. Smoggy vs clear day in Calgary.<ref>via the Calgary Herald.</ref>]]

	The pollutants that deteriorate air quality include [[nitrogen oxide]]s, [[sulfur oxides]], [[particulate matter]], [[volatile organic compound]]s, and more. These are considered [[primary pollutant]]s, since they are emitted directly into the [[atmosphere]]. A majority of them also react in the air to form what are called [[secondary pollutant]]s, and these include [[ozone]] and [[peroxyacyl nitrate]]s (PANs).<ref>LSC Atmospheric Sciences. (Accessed July 23, 2015). ''Secondary Pollutants'' [Online], Available: http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter18/secondary.html</ref> A combination of many of these leads to the formation of [[smog]] and [[photochemical smog]], which may ~~[[inversion layer\|~~stay over a given location]] for an unsafe amount of time.		The pollutants that deteriorate air quality include [[nitrogen oxide]]s, [[sulfur oxides]], [[particulate matter]], [[volatile organic compound]]s (VOCs), and more. These are considered [[primary pollutant]]s, since they are emitted directly into the [[atmosphere]]. A majority of them also react in the air to form what are called [[secondary pollutant]]s, and these include [[ozone]] and [[peroxyacyl nitrate]]s (PANs).<ref>LSC Atmospheric Sciences. (Accessed July 23, 2015). ''Secondary Pollutants'' [Online], Available: http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter18/secondary.html</ref> A combination of many of these leads to the formation of [[smog]] and [[photochemical smog]], which may stay over a given location for an unsafe amount of time. This phenomenon is called an [[inversion layer]].

	===Global air pollution: greenhouse gases===		===Global air pollution: greenhouse gases===
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	===Health issues===		===Health issues===
	Air pollution ~~can be attributed to~~ many ~~negative effects,~~ including poor visibility, difficulty breathing, disease and even death.<ref>Office for National Statistics. (August 6, 2015). ''Air pollution and its impact on people's health and well-being'' [Online], Available: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/natural-environment/sty-air-pollution.html</ref> Many Asian countries ~~are suffering the most~~ from poor air quality~~, and experience daily smogs,~~ leading to a high number of deaths due to lung and heart disease.<ref>~~EJAP~~. (~~August 6~~, ~~2015~~). ''Air pollution in Asia'' [Online], Available: ~~http~~://~~ejap~~.org/~~environmental~~-~~issues~~-in-asia~~/AirPollution~~.~~html~~</ref> Many [[developing countries]] around the globe are also experiencing the same consequences.		Air pollution creates many problems including poor visibility, difficulty breathing, disease and even death.<ref>Office for National Statistics. (August 6, 2015). ''Air pollution and its impact on people's health and well-being'' [Online], Available: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/natural-environment/sty-air-pollution.html</ref> Many Asian countries have very significant difficulties from poor air quality leading to a high number of deaths due to lung and heart disease.<ref>Climate and Clean Air Coallition. (June 30th, 2026). ''Air pollution measures for Asia and the Pacific'' [Online], Available: https://www.ccacoalition.org/content/air-pollution-measures-asia-and-pacific?__cf_chl_f_tk=99iBcGAgDokCNrxCJOkznctQXdnnGfME7tJOcjoGoI4-1782831234-1.0.1.1-zWggxgt7f9Le1sQ3tMFjbL3YWIn7EljVvcpetbDOrQY</ref> Many [[developing countries]] around the globe are also experiencing the same consequences.

	===Acid rain===		===Acid rain===
	~~:''[[acid rain\|main article]]''~~
	[[Acid rain]] occurs when [[water]] in the air combines with nitrogen and sulfur oxides, then falls to the Earth. It is around 25 times more [[acid]]ic than normal rain and has many damaging effects on vegetation, lakes, fish, buildings and other structures. It can also cause respiratory diseases in humans, especially those that have bad health.<Ref>B. Everett, G. Boyle, S. Peake and J. Ramage, "Penalties: Assessing the Environmental and Health Impacts of Energy Use," in ''Energy Systems and Sustainability'', 2nd ed., Oxford, UK: Oxford, 2013, ch.13, pp.543</ref> When lakes and other bodies of water become too acidic, typically less than a pH of 6.0, plants and aquatic life begin to suffer.<Ref name=pp>Pollution Probe. ''The Acid Rain Primer''. Visit www.pollutionprobe.org</ref> Fish reproduction ability falters, with death or deformity being widespread among younger fish. Amphibians and invertebrates suffer similarly, which means that acidic lakes have very little to no animal life.<ref name=wolf>R. Wolfson, "Air Pollution" in ''Energy, Environment, and Climate'', 2nd ed., New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012, ch. 6, sec. 2, pp. 129-142</ref>		[[Acid rain]] occurs when [[water]] in the air combines with nitrogen and sulfur oxides, then falls to the Earth. It is around 25 times more [[acid]]ic than normal rain and has many damaging effects on vegetation, lakes, fish, buildings and other structures. It can also cause respiratory diseases in humans, especially those that have bad health.<Ref>B. Everett, G. Boyle, S. Peake and J. Ramage, "Penalties: Assessing the Environmental and Health Impacts of Energy Use," in ''Energy Systems and Sustainability'', 2nd ed., Oxford, UK: Oxford, 2013, ch.13, pp.543</ref> When lakes and other bodies of water become too acidic, typically less than a pH of 6.0, plants and aquatic life begin to suffer.<Ref name=pp>Pollution Probe. ''The Acid Rain Primer''. Visit www.pollutionprobe.org</ref> Fish reproduction ability falters, with death or deformity being widespread among younger fish. Amphibians and invertebrates suffer similarly, which means that acidic lakes have very little to no animal life.<ref name=wolf>R. Wolfson, "Air Pollution" in ''Energy, Environment, and Climate'', 2nd ed., New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012, ch. 6, sec. 2, pp. 129-142</ref>

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	The key to managing air pollution is to prevent it from happening in the first place. There are many ways to accomplish this, using technologies such as [[scrubber]]s, [[electrostatic precipitator]]s, and more. Please visit our page on '''[[air pollution control devices]]''' for information on how air pollution is dealt with.		The key to managing air pollution is to prevent it from happening in the first place. There are many ways to accomplish this, using technologies such as [[scrubber]]s, [[electrostatic precipitator]]s, and more. Please visit our page on '''[[air pollution control devices]]''' for information on how air pollution is dealt with.

	In recent years the effects of air pollution have been realized in most [[developed countries]], resulting in more stringent guidelines against pollution. Canada for example relies on government actions to reduce emissions from industries, transportation vehicles, and other sources, which has resulted in better outdoor air quality.<Ref name=ec>Environment and Climate Change Canada. (Accessed January 10, 2016). ''Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards'' [Online], Available: http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=56D4043B-1&news=A4B2C28A-2DFB-4BF4-8777-ADF29B4360BD</ref>		In recent years, the effects of air pollution have been realized in most [[developed countries]], resulting in more stringent guidelines against pollution. Canada for example relies on government actions to reduce emissions from industries, transportation vehicles, and other sources, which has resulted in better outdoor air quality.<Ref name=ec>Environment and Climate Change Canada. (Accessed January 10, 2016). ''Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards'' [Online], Available: http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=56D4043B-1&news=A4B2C28A-2DFB-4BF4-8777-ADF29B4360BD</ref>

	The line graph below is used primarily to show whether or not levels of emissions have been improving for Canada as a whole, particularly with efforts to scrub flue gases clean with various [[air pollution control devices]]. The drop down bar allows for the selection of various pollutants. For information on what gives off these pollutants specifically please see [[detailed pollution data]]. For province by province time series please see [http://ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/donnees-data/ap/index.cfm?lang=En Environment Canada].		== The line graph below is used primarily to show whether or not levels of emissions have been improving for Canada as a whole, particularly with efforts to scrub flue gases clean with various [[air pollution control devices]]. The drop down bar allows for the selection of various pollutants. For information on what gives off these pollutants specifically please see [[detailed pollution data]]. For province by province time series please see [http://ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/donnees-data/ap/index.cfm?lang=En Environment Canada].
	<html>		<html>
	<iframe id='pollution-line' class='data-visualization'></iframe>		<iframe id='pollution-line' class='data-visualization'></iframe>
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	}		}
	</script>		</script>
	</html>		</html>For Further Reading ==

			* [[Photochemical smog]]
			* [[Pollutant]]
			* [[Greenhouse gases]]
			* [[Primary pollutant]]
			* [[Secondary pollutant]]
			* Or explore a [[Special:Random\|random page]]

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}
			[[Category:Uploaded]]

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2016-02-18T04:31:21Z

1 revision imported

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Jmdonev at 23:35, 25 January 2016

2016-01-25T23:35:21Z

New page

[[Category:Done 2016-01-15]]
[[File:smokestackse.jpg|250px|thumb|Figure 1. Point source air pollution includes all stationary sources of pollution, such as [[power plant]]s.<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/AlfedPalmersmokestacks.jpg</ref>]]
<onlyinclude>'''Air pollution''' is the presence of any substance at high enough levels in the [[atmosphere]] to threaten the health of human, animal and plant life.</onlyinclude><ref name=hackett1>G. Tyler Miller, Jr. and D. Hackett, "Pollution," in ''Living in the Environment'', 2nd ed. USA: Nelson , 2011, ch.1, sec.4, pp.9</ref></onlyinclude> There are many types of [[pollutant]]s that can be [[emissions|emitted]] in a variety of ways however they are often split into two categories, '''natural''' and '''human'''.

Human emission sources can also be categorized as either '''point sources''' or '''mobile sources'''. Point sources are fixed in a single location, such as a [[power plant]], and emissions can be traced back to that source. Mobile sources, on the other hand, include things like [[motor vehicle]]s, the emissions of which cannot be traced to any single vehicle directly, and are often taken as an aggregate instead.

Air pollution is becoming more dominant as [[urban population]]s become larger and more common. Typical phenomena in large cities include [[smog|industrial]] and [[photochemical smog]], produced when large quantities of pollutants are introduced into the atmosphere in a short time-span, causing all sorts of adverse effects which are explored below and on other pages interlinked to within this page.

==Types of air pollution==
===Urban air pollution===
[[Air quality]] is worsened when various pollutants are introduced into the air, especially in high quantities over a small area. These pollutants can be emitted by many sources, but the most dominant contributor within cities are vehicles burning [[gasoline]] and other [[oil]] products. The burning of [[coal]] also produces many harmful pollutants, however in most places around the world coal is burned relatively far away from cities, so the air pollution from coal plants has a less visible effect on air quality.

[[File:calgarypol.png|800px|thumb|center|Figure 2. Smoggy vs clear day in Calgary.<ref>via the Calgary Herald.</ref>]]

The pollutants that deteriorate air quality include [[nitrogen oxide]]s, [[sulfur oxides]], [[particulate matter]], [[volatile organic compound]]s, and more. These are considered [[primary pollutant]]s, since they are emitted directly into the [[atmosphere]]. A majority of them also react in the air to form what are called [[secondary pollutant]]s, and these include [[ozone]] and [[peroxyacyl nitrate]]s (PANs).<ref>LSC Atmospheric Sciences. (Accessed July 23, 2015). ''Secondary Pollutants'' [Online], Available: http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter18/secondary.html</ref> A combination of many of these leads to the formation of [[smog]] and [[photochemical smog]], which may [[inversion layer|stay over a given location]] for an unsafe amount of time.

===Global air pollution: greenhouse gases===
The emissions of [[greenhouse gases]] such as [[carbon dioxide]] and [[methane]] are of global concern, due to the [[global warming]] effect their presence in the atmosphere brings about. This type of air pollution is not as noticeable on a daily basis compared to urban pollution, and this makes it more difficult for people to realize the adverse effects of these emissions. There are many [[indicators of a warming world]] such as [[rising sea level]]s and [[ocean heat]]ing which support the effect that these gases are having on the global [[climate]].

Currently CO<sub>2</sub> levels in the oceans and atmosphere are on the rise, and this increase can mostly be attributed to human activities,<ref>IPCC. (2015, June. 17). ''Are the Increases in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Other Greenhouse Gases During the Industrial Era Caused by Human Activities?'' [Online]. Available:http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-7-1.html</ref> known as [[anthropogenic carbon emissions]]. Carbon dioxide is emitted in the process of [[hydrocarbon combustion]], which occurs when [[hydrocarbon]]-rich [[fossil fuel]]s are burnt in order to provide energy. There are many sources for this, from the [[exhaust gas]] of an automobile, to the [[smokestack]] from a [[coal-fired power plant]].

==Effects==
[[File:chinaair.jpg|300px|thumb|Figure 3. Air quality differs drastically around the world; in densely polluted cities with poor pollution control, face masks are sometimes necessary.<ref>Flickr [Online], Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121483302@N02/15489395937</ref>]]

===Health issues===
Air pollution can be attributed to many negative effects, including poor visibility, difficulty breathing, disease and even death.<ref>Office for National Statistics. (August 6, 2015). ''Air pollution and its impact on people's health and well-being'' [Online], Available: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/natural-environment/sty-air-pollution.html</ref> Many Asian countries are suffering the most from poor air quality, and experience daily smogs, leading to a high number of deaths due to lung and heart disease.<ref>EJAP. (August 6, 2015). ''Air pollution in Asia'' [Online], Available: http://ejap.org/environmental-issues-in-asia/AirPollution.html</ref> Many [[developing countries]] around the globe are also experiencing the same consequences.

===Acid rain===
:''[[acid rain|main article]]''
[[Acid rain]] occurs when [[water]] in the air combines with nitrogen and sulfur oxides, then falls to the Earth. It is around 25 times more [[acid]]ic than normal rain and has many damaging effects on vegetation, lakes, fish, buildings and other structures. It can also cause respiratory diseases in humans, especially those that have bad health.<Ref>B. Everett, G. Boyle, S. Peake and J. Ramage, "Penalties: Assessing the Environmental and Health Impacts of Energy Use," in ''Energy Systems and Sustainability'', 2nd ed., Oxford, UK: Oxford, 2013, ch.13, pp.543</ref> When lakes and other bodies of water become too acidic, typically less than a pH of 6.0, plants and aquatic life begin to suffer.<Ref name=pp>Pollution Probe. ''The Acid Rain Primer''. Visit www.pollutionprobe.org</ref> Fish reproduction ability falters, with death or deformity being widespread among younger fish. Amphibians and invertebrates suffer similarly, which means that acidic lakes have very little to no animal life.<ref name=wolf>R. Wolfson, "Air Pollution" in ''Energy, Environment, and Climate'', 2nd ed., New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012, ch. 6, sec. 2, pp. 129-142</ref>

==Prevention and mitigation==
The key to managing air pollution is to prevent it from happening in the first place. There are many ways to accomplish this, using technologies such as [[scrubber]]s, [[electrostatic precipitator]]s, and more. Please visit our page on '''[[air pollution control devices]]''' for information on how air pollution is dealt with.

In recent years the effects of air pollution have been realized in most [[developed countries]], resulting in more stringent guidelines against pollution. Canada for example relies on government actions to reduce emissions from industries, transportation vehicles, and other sources, which has resulted in better outdoor air quality.<Ref name=ec>Environment and Climate Change Canada. (Accessed January 10, 2016). ''Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards'' [Online], Available: http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=56D4043B-1&news=A4B2C28A-2DFB-4BF4-8777-ADF29B4360BD</ref>

The line graph below is used primarily to show whether or not levels of emissions have been improving for Canada as a whole, particularly with efforts to scrub flue gases clean with various [[air pollution control devices]]. The drop down bar allows for the selection of various pollutants. For information on what gives off these pollutants specifically please see [[detailed pollution data]]. For province by province time series please see [http://ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/donnees-data/ap/index.cfm?lang=En Environment Canada].
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==References==
{{reflist}}