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Air Pollution

Air pollution consists of harmful substances in the atmosphere that can lead to health issues, environmental damage, and significant economic losses, causing around 7 to 8 million deaths annually. Major pollutants include gases, particulates, and biological molecules, with outdoor particulate pollution being the leading cause of death. Various technologies and strategies, including national air quality laws and international agreements, have been implemented to reduce air pollution.

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47 views1 page

Air Pollution

Air pollution consists of harmful substances in the atmosphere that can lead to health issues, environmental damage, and significant economic losses, causing around 7 to 8 million deaths annually. Major pollutants include gases, particulates, and biological molecules, with outdoor particulate pollution being the leading cause of death. Various technologies and strategies, including national air quality laws and international agreements, have been implemented to reduce air pollution.

Uploaded by

Girish N
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Air pollution is the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to humans and other

living beings, or cause damage to the environment. Air pollution can be chemical, physical or biological.
[1] There are many different types of air pollutants, such as gases (including ozone, nitrogen oxides,
sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and methane), particulates (such as soot), lead[2] and
biological molecules. Air pollution can cause diseases, allergies, and even death; it can also cause harm
to animals and crops and damage the natural environment (for example, climate change, ozone
depletion or habitat degradation) or built environment (for example, acid rain).[3] Air pollution can
occur naturally or be caused by human activities.[4]

Air pollution causes around 7 or 8 million deaths each year.[5][6] It is a significant risk factor for a
number of pollution-related diseases, including heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), asthma and lung cancer.[7][6] It is the fourth-largest risk factor overall for human
health[8] as 99% of people are exposed to harmful levels of air pollution.[9] Outdoor particulate
pollution (PM2.5) is the largest cause of death (4.7 million), followed by indoor air pollution (3.1 million)
and ozone (0.5 million).[5]

The World Bank has estimated that welfare losses (premature deaths) and productivity losses (lost
labour) caused by air pollution cost the world economy over $8 trillion per year. Air quality is closely
related to the Earth's climate and ecosystems globally. Many of the contributors of local air pollution are
also sources of greenhouse emission i.e., burning of fossil fuel.[1]

Many different technologies and strategies are available for reducing air pollution.[10] National air
quality laws have often been highly effective, notably the 1956 Clean Air Act in Britain and the US Clean
Air Act, introduced in 1963.[11][12] Some of these efforts have been successful at the international
level, such as the Montreal Protocol,[13] which reduced the release of harmful ozone-depleting
chemicals, while others, such as international action on climate change, have been less successful.[14]

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