Air
Air Pollution
Air is the most important element of our life. Air pollution cannot be defined clearly. Air is a mixture of gases and moisture. It also has some inert substances.
We cannot have ‘pure air’ in any part of the world. When we breathe oxygen, as well as some other gases and substances, enter our respiratory system, before we talk about air pollution, we need to know what are the elements in pure air. The composition of pure air is shown in the following table.
Major air Pollutants:
- Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
- Nitrogen Oxide (NO)
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Solid Particulate material
- Iron particles
- Ozone (O3)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Hydrocarbons
- Methane
- Some metals
- Radiation.
Pure air structure (near sea surface)
| Sr. No. | The components | Indicator ¼Symbol½ | Attendance percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitrogen | N2 | 78.09 |
| 2 | Oxygen | O2 | 20.94 |
| 3 | Organ | Ar | 0.93 |
| 4 | Carbon dioxide | CO2 | 0.0318 |
| 5 | Nian | Ne | 0.0018 |
| 6 | Helium | He | 0.00052 |
| 7 | Krypton | Kr | 0.0001 |
| 8 | Methane | CH4 | 0.00015 |
| 9 | Hydrogen | H2 | 0.00005 |
| 10 | Carbon mono oxide | CO | 0.00001 |
| 11 | Nitrous oxide | N2O | 0.00025 |
| 12 | Jinan | Xc | 0.000008 |
| 13 | Ozone | O3 | 0.000002 |
| 14 | Sulfur dioxide | SO2 | 0.000002 |
| 15 | Ammonia | NH3 | 0.000001 |
| 16 | Nitrogen dioxide | N2O | 0.000001 |
| 17 | Water | H2O | 1-3 |
The air element is virtually life itself. Historically, air pollution started with the invention of fire. After this, it started to grow with the processing of iron and gold and is increasing continuously with the use of coal. A new era of pollution began with the invention of the steam engine of the 18th century and with the Industrial Revolution. During this period, with the increase in motor vehicles, there has been a tremendous increase in it. At present, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘Air pollution is a condition under which the human body and its harmful elements in the external environment accumulate intensively.’ Quantitative or qualitative changes in the general organization, which adversely affect life or biodegradable abiotic components, is called air pollution.
Airborne pollution is beyond the political boundaries of the world. It affects atmospheres and human settlements far from its sources. Power houses (especially coal-based), acid rain, motor vehicles, pesticides, forest fires, garbage generated by agricultural operations, cigarette smoke, kitchen smoke, etc. are the major factors in pollution caused by human activities. Before this, discuss these factors in detail, see what side effects of air pollution have on human health and on animals and plants.