What is Air Pollution and Sources of Air Pollution

Air Pollution:

An undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air is called “Air Pollution”.

Sources of Air Pollution:

1. Burning of Fossil Fuels:

Major sources of air pollution is the gaseous matter released by burning of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum etc.

2. Particular Pollutants:

Daily life air pollution includes large number of things such as carbon smoke, road dust, particles metals, tar, oxygen and halogen compounds and radioactive substances etc.

Another source of particular pollution is the burning of cars and vehicles oil which are poor in quality hence a dark black smoke came out of their vehicles and hence become the source of particular pollution.

3. Photo-chemical Oxidants:

Transport vehicles burn fuel at very high temperature and produce nitrogen dioxide (NO2). In the presence of sunlight NO2 combines with gaseous hydrocarbons to form a variety of secondary pollutants called photo-chemical oxidant. It causes irritation of lungs and eyes.

4. Gaseous Pollutants:

These are CO and SO2. Co is poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon fuels where as SO2 is manly produced by burning of coal and oil bearing sulfur.