The damage caused to environment is irreparable and eventually will lead to the destruction of most of the life forms on earth, if nothing is done. Most of the sources of air pollution are man made.
The word ‘air pollution’ itself is tension triggering. The word on its own has all sorts of negative vibes surrounding it. The health of humans, well being of other animals and the natural balance in the ecosystem everything is threatened by air pollution.
Industrialisation or technological advances that man has made have also detained the quality of survival of all life on earth. Harbouring air pollution and living a healthy life at the same time seems like something impossible. Thus, there is an immediate need to control air pollution and its life threatening impacts. But for doing so we definitely need to know the major sources of air pollution. Thus being aware of the sources of air pollution we can control and eliminate it from its root.
Contents
10 Sources of Air Pollution
- Internal Combustion Engines
- Fossil Fuels And Coal
- Petroleum
- Mining
- Factories
- Fertilisers
- Pesticides & Insecticides
- Power Lines
- Radiation
- Paint
Internal Combustion Engines
This is probably the biggest source of air pollution. If we use a time machine and travel to past we can see that it all started with steam engines and now we are at IC engines on which the entire transportation through vehicles is dependant.
We cannot imagine our lives without cars, buses, trucks, and bikes. But they are adversely causing the major percentage of air pollution thus taking and adverse toll over our lives. For comfort we are staking our life at risk.
Fossil Fuels And Coal
Electricity is generated in some homes, power plants and factories using fossil fuels or coal. This is a very harmful way of generating or creating electricity as it affects the environment adversely in various ways.
Smoke produced creates air pollution along with release of carbon dioxide which is a prominent greenhouse gas and causes air pollution.
Petroleum
The driving force of the entire world is petroleum. Be it clothes to food to plastics we depend on petroleum majorly. The Economy today is petroleum based. Petroleum makes a country’s economy rich or poor but is also the major cause of air pollution. It releases nitrous oxide in air and releases carbon dioxide causing global warming.
Mining
Mining causes major form of air pollution. A lot of dust is released in air by open air mines. Mines which uses heavy machineries release smoke and other chemicals into the air. A lot of harmful mercury is released by goldmines which causes cancer respiratory issues and even death.
Factories
Factories release all these harmful end products which causes pollution. Factories emit all types of harmful chemicals as their waste product. The major chemicals can be listed as ammonia, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen sulphide. Water pollution is caused by toxic elements dispersed in water and air pollution is caused by smokes released in air. The smog near industrial areas is a burning proof of pollution of air.
Fertilisers
It is another form of air pollution. The dust that is deposited by the use of fertilizer and is rich in ammonia and nitrous oxide. Global warming and acid rain is caused by these chemicals which are buried in air. They also is the reason in the release of high amount of methane which is a greenhouse gas and leads to global warming.
Pesticides & Insecticides
A major helping tool for farmers to boost their crops productivity and also protect it. But these chemical pesticides and insecticides are very harmful substances and has chances to get mixed up in air and deposited in soil and water. Through food we consume all these finally and these pesticides ultimately finds their way thus completing the food chain, thus causing diseases and cancer prominently.
Power Lines
As popular believe goes air pollution always may not be related to visible smoke that we see. It can be any invisible cause too. Such invisible air pollution is caused by high power lines. The air around the wires is ionized and later charged up. Inhaling such charged up air causes the increment of free radicals in our body leading to tissue damage, aging and cancer.
Radiation
This claims to be the most dangerous source of air pollution. Radiation emitted from nuclear sources effects life immensely. Dispersant of harmful heavy metals in air is due to the release of radioactive waste caused due to an accident or improper storage of radioactive wastes. The radiation is depleted in all parts of the environment and is harmful for all forms of life.
Paint
Paint and warmish used in walls and furniture in our home is a form and contribute air pollution. The fumes or vapours released by these products are threatening for humans and has the ability to initiate many types of ailments such as heart, lung disease etc. The overall air pollution present in densely populated areas and cities is majorly due to fumes.
These are the major sources of air pollution which is the result of all these activities put together.
Also Read :
1 thought on “Top 10 Sources of Air pollution”