AIR POLLUTION

WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION? Air pollution is the introduction of

particulates, biological molecules, or other harmful materials into Earth's atmosphere, causing diseases, death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as animals and food crops, or the natural or built environment.

Air pollution can result from both human and natural actions. Natural events that pollute the air include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radioactivity. Pollution from natural occurrences are not very often.

1. Burning of Fossil FuelsSulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other factory combustibles are some of the major cause of air pollution. Pollution emitting from vehicles including trucks, jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes, ship cause an immense amount of pollution .

CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION

2. AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES

Ammonia is a very common product from agriculture related activities and is one of the most hazardous gases in the atmosphere. Use of insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural activities has grown quite a lot.

3. EXHAUST FROM FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIES

Manufacturing industries release large amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals into the air thereby depleting the quality of air.

4. INDOOR AIR POLLUTION

Household cleaning products, painting supplies emit toxic chemicals in the air and cause air pollution.

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

1. DISEASES

4. EFFECT ON WILDLIFE

Just like humans, animals also face some devastating affects of air pollution. Toxic chemicals present in the air can force wildlife species to move to new places and change their habitats. The toxic pollutants deposited over the surface of the water can also affect animals

5. DEPLETION OF OZONE LAYER

Ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere

THIS IS HOW OUR WORLD WILL LOOK LIKE IF WE CONTINUE POLLUTING THE EARTH LIKE WE DO NOW

KOLKATA CASE STUDY Kolkata, one of the fastest growing metropolises in India has been

suffering from air pollution for many decades. The rapid urbanization coupled with ineffective government control

has been fuelling this problem. The study aims to portray the current air pollution situation in this megacity as it analyses the present level of different air pollutants like Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), NO2 and SO2.

The result of the analysis shows the critical level of air pollutants specially the SPM and NO2 in different parts of city.

By zoning the city into residential, commercial and industrial areas, the result shows the difference between the levels of pollution in each area.

The second part of the study explored the seasonal variation of air pollution and it has been found all of the pollutants reach its highest concentration during winter.

Extending the study, the paper also tries to establish the relationship between the air pollutants and metrological factors by using the Spearman’s Rank Correlation.

The results show an inverse relation between the concentration of pollutants and the metrological factors such as precipitation, wind, temperature and relative humidity.

Finally, a calculation of the change in pollution level during the two festive seasons is carried out and an increase in SPM concentration has been found during the celebrations of Kali Puja and Diwali.

DELHI CASE STUDY Air pollution is responsible for many health problems in the urban

areas. Of late, the air pollution status in Delhi has undergone many changes in terms of the levels of pollutants and the control measures taken to reduce them. This paper provides an evidence-based insight into the status of air pollution in Delhi and its effects on health and control measures instituted. The urban air database released by the World Health Organization in September 2011 reported that Delhi has exceeded the maximum PM10 limit by almost 10-times at 198 μg/m3. Vehicular emissions and industrial activities were found to be associated with indoor as well as outdoor air pollution in Delhi. Studies on air pollution and mortality from Delhi found that all-natural-cause mortality and morbidity increased with increased air pollution. Delhi has taken several steps to reduce the level of air pollution in the city during the last 10 years. However, more still needs to be done to further reduce the levels of air pollution.