The Causes and Effects of air pollution on the people and the environment - Essay Example

In addition, air pollutants are transboundary in nature as they travel freely from the source in which they are produced to other locations and thereby spread the pollutants throughout the region. This nature has resulted in health affects for humans, animals as well as negative environmental impacts on trees, plants and forests which have in turn incurred economic losses through medical expenses and other damages (Air Pollution Effects). Air Pollution – Causes Man-made sources The major causes of air pollution come from human activities while on a minority result from natural causes.

The beginning of the industrial revolution has brought with it tremendous growth of industries, population and globalization which have hugely contributed to the growing air pollution across the world. The industrial growth resulted in the establishment of several sectors such as power and biofuel industries, refineries, residential sector and the development of road, rail, and air transport. Each of these sectors has liberated pollutants into the air in the form of gases, solid or liquid particles.

Among the major gaseous form of pollutants, sulfur-dioxide, which is a colorless gas with a pungent odor, is released during combustion of fossil fuels. The generation of power through electricity and the consequent production of heat produce a cocktail of air pollutants. The combustion of coal, which is a widely used source of energy in the power sector, produces sulfur-dioxide in large amounts in addition to other greenhouse pollutants such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Other industries which release large amounts of sulfur-dioxide into the atmosphere are the manufacturing and construction industries and those which produce non-ferrous metals.

The next major gaseous pollutant released is nitrogen oxides which is present in two major forms: nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. These are produced during the combustion of fossil fuels, motor fuel combustion from vehicles, from power plants, and deforestation. Carbon monoxide which is a highly toxic colorless, odorless and tasteless gas is also mainly produced during deforestation, combustion of biofuels and vehicular combustion. Ammonia gas, which has a pungent odor and hazardous in nature is produced through agricultural practices such as livestock farming and animal waste.

The ozone, which is a colorless, poisonous gas with an irritating odor, is present in the stratosphere and troposphere layer of the atmosphere. While the ozone in the stratosphere layer protects the earth against the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, that in the troposphere is a secondary pollutant which is produced as a result of a chemical reaction between other pollutants in the presence of sunlight. Other air pollutants includes solid or liquid airborne particles which are suspended in the atmosphere, volatile organic compounds such as pure hydrocarbons or organic compounds and other persistent pollutants such as pesticides like DDT (Air Pollution Causes).

Natural sources The