Air and Water Pollution - Essay Example

For example, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur oxide etc are some of the primary pollutants whereas ozone, sulfuric acid etc are some of the secondary pollutants. Pollutants which cause direct damages to air and water are called primary pollutants whereas pollutants which act through other objects are called secondary pollutants. This paper analyses the action of pollutants on air and water, taking two air pollutants and two water pollutants as examples. Air Pollutants Carbon monoxide gas emitted by automobiles is one of the major primary air pollutants.

In fact automobiles account for more than 60% of the carbon monoxide production. Oxygen is required for the burning of any objects. If the burning or combustion process faces shortage of oxygen, carbon monoxide will be formed. Automobiles emit carbon monoxide because of the problems in the fossil fuel combustion process or the shortage of oxygen inside the engines. It is a serious poison gas which can kill living things quickly if inhaled high concentration of it. When Carbon Monoxide is inhaled, the CO combines with the hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb).

CO displaces oxygen attached to the carrier molecule, hemoglobin. The COHb bond is over 200 times stronger than oxygen's bond with hemoglobin. The strong COHb bond makes it difficult for the body to eliminate CO from the blood (Indoor Air Quality --- Carbon monoxide (CO), n. d) “Visual impairment, reduced work capacity, reduced manual dexterity, poor learning ability and difficulty in performing complex tasks etc are some other health problems associated with exposure to carbon monoxide”( Carbon monoxide, n. d). Carbon monoxide is present in the lower atmospheric layers only because of its short life.

Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom and it is not a stable gas. It quickly accepts one oxygen atom from its neighborhood and converts itself into carbon dioxide which is a stable gas. Ozone (O3) is one of the major secondary air pollutants. In fact ozone layer in the atmosphere protects us from the harmful UV radiations emitted by sun. Ozone normally presents in two layers of atmosphere; one near the ground level and the other high up in the atmosphere. Even though, ozone layer high up in the atmosphere acts as a protective shield for us, the ground level presence of ozone causes major health problems to us.

Ground level Ozone is produced when some substances undergoes chemical reaction in the presence of sun light. The destructive ability of ground level ozone cannot be predicted since ozone has the ability to travel longer distances. “Short-term exposure to ozone peaks can temporarily affect the lungs, the respiratory tract, and the eyes. It can also increase the susceptibility to inhaledallergens. Long-term exposure to relatively low concentrations of ozone can reduce lung function” (Scientific Facts on Air Pollution Ozone, 2011) Water Pollutants Sewage is one of the major primary pollutants of water.

Sewage normally consists of organic matters including solid and liquid particles. It normally consists of industrial waste, human and animal wastes etc. It encourages the growth of microorganisms which can raise severe health threats to both marine life and land life because of its abilities to cause and spread different kinds of diseases. Sewage decomposes using the dissolved oxygen content in the water. When more solid particles present in