Greta Jimenez
Air pollution is a pressing issue that poses a threat to the environment and human health. The burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, releases harmful gases, including nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides, which contribute to the formation of acid rain. Among the gases considered primary air pollutants are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide. These gases are odourless, colourless, and toxic, with detrimental effects on the environment and human, animal, and plant life.
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Carbon monoxide
The greatest sources of CO in outdoor air are vehicles or machinery that burn fossil fuels. These include cars, trucks, and construction equipment, which produce emissions that contain CO. Higher levels of CO typically occur in areas with heavy traffic congestion. Additionally, indoor sources of CO, such as gas stoves, unvented kerosene and gas space heaters, leaking chimneys, and tobacco smoke, can also affect air quality and lead to high levels of CO exposure.
The health risks associated with CO are significant. When inhaled, CO reduces the amount of oxygen that can be transported in the bloodstream to vital organs like the heart and brain. This can result in chest pain, reduced exercise capacity, and other cardiovascular effects, especially for individuals with pre-existing heart conditions. Even healthy individuals can experience harmful effects from high levels of CO exposure, including vision problems, reduced manual dexterity, and difficulty performing complex tasks.
Furthermore, CO not only impacts human health but also contributes to climate change. It participates in chemical reactions in the atmosphere that produce ozone, a known climate change gas. While indoor CO levels can be higher than outdoor levels, elevated outdoor CO levels are of particular concern for individuals with heart disease. To protect public health and welfare, air quality regulators are tasked with monitoring and mitigating the presence of air pollutants like CO, which has substantial evidence of adverse health effects.
To address the issue of CO pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets and reviews standards for CO in outdoor air under the Clean Air Act. These standards help state, tribal, and local agencies ensure that CO levels are maintained at safe levels. Additionally, strategies such as emission reductions are being considered to mitigate the effects of global warming, as CO is classified as a short-lived climate forcing agent.
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Nitrogen dioxide
The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument has been instrumental in measuring and studying nitrogen dioxide pollution over North America. TEMPO collects data on sunlight reflected and scattered off the Earth's surface, clouds, and the atmosphere. Gases in the atmosphere absorb the sunlight, and the resulting spectra are used to determine the amounts of various gases, including nitrogen dioxide. TEMPO provides the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the troposphere, which is the lower part of the atmosphere extending from the surface to about 10 km in altitude.
Visualizations of TEMPO data have revealed high levels of nitrogen dioxide over multiple urban areas across North America, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The data shows that nitrogen dioxide concentrations tend to be higher in the morning and during rush hours, often dissipating throughout the day. However, the pollution levels can rise again during the second rush hour in the afternoon.
It is important to monitor and regulate nitrogen dioxide pollution due to its detrimental effects on human health and the environment. Nitrogen dioxide is a key contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone, which is a major component of smog and can have significant impacts on respiratory health. Therefore, organizations like the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work to set and implement primary outdoor air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide and other harmful pollutants.
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Sulphur dioxide
International shipping is a large source of sulphur dioxide emissions, and with the increasing activity levels of shipping, it is predicted to become one of the most significant contributors to sulphur emissions in the UK. India is the largest emitter of SO2 globally, contributing over 21% of global emissions, primarily from coal-based electricity generation. Russia is the second-largest emitter, causing approximately 12% of global emissions. Most of Russia's SO2 emissions come from smelters (75%), followed by oil and gas (15%), and coal (10%). China, with its coal-fired power generation, is responsible for about 8% of global SO2 emissions.
To reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, measures such as shifting from high-sulphur fuels (coal and heavy fuel oil) to low-sulphur content fuels (natural gas) and installing flue gas desulphurization abatement technology in industrial facilities are essential. The European Union and its member states have implemented various directives to limit sulphur dioxide emissions, such as the Fuel Quality Directive and the Sulphur-Free Fuels Directive, which set maximum sulphur levels for road fuels.
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Ozone
In contrast, ground-level ozone is a harmful air pollutant and a toxic greenhouse gas. It is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react with NOx and VOCs in the presence of sunlight. Ground-level ozone is most likely to reach unhealthy levels on hot, sunny days in urban environments, but it can also affect rural areas as it can be transported long distances by wind.
People at risk of harm from breathing air containing ozone include children, the elderly, and those with lung diseases such as asthma. Ozone can trigger a variety of health problems and is the main ingredient in "smog." It also has negative effects on vegetation and contributes to direct radiative forcing of global climate change.
To improve air quality, states can implement a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to outline measures for reducing ground-level ozone and meeting national air quality standards. Actions may include vehicle and transportation standards, regional haze and visibility rules, and regular reviews of air quality standards.
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Chlorofluorocarbons
CFCs were first synthesized in 1928 by Thomas Midgley, Jr. of General Motors, as safer chemicals for refrigerators used in large commercial applications. Frigidaire was issued the first patent for the formula for CFCs on December 31, 1928. In 1930, General Motors and Du Pont formed the Kinetic Chemical Company to produce Freon (a Du Pont tradename for CFCs) in large quantities. By 1935, Frigidaire and its competitors had sold 8 million new refrigerators in the United States using Freon-12 (CFC-12) made by the Kinetic Chemical Company and those companies that were licensed to manufacture this compound. In 1932, the Carrier Engineering Corporation used Freon-11 (CFC-11) in the world's first self-contained home air-conditioning unit, called the "Atmospheric Cabinet".
Because of their safety record for nontoxicity, Freon became the preferred coolant in large air-conditioning systems. Public health codes in many American cities were revised to designate Freon as the only coolant that could be used in public buildings. After World War II, CFCs were used as propellants for bug sprays, paints, hair conditioners, and other healthcare products. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the CFCs made possible an inexpensive solution to the desire for air conditioning in many automobiles, homes, and office buildings.
CFCs are classified as halocarbons, a class of compounds that contain atoms of carbon and halogen atoms. Individual CFC molecules are labeled with a unique numbering system. For example, the CFC number of 11 indicates the number of atoms of carbon, hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine (e.g. CCl3F as CFC-11). The best way to remember the system is the "rule of 90" or add 90 to the CFC number where the first digit is the number of carbon atoms (C), the second digit is the number of hydrogen atoms (H), and the third digit is the number of fluorine atoms (F). The total number of chlorine atoms (Cl) are calculated by the expression: Cl = 2(C+1) - H - F.
While CFCs are safe to use in most applications and are inert in the lower atmosphere, they do undergo significant reactions in the upper atmosphere or stratosphere. In 1974, two University of California chemists, Professor F. Sherwood Rowland and Dr. Mario Molina, showed that CFCs could be a major source of inorganic chlorine in the stratosphere following their photolytic decomposition by UV radiation. Their research brought worldwide attention to the impact of human-contributed pollution on a planetary scale. Their work was among the first to directly effect a global shift in policy, preceding the current debate on climate change. As a result, the Montreal Protocol was passed in 1987, leading to the phasing out of CFCs worldwide.
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Frequently asked questions
None of the above. All three gases are air pollutants.
Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete burning of hydrocarbons and fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. The major source of carbon monoxide emissions is vehicles.
Nitrogen dioxide, produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, leads to the formation of other air pollutants like ozone and particulate matter, which cause acid rain.
Sulphur dioxide, released into the air primarily through the burning of oil and coal in power plants, forms acidic substances. These substances fall as acid rain, damaging human, animal, and plant life.
Other air pollutants include ozone (O3), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and ammonia (NH3).
