The document provides an overview of air pollution, detailing its causes, sources, and effects, particularly in India. It categorizes air pollutants into primary and secondary, highlighting the impact of fossil fuels, industrial emissions, transportation, and agricultural activities. Additionally, the document discusses the importance of environmental justice and suggests measures to reduce air pollution and protect public health.

1. Presentation By: Ritik Kumar
AIR
POLLUTION

2. INDEX
Sr. No. Topic Name
1 What is Air Pollution
2 Source Of Air Pollution
3 Causes Of Air Pollution
4 Effects Of Air Pollution
5 Air Pollution In India
6 Air Pollution & Environmental Justice
7 Controlling Air Pollution
8 How To Help Reduce Air Pollution
9 How To Protect Your Health
10 Quotes
11 References

3. Air pollution is a type of
environmental pollution that affects the
air and is usually caused by smoke or
other harmful gases,
mainly oxides of carbon, Sulphur and
nitrogen. In other words, air pollution is
the contamination of air due to the
presence or introduction of a substance
which has a poisonous effect.

4. Air pollutants may be categorised as primary or secondary
 Primary pollutants : Primary pollutants are directly emitted to the atmosphere.
Air pollutants may have a natural, anthropogenic or mixed origin, depending on their sources or the sources of their precursors.
Key primary air pollutants include particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC), sulphur oxides (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX)
(including nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, NO2), ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), non-methane
volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), including benzene, and certain metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including
benzo[a]pyrene (BaP).
 Secondary pollutants : secondary pollutants are formed in the atmosphere from precursor gases through chemical reactions
and microphysical processes.
Key secondary air pollutants are particulate matter(PM), ozone (O3), NO2 and several oxidized volatile organic compounds
(VOCs). Key precursor gases for secondary PM are Sulphur dioxide (SO2), NOX, NH3 and VOCs. These pollutants and their
precursor gases can be of both natural and anthropogenic origin including:
 burning of fossil fuels in electricity generation, transport, industry and households
 industrial processes and solvent use, for example in the chemical and mining industries
 agriculture
 waste treatment
 natural sources, including volcanic eruptions, windblown dust, sea-salt spray and emissions of volatile organic compounds from
plants.

6. The Burning of Fossil Fuels
Most of the air pollution takes place due to the burning
of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gasoline to produce
energy for electricity or transportation. The release of
carbon monoxide in high level indicates how much fossil
fuel is burned. This also emits other toxic pollutants in
the air.
Industrial Emission
Industrial activities emit several pollutants in the air that
affects the air quality more than we can even imagine.
Particulate matter 2.5 and 10, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulfur
dioxide, and carbon monoxide are key pollutants that
are emitted from industries that use coal and wood as
their primary energy source for production of their
goods.

7. Transportation
There is no denying that vehicle pollution is the major
contributor to air pollution, especially in urban cities.
When the car burns gasoline, it emits pollutants in the
air which is as harmful as smoking 10 cigarettes a day.
Indoor Air Pollution
Use of toxic products also called as Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs), inadequate ventilation, uneven
temperature, and humidity level can cause indoor air
pollution, whether you are in office, school or at your
comfortable home. House air pollution can take place
due to ignorant factors, for instance, smoking tobacco
inside a room or leaving mold infected wall untreated.

8. Open Burning of Garbage Waste
Open burning of garbage is much more harmful to your
health and the environment than one may think. As per
Engage EPW, Delhi Air Pollution is choking public
health. Delhi generates a whopping 9500 tons of waste
every day, which makes it India’s second waste dumping
city.
Agricultural Activities
Agricultural activities have had a serious impact on the
decreasing air quality. To begin with pesticides and
fertilizers are the main source to contaminate the
surrounding air. Nowadays, pesticides and fertilizers are
mixed with new invasive species which are not found in
nature, for quick growth of the crops and vegetation.

10. ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Air pollution has a major impact on the process of plant
evolution by preventing photosynthesis in many cases, with
serious consequences for the purification of the air we breathe.
It also contributes to the formation of acid rain, atmospheric
precipitations in the form of rain, frost, snow or fog, which are
released during the combustion of fossil fuels and transformed
by contact with water steam in the atmosphere.
GLOBAL WARMING
In fact, the abundance of carbon dioxide in the air is one of the
causes of the greenhouse effect. Normally, the presence of
greenhouse gases should be beneficial for the planet because
they absorb the infra-red radiation produced by the surface of
the earth. But the excessive concentration of these gases in the
atmosphere is the cause of the recent climate change.

13. No one wants to live next door to an incinerator, oil refinery,
port, toxic waste dump, or other polluting site. Yet millions of
people around the world do, and this puts them at a much
higher risk for respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease,
neurological damage, cancer, and death.
Historically, racist zoning policies and the discriminatory
lending practices known as redlining have combined to keep
polluting industries and car-choked highways away from white
neighborhoods and have turned communities of color—
especially poor and working-class communities of color—into
sacrifice zones where residents are forced to breathe dirty air
and suffer the many health problems associated with it. In
addition to the increased health risks that come from living in
such places, members of these communities experience
economic harm in the form of missed workdays, higher
medical costs, and local underinvestment.
AIR POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE

14. To control air pollution is to speed up our transition to cleaner
fuels and industrial processes. By switching over to renewable
energy sources (such as wind and solar power), maximizing
fuel efficiency in our vehicles, and replacing more and more of
our gasoline-powered cars and trucks with electric versions,
we'll be limiting air pollution at its source while also curbing the
global warming that heightens so many of its worst health
impacts.
Turn off the lights
when not in use
The energy that the lights take
also contribute to air pollution,
thus less consumption of
electricity can save energy.
Use energy saving fluorescent
lights to help the environment.
Recycle and Reuse
The concept of recycle and reuse is not just conserve
resources and use them judicially but also is helpful
for air pollution as it helps in reducing pollution
emissions. The recycled products also take less
power to make other products.
No to plastic bags
The use of plastic products could be very
harmful to the environment as they take
a very long time to decompose, due to
their material made up of oil. The use of
paper bags instead is a better alternative
as they decompose easily and are
recyclable

16.  Replace energy-hungry incandescent lights with compact
florescent light bulbs.
 Recycle paper, plastic, metals and organic materials.
 Explore “green” outdoor activities including camping, biking,
hiking, paddling, running, climbing, and electric boating.
 Plant a tree! Trees filter the air and provide shade that can
reduce cooling costs.
 Use water based cleaning products that are labeled zero VOC.
 Recycle paper, plastic, metals and organic materials.
 Take public transportation.
 Avoid using of products with chemicals
 Look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying home or
office equipment.

17.  “When you see in the news or hear on the weather report that
pollution levels are high, it may be useful to limit the time when
children go outside or you go for a jog,” Study says. Generally,
ozone levels tend to be lower in the morning.
 If you exercise outside, stay as far as you can from heavily
trafficked roads. Then shower and wash your clothes to remove
fine particles.
 The air may look clear, but that doesn’t mean it’s pollution free.
Utilize tools like the EPA’s air pollution monitor, Air Now, to get
the latest conditions. If the air quality is bad, stay inside with
windows closed.
 Wear sunscreen. When ultraviolet radiation comes through the
weakened ozone layer, it can cause skin damage and skin
cancer.
 If you live or work in an area prone to wildfires, stay away from
the harmful smoke as much as you’re able. Consider keeping a
small stock of masks to wear when conditions are poor.

18. “When the last tree is cut,
the last fish is caught, and
the last river is polluted;
when to breathe the air is
sickening, you will realize,
too late, that wealth is not in
bank accounts and that you
can’t eat money.” ~ Alanis
Obomsawin

19. References
 https://solarimpulse.com/air-pollution-
solutions?utm_term=air%20pollution&utm_campaign=Solutions&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_ac
c=1409680977&hsa_cam=11451944566&hsa_grp=117528789968&hsa_ad=474951698877&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kw
d-10746156&hsa_kw=air%20pollution&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwheyUBhD-
ARIsAHJNM-MVwixJwuYa3IiNRqM0ofQPXLwTMrnW4iINYhinXHTlxnl7ayv-4bkaAmpaEALw_wcB
 http://www.vcapcd.org/pubs/Factsheets/50WaysfactSheet.pdf
 https://pixabay.com/images/search/thinking/
 https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-need-know
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution_in_India#:~:text=Of%20the%2030%20most%20polluted,air%20polluti
on%20are%20in%20India.

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