Causes and effects of Air pollution

1. CVE 815
AIR POLLUTION

3. Indoor Air Quality

4. Sources of air pollution
• Transport sector
– Nox, SO2, CO2, CO, VOC, Pb, NO2, Black smoke
• Industries and waste disposal
– SO2, N2O, NH3, CO2, CO, CH4, HF, HCl, H2S, O3
• Domestic sector
– CO2, CO, SO2, Nox, CH4, VOC, Smoke, dust, soot
• Power Generation
– SO2, CO2, NOx, N2O, CO, CH4

5. Health Effects of Air Pollutants
• CO: CO poisoning, depleted oxygen supply to heart
brain and other vital organs, headache, fatigue,
dizziness , drowsiness, nausea
• CO2: headache, dizziness, difficulty in breathing,
sweating, tiredness, increase heart rate, blood
pressure, coma, asphyxia, convulsions
• SO2: very toxic if inhaled, severe irritation of nose,
skin and eyes, blindness, pulmonary edema,
tightness in chest, asthma, inflame respiratory
system

6. Health Effects of Air Pollutants Cont…
• PB: problems in pregnancy, harm to fetus, fertility
issues, hypertension, digestive disorders, nerve
disorders, memory loss, muscle and joint pain.
• Cd: affects cardiovascular and reproductive
system, kidneys, eyes and brain
• H2S: small exposure can cause irritation to eyes,
nose or throat, increase difficulty for asthmatics
• O3: can damage lungs, chest pain, coughing, throat
irritation, hard breathing, worsen asthmatics
• PM: premature death of persons with heart & lung
diseases, heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, aggravated
asthma, difficulty in breathing, coughing.

7. How much air and pollutants we inhale
per day
• An average adult resting person inhales 7-8L of
air per min or almost 11.5 m3 or 14.2 kg per day.
• Among other air pollutants particulate matter is a
mixture of tiny solid particles(dust, smoke, soot,
salt, soil, mineral, pollens) and water droplets
• In order to assess the air quality of a city PM2.5
and PM10 are measured in routine. The WHO air
quality guidelines recommend annual average
concentration of PM2.5 must not exceed 10µg/m3
and 20µg/m3 for PM10.

8. Health Effects of Polluted Air
• Actual risk or adverse effects depends on the
current health status, type and concentration of
pollutant, and length of exposure.
• High air pollution levels can cause immediate
health problems e.g.
– Aggravated cardiovascular & respiratory illness
– Stress heart and lungs that must function
– Damaged cells in the respiratory system

9. Air pollution is a killer
• Long-term exposure to polluted air can have
permanent health effects such as:
– Accelerated aging of the lungs
– Loss of lung capacity and decreased lung function
– Development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis,
emphysema, and possibly cancer
– Shortened life span

10. Most susceptible persons to ill effects of air
pollution
• Individuals with heart disease, coronary artery disease or
congestive heart failure
• Individuals with lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema or
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Pregnant women
• Outdoor workers
• Older adults and the elderly
• Children under age 14
• Athletes who exercise vigorously outdoors

11. Prevention and Control of Air Pollution
• Containment:
– Preventing atmospheric release of toxic substances by
enclosure, ventilation and air cleaning
• Replacement
– Substitution of fossil fuels and firewood by alternate wind, solar
and hydel power
• Dilution
– Greenbelts, urban plantation
• Legislation
– Implementation/monitoring of environmental laws/regulations
• International Action
– International monitoring through ground and space stations