Types of air pollution

The concentration of polluting elements in the atmosphere is directly related to the increase in the activity of certain human actions, such as industries, transport, agriculture, waste generation and the emission of air pollutants from our own homes.

Either through energy consumption, making use of cars, or through the other emission sources mentioned above, the main Pollutant air elements that are emitted more frequently are:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Hydrocarbons (HC)
• Hydrofluorocarbones (HFC)
• Methane (CH4)
• Ozone (O3)
• Nitric oxide (NO)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
• Ammonia (NH3)
• Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• Lead (PL)
• Particulate material

We recommend expanding this information with these other articles on what are the pollutants of the air and what is an air pollutant. Now that we know the main Types of Atmospheric Pollutantslet’s know in detail in the next sections each of the Causes of air pollution most prominent.

According to data issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that around 600 million people are frequently exposed to concentrations of pollutant gases from industries In Latin America. This fact can easily be extrapolated to other corners of the world, in which people live with contaminating gas figures in the atmosphere much higher than those that could be considered harmless to our health and optimal development, as in China or India.

Industries related to the combustion of natural gases, as well as mining and other industrial processes for the extraction of natural resources, are guilty of emitting abundant and dangerous chemical products in the form of gases that pollute, both the atmosphere of the areas closest to the place where the industry is located, such as those adjacent areas, due to the action of winds and rainfall.

The news, national and international, that alert us to the high concentrations of polluting gases present in the atmosphere of urban centersas a consequence of the excessive use of cars and other means of transport. Gas emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) exceed the maximum permissible concentrations (CMP) in many cities around the world, mainly in those that have capitalist and little sustainable development systems.

Opt for the use of bicycle and public transport to move in the city in our day to day must be accompanied by government measures linked to the offer of sustainable and quality public transport, which avoid the total emission of polluting gases to the atmosphere.

You can learn more about this issue by entering this link to an article about vehicular pollution: what is, types, causes and consequences.

The agriculture and livestock sector are one of the most important in the economic, environmental and cultural development of many places in the world, they also lead to the issuance of certain polluting gases. They highlight mainly methane and ammoniaas natural products of the gases of the cattle and the natural cycle of the nitrogen of the plants, respectively.

Methane is really harmful, when considered one of the Greenhouse gases more harmful, even worse than carbon dioxide. Therefore, when various scientific studies and UN reports advise to reduce the consumption of meat products, the reduction of methane emission to the atmosphere is also included, since livestocks should reduce their number of individuals. On the other hand, the pesticides and insecticides used in the Intensive agriculture They carry the drastic emission of nitric oxide, which also contributes to the deterioration of the ozone layer.

The domestic use of insecticides and atmosphere involves the liberation to the atmosphere of different polluting gases, among which the Hydrofluorocarbones (HFC). Although they are emitted in lower quantities than other polluting gases that we have seen so far, they are also highly harmful, since once they are in the atmosphere, they come into contact with other reactive molecules, becoming very harmful gases, both for the health of people and for the environment.

On the other hand, the use of air conditioning and heatingas well as fire extinguishers, chimneys and fluorescent tubes, they are the cause of the elimination of direct or indirect refrigerant gases and carbon derivatives, which accumulate harmfully in the atmosphere.

However, the greatest emission of polluting gases from our homes is due to the consumption of non -renewable energywhich emit giant amounts of polluting gases to the atmosphere, as a result of burning fossil fuels. If you are interested in knowing more about it, in this post you will learn about renewable and non -renewable energies with examples. And if you are thinking of improving your home and your negative footprint in the environment with the use of renewable energy, we propose to know the current legislation with this other article about renewable energies in Spain.

When generating and managing our waste, we must be aware of environmental consequences They carry. The existence of immense landfills in which the garbage we generate accumulates is really harmful to the environment, due, among other reasons, to the polluting gases that are generated in them.

We must keep in mind that the life of our waste does not end once we deposit them in the appropriate container, but subsequently will accumulate, being impossible their recovery in many cases, thus leading to very negative effects, such as the combustion of organic matter or burning of certain materials, such as the case of tires.

This interesting information about the types of air pollution with this other full article on air pollution: causes, consequences and solutions.

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of air pollutionwe recommend that you enter our pollution category.