Ozone reacts chemically oxidizes with internal body tissues that it comes in contact with. The rows and columns of the array included all categories of outdoor air pollution and human healthrelated outcomes, respectively. Air pollution occurs when gases, dust particles, fumes or smoke or odour are introduced into the atmosphere in a way that makes it harmful to humans, animals and plant. Airborne pollutants, such as gases, chemicals, smoke particles, and other substances, reduce the value of and ability to enjoy affected property and cause significant health and environmental problems. Since mixtures of air pollutants are ubiquitous in the urban atmosphere, it has been difficult to ascertain the specific pollutants responsible for the. Characteristics of exposure to outdoor air pollution. This pollution, also known as particulate matter, is made up of a number of components, including acids such as nitrates and sulfates, organic chemicals, metals, soil or dust particles, and allergens such as fragments of pollen or mold spores. Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the worlds worst toxic pollution problems in the 2008 blacksmith institute worlds worst polluted places report. Outdoor air pollution is a complex mixture of several pollutants. Oecd policy highlights the economic consequences of outdoor air pollution 1 the economic consequences of outdoor air pollution findings.
Outdoor air pollution air quality nsw health nsw government. While an air purifier or air sanitizer can temporarily cleanse indoor air of some its pollutants, it is far more difficult and complicated to resolve the problem of outdoor air pollutants. Other pollution sources include smoke from bushfires, windblown dust, and biogenic emissions from vegetation pollen and mould spores. Outdoor air pollution scope of the problem worldwide, outdoor air pollution contributes to. Indoor air pollution may arise from the use of open fires, unsafe fuels or combustion of. Pdf causes, consequences and control of air pollution.
Your actual risk of adverse effects depends on your current health status, the pollutant type and concentration, and the length of. Air pollution is the introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates, or biological materials that cause discomfort, disease, or death to humans, damage other living organisms such as food crops, or damage the natural environment or built environment 2. Major air pollutants and pollutant classes of interest, their physical state, and their sources. The effects of air pollution wreck havoc on human health and our planet as a whole. Burning of fossil fuels by motor vehicles including cars, buses and trucks and power plants including. When you think of air pollution, you probably think of things like smog, power plants and emissions from cars and trucks. The association between outdoor air pollution and a variety of disease outcomes including asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular disease has been extensively investigated. Educators in schools and universities teach students, beginning at very young ages, about the effects of air pollution. Environmental pollution is tangled with the unsustainable anthropogenic activities, resulting. The established framework was a twodimensional matrix of outdoor air pollution and health outcomes. Indoor air pollution refers to chemical, biological and physical contamination of indoor air. The first step to solving air pollution is assessment. Lyongeneva, 17 october 20 the specialized cancer agency of the world health organization, the international agency for research on cancer iarc, announced today that it has classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans group 1.
An introduction to air pollution definitions, classifications, and history. Air pollution 101 ucar center for science education. Indoor and outdoor air pollution pulmonology advisor. Begin by giving a little of the history of outdoor air pollution. Air pollution from different sources harmfully affects to population. Air pollution affects all regions, settings, socioeconomic groups, and age groups. Indoor air quality is influenced by concentrations of outdoor air pollutants, indoor sources of pollution, characteristics of the building and the habits of the residents. Air pollution may also cause sensory irritation and decrease wellbeing. Air pollution can come from a variety of sources including natural sources and manufactured sources. They will participate in a handson demonstration to visually demonstrate that everyone has an impact on air pollution. In developing countries, the main source of indoor air pollution is biomass smoke which contains suspended particulate matter 5pm, nitrogen dioxide no2, sulphur dioxide so2, carbon monoxide ca, formaldehyde and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pahs. Natural outdoor air pollution includes oxides of sulphur and nitrogen from volcanoes, oceans, biological decay, lightning strikes and forest fires, vocs and pollen from plants, grasses and trees, and particulate matter from dust storms. Vocs that escape from indoor uses of chemical products now make up a greater share of outdoor organic air pollution in urban areas. A successful campaign against air pollution involves the mutual participation of governments and citizens from nations worldwide.
Even healthy people can experience health impacts from polluted air including respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities. The who air quality guidelines are designed to offer guidance in reducing the health impacts of air pollution. Sources of air pollutants outdoor air pollution ncbi. These exposures cause andor exacerbate respiratory diseases and diseases in other organ systems. Pdf air pollution is one of the major problems faced by the world. Our goal is to reveal to you all of the key factors regarding indoor air pollutants and help you determine if this is something you should be concerned with or not. This definition implicitly acknowledges that some substances that are considered to be air pollutants are present naturally. Outdoor air pollution legal definition of outdoor air. These can be helpful in understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of source emissions, which has a large impact on exposures to emissions from different sources. In this era, air pollution cause a high risk for the safety of the world. These impacts are projected to become much more severe in the coming decades. Government regulation and emission reduction technology for vehicles and factories have decreased emissions from certain point sources of outdoor air pollution.
Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Natural sources include forest fires and volcanoes, while cars, trucks, trains, planes, boats, factories, and power plants contribute to air pollution through manufactured sources. Only six air pollutants particulate matter, ground level ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and lead known as criteria pollutants are routinely measured. Outdoor air pollutants montgomery county, maryland. Sources of air pollutants can be divided into several types. Outdoor air pollution definition of outdoor air pollution.
Both the consequences for the economy and the welfare costs from premature deaths and pain and suffering are quantitatively. The common sources of outdoor air pollution are emissions caused by combustion processes from motor vehicles, solid fuel burning and industry. Air pollution can have detrimental impacts on humans, animals, plants, and water. In 2012, one out of every nine deaths was the result of air pollution related conditions. Outdoor pollution describes irritants in the air outside the home.
Exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants may increase an individuals risk for morbidity and mortality from a variety of different conditions in multiple organ systems. In 1970, congress passed the clean air act that established national air pollutant standards for 6 criteria pollutants. Despite considerable air pollution prevention and control measures that have been put into practice in recent years, outdoor air pollution remains one of the most important risk factors for health outcomes. Air pollution 101 introduction students will gain background knowledge of the basic sources of air pollution, along with the overview of how air pollution affects our health and our environment.
Envlinkages model, based on projections of emission factors from the gains model. This report,the economic consequences of outdoor air pollution, presents projections of the costs of outdoor air pollution, focusing on impacts on human health, including both mortality and morbidity, and agriculture. Air pollution has plagued communities since the industrial revolution and even before. Air pollution already affects human health, agriculture and leads to a range of other impacts. Air pollution is produced by both human activity and naturally occurring events. Outdoor air pollution a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths. Definitions and classifications used in the study of air pollution are introduced.
The economic consequences of outdoor air pollution. It was derived from the major policies of interest and existing academic literature. Exposure to outdoor air pollution and its human health. Pdf this chapter discusses outdoor air pollution in school environments. Air pollution is the human introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living things. This is because the air becomes dirty contaminated or unclean. In developing countries, the main source of indoor air pollution is biomass smoke which contains suspended particulate matter 5pm, nitrogen dioxide no2, sulphur dioxide so2, carbon monoxide ca. Outdoor air pollution involves exposures that take place outside of. The economic consequences of outdoor air pollution oecd. Burning of fossil fuels by motor vehicles including cars, buses and trucks and. Learn about what causes air pollution and how to help reduce the effects.
In 2012, one out of every nine deaths was the result of air pollutionrelated conditions. Large cities with heavy traffic and large industrial areas often have higher levels of outdoor pollution. The weight of an air contaminant in a cubic meter of air 3mgm and the volume ratio ppm v, or just ppm are normally used. Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health. Researchers have investigated outdoor air pollution and have developed standards for measuring the type and amount of some serious air pollutants. It results primarily from the action of sunlight on hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emitted in fuel combustion. Exposure to air pollutants is continuous and, usually, involuntary. There are many things in the air we breathe that cause pollution, but here in dane county we are mostly concerned with ozone and particulate matter. This image represents illustrative examples of sources of air pollution. Air pollution, facts and information national geographic. Air pollution is the name for the mixture of harmful particles and gases in the air around us that we breathe. Outdoor air pollution and your health american thoracic society. More than half of this disease burden is borne by the populations of developing countries.
Definition of outdoor air pollution outdoor air pollution. Outdoor air pollution legal definition of outdoor air pollution. Particle pollution particulate matter is a mixture of microscopic solids and liquid droplets suspended in air. Outdoor air pollution article about outdoor air pollution. Cities are often centers of these types of activities, and many suffer from the effects of smog. Outdoor ambient air quality is the condition of the air in the environment outside of buildings and accessible to people.
Outdoor pollution primarily results from the combustion of fossil fuels by industrial plants and vehicles. Disease gbd study estimates that air pollution indoor and outdoor combined was the cause of 5. Published by the arab school for science and technology asst. How can outdoor air pollution affect a person with copd. Those are all examples of outdoor air pollution, but.
Outdoor air pollution air quality ministry of health. Who air quality guidelines for particulate matter, ozone. The indoor environment also reflects outdoor air quality and pollution. Air pollution is one of the major problems faced by the world.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution and its humanrelated. Ozone o3 is a highly reactive gas that is a form of oxygen. This is a result of hike rapidly in urbanization, industrialization and huge volume of traffic in both developed under developed. Air pollution is a mixture of natural and manmade substances in the air we breathe. Outdoor air pollution involves exposures that take place outside of the built environment. Air pollution facts, causes and the effects of pollutants in. Oecd glossary of statistical terms indoor air pollution. By reducing air pollution levels, countries can reduce the burden of disease from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma. Definition of outdoor air pollution outdoor air pollution ncbi. It is caused by chemical reactions between pollutants derived from different sources, primarily automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. Air pollution represents the biggest environmental risk to health.
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