67 Must Know Air Pollution Facts For A Nature Enthusiast

There are many disease-causing emissions that are products of human civilization.Some of these pollutants are particulate matter, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Such pollutants act as one of the leading threats to human life.Recent studies suggest that the average lifespan of people that are constantly exposed to polluted air can be reduced by one to two years. In addition to this, such people also have a worse quality of life than others due to heart disease or other ailments which are aggravated by air pollution. While accepting that air pollution is largely our own fault can be tough, it is also important to be able to tackle the problem sensibly. Keep reading to know more!If you enjoyed reading this article, why not also check out indoor air pollution facts and China air pollution facts here at Kidadl!Air Pollutions: CausesAir pollution is one of the threats posed to human life. The amount of pollution that the human race, as well as animals and plants, have been tackling has risen exponentially throughout the past few decades. We are responsible for many of these activities that directly impact and increase pollution in the air.Air pollution refers to the mixing of pollutants in the air, which then gets inhaled by human beings and animals and have adverse effects. The pollutants found in the air can either be gaseous or solid in nature. Researches and studies suggest that air pollution is possibly more harmful and even fatal for human beings than water pollution. Water pollution is caused by wastewaters released into water bodies.Air pollution is currently the fourth leading cause of deaths globally, although the degree to which the population of a country is threatened individually is variable. Studies show that low and medium-income countries are more threatened by the adverse effects of air pollution than high-income countries.There are two types of air pollution, namely outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution. The air quality of a particular city or state is largely responsible for the quality of life of the population residing in such areas. Understandably, large cities and industrial areas often have greater amounts of air pollution.Outdoor air pollution has several factors such as the gases released by cars and other vehicles, and industrial gases released into the open air through their chimneys. Industrial processes, in particular, emit many harmful gases into the atmosphere, which then become the leading cause of premature death in several citizens across the globe. Aerosol is one of the tiny particles emitted from cars and factories.Some of the harmful gases that industries emit on a large scale are hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide.They also emit fine particles into the air which then become the cause of several respiratory illnesses in humans and animals. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal can also release such gases into the air and therefore cause trouble. As humans, we are inclined largely towards avoiding public transportations and prefer to use owned personal vehicles. Vehicles that run on diesel emit many gases through their tailpipes, which then put the population at a higher risk of developing many health problems.Power plants often emit both carbon dioxide and methane. These gases not only act as air pollutants but also raise the temperature of the planet which is a phenomenon called global warming. One of the facts about air pollution is that it adds greatly to global warming. Global warming, in turn, leads to many activities that further add to air pollution.One of the natural air pollutants is pollen. Pollen grains are released by flowers when they have matured and are ready for reproduction. There are many people in the world who are allergic to pollen and hence, are gravely affected by them. Through global warming, the pollen season is elongated. Pollen grains are typically released in warmer weather conditions, which are brought about by global warming. The two issues, therefore, go hand-in-hand and must be limited, if not stopped completely.Greenhouse gas emissions are also of particular concern. Of such emissions, the major percentage is made up of carbon dioxide. The other most problematic gas which greenhouse emissions consist of is methane. Methane is considered to be more potent and dangerous than carbon dioxide and has been linked with some rather troublesome ailments. Hence, it becomes important for us to limit the release of methane in the atmosphere.Harmful Effects Of Air PollutionAir pollution has many immediate and lasting effects, all of which are detrimental to the human race. According to some recent studies, a child born now would not be able to breathe clean air for the first eight years of their life. Since children have smaller physiques than adults, they also have lower lung capacities and hence are affected by air pollution at a far larger scale. This is why many scientists insist that we as a human civilization start to reduce air pollution through whatever resources are at our disposal.Air pollution is the fourth leading cause of annual deaths globally since it can directly be linked with several serious bodily ailments. Some air pollutants can easily be linked with the occurrence of lung cancer. Therefore, people who live in cities or near industrial sites are at a higher and more pronounced risk of developing lung cancer.Air pollution is a serious threat to human health due to the number of diseases that it can cause. Recent studies and researches have been able to reveal that air pollution can be linked with fatal liver problems. This is because polluted air contains dioxins, which are very harmful to us.People who are diagnosed with asthma also suffer greatly due to indoor and outdoor air pollution. When the air quality deteriorates, asthmatic people get a much lesser amount of clean air in their lungs and are therefore likely to get an asthma attack. Hence, not only can cause you a disease or two, but it can also act as one of the factors which cause deterioration of your health conditions.Air pollution can also be associated with several respiratory infections. Not only can air pollution be a cause behind a lung disease that you may have been diagnosed with, but it can also be a large factor that does not allow your health to recover.Issues such as bronchitis and respiratory tract infections come up aplenty in cities that are very polluted. Beijing, which is known to have had hazardous air quality in the past few years, is one of the reasons why its citizens and residents often develop a condition known as Beijing cough. The harmful air pollutants cause and hamper the recovery from this cough and hence, lower the lifespan of the population. Beijing is polluted because of the many vehicles in the city.Cars that run on diesel can also be a leading factor in air pollution. Such cars emit harmful gases from their tailpipes and lower the quality of air by a significant amount. In fact, some of the recent studies held across the globe say that when stuck in a traffic jam, the people inside cars and other vehicles are likely to be subjected to eight times worse air than any pedestrians or cyclists passing by.This is because when we sit in a car in a traffic jam, the tailpipes of the other cars and diesel-run vehicles constantly emit gases, which then form a more condensed formulation inside our own transportation. People who spend a lot of time stuck in the traffic are therefore much more likely to develop heart disease and even get heart attacks.Government organizations and influential institutions such as the World Health Organization, therefore, uphold the usage of public transport and carpooling. A single bus can carry around 40 people who would otherwise be using their own vehicle, thereby increasing the air pollution by a significant amount. Carpooling and the usage of public transportations, therefore, not only reduce road traffic but also help people in making sure that they and their future generations are not faced with the wrath of air pollution.In addition to liver ailments, lung cancer, and heart issues, bad air quality is also one of the factors that add to the issue of climate change. We are well versed in the adverse effects of climate change. It is caused due to excess carbon dioxide in the air, which increases the overall temperature of the Earth. Since there are fewer trees on Earth now due to large-scale deforestation, carbon dioxide can hardly be used adequately. Hence, there is excess carbon dioxide which furthermore aggravates climate change globally. Climate change is not only a threat to public health, but to the sustenance of life on Earth at large. Hence, it becomes our duty to help reduce air pollution.Types Of Air PollutionThere are two main types of air pollution, namely, outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution.Understandably, outdoor air pollution refers to the phenomenon of pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide being mixed in the atmospheric air. Such air pollution is caused due to several factors, such as the burning of fossil fuels, industrial waste and emissions, and emissions from cars and other vehicles that do not run on electricity.Outdoor air pollution is a huge threat to life on earth and especially affects the people that live in the cities. Research shows that people belonging to low-income families are most likely to develop heart disease or lung cancer due to air pollution. This is because they typically live near the streets, where thousands of cars emit harmful gases.Such air pollution is also the cause of acid rain. When the polluted air, containing dioxides, gets mixed with the atmospheric water and evaporates, acid is formed in the clouds. When these acids come back to the Earth’s surface as precipitation, large-scale damage is caused. It causes the washing out of forests and the erosion of many buildings.Indoor air pollution on the other hand, as the name suggests, refers to the pollutants that are present inside the premises of our homes. Even though indoor air pollution can be linked with much lesser health concerns, the effects cannot be negated easily. The major indoor air pollutants would include carbon monoxide, fumes that arise from cooking, and nitrogen dioxide among others.Most Common Air PollutantsParticulate matter, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, lead, and sulfur dioxide are the most common pollutants found in the air.Clean air comprises mainly nitrogen and oxygen. Some of the other gases that make up clean air are argon, helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane. But when the balance of these gases is disrupted, it leads to air pollution.If we are not careful about reducing air pollution, then our future generations will face lots of problems. They won’t be able to breathe properly or lead a healthy life. Thus, we should adopt sustainable ways of life.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for air pollution facts, then why not take a look at air pollution in Australia facts, or air pollution in Canada facts.

There are many disease-causing emissions that are products of human civilization.