Air pollution occurs when the amount of harmful or excessive substances including gases, particles, and biological molecules is introduced into the Earth's atmosphere. May cause illness, allergies and also human deaths; it can also cause damage to other living organisms such as animals and food crops, and can damage the natural or built environment. Human activities and natural processes can both produce air pollution.
Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst toxic pollution problems on the World's World's World's World's World's Pollted Places report. According to the World Health Organization 2014 report, air pollution in 2012 caused the deaths of around 7 million people in worldwide, an estimate more or less echoed by one of the International Energy Agency.
Video Air pollution
Pollutants
Air pollutants are materials in the air that can have adverse effects on humans and ecosystems. Substances may be solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. Pollutants can be either natural or man-made. Pollutants are classified as primary or secondary. Primary pollutants are usually produced from processes, such as ash from volcanic eruptions. Other examples include carbon monoxide gas from motor vehicle exhaust, or sulfur dioxide released from the plant. Secondary pollutants are not transmitted directly. Instead, they form in the air when primary pollutants react or interact. Earth-level ozone is a prominent example of secondary pollutants. Some pollutants may be primary and secondary: they are transmitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants.
Secondary pollutants include:
- Particulate made from pollutants and major gas compounds in photochemical mist. Smoke is a type of air pollution. Classic smoke is generated from the burning of large quantities of coal in areas caused by a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide. Modern smoke is not normally derived from coal but from emissions of vehicles and industries that act in the atmosphere by ultraviolet light from the sun to form secondary pollutants that also join the primary emissions to form a photochemical smog.
- Soil surface ozone (O 3 ) is formed from NO x and VOC. Ozone (O 3 ) is the key constituent of the troposphere. It is also an important constituent of a particular region of the stratosphere commonly known as the Ozone layer. Photochemical and chemical reactions that involve it encourage many of the chemical processes that occur in the atmosphere during the day and night. At abnormally high concentrations caused by human activity (mostly burning fossil fuels), it is a pollutant, and smoke haze constituents.
- Peroxyacetyl nitrate (C 2 H 3 NO 5 ) - also formed from NO x and VOC.
Small air pollutants include:
- A large number of harmful air pollutants are small. Some of them are set in the US under the Clean Air Act and in Europe under the Air Framework Directive
- Various persistent organic pollutants, which can be attached to particulates
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. Because of this, they have been observed to survive in the environment, to be able to transport long distances, bioaccumulate in human and animal tissues, biomagnify in the food chain, and have potentially significant impacts on human health and the environment.
Source
There are various locations, activities or factors responsible for releasing pollutants into the atmosphere. These sources can be classified into two main categories.
Anthropogenic sources (man-made)
This is mostly related to burning different types of fuel.
- Stationary sources include smoke piles from fossil fuel power plants (see for example the environmental impact of the coal industry), manufacturing facilities and waste incinerators, as well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating devices. In developing and poor countries, traditional biomass burning is a major source of air pollutants; Traditional biomass includes wood, plant and dirt waste.
- Mobile sources include motor vehicles, ships, and airplanes.
- Controlled burning practices in agriculture and forest management. Controlled or prescribed burning is a technique sometimes used in forest management, agriculture, grassland recovery or greenhouse gas reduction. Fire is a natural part of forest ecology and grasslands and controlled fires can be a tool for foresters. Controlled burning stimulates the germination of some desired forest trees, thus renewing the forest.
- Smoke from paints, hair sprays, varnishes, aerosol sprays, and other solvents. This can be substantial; emissions from these sources are estimated to account for nearly half the pollution from volatile organic compounds in the Los Angeles valley by 2010.
- Landfill in a landfill, which produces methane. Methane is highly flammable and can form explosive mixtures with air. Methane is also an asphyxia and can replace oxygen in a confined space. Asphyxia or suffocation can occur if the oxygen concentration is reduced to below 19.5% with displacement.
- Military resources, such as nuclear weapons, poison gas, germ warfare and rocketry.
- Cultivated farmland may be the main source of nitrous oxide.
Natural resources
- Dust from natural sources, usually large areas with little or no vegetation
- Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by animals, such as cattle
- Radon gas from radioactive decay in the Earth's crust. Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, naturally occurring, radioactive, noble gas, formed from the decay of radium. This is considered a health hazard. Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in buildings, especially in restricted areas such as basements and it is the second most frequent cause of lung cancer, after smoking.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide from forest fires
- Vegetation, in some areas, emits a significant amount of Volatile (VOC) organic compounds in the environment on warmer days. The VOC reacts with the primary anthropogenic pollutants - in particular, NO x , SO 2 , and anthropogenic organic carbon compounds - to produce secondary seasonal pollutant fog. Black gum, poplar, oak and willow are some examples of vegetation that can produce abundant VOCs. VOC production of this species produces ozone levels up to eight times higher than low-impact tree species.
- Volcanic activity, which produces sulfur, chlorine, and ash particles
Emission factor
Air pollutant emission factors are reported to represent values ​​that seek to relate the quantity of pollutants released into the surrounding air by activities associated with the release of the pollutant. These factors are usually expressed as pollutant weight divided by unit weight, volume, distance, or duration of activity that emits pollutants (eg kilograms of particulates emitted per ton of burned coal). These factors facilitate estimates of emissions from various sources of air pollution. In many cases, these factors are merely the average of all available data of acceptable quality, and are generally assumed to represent long-term mean.
There are 12 compounds in the list of persistent organic pollutants. Dioxins and furans are two of them and are deliberately made by organic combustion, such as open plastic combustion. These compounds are also endocrine disruptors and can mutate human genes.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued compilation of pollutant emission factors for various industrial sources. The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and many other countries have issued similar compilations, as well as the European Environment Agency.
Maps Air pollution
Exposure
The risk of air pollution is a function of the pollutant hazard and the exposure of the pollutant. Exposure to air pollution can be expressed for an individual, for a particular group (eg environment or children living in a country), or for the entire population. For example, one might want to calculate exposure to harmful air pollutants to a geographic area, which includes various micro environments and age groups. This can be counted as an inhalation exposure. This will explain the daily exposure in various settings (eg indoor microcosm and outdoor location). The exposure needs to include different ages and other demographic groups, especially infants, children, pregnant women and other sensitive subpopulations. Exposure to air pollutants should integrate the concentration of air pollutants by taking into account the time spent in each setting and respiration rate for each subgroup for each time that subgroups are in the settings and engaged in certain activities (play, cooking, reading, working, etc..). For example, the level of inhaling a small child will be less than adults. A child engaged in a strong sport will have a higher rate of breathing than the same child in sedentary activity. Daily exposure, then, needs to reflect the time spent on each micro-environment setting and the type of activity in this setting. The concentration of air pollutants in each microactivity/micro-environment setting is summed to show exposure.
Indoor air quality (IAQ)
Lack of ventilation in the room focuses on air pollution where people often spend most of their time. Radon (Rn) gas, carcinogens, exit from Earth in certain locations and trapped inside the house. Building materials including carpets and plywood emit formaldehyde gas (H 2 CO). Paint and solvent remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when dry. Lead paint can turn into dust and inhalation. Intentional air pollution is introduced with the use of air fresheners, frankincense, and other flavored goods. Controlled wood fires in the stove and fireplace can add significant amounts of smoke particles to the air, inside and outside. Indoor pollution mortality can be caused by the use of pesticides and other chemical sprays indoors without proper ventilation.
Carbon monoxide poisoning and death are often caused by ventilation and damaged chimneys, or by charcoal burning indoors or in enclosed spaces, such as tents. Chronic carbon monoxide poisoning can occur even from unadjusted pilot lamps. Traps are built into all domestic waterways to keep the gas drain and hydrogen sulfide out of the interior. Clothing emits tetrachlorethylene, or other dry cleaning fluid, for days after dry cleaning.
Although its use has now been banned in many countries, extensive use of asbestos in industrial and domestic environments in the past has left potentially very dangerous material in many places. Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the lung tissue. This occurs after long-term exposure to asbestos weight from materials containing asbestos in the structure. Patients have severe dyspnoea (shortness of breath) and have an increased risk associated with some types of lung cancer. Because clear explanations are not always emphasized in non-technical literature, care must be taken to distinguish some of the relevant forms of disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this can be defined as; asbestosis, lung cancer , and Peritoneal Mesothelioma (generally a very rare form of cancer, when it is widespread it is almost always associated with prolonged exposure to asbestos).
Biological sources of air pollution are also found indoors, as gases and particles in the air. Pets produce fur, people produce dust from skin flakes and hair decomposition, dust mites in bed, carpets and furniture produce micro-dirt enzymes and dirt, residents extract methane, mold form in the wall and produce mycotoxins and spores, cooling system air can incubate Legionnaires' disease and fungi, and ornamental plants, surrounding soil and gardens can produce pollen, dust, and fungi. Inside the room, the lack of air circulation allows these air pollutants to accumulate more than is supposed to occur in nature.
Health effects
In 2012, air pollution causes an average 1-year premature death in Europe, and is a significant risk factor for a number of pollution-related diseases, including respiratory tract infections, heart disease, COPD, stroke, and lung cancer. Health effects caused by air pollution may include difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, asthma and worsening respiratory and cardiac conditions. These effects may result in increased use of medications, increased visits by doctors or emergency departments, more hospital admissions and premature death. Human health effects with poor air quality are very far away, but basically affect the respiratory system of the body and the cardiovascular system. Individual reactions to air pollutants depend on the type of pollutant exposed to a person, the level of exposure, and the health and genetic status of the individual. The most common sources of air pollution are particulates, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Children aged less than five years living in developing countries are the most vulnerable population in terms of the number of deaths caused by indoor and outdoor air pollution.
Mortality
The World Health Organization estimates in 2014 that air pollution each year causes an early death of about 7 million people worldwide. India has the highest mortality due to air pollution. India also has more deaths from asthma than any other country according to the World Health Organization. In December 2013 air pollution is expected to kill 500,000 people in China each year. There is a positive correlation between pneumonia-related deaths and air pollution from vehicle emissions.
The annual European premature death caused by air pollution is estimated at 430,000. An important cause of this death is nitrogen dioxide and other nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted by road vehicles. In a consultation document 2015, the British government revealed that nitrogen dioxide is responsible for 23,500 premature deaths in the UK per year. In the EU, air pollution is expected to reduce life expectancy by almost nine months. Causes of death include stroke, heart disease, COPD, lung cancer, and lung infections.
Urban air pollution in urban areas is estimated to cause 1.3 million deaths worldwide per year. Children are at risk due to immaturity of their respiratory organ systems.
The US EPA estimates in 2004 that a proposed set of changes in diesel engine technology ( Level 2 ) could result in 12,000 fewer premature deaths, 15,000 fewer heart attacks, 6,000 fewer emergency state visits by children with asthma, and 8,900 fewer respiratory-related hospital admissions each year in the United States.
The US EPA estimates that limiting the concentration of ozone at the surface to 65 parts per billion, will prevent 1,700 to 5,100 premature deaths nationwide by 2020 compared to the 75-ppb standard. The body is projecting a more protective standard will also prevent additional 26,000 cases of worsening asthma, and more than one million cases of job loss or schooling. Following this assessment, the EPA acts to protect public health by lowering the National Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for surface level ozone to 70 parts per billion (ppb).
A new economic study on the health impacts and costs associated with air pollution in the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley of Southern California shows that more than 3,800 people die prematurely (about 14 years earlier than usual) every year because the level of air pollution breaches the federal. standard. The number of annual premature deaths is much higher than that associated with automatic collisions in the same region, which averaged less than 2,000 per year.
Diesel exhaust (DE) is a major contributor to particle air pollution from combustion. In some human experimental studies, using well-validated exposure room settings, ED has been associated with acute vascular dysfunction and increased thrombus formation.
The mechanisms linking air pollution with increased cardiovascular mortality are uncertain, but may include pulmonary and systemic inflammation.
Cardiovascular Disease
A review of evidence in 2007 found that ambient air pollution was a risk factor associated with an increase in total mortality from cardiovascular events (range: 12% to 14% per 10 microg/m 3 increased).
Air pollution also appears as a risk factor for stroke, especially in developing countries where the highest pollutant levels. A 2007 study found that in women, air pollution was not associated with hemorrhagic but with ischemic stroke. Air pollution was also found to be associated with increased incidence and mortality of coronary stroke in a cohort study in 2011. The association is believed to be the cause and its effect can be mediated by vasoconstriction, low-grade inflammation and atherosclerosis Other mechanisms such as the autonomic nervous system imbalance have also been suggested.
Lung disease
Studies have shown an increased risk of developing asthma and COPD from increased exposure to air pollution associated with traffic. In addition, air pollution has been associated with increased hospitalization and death from asthma and COPD. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
A study conducted in 1960-1961 behind the Great Smog in 1952 compared to 293 Londoners with 477 residents of Gloucester, Peterborough, and Norwich, three cities with low reported mortality rates from chronic bronchitis. All subjects are male post truck drivers aged 40 to 59 years. Compared with subjects from remote cities, the subject in London showed more severe respiratory symptoms (including cough, mucus, and dyspnea), reduced lung function (FEV 1 and peak flow rate), and increased sputum production and purulence. The difference is more obvious for subjects aged 50 to 59 years. This study controls smoking age and smoking, thus concluding that air pollution is the most likely cause of observed differences. More recent studies have shown that exposure to air pollution from traffic reduces the development of lung function in children and lung function can be disrupted by air pollution even at low concentrations. Exposure to air pollution also causes lung cancer in non-smokers.
It is believed that much like cystic fibrosis, by living in a more urban environment a serious health hazard becomes more apparent. Research has shown that in urban areas the patient suffers from hypersecretion of mucus, lower lung function rate, and more self-diagnosis of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Cancer
A review of evidence on whether ambient air pollution exposure was a risk factor for cancer in 2007 found solid data to conclude that long-term exposure to PM2.5 (fine particulates) increased the risk of overall unintentional mortality by 6% per 10 microg/m 3 increases. Exposure to PM2.5 was also associated with an increased risk of dying from lung cancer (range: 15% to 21% per 10 microg/m 3 increase) and total cardiovascular mortality (range: 12% to 14% per 10 microg/m 3 increases). A further review notes that living close to busy traffic appears to be associated with an increased risk of these three outcomes - increased deaths from lung cancer, cardiovascular death, and unintentional death overall. The reviewers also found convincing evidence that PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with deaths from coronary heart disease and exposure to SO 2 increased lung cancer deaths, but the data were insufficient to provide strong conclusions. Other investigations suggest that higher activity levels increase the fraction of aerosol particle deposition in human lungs and are advised to avoid heavy activities such as running in open spaces in contaminated areas.
In 2011, a large Danish epidemiological study found an increased risk of lung cancer for patients living in areas with high nitrogen oxide concentrations. In this study, associations were higher for non-smokers than smokers. An additional Danish study, also in 2011, also recorded evidence of possible links between air pollution and other forms of cancer, including cervical cancer and brain cancer.
In December 2015, medical scientists reported that cancer is the result of environmental factors, and not because of bad luck. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy foods, minimizing alcohol and eliminating cigarettes reduces the risk of this disease, according to the researchers.
Children
In the United States, despite the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, in 2002 at least 146 million Americans lived in non-achievement areas - areas where concentrations of certain air pollutants exceeded federal standards. These harmful pollutants are known as pollutant criteria, and include ozone, particles, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead. Protective measures to ensure children's health are taken in cities like New Delhi, India where buses now use compressed natural gas to help eliminate "pea-soup" smog. A recent study in Europe found that exposure to ultrafine particles can increase blood pressure in children.
Baby
Ambient air pollution levels have been associated with premature birth and low birth weight. WHO worldwide survey of 2014 on maternal and perinatal health found a statistically significant relationship between low birth weight (LBW) and increased PM2.5 exposure level. Women in areas with higher PM2.5 levels on average had a significantly higher likelihood of pregnancy resulting in low birth weight babies although adjusted for variables associated with the state. The effect is thought to be derived from inflammatory stimulation and increased oxidative stress.
A study by the University of York found that in 2010 PM2.5 exposure was strongly associated with 18% of preterm birth globally, which is approximately 2.7 million premature births. Countries with the highest air pollution associated with preterm birth are in South and East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and West Sub-Saharan Africa.
The source of PM 2.5 is very different by region. In South and East Asia, pregnant women are often exposed to indoor air pollution because wood and other biomass fuels used for cooking are responsible for over 80% of the area's pollution. In the Middle East, North Africa and Western sub-Saharan Africa, the soft PM comes from natural sources, such as dust storms. The United States has about 50,000 premature births associated with PM2.5 exposure in 2010.
A study conducted by Wang et al. between 1988 and 1991 have found a correlation between Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and total suspended particulates (TSP) and premature birth and low birth weight in Beijing. A group of 74,671 pregnant women, in four separate areas in Beijing, were monitored from early pregnancy to delivery along with daily air pollution levels from Sulfur Dioxide and TSP (along with other particulates). Estimated weight loss is 7.3 g for every 100 Âμg/m3 increase in SO2 and 6.9g for each TSP increase of 100 Âμg/m3. The association is statistically significant in summer and winter, though, the summers are larger. The proportion of low birth weight due to air pollution, is 13%. This is the largest attributable risk ever reported for known low birth weight risk factors. The coal furnace, which is in 97% of homes, is the main source of air pollution in this area.
Brauer et al. studied the relationship between air pollution and proximity to highways with pregnancy outcomes in a group of pregnant women using Vancouver's address to estimate exposure during pregnancy. Exposure to NO, NO2, CO PM10 and PM2.5 is associated with babies born small for gestational age (SGA). Women living & lt; 50 meters from the freeway or highway is 26% more likely to give birth to a SGA baby.
"Clean" area
Even in areas with relatively low levels of air pollution, public health effects can be significant and costly, as large numbers of people inhale these pollutants. A study published in 2017 found that even in US regions where ozone and PM2.5 meet federal standards, Medicare recipients exposed to higher air pollution have higher mortality rates. A 2005 scientific study for the British Columbia Lung Association shows that a small increase in air quality (a reduction of 1% of PM2.5 concentrations and environmental ozone) would generate $ 29 million in annual savings in the Metro Vancouver area by 2010. These findings are based on an assessment lethal health (death) and sub-death (disease) affect.
Central nervous system
The data accumulates that exposure to air pollution also affects the central nervous system.
In a June 2014 study conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, it was found that early exposure to air pollution causes similar damaging changes in the brain such as autism. and schizophrenia. The study also shows that air pollution also affects short-term memory, learning ability, and impulsivity. Lead researcher Professor Deborah Cory-Slechta says that "When we look closely at the ventricles, we can see that the white matter that normally surrounds them has not been fully developed.It seems that inflammation has damaged brain cells and prevented the brain from developing, and the ventricles only expanded to fill the space Our findings add to the growing evidence that air pollution can play a role in autism, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders. "Air pollution has a more significant negative effect on men than women.
By 2015, experimental studies reported significant detection of cognitive (situational) episodic disturbances from indoor air pollutants inhaled by test subjects who were not informed of air quality changes. Researchers at Harvard University and SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University measured 24 participants' cognitive performance in three different controlled laboratory atmospheres that simulated those found in "conventional" and "green" buildings, as well as green buildings with improved ventilation. Performance is evaluated objectively using the widely used Strategic Management Simulation simulation tool, which is a well-validated assessment test for executive decision making in unlimited situations that allow initiative and improvisation. Significant deficits are observed in performance scores achieved in increasing concentrations of either volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or carbon dioxide, while keeping other factors constant. The highest impurity levels achieved are not uncommon in some classrooms or office environments.
Agricultural effects
In India in 2014, it was reported that air pollution by black carbon and ozone at ground level has cut the yields in the worst-hit areas by almost half in 2011 when compared to 1980 levels.
Economic effects
Air pollution harms the world economy $ 5 trillion per year as a result of declining productivity and quality of life, according to a joint study by the World Bank and the Institute of Metrics and Health Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. This productivity loss is caused by deaths from diseases caused by air pollution. One in ten deaths in 2013 is caused by diseases related to air pollution and the problem is getting worse. The problem is even more acute in developing countries. "Children under the age of 5 in low-income countries are more than 60 times more likely to die from exposure to air pollution as children in high-income countries." The report states that additional economic losses caused by air pollution, including health costs and adverse effects on agriculture and other productivity are not counted in the report, and thus the true cost to the world economy is much higher than $ 5 trillion.
Historical disaster
The worst short-term civil crisis of the world's poll is Bhopal Disaster 1984 in India. Industrial steam leaked from Union Carbide plant, Union Carbide, Inc., USA (later purchased by Dow Chemical Company), killed at least 3787 people and injured 150,000 to 600,000. The United Kingdom experienced the worst air pollution event when Smog in 4 December 1952 was formed in London. In six days more than 4,000 people were killed and a more recent forecast put the figure at close to 12,000. Spontaneous leakage of anthrax spores from biological war laboratories in the former Soviet Union in 1979 near Sverdlovsk is believed to have caused at least 64 deaths. The worst air pollution incident occurred in the United States occurred in Donora, Pennsylvania in late October 1948, when 20 people died and more than 7,000 people were injured.
Alternative to pollution
Now there is a practical alternative to the main causes of air pollution:
- The wind direction (over 20 miles) from the main airport is more than double the total airborne particle emissions , even when factoring in areas with frequent boat calls, and freeway and city traffic such as Los Angeles. Aviation biofuels mixed with jetfuel with a 50/50 ratio can reduce emissions of jet-shipping particles derived by 50-70%, according to a NASA-led study 2017 (however, this should imply ground-level benefits against urban air pollution as well).
- Shipbuilding and idling can be diverted to cleaner fuels such as natural gas. (Ideally a renewable source but not yet practical)
- The burning of fossil fuels for heating the room can be replaced by using ground source heat pumps and the storage of the seasonal heat energy.
- Power plants from burning fossil fuels can be replaced by nuclear power plants and renewable energy. For poor countries, home heating and furnaces that contribute a lot to regional air pollution can be replaced by cleaner fossil fuels such as natural gas, or ideally, renewable energy.
- Motor vehicles driven by fossil fuels, a key factor in urban air pollution, can be replaced with electric vehicles. Although the supply and cost of lithium are limits, there are several alternatives. Bringing more people to clean, public transport like an electric train can also help. Nevertheless, even in emission-free electric vehicles, rubber tires produce significant amounts of air pollution, ranking 13th as the worst polluter in Los Angeles.
- Reducing travel in a vehicle can curb pollution. After Stockholm reduced downtown vehicular traffic with congestion taxes, nitrogen dioxide and PM10 pollution declined, as did acute pediatric asthma attacks.
- Biodigesters can be used in poor countries where slash and burn is prevalent, turning useless commodities into a source of income. Plants can be collected and sold to a central authority that will break it down in large modern biodigests, producing much-needed energy to use.
- Induced humidity and ventilation can both greatly reduce air pollution in enclosed spaces, which are found relatively high within the subway lines due to braking and friction and are relatively more ironic in transit buses than in lower passenger or subway cars.
Reduction attempt
Various air pollution control technologies and strategies are available to reduce air pollution. At the most basic level, land-use planning will likely involve zoning and transport infrastructure planning. In most developed countries land-use planning is an essential part of social policy, ensuring that land is used efficiently for broader economic and population interests, and for protecting the environment.
Since most of the air pollution is caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, this reduction of fuel can reduce air pollution drastically. Most effective is a switch to clean up resources such as wind power, solar power, hydropower that does not cause air pollution. Efforts to reduce pollution from mobile sources include major regulations (many developing countries have permissive regulations), extending regulations to new sources (such as yachts and transportation, farm equipment, and small gas powered appliances such as rope cutters, chainsaws and automobiles snow), increased fuel efficiency (such as through the use of hybrid vehicles), conversion to clean fuel or conversion to electric vehicles.
Titanium dioxide has been studied for its ability to reduce air pollution. Ultraviolet light will release free electrons from the material, thus creating free radicals, which break down the VOC and NOx gases. One form is superhydrofil.
In the year 2014, Prof. Tony Ryan and Prof. Simon Armitage of the University of Sheffield prepared a 10 meter by 20 meter poster lined with titanium dioxide nanoparticles containing microscopic pollution. Placed in a building, this giant poster can absorb toxic emissions from about 20 cars every day.
A very effective way to reduce air pollution is the transition to renewable energy. According to a study published in Energy and Environmental Sciences in 2015, a switch to 100% of renewable energy in the United States will eliminate about 62,000 premature deaths per year and about 42,000 by 2050, if no biomass is used. This will save about $ 600 billion in healthcare costs per year due to reduced air pollution by 2050, or about 3.6% of US gross domestic product in 2014.
Device control
The following items are commonly used as industrial and transportation pollution control devices. They can destroy contaminants or remove them from the drainage stream before being emitted into the atmosphere.
Rule
In general, there are two types of air quality standards. First class standards (such as the US National Air Quality Standard and E.U. Directive Air Quality) establish maximum atmospheric concentrations for certain pollutants. The environmental agency enforces regulations intended to achieve this level of achievement. The second class (such as the North American Air Quality Index) takes the form of scale with various thresholds, which are used to communicate to the public the relative risks of outdoor activity. This scale may or may not distinguish between different pollutants.
Canada
In Canada, air pollution and associated health risks are measured by the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI). It is a health protection tool used to make decisions to reduce short-term exposure to air pollution by adjusting activity levels during air pollution levels.
The Air Quality Quality Index or "AQHI" is a federal program co-ordinated by Health Canada and Environment Canada. However, the AQHI program will not be possible without the commitment and support of the provinces, municipalities and NGOs. From air quality monitoring to health risk communications and community engagement, local partners are responsible for most of the work associated with implementing AQHI. AQHI provides numbers from 1 to 10 to indicate the level of health risks associated with local air quality. Sometimes, when the amount of air pollution is very high, the number may exceed 10. AQHI provides local air quality currents as well as a maximum estimate of local air quality for today, tonight and tomorrow and provides related health advice.
As it is now known that even low levels of air pollution can trigger discomfort for sensitive populations, the index has been developed as a series: The higher the number, the greater the health risk and the need for preventive measures. This index describes the level of health risks associated with these numbers as 'low', 'moderate', 'high' or 'very high', and suggests steps that can be taken to reduce exposure.
Measurements are based on observed relationships of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ), surface level Ozone (O 3 ) and particulates (PM 2.5 ) with mortality , from analysis of several cities in Canada. Significantly, all three of these pollutants can pose health risks, even at low levels of exposure, especially among those with pre-existing health problems.
When developing AQHI, Health Canada's original analysis of health effects included five major air pollutants: particulates, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), as well as sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and carbon monoxide (JOINT). The last two pollutants provide little information in predicting health effects and have been removed from the AQHI formulation.
AQHI does not measure the effects of odor, pollen, dust, heat or moisture.
German
TA Luft is a German air quality regulation.
Hotspot
The hot spot of air pollution is an area where air pollution emissions expose the individual to an increase in negative health effects. They are very common in densely populated urban areas, where there may be a combination of stationary sources (eg industrial facilities) and cellular sources (eg cars and trucks) from pollution. Emissions from these sources can cause respiratory illnesses, childhood asthma, cancer, and other health problems. Subtle particulate matter such as diesel soot, which accounts for more than 3.2 million premature deaths worldwide every year, is a significant problem. It is very small and can put itself inside the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Diesel soot is concentrated in densely populated areas, and one in six people in the US lives near hot diesel pollution spots.
While air pollution hotspots affect various populations, some groups are more likely to be placed in hotspots. Previous research has shown differences in pollution exposure by race and/or income. The use of hazardous land (toxic storage and disposal facilities, manufacturing facilities, major highways) tends to lie where property values ​​and income levels are low. Low socioeconomic status can be a proxy for other types of social vulnerability, including race, lack of ability to influence regulation and lack of ability to move to an environment with less environmental pollution. These communities bear the burden of environmental pollution that is disproportionate and more likely to face health risks such as cancer or asthma.
Studies show that patterns in racial and income differences show not only higher pollution exposures but also higher risks of adverse health outcomes. Communities characterized by low socioeconomic status and racial minorities can be more susceptible to cumulative adverse health impacts caused by higher exposure to pollutants than more fortunate communities. Blacks and Latins generally face more pollution than white people and Asians, and low-income people bear a higher burden of risk than the rich. Racial differences are particularly distinct in suburban areas in the Southern US and metropolitan areas of the Western United States. Residents in public housing, which are generally low-income and can not move to a healthier environment, are heavily influenced by refineries and chemical plants nearby.
City
Air pollution is typically concentrated in densely populated metropolitan areas, especially in developing countries where environmental regulation is relatively loose or absent. However, even developed regions of the developed world are reaching unhealthy levels of pollution, with Los Angeles and Rome being two examples. Between 2002 and 2011 the incidence of lung cancer in Beijing nearly doubled. While smoking remains a major cause of lung cancer in China, the number of smokers decreases as lung cancer rates rise. Another project focusing on the effects of pollution on vegetation has been studied by local universities in Sheffield, England.
Set up urban air pollution
In Europe, the Council Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality assessment and management provides a common strategy against which member states can "set goals for ambient air quality to avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects on human health and the environment and improve quality air is not satisfactory ".
On July 25, 2008 in the case of Dieter Janecek v Freistaat Bayern CURIA, the European Court ruled that under this direction citizens have the right to require national authorities to implement short-term action plans aimed at maintaining or achieving compliance with air quality limits. values.
This important case law emerged to confirm the role of the European Commission as a central regulator for European nation-states regarding air pollution control. It places supranational legal obligations in Britain to protect its citizens from dangerous levels of air pollution, which further outweighs the national interest with the interests of citizens.
In 2010, the European Commission (EC) threatened the UK with legal action against consecutive violations of the PM10 border value. The British government has identified that if fines are imposed, they could cost the state up to £ 300 million annually.
In March 2011, the Greater London Generating Area was still the only region in the UK that broke the EC's value limit, and has been given 3 months to implement an emergency action plan aimed at meeting the EU Air Quality Directives. The city of London has a dangerous concentration of PM10, estimated to cause 3000 deaths per year within the city. As well as the threat of EU fines, in 2010 it was threatened with legal action to remove western congestion charge zone, which is claimed to have caused an increase in air pollution levels.
In response to these allegations, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has criticized the current need for European cities to communicate with Europe through the central government of their country, arguing that in the future "A big city like London" should be allowed to bypass its government. and in direct contact with the European Commission on air quality action plans.
This can be interpreted as recognizing that cities can transcend traditional national government organizational hierarchies and develop solutions to air pollution using global governance networks, for example through transnational relations. Transnational relations include but are not exclusive to national governments and intergovernmental organizations, which allow subnational actors including cities and regions to participate in air pollution control as independent actors.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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