WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION?

Air pollution is a process of harmful substances being released into the atmosphere resulting in the damage of the environment, human health and quality of the air. It occurs when air contains gases, dust, fumes or odours in harmful amounts. The results of this can be harmful or even fatal to many life forms such as animals, plants and humans.

WHAT CAUSES AIR POLLUTION?

Air pollution is caused by a number of things. Some are gases and some are toxic fumes caused by humans. The most common cause of air pollution is mobile sources (mainly cars). Other causes are:

  • Burning of fossil fuels
  • Natural gases
  • Coal and oil powered industrial processes
  • Chemicals in the soil and from plants on farms
  • Land fills
  • Nitrogen Dioxide
  • Burning of wood
  • Cigarette smoke
  • Bushfires and
  • Carbon monoxide 

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION?

Air pollution causes a lot of illnesses which can be harmful or fatal. Some illnesses or diseases can be minor where others can be major. Air pollution makes people sick, causes breathing problems and promotes cancer, harms animals, plants and the ecosystem.

Air pollution also:

  • Damages crops and forests
  • Makes lakes and streams unsuitable for fish and other plant and animal life to live in
  • Changes the Earth's atmosphere, letting in more harmful radiation from the Sun
  • Causes acid rain which kills trees
  • Prevents heat from escaping back into space which leads to a rise in the global average temperature
  • Reduces visibility

  Air pollution causes respiratory disease, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart disease, respiratory allergies, increased mortality, eye irritation, headaches and nausea.

All of these illnesses and diseases are caused by air pollution alone!!!

WHAT HAVE WE DONE ABOUT AIR POLLUTION?

LAST 3 DECADES WE HAVE: banned backyard burning, governments have more control on the large point sources of pollution and have greater control on car exhausts.