EVT474 - Industrial Smog Vs Photochemical Smog

Both industrial and photochemical smog are types of air pollution. There has been a
general decrease in air quality since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, which saw an
increase burning of fossil fuels to provide energy. Both types of smog are formed as a result
of smoke released from industrial processes. However, there are differences between the
two types of these smog.
Industrial smog comes from, clearly, industrial processes. It occurs from oil or coal
combustion, concentrates in urban areas where factories burn fossil fuels such as coal, and
formed from sulfur dioxide that mix with fog droplets to create a thick blanket of haze close
to the ground. Industrial smog contains two primary components which are sulfur dioxide
and particulates, which include dust and soot from burning coal for heat and fuel. These
combine with the water in fog to produce acid rain. The sulfur dioxide produced when coal
or other fossil fuels burn dissolves in water and becomes a toxic stew of thick fog and
particles. Another sources of sulphur dioxide is non-ferrous smelters. Industrial smog is also
known as gray-air smog because it more grayish in color.

While, photochemical smog occurs in drier, sunny areas and forms because of increased

usage of all fossil fuels, including gasoline, and the burning of trees and organic waste. This
smog is found in cities as well as areas exposed to lots of sunlight. So, this smog is first
recognized as a problem in the 1940s in Los Angeles and since 1950s, automobile is the
leading contributor to air pollution globally. Photochemical smog is a mixture of all other
pollutants, but mostly VOC's and nitrous oxides. These react with sunlight and create
secondary pollutants, such as ozone. Some NO2 reacts with hydrocarbons to produce a
mixture of ozone, nitric acid, aldehydes, PANs, and other pollutants. These substances are
photochemical oxidants and can irritate the respiratory tract and damage crops and tree. It
also known as brown-air smog because it is more brownish in color. Toxic levels of ozone
created by photochemical smog can damage lung tissue and lower the immune system. The
sulfuric acid created by industrial smog has caused thousands of fatalities beginning with
the Industrial Revolution and continuing until today. Smog, in both its forms, can also cause
breathing problems and skin irritations, and can even corrode buildings.