Topic-2

Distinguish Between Indoor and Outdoor air pollution

It refers to the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of air in the indoor
environment within a home, building, or an institution or commercial facility. Indoor air
pollution is a concern in the developed countries, where energy efficiency improvements
sometimes make houses relatively airtight, reducing ventilation and raising pollutant levels.
Indoor air problems can be subtle and do not always produce easily recognized impacts on
health. Different conditions are responsible for indoor air pollution in the rural areas and the
urban areas.

Indoor air pollution

Indoor air pollution is when pollutants from things such as gases and particles contaminate
the air indoors.
Indoor air pollution is one of the world’s largest environmental problems – particularly for
the poorest in the world who often do not have access to clean fuels for cooking.
Indoor air pollution is a very real and dangerous thing because indoor air is far more
concentrated with pollutants than outdoor air. It's estimated that 2.2 million deaths each
year are due to indoor air pollution (compared to 500,000 deaths from outdoor air
pollution). There are many sources of indoor air pollution, but they are different for
developed and developing nations. We'll first look at developing nations to see how indoor
air becomes polluted in these locations. Then, we'll explore what causes indoor air pollution
in developed countries.
In the developing countries, it is the rural areas that face the greatest threat from indoor
pollution, where some 3.5 billion people continue to rely on traditional fuels such as
firewood, charcoal, and cowdung for cooking and heating. Concentrations of indoor
pollutants in households that burn traditional fuels are alarming. Burning such fuels
produces large amount of smoke and other air pollutants in the confined space of the home,
resulting in high exposure. Women and children are the groups most vulnerable as they
spend more time indoors and are exposed to the smoke

Indoor air pollution is a risk factor for several of the world’s leading causes of death,
including heart disease, pneumonia, stroke, diabetes and lung cancer. 2 In the chart we see
that it is one of the leading risk factors for death globally.

According to the Global Burden of Disease study 1.6 million people died prematurely in 2017
as a result of indoor air pollution. To put this into context: this was four times the number of
homicides – close to 400,000 in 2017.

It’s one of the leading risk factors for deaths globally; but for low-income households,
it’s the leading risk factor
 Sources of Indoor air pollution:

Volatile organic compounds originate mainly from solvents and chemicals. The main indoor
sources are perfumes, hair sprays, furniture polish, glues, air fresheners, moth repellents,
wood preservatives, and many other products used in the house. The main health effect is
the imitation of the eye, nose and throat. In more severe cases there may be headaches,
nausea and loss of coordination. In the long term, some of the pollutants are suspected to
damage to the liver and other parts of the body.

Tobacco smoke generates a wide range of harmful chemicals and is known to cause cancer.
It is well known that passive smoking causes a wide range of problems to the passive
smoker (the person who is in the same room with a smoker and is not himself/herself a
smoker) ranging from burning eyes, nose, and throat irritation to cancer, bronchitis, severe
asthma, and a decrease in lung function.

Pesticides if used carefully and the manufacturers, instructions followed carefully they do
not cause too much harm to the indoor air.

Biological pollutants include pollen from plants, mite, hair from pets, fungi, parasites, and
some bacteria. Most of them are allergens and can cause asthma, hay fever, and other
allergic diseases.

Formaldehyde is a gas that comes mainly from carpets, particle boards, and insulation foam.
It causes irritation to the eyes and nose and may cause allergies in some people.

Asbestos is mainly a concern because it is suspected to cause cancer.

Radon is a gas that is emitted naturally by the soil. Due to modern houses having poor
ventilation, it is confined inside the house causing harm to the dwellers.

Effects of Indoor Air Pollution

The effects of indoor air pollutants range from short-term effects – eye and throat irritation
to long-term effects – respiratory disease and cancer. Exposure to high levels of some
pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, can even result in immediate death. Also, some indoor
pollutants can magnify the effects of other indoor pollutants. Based on cancer risk alone,
federal scientists have ranked indoor air pollution as one of the most important
environmental problems

Symptoms of poor indoor air quality are very broad and depend on the contaminant. They
can easily be mistaken for symptoms of other illnesses such as allergies, stress, colds and
influenza. The most common symptoms are:

 coughing
 sneezing
 watery eyes
 fatigue
 dizziness
 headaches
 upper respiratory congestion
 Rhinitis, nasal congestion (inflammation of the nose, runny nose)

 Epistaxis (nose bleeds)

 Dyspnea (difficulty of breathing or painful breathing)
 Pharyngitis (sore throat), cough
 Wheezing, worsening asthma
 Severe lung disease

Outdoor air pollution

Outdoor air pollution is defined as the presence of one or more substances in the
atmospheric air at concentrations and duration above the natural limits [1]. Such substances
include ozone [O3], airborne lead [Pb], carbon monoxide [CO], sulphur oxides [SOx] and
nitrogen oxides [NOx] [2]. Recently, air pollution with particulate matters (PM), especially
those with less than 2.5 μm, has been the focus of most outdoor air pollution studies due to
its ability to penetrate the lung tissue and induce local and systemic effects [2].

Air pollution has been described as one of the “great killers of our age” and as “major threat
to health” due to its tremendous and various health effects on humans of all ages and in
both genders [3, 4]. In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 92% of
the world population was living in places with less than optimum outdoor air quality.
Furthermore, WHO reported that in 2012, outdoor air pollution caused around 3 million
deaths worldwide and 6.5 million deaths (11.6% of all global deaths) were associated with
indoor and outdoor air pollution together [5].

Sources: Outdoor air is often referred to as ambient air. The common sources of outdoor
air pollution are emissions caused by combustion processes from motor vehicles, solid fuel
burning and industry. Other pollution sources include smoke from bushfires, windblown
dust, and biogenic emissions from vegetation (pollen and mould spores).
The most common air pollutants of ambient air include:
 Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)
Particulate matter, also known as particle pollution or PM, is a term that describes
extremely small solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in air. Particulate matter can
be made up of a variety of components including nitrates, sulphates, organic chemicals,
metals, soil or dust particles, and allergens (such as fragments of pollen or mould spores).
Particle pollution mainly comes from motor vehicles, wood burning heaters and industry.
During bushfires or dust storms, particle pollution can reach extremely high concentrations
The size of particles affects their potential to cause health problems:
PM10 (particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less): these particles are small enough
to pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs. Once inhaled, these particles can
affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects.
PM2.5 (particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less): these particles are so small
they can get deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream. There is sufficient evidence that
exposure to PM2.5 over long periods (years) can cause adverse health effects. Note that
PM10 includes PM2.5.
Particulates reduce the amount of sunshine that reaches the ground, which may
reduce photosynthesis. Since particulates form the nucleus for raindrops, snowflakes, or
other forms of precipitation, precipitation may increase when particulates are high. An
increase in particles in the air seems to increase the number of raindrops, but often
decreases their size.

Ozone (O3): Ozone, O3, is composed of three oxygen atoms joined together. Two oxygen
atoms joined together form the basic oxygen molecule O2. The additional third atom makes
ozone an unstable, highly reactive gas. Ozone is found in two areas of the Earth’s
atmosphere: in the upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone in the upper atmosphere
protects us by filtering out damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
On the other hand, ozone at ground level is damaging to our health. Ground level ozone is
the main component of smog and is the product of the interaction between sunlight and
emissions from sources such as motor vehicles and industry. Ground level ozone is more
readily formed during the summer months and reaches its highest concentrations in the
afternoon or early evening.
Oxides:
Oxide air pollutants also damage the environment. NO 2 is a toxic, orange-brown
colored gas that gives air a distinctive orange color and an unpleasant odor. Nitrogen and
sulfur-oxides in the atmosphere create acids that fall as acid rain.
Lichen get a lot of their nutrients from the air so they may be good indicators of changes in
the atmosphere such as increased nitrogen. In Yosemite National Park, this could change
the ecosystem of the region and lead to fires and other problems

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) ; Nitrogen dioxide is a highly reactive gas formed by emissions from
motor vehicles, industry, unflued gas-heaters and gas stove tops. High concentrations can
be found especially near busy roads and indoors where unflued gas-heaters are in use.
Other indoor sources can be from cigarette smoke or from cooking with gas. Outdoors,
nitrogen dioxide contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone (O3) as well as
particulate matter pollution. Nitrogen dioxide is a respiratory irritant and has a variety of
adverse health effects on the respiratory system.
Carbon monoxide (CO): Carbon monoxide can cause harmful health effects by reducing the
amount of oxygen reaching the body’s organs (like the heart and brain) and tissues. At
extremely high levels, carbon monoxide can cause death (carbon monoxide poisoning)
Sulphur dioxide (SO2): Sulphur dioxide is highly reactive gas with a pungent irritating smell.
It is formed by fossil fuel combustion at power plants and other industrial facilities.
Natural processes that release sulphur gases include decomposition and combustion of
organic matter, spray from the sea, and volcanic eruptions. It contributes to the formation
of particulate matter pollution. Sulphur dioxide irritates the lining of the nose, throat and
lungs and may worsen existing respiratory illness especially asthma. It has also been found
to exacerbate cardiovascular diseases.

 BD_PERSPECTIVE:
In accordance with the World Health Organization's guidelines, the air quality in
Bangladesh is considered unsafe. The most recent data indicates the country's
annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is 61 µg/m3 which exceeds the recommended
maximum of 10 µg/m3.
 During the dry season, Dhaka is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Air pollution
levels during this period of the year reach 13-16 times higher than the international quality
standard.
 The more than 1,000 kilns in the capital that manufacture bricks for construction emit up to
40 percent of all fine-particulate air pollution, killing an estimated 2,000 people each year.
And because bricks can only be made during the dry season, kilns exacerbate air quality
during the time of year when it is already worst.
 Most brick-makers use what are known as fixed-chimney kilns, which are energy inefficient,
highly polluting, and overwhelmingly burn poor-quality, dirty coal. Technologies to improve
or replace such kilns, however, promise great benefits—both for private owners and for the
environment and society at large.

GREENHOUSE GAS AND IT’S SOURCES:

In accordance to  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Greenhouse gases
(GHG) are those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic,
that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal
infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's surface, the atmosphere itself, and by clouds. This
property causes the greenhouse effect. Water vapour (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous
oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and ozone (O3) are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's
atmosphere. Moreover, there are a number of entirely human-made greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere, such as the halocarbons and other chlorine- and bromine-containing
substances, dealt with under the Montreal Protocol. Beside CO2, N2O and CH4, the Kyoto
Protocol deals with the greenhouse gases sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
Greenhouse gas, any gas that has the property of absorbing infrared radiation (net heat
energy) emitted from Earth’s surface and reradiating it back to Earth’s surface, thus
contributing to the greenhouse effect. Simply, Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are
called greenhouse gases.
Major Gases:
There are two types of GHG-
1.Natural: Water vapour (H2O)
2.Anthropogenic: FLUORINATED GASES (HFCS, PFCS, SF6),
Both Natural and anthropogenic: carbon dioxyde (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitous oxyde
(N2O), Ozone (O3)

Water vapour: Water vapour is the most potent greenhouse gas in Earth’s
atmosphere, but its behaviour is fundamentally different from that of the other
greenhouse gases. The primary role of water vapour is not as a direct agent of
radiative forcing but rather as a climate feedback—that is, as a response within the
climate system that influences the system’s continued activity. This distinction arises
because the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere cannot, in general, be
directly modified by human behaviour but is instead set by air temperatures. The
warmer the surface, the greater the evaporation rate of water from the surface. As a
result, increased evaporation leads to a greater concentration of water vapour in the
lower atmosphere capable of absorbing infrared radiation and emitting it back to the
surface.

changes in the concentration of water vapor result from climate feedbacks related to
the warming of the atmosphere

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2): occurs both naturally and as a result of human activities. It
is an inevitable byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, and in
particular coal. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant greenhouse gas. Natural
sources of atmospheric CO2 include outgassing from volcanoes, the combustion and
natural decay of organic matter, and respiration by aerobic (oxygen-using)
 organisms. These sources are balanced, on average, by a set of physical, chemical, or
biological processes, called “sinks,” that tend to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Significant natural sinks include terrestrial vegetation, which takes up CO2 during
photosynthesis.

Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas,
and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of
certain chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is removed
from the atmosphere (or "sequestered") when it is absorbed by plants as part of the
biological carbon cycle.

human activities increase atmospheric CO2 levels primarily through the burning of
fossil fuels (principally oil and coal, and secondarily natural gas, for use in
transportation, heating, and electricity production) and through the production of
cement. Other anthropogenic sources include the burning of forests and the clearing
of land. Anthropogenic emissions currently account for the annual release of about 7
gigatons (7 billion tons) of carbon into the atmosphere.

Methane(CH4):
Methane, a hydrocarbon gas resulting from both natural causes and as a result of human
activities such as agriculture and farming, is an especially potent (read “efficient,” but not as
a compliment) GHG and absorber of radiation. Methane is far less abundant than CO2 in the
atmosphere and it has a considerably shorter lifespan of 12 years.
CH4 is more potent than CO2 because the radiative forcing produced per molecule is
greater. In addition, the infrared window is less saturated in the range of wavelengths of
radiation absorbed by CH4, so more molecules may fill in the region.
Natural sources of methane include tropical and northern wetlands, methane-oxidizing
bacteria that feed on organic material consumed by termites, volcanoes, seepage vents of
the seafloor in regions rich with organic sediment, and methane hydrates trapped along the
continental shelves of the oceans and in polar permafrost. The primary natural sink for
methane is the atmosphere itself, as methane reacts readily with the hydroxyl radical (OH−)
within the troposphere to form CO2 and water vapour (H2O). When CH4 reaches the
stratosphere, it is destroyed. Another natural sink is soil, where methane is oxidized by bacteria.

Anthropogenic sources currently account for approximately 70 percent of total annual emissions,
leading to substantial increases in concentration over time. The major anthropogenic sources of
atmospheric CH4 are rice cultivation, livestock farming, the burning of coal and natural gas, the
combustion of biomass, and the decomposition of organic matter in landfills.

Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil. Methane
emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices and by the decay of organic
waste in municipal solid waste landfills.

NITROUS OXIDE(N20): Nitrous oxide occurs naturally in Earth’s atmosphere as part

of the nitrogen cycle. While it is the product of a wide variety of natural sources,
human activities – agriculture, fossil fuel combustion, wastewater management and
industrial processes – are increasing the atmospheric concentrations. This gas is a by-
product of microbian activity in the soil (and is obviously to the nitrogen cycle), and
therefore also has natural sources, mostly humid zones. The human part comes from
:
the use of fertilizers in agriculture, some chemical industries ( nitric acid production
is among them). Globally, about two-fifths, 40 percent, of nitrous oxide emissions
are attributable to human activities. Agriculture, transportation and industry
activities are major sources of nitrous oxide emissions, as indicated on this chart:
Surface-level ozone:
The next most significant greenhouse gas is surface, or low-level, ozone (O3). Surface O3 is a
result of air pollution; it must be distinguished from naturally occurring stratospheric O3,
which has a very different role in the planetary radiation balance. The primary natural
source of surface O3 is the subsidence of stratospheric O3 from the upper atmosphere. In
contrast, the primary anthropogenic source of surface O3 is photochemical reactions
involving the atmospheric pollutant carbon monoxide (CO). The best estimates of the
natural concentration of surface O3 are 10 ppb, and the net radiative forcing due to
anthropogenic emissions of surface O3 is approximately 0.35 watt per square metre. Ozone
concentrations can rise to unhealthy levels (that is, conditions where concentrations meet
or exceed 70 ppb for eight hours or longer) in cities prone to photochemical smog.
Fluorinated gases: Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen
trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of
industrial processes. Fluorinated gases are sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric
ozone-depleting substances (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and
halons). These gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities, but because they are potent
greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred to as High Global Warming Potential gases
("High GWP gases"). Aluminum and semiconductor manufacturing processes are among the
principal emitters of the fluorinated gases, as illustrated by this chart: