Air Pollution:

The contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that can be harmful to the environment
and the health of humans and other living beings.

Air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators work because of electricity, electricity (usually) acquired from
the burning of fuel. They produce gases like; carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and soot particles that make smoke.
When these substances are released into the air, they are called emissions

Cause of air pollution:

Burning fossil fuels. In this process they also release harmful (when excessive) gases into the air that causes damage
to the environment

Carbon Dioxide:

Carbon dioxide is a gas released through the burning of fuels like coal, and oil.

Carbon dioxide acts like the glass in a greenhouse, it allows heat from the sun to go to the earth, but prevents a lot of
it from going back to space, because of this, carbon dioxide is called a greenhouse gas.

The heat from the sun keeps the earth warm and habitable, allowing many living beings to thrive.

The levels or carbon dioxide are beginning to rise. The excess carbon dioxide traps in more heat than needed, and
leads to a rise in temperature.

The change in temperature will cause an expansion of water through thermal expansion and, melt the ice caps in the
North and South poles. These events will lead to a rise in sea level and change in climate in most parts of Earth.

This Is known as global warming.

Fossil Fuel:
A natural fuel containing hydrocarbons such as coal or gas.

Emissions:
the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.

Thermal Expansion:
The tendency of matter to change its shape, area, volume, and density in response to a change in temperature.

Global Warming:
The gradual increase in temperature of the earth's atmosphere usually caused by the greenhouse effect caused by
increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and other pollutants.

Acid Rain:
Rainfall made acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm, typically to forests and lakes.
Sulfur dioxide is produced from the combustion of sulfur in fuel. The sulfur dioxide reacts with water vapor and
oxygen to from sulfuric acid, oxides from nitrogen turn into nitric acid in the atmosphere, these two acids will then
be released as acidic rain or snow.

When this rain hits the soil, it dissolves the minerals in it and transports them away, this process is called leaching.
These minerals are needed for the plants to grow healthily, without them the plants’ growth will stunt and they may
die.

The acid rain may also fall into lakes and lower the pH of the water, and since the living organisms are sensitive to
the waters’ pH, they may die.
The rain also leaches out aluminum ions from the oil, and if it becomes highly concentrated, it can affect the gills of
the fish and cause them to die.

Soot and smog:

Soot particles from smoke settle on building and plants, forming a black coating on their surfaces and making them
dirty. The soot covering plants will decrease the amount of sunlight reaching the leaves and slows down
photosynthesis.

Coal was the primary source of fuel in the UK until the 1950s, and when the weather was foggy, the smoke and soot
combined with water droplets to create smog. This created a dense fog cloud at ground level making it difficult for
people navigate.
When people inhaled air with this smog, the linings of their respiratory systems became damaged, and people with
respiratory problems were especially sensitive to the smog.
In the winter of 1942 5000 people died in London, this led to the passing of laws to decrease air pollution.

In Los Angeles, the weather conditions from May – October led to the exhaust gases from vehicles and industrial
plants to collect above the city as a brown haze.
The sunlight shining through this caused photochemical reactions, this produces a bunch of chemicals like
peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and ozone. These chemicals are harmful to the plants and ozone, can cause asthma
attacks to people in the city.

Leaching:
The process of a solute becoming detached or extracted from its carrier substance by way of a solvent.

Photochemical reaction:
A chemical reaction when light energy is absorbed by a substance’s molecules. This leads the molecules to have a
temporary excited state, therefore altering their physical and chemical properties from the substance’s initial
molecule.