Atmospheric Pollution

What is Pollution?

 The
word pollution was derived from the Latin word ‘Pollutus’
meaning ‘To make unclean’.
 Pollution
is the introduction of contaminants into the natural
environment that causes adverse change
 Atmospheric Pollution
Atmospheric pollution is the introduction of chemicals,,
particulates, Biological materials, or other harmful materials
into the earth’s atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death to
humans, damage to other organisms such as food crops, or to the
environment.
 Pollutants
The conditions of air are made unclean due to introduction of
foreign elements from:
 Natural sources
 Man-made sources
Types of Pollutants
 Particulates
 Examples: Mist, smoke, fumes and dust
 Natural sources
o Disintegration of rocks and soil
 Man-made sources
o Insecticides, oil, Tobacco smoke, chemical processes and
Metallurgical plants.
 Oxides of sulphur
 Example: Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂) and Sulphur Trioxide (SO₃)
 Natural sources
o Decay of plants and animals and volcanic eruptions.
 Man-made sources
o Burning of fossil fuels, sulphuric acid plants, and smelting
plants.
 Oxides of nitrogen
 Example: Nitric Oxide (NO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) and
Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
 Natural sources
o Lightening discharge and certain microbes.
 Man-made sources
o Automobile exhausts, nitric acid plants and Fertilizer industry.
 Oxides of carbon
 Example: Carbon monoxide (CO) and Carbon dioxide (CO2)
 Natural sources
o Volcanic eruptions and Respiration.
 Man-made sources
o Incomplete combustion of petrol, fossil fuel combustion,
exhausts, etc.
 Hydrogen Sulphide
 Natural Sources
o Volcanic Eruptions
 Man-made sources
o By product in industrial processes
Results of Atmospheric Pollutants
 Results
 Acid Rain – Oxides of sulphur and oxides of nitrogen
 Global Warming – Carbon dioxide, methane , chloroflurocarbon ,
nitrous oxide, water vapour and Bromofluorocarbons
 OzoneDestruction – Chloroflurocarbons, Methyl chloride, Methyl
bromide, Carbon tetrachloride, methane and Bromofluorocarbons.