AIR POLLUTION

• Learners must be able to:

– Define air pollution
– Differentiate indoor and outdoor air pollution
– Causes of indoor and outdoor air pollution
– Identify respiratory illness caused by air pollution
– Elaborate ways of preventing air pollution
• Air pollution is defined as the mixture of solid
particles and gases in the air
• It can also be defined as a physical, biological
or chemical alteration to the air in the
atmosphere
• Examples of air pollution include: car
emission, chemicals from factories, dust,
pollen and mould spores
• Sources of air pollution
– Outdoor pollution source
– Indoor pollution source
 OUTDOOR POLLUTION SOURCES
• Burning of fossil fuels
• Road traffic exhaust fumes
• Use of pesticides and other sprayed chemicals
• Industrial processes e.g. mining
 INDOOR POLLUTION SOURCES
• Burning fuels such as dung, coal or firewood
– They produce pollutants like carbon monoxide,
methane and others
• Exposure to smoke from cooking fires
• Passive smoking of cigarettes
 CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION
1. Burning of fossil fuels
2. Agricultural activities
3. Waste in land fills
4. Exhaust from factories and industries
5. Mining operations
6. Indoor air pollution
7. Natural events
 BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS
• Sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of
fossils fuels like coal, petroleum and others
are major causes of air pollution
• Vehicles are powered by gasoline and diesel
engine that burn petroleum for releasing
energy
• As a results they emit pollutants e.g. carbon
monoxide that causes air pollution
 AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES
• Ammonia is a byproduct of agriculture-related
activities and hazardous gas in the atmosphere
• The use of Pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers
emit chemicals into the air that causes
pollution……and can also cause air pollution
• Farmers set the field and old crops on fire to
keep them clean for the next round of sowing.
This causes pollution by releasing harmful gases
in the air
 WASTE IN LAND FILLS
• Land fills are areas in which waste is
deposited and buried
• These deposited wastes generate methane
which is highly flammable and very hazardous
 EXHAUST FROM FACTORIES AND
INDUSTRIES
• Industries releases large amount of carbon
monoxide and chemicals into the air, that
deplete the quality of air
 MINING OPERATIONS
• Mining is a process where by minerals below
the earth are extracted using large
equipments
• Dust and chemicals are released causing
pollution
• This is the reason workers and nearby
residents have a deteriorating health
conditions
 INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
• Household cleaning products, painting
supplies emit toxic chemicals in the air and
cause air pollution
 NATURAL EVENTS
• Volcanoes
• Forest fires
• Dust storms
 EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION
1. Respiratory and heart problems
– Asthma3
– Heart attack
– Chronic bronchitis
2. Child health problems
– Exposure to high pollution level during pregnancy
causes miscarriage and premature birth
– Pollution affects early brain development
– Pollution can result into pneumonia to children
• 3. Acid rain
– Harmful gas like nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide
are released into the atmosphere
– When it rains, water droplets combined with these
air pollutants, becomes acidic and falls on the
ground in the form of acidic rain
• 4. Eutrophication
– It is a condition where a high amount of nitrogen
present in some pollutants
– Gets developed on the sea surface and turns itself
into algae and affects fish, plants and animal
species
• 5.Effect on wildlife
– Toxic chemicals present in the air can force
wildlife species to move to a new place and
change their habitat
• 6.Depletion of the ozone layer
– It protects humans from ultraviolet rays
– Ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of
chloroflurocarbons, hydrochrolofluorocarbons in
the atmosphere
• What are the solutions to air
pollution??
 SOLUTIONS TO AIR POLLUTIONS
1. Use of public mode of transport
– To reduce pollution
2. Better household practice
– Avoid setting fire to garbage
– Compost your yield waste
– Use paints and cleaning products that are
environmental friendly
3. Conserve energy
 Switch off fans and lights when going out
 A lot of fossil fuels are burnt to produce
electricity
4.Understand the concept of reduce, reuse and
recycle
 Always reuse items than throw them away
5.Emphasis on clean energy sources
• Solar energy
• Wind energy
6.Use energy-efficient devices
• Use energy saver bulbs and other devices
that consumes less energy
 RESPIRATORY ILLNESS CAUSED BY AIR
POLLUTION
• Asthma
• Lung cancer
• THE END