AIR POLLUTION

POLLUTANTS; SOURCES; EFFECTS ON LIVING HEALTH

P R ESENTATION BY
M S . DI M P L E PA R ATE
A S S ISTANT P ROF ESSOR

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 Introduction
➢ A physical, biological or chemical alternation to the air in the atmosphere can
be termed as pollution.
➢ Pollution is defined as the introduction of substances into the environment
that are harmful to humans and other living organisms.
➢ Pollutants are harmful solids, liquids, or gases produced in higher than usual
concentrations that reduce the quality of our environment.
➢ Air pollution is one such form that refers to the contamination of the air,
irrespective of indoors or outside.
➢ Air pollution can further be classified into two sections – Visible air pollution
and Invisible air pollution.

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SOURCES OF EXPOSURE
▪The classification of air pollutants is based mainly on the sources
producing pollution.
▪Therefore, it is worth mentioning the four main sources, following
the classification system: Major sources, Area sources, Mobile
sources, and Natural sources

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 SOURCES EXAMPLES
Major sources power stations, refineries, and
petrochemicals, the chemical and
fertilizer industries, metallurgical and
other industrial plants, municipal
incineration
Indoor area sources domestic cleaning activities, dry
cleaners, printing shops, and petrol
stations
Mobile sources automobiles, cars, railways, airways,
and other types of vehicles
Natural sources forest fire, volcanic erosion, dust
storms, and agricultural burning

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AIR POLLUTANTS
➢The World Health Organization (WHO) reports on six major air
pollutants, namely particle pollution, ground-level ozone, carbon
monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and lead.
➢Air pollution can have a disastrous effect on all components of the
environment, including groundwater, soil, and air.
➢Additionally, it poses a serious threat to living organisms.
➢Acid rain, global warming, the greenhouse effect, and climate
changes have an important ecological impact on air pollution

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 Types of Pollutants
1) Primary air pollutants can be caused by primary sources or secondary
sources. The pollutants that are a direct result of the process can be called
primary pollutants. A classic example of a primary pollutant would be the SO2
emitted from factories.
2) Secondary air pollutants are the ones that are caused by the inter mingling
and reactions of primary pollutants. Smog created by the interactions of
several primary pollutants is known to be as secondary pollutant.

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 Causes of Air pollution
1. Burning of Fossil Fuels:
• SO2 emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum
and other factory combustibles is one the major cause of air
pollution.
• Pollution emitting from vehicles including trucks, jeeps, cars, trains,
airplanes cause immense amount of pollution.
• CO caused by improper or incomplete combustion and generally
emitted from vehicles is another major pollutant along with nitrogen
oxides that is produced from both natural and man made processes.

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 Causes of Air pollution
2. Agricultural activities:
• Ammonia is a very common by product from agriculture related
activities and its one of the most hazardous gases in the
atmosphere.
• Use of insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural activities
has grown quite a lot.
• They emit harmful chemicals into the air and can also cause water
pollution.

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 Causes of Air pollution
3. Exhaust from factories and industries:
• Manufacturing industries release large amount of carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, organic compounds and chemicals into the air
thereby depleting the quality of air.
•Manufacturing industries can be found at every corner of the earth
and there is no area that has not been affected by it.
•Petroleum refineries also release hydrocarbons and various other
chemicals that pollute the air and also cause land pollution.

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 Causes of Air pollution
4. Mining operations:
• Mining is a process wherein minerals below the earth are extracted
using large equipment’s.
• During the process dust and chemicals are released in the air
causing massive air pollution.
• This is one of the reason which is responsible for the deteriorating
health conditions of workers and nearby residents.

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 Causes of Air pollution
5. Indoor air pollution:
• Household cleaning products, painting supplies emit toxic chemicals
in the air and cause air pollution.
• Suspended particulate matter (SPM) popular by its acronym SPM, is
another cause of pollution.
• Referring to the particles a float in the air, SPM is usually caused by
dust, combustion, etc.

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EFFECT OF AIR POLLUTION ON HEALTH
➢Air pollution is distinguished into two main types:

◦ Outdoor pollution is the ambient air pollution.

◦ Indoor pollution is the pollution generated by household

◦ Effects depend on the rate of exposure to the pollution, hence

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 EFFECT OF AIR POLLUTION ON HEALTH
➢Short-term effects are temporary and range from simple discomfort, such as irritation of
the eyes, nose, skin, throat, wheezing, coughing and chest tightness, and breathing
difficulties, to more serious states, such as asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, and lung and
heart problems.
➢Short-term exposure to air pollution can also cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness.
➢These problems can be aggravated by extended long-term exposure to the pollutants,
which is harmful to the neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems and causes
cancer and even, rarely, deaths.
➢The long-term effects are chronic, lasting for years or the whole life and can even lead to
death.
➢Furthermore, the toxicity of several air pollutants may also induce a variety of cancers in
the long term

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1. Particulate matter (PM)
▪Particulate matter (PM) is usually formed in the atmosphere as a result of chemical reactions
between the different pollutants.
▪Penetration of particles depends on their size.
▪Particulate matter (PM) pollution includes particles with diameters of 10 micrometers (µm) or
smaller, called PM 10, and extremely fine particles with diameters that are generally 2.5
micrometers (µm) and smaller.
▪The components of PM 10 and PM 2.5 can be organic (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
dioxins, benzene, 1-3 butadiene) or inorganic (carbon, chlorides, nitrates, sulfates, metals) in
nature.
▪Short term exposure effects: Nasopharyngitis
▪Long term effects: Cardiovascular diseases & Infant mortality

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▪ The particles may influence the human body on setting and cause external effects. E.g. effects
on skin.
▪ However, certain groups of particles pass into the bloodstream on being inhaled and act as a
systematic poison.
▪The effect of irritant particles in the respiratory tract depends upon the size of the particles,
their solubility, penetration deposition, and clearance mechanism in the human respiratory
tract.
▪ Fine particles may cause irritation of bronchospasm, pulmonary edema, and allergic alveolitis
while certain molds of larger particle size cause obstructive lung disease.
▪ As the presence of finer particle size increases, the percentage of particles deposited in the
upper part of the respiratory tract decreases, thus particles are inhaled deeper.

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 2. Ozone
▪Ozone (O3) is a gas formed from oxygen under high voltage electric discharge. Strong oxidant, 52% stronger
than chlorine.
▪It arises in the stratosphere, but it could also arise following chain reactions of photochemical smog in the
troposphere.
▪Ozone reduces growth and yield and affects the plant microflora due to its antimicrobial capacity.
▪Ozone increases DNA damage in epidermal keratinocytes and leads to impaired cellular function
▪Ozone uptake usually occurs by inhalation. Ozone affects the upper layers of the skin and the tear ducts
▪Solubility in water is low hence inhaled ozone can penetrate deep into the lungs.
▪Short term exposure : Depletion in Vit. C and E.
▪Long term effects : Biochemical, morphological, immunological disorders.

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3. Nitrogen Oxide (NO2)
▪Nitrogen oxide is a traffic-related pollutant, emitted from automobile motor engines.
▪It is an irritant of the respiratory system as it penetrates deep in the lung, inducing respiratory
diseases, coughing, wheezing, dyspnea, bronchospasm, and even pulmonary edema when
inhaled at high levels (Conc. Up to 0.2ppm)
▪Over 0.2 ppm affect T lymphocytes specifically those production CD8+ cells and NK cells.
▪Long term exposure : Impaired sense of smell and chronic lung disease.
▪ NO2 exposure can cause decrement in lung functions.
▪NO2 also reduces plant yield and crop efficiency.

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4. Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
▪Sulphur dioxide is a harmful gas that is emitted mainly from fossil fuel consumption or industrial
activities.
▪The annual standard for SO2 is 0.03 ppm.
▪Sensory irritant, penetrates deep inside the lungs converted to bisulfite and interacting with
sensory receptors, bronchoconstriction
▪Skin redness, damage to the eyes and cardiovascular diseases have also been observed.
▪ The most common acute exposure to SO2 at concentration >= 0.4 ppm (parts per million) is
induction of asthmatics after exposure lasting only 5 minutes.
▪ Increases prevalence of cough in children with intermitted exposure to SO2 levels of 1.0 ppm is
observed.
▪Environmental effects: Acidification of soil & acid rain

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 5. Lead
▪Lead is a heavy metal used in different industrial plants and emitted from some petrol motor engines,
batteries, radiators, waste incinerators, and waste waters.
▪ Out of the total estimated release of lead from the vehicle emission into the environment and the
remaining part gets deposited.
▪Exposure can occur through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption.
▪Transplacental exposure is also known to occur.
▪Toxic effects on fetal nervous system, swelling of the brain.
▪Lead, when inhaled, accumulates in the blood, soft tissue, liver, lung, bones, and cardiovascular, nervous,
and reproductive systems. It affects the muscle and joints in adults.
▪In children small doses can lead to mental retardation, hyperactivity, impairment of memory and learning
disabilities.

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6. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
(PAHs)
▪Distribution of PAHs is ubiquitous in the environment.
▪They are found in coal & tar sediments.
▪They are generated through incomplete combustion of organic matter as in the cases of forest
fires, incineration, and engines.
▪PAH compounds, such as benzopyrene, acenaphthylene, anthracene, and fluoranthene are
recognized as toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic substances.
▪They are an important risk factor for lung cancer.

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7. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
▪VOCs like toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene & xylene have short term and long term effects.
▪They are also known to cause cancer among human beings and are termed as air toxins.
▪ Exposure to an excessively high level of benzene may cause cancer in the kidney, testis, brain,
pancreas, stomach, lung, respiratory tract, bladder, and uterus.
▪ These compounds react with oxides of nitrogen in the presence of sunlight and give to
photochemical smog.
▪ This smog is a dense haze that restricts visibility.
▪ Hazy fumes cause irritation to the eyes and lungs as well as can damage plant life.

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 8. Carbon Monoxide (CO)
▪ CO is absorbed from the lung tissue in the bloodstream.
▪ Competitive binding between CO and O2 to hemoglobin (Hb in red blood cells (RBC) then occur forming
carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) respectively.
▪ Toxic effects of CO are mainly due to its high affinity for Hb which is 240 times greater than O2 affinity.
▪The COHb in the blood of the exposed population may be between 3.0 and 5.3 % whereas the safe limit is less
than 2%.
▪ High dose exposure of CO may affect lung tissue and may lead to an acute decrement in lung functions.
▪CO level to about 5% may cause cardiovascular effects in young healthy, non-smoking individuals leading to
fatigue and reduced ability to work.
▪ There is strong evidence of a reduction in birth weight, cardio megaley, delay in behavioral development and
disruption of cognitive function, and sometimes even infant death syndrome.
▪ The other systematic influence of CO poisoning include effects on liver, kidney, bone, immune capacity and
spleen may occur in acute CO poisoning.
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THANK YOU !

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