Index IntroductionEmissions OverviewNational TrendsPollution Criteria7 Steps to Stop Air PollutionUnderstand Where Air Pollution Comes FromReduce Car UsePlant More PlantsEnjoy Solar EnergyGet the AdvantageNever Dust AgainGet ComfortableConclusionIntroductionThe clean air is the main requirement to support the healthy life of humankind and those who support ecosystems which in return impact human beings. Air is made up of 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases. Humans depend on air. We breathe about 35 pounds. of air per day compared to consuming 3 to 5 lbs. of water and 1 ½ lbs. of dry food. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayOne of the problems we are facing today is air pollution. Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Emissions from automobiles, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores can be suspended as particles. Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them increases the possibility of having health problems. People with heart or lung disease, the elderly and children are at great risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside: the air inside buildings can also be polluted and affect your health. In this research paper we will discuss what is air pollution, the cause of air pollution. And also the solution and how we can prevent air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials into the atmosphere that causes harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms or harms the natural environment. Before industrialization, the ecosystem was able to take care of any discrepancies in the air due to wind, rain and other natural events. However, since industrialization, humans have released more pollutants into the atmosphere than the ecosystem can handle. The atmosphere is a dynamic and complex natural gaseous system that is essential for supporting life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health and Earth's ecosystems. Emissions Overview Emission is the term used to describe gases and particles released into the air or emitted from various sources. Pollution discharged into the atmosphere from residential, commercial and industrial structures. Technically a release is anything that has been released outdoors. But more often it refers to gases released into the air, such as greenhouse gases or emissions from power plants and factories. What are emissions? Where do they come from? National trends The quantity and type of emissions change every year. These changes are caused by changes in the national economy, industrial activity, technological improvements, traffic, and many other factors. Air pollution and emission control regulations also have an effect. The National Air Pollutant Emission Trends Report summarizes long-term trends in air pollutant emissions and provides an in-depth analysis of emissions for the current year. The report also discusses emissions assessment and forecasting methodologies. Criteria Pollutants The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is primarily concerned with emissions that are or may be harmful to people. The EPAcalls this set of main air pollutants “criteria pollutants”. The criteria pollutants are carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). There are also a large number of compounds that have been deemed dangerous and are called air toxics. There are many sources of emissions. These have been grouped into four categories: point, mobile, biogenic and areal. Point sources include things like factories and power plants. Mobile sources obviously include cars and trucks, but also lawnmowers, airplanes and anything else that moves and puts pollution into the air. In 1970 the U.S. Congress passed amendments to the Clean Air Act (CAA) (the CAA was passed in 1963) that set in motion a nationwide effort to improve the country's air quality. Since then, additional laws and regulations have been added, including the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Among other things, this law authorizes the EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and public welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants. One of the goals of the law was to establish and achieve NAAQS in every state by 1975 to address risks to public health and welfare posed by the spread of certain air pollutants. The establishment of these pollutant standards was accompanied by directing states to develop State Implementation Plans (SIPs), applicable to appropriate industrial sources in the state, in order to achieve these standards. The law was amended in 1977 and 1990 primarily to set new goals (dates) for achieving the NAAQS as many areas of the country had failed to meet the deadlines. Section 112 of the Clean Air Act addresses emissions of hazardous air pollutants. Prior to 1990, the CAA established a risk-based program under which only a few standards were developed. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 revised Section 112 to first require the issuance of technology-based standards for major sources and certain aerial sources. “Major sources” means a stationary source or group of stationary sources that emit or have the potential to emit 10 tonnes per year or more of a hazardous air pollutant or 25 tonnes per year or more of a combination of air pollutants dangerous. An "area source" is any stationary source that is not a major source. For major sources, Section 112 requires that EPA establish emission standards that require the greatest degree of reduction in emissions of hazardous air pollutants. These emission standards are commonly referred to as the "maximum achievable control technology" or "MACT" standards. Eight years after issuing technology-based MACT standards for a source category, EPA is required to review those standards to determine whether a residual risk exists for that source category and, if necessary, revise the standards to address that risk. The Philippines Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act No. 8749) outlines the government's measures to reduce air pollution and incorporate environmental protection into its development plans. It relies heavily on the polluter pays principle and other market-based tools to promote self-regulation among the population. It sets emissions standards for all motor vehicles and imposes limits on pollutants for industry. The emission limit values ​​are established by“Implementing Rules and Regulations for the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999” by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines. These rules and regulations apply to all industrial emissions and other establishments that are potential sources of air pollution. The Pollutant Standards Index, or PSI, is a type of air quality index, which is a number used to indicate the level of pollutants in the air. Initially the PSI was based on five air pollutants, but since 1 April 2014 it also includes fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In addition to the PSI derived from the average of data collected over the past 24 hours, Singapore also publishes a 3-hour PSI based on PM2.5 concentrations over the past 3 hours. PM2.5 concentrations in one hour are also published every hour. Besides Singapore, other countries also use air quality indices. However, the calculations used to derive air quality indices may differ. Different countries also use different names for their indices such as Air Quality Health Index, Air Pollution Index, and Pollutant Standards Index. The Air Act requires the EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS ) for six common air pollutants. These commonly occurring air pollutants (also known as "criterion pollutants") are found throughout the United States. These include pollution from particles (often referred to as particulate matter), photochemical oxidants and ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and lead. These pollutants can harm health and the environment and cause property damage. The EPA calls these pollutants “criteria” air pollutants because it establishes NAAQs for them based on criteria based on human health and/or the environment (scientific information characterizations). The set of human health-based standards for the protection of public health is called the primary standard. Another set of standards aimed at preventing environmental and property damage for the protection of public welfare is called secondary standards. Where a pollutant under consideration is actually a group of pollutants (e.g., nitrogen oxides), standards are established for key or indicator pollutants within the group (e.g., nitrogen dioxide). Ozone is a gas that forms when nitrogen oxides react with a group of air pollutants known as "reactive organics" in the presence of sunlight. Particles suspended in the air are sometimes called “particulate matter” or “PM.” They include dust, dirt, soot, smoke and liquid droplets. Some particles are large enough or dark enough to be seen as soot or smoke, while others are so small that they can only be detected individually with a microscope. Carbon monoxide is a gas and is found in the air. High levels of carbon monoxide are poisonous to humans and, unfortunately, cannot be detected by humans as they have no taste or odor and cannot be seen. Nitrogen Dioxide Nitrogen dioxide is a gas with an unpleasant odor. Some nitrogen dioxide is formed naturally in the atmosphere due to lightning, while some is produced by plants, soil and water. However, only about 1% of the total amount of nitrogen dioxide in our urban air is formed in this way. Sulfur dioxide is a gas. It is invisible and has an unpleasant, pungent odor. It easily reacts with other substances to form harmful compounds, such as sulfuric acid, sulfurous acid and sulfate particles. Lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in the earth's crust. Lead can be released into soil, air and water through soil erosion, volcanic eruptions, splashesof the sea and forest fires. The natural concentration of lead in the air is less than 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter. Toxic substances in the air are sometimes referred to as "hazardous air pollutants." Air toxics such as gaseous pollutants, aerosols or particulates present in the air in low concentrations with characteristics such as toxicity or persistence that constitute a danger to human, plant or animal life. They are another class of pollutants. They arise from sources such as microbiological contamination, such as mold, animal and human skin, and the remains and excrement of parasites such as cockroaches. Biological pollutants can be present in the air and have a significant impact on indoor air quality. The percentage of the world's population living in urban areas has increased steadily over the past few decades, with the largest recent increases occurring in low- and middle-income groups. Villages. Much of this urbanization occurs in urban areas with 1-5 million inhabitants, but megacities, with populations of 10 million or more, contribute significantly to this trend and face unique challenges related to human health. Globally, air pollution is the most important environmental risk to health, and levels of particulate matter (PM) and most other pollutants harmful to health are higher in urban areas than in rural areas due to the concentration of main sources of emissions. The large number of pollution sources concentrated in a densely populated, busy and industrial area can result in high levels of pollution, especially if pollution control lags behind the growth of the city. The specificConcern about air pollution in large cities around the world has been reflected in numerous monitoring campaigns and reports published in recent decades. With growing evidence of the health effects of air pollution, particularly airborne particulate matter, measured as a mass concentration of particles smaller than 10 (or 2.5) micrometers (PM10 or PM2.5), more recent assessments of air quality air have provided better results and more relevant information on the extent and severity of the urban air pollution problem in developing countries. Based on these data, and supported by an econometric model that allows the estimation of PM2.5 levels in all cities with a population greater than 100,000 people, the first estimate of the global burden of disease attributable to PM2.5 was produced in 2004. urban air pollution. 800,000 premature deaths per year attributable to particulate matter, of which more than two-thirds occur in rapidly developing Asian economies. Assessments of the state of air pollution and health impacts were followed by a more detailed analysis of the sources and distribution of pollution, as well as activities to reduce pollution in megacities. They noted that lessons learned in developed countries to curb their pollution problems could bring progress to other megacities around the world.http://energytopicstrends.blogspot.com/2014/11/air-pollution-in-todays-megacities.htmlhttp ://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSC5EXT_uhI/VGgjWWfUEVI/AAAAAAAABm8/fnlCOSglSBQ/s1600/Capture.PNGThe growing trend of human civilization to move from rural to urban areas for a better life increases the importance of creating safe that the world's current and future megacities have the cleanest air possible. 7 steps to stop air pollution In today's complex world, with dangerous chemicals in everything we buy, electronic waste filling our landfills and the exponential increase of petrol cars on the markethighways, the idea of ​​being able to reduce air pollution is not easy to imagine. More than just smog, air quality is linked to everything from childhood asthma to global warming. Turning a blind eye to the problem of air pollution not only puts our health at risk, but also that of the planet for generations to come. There is still time, however, to make a difference. With these seven steps you can start improving the air quality in your home and community right away. And that makes everyone breathe a little easier. Understanding Where Air Pollution Comes From According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are six major causes of air pollution in the United States. These are ground-level ozone, particulate matter, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Although most people have heard of carbon monoxide, lead and particulate matter, they may be surprised to learn that the main source of air pollution today is ground-level ozone. Unlike the natural ozone layer that surrounds the earth and helps regulate temperatures by protecting it from the sun's harmful rays, ground-level ozone forms when nitrogen oxides mix with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The chemical reaction that follows emits ground-level ozone which can lead to numerous health problems. Upper respiratory disorders such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema are all linked to ground-level ozone. So where does this chemical reaction happen? Wherever there are petrol fumes, car exhaust, large chemical deposits and emissions from factories or public utilities. Reduce these key elements and you can reduce the amount of ground-level ozone you are exposed to. Reduce Car UseCars do more than simply contribute to ground-level ozone. Gasoline production requires burning coal and oil which causes an increase in sulfur dioxides, another of the six leading causes of air pollution. The EPA says oil refineries are major producers of sulfur dioxide, and more time spent behind the wheel of a car means more air pollution for everyone to breathe. While it may not be possible to completely eliminate car use, try to concentrate your errands and purchases to avoid making multiple trips to the same place. If you live near a commuter rail, make a point of taking the train at least one day a week to work. Looking for a new set of wheels? Why not buy a hybrid. These great vehicles combine electricity and fuel to get better mileage, and many produce nearly zero emissions. Plant More Plants NASA recently discovered that many houseplants, such as the Gerbera Daisy, Peace Lily and English Ivy, are instrumental in removing carbon monoxide from the air. Functioning much like the human liver, these common houseplants actually filter harmful chemicals and dangerous compounds from the air, absorbing toxins through tiny pores in their leaves and "digesting" pollution through their stems, roots and through the ground. Natural air filters in your home or office can significantly reduce the amount of indoor air pollution and help eliminate recurring colds and respiratory problems. According to NASA study, other varieties useful for clean air are bamboo palm, Chinese evergreen and any Dracena tree. Go SolarElectricity might seem like an eco-friendly way to heat your home, but the VOCs generated by electrical systems are among the highest in all forms of,.