Things that Cause Air Pollution

Transportation

• Transportation in the form of fuel-reliant motor vehicles produces high levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. These compounds join the atmosphere and can deplete the ozone that protects the Earth from ultra-violet radiation.

  Additionally, unburned gasoline emitted by vehicles can contribute hydrocarbons to the air. When exposed to sunlight, the hydrocarbons become photochemical smog that result in eye irritation, impaired lung function, and damage to vegetation.

Burning Fossil Fuels

• Rapid increases in population can lead to rapid increases in poorly regulated industrialization. Creating heat and electricity, industrial products, and consumer goods in power plants often require energy that comes from burning fossil fuels, which releases a great deal of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, among other greenhouses gases.

  These pollutants not only decrease the actual quality of the air breathed in by organisms, but can also mingle with other elements and descend to Earth in acidic depositions such as fog, dew, rain or solid particles.

Deforestation

• Large-scale deforestation routinely occurs in tropical countries to clear land for agricultural reasons. Deforestation is noted as a significant cause of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is thought to contribute to the increased radiation and temperature of the Earth.

Natural Sources of Air Pollution

• Natural sources of air pollution, such as volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal and natural radioactivity, tend not to occur in abundance in a single location, and usually do not result in detrimental effects on ecosystems or human health.