Air Pollution (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what air pollution is, what its contaminants and causes are. Also, its consequences and how to avoid it.

What is air pollution?

When we talk about air pollution or atmospheric pollution, we refer to the presence in the various air strata that make up the Earth's atmosphere, of materials and forms of energy that are not part of its natural composition and that represent a potential source of damage and inconvenience to life, by causing unpredictable and inconvenient chemical reactions.

The atmosphere is a homogeneous mass of gases that we know as air, and that the planet's gravity holds together with its surface, fulfilling defense functions against space events such as meteors, solar radiation (through the ozone layer) and cosmic rays. but also conserving heat, allowing the water cycle, circulating different gaseous elements, etc.

In it, some chemical elements predominate over others, mainly nitrogen, oxygen (and ozone), argon, carbon dioxide and water vapor (hydrogen and oxygen). These elements can be adulterated with unpredictable results when they come into contact with gaseous substances resulting from industrial activities volcanic disasters and other events that cause air pollution.

Much of the responsibility for known air pollution is due to the presence of humans. Not only because Industry and other daily activities release large quantities of harmful gases into the atmosphere but also because it throws other toxic elements into the water, and when it completes its natural cycle (evaporation, condensation and precipitation), it spreads them into the air and on the land.

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In both cases it does so much faster than nature can compensate for its harmful effects.

What are air pollutants?

Those mainly responsible for air pollution are, in general:

Carbon dioxide (CO2). And other greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH4).
Carbon monoxide (CO). Particularly toxic and harmful to life.
Sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). When they reach the atmosphere, they combine with water vapor and produce sulfuric acid, generating the so-called acid rains.
CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons). Gases that were widely used in aerosols or as refrigerants, destroyed the balance of the ozone layer in the atmosphere.
Ozone (O3). Although it is found naturally in a specific stratum of the atmosphere, by increasing its presence in other strata, it decomposes in the face of solar radiation and releases enormous amounts of energy, artificially heating the atmosphere.

Causes of air pollution

Although phenomena such as the eruption of volcanoes or the fall of meteorites (due to rising dust) can have a massive polluting effect on the atmosphere, we must recognize that they are not such recurring events in the current geological time of our planet, so their responsibility In air pollution it is not as much as what we human beings have.

Since the Industrial Revolution, humanity has industrially transformed materials and dumped its waste into water and air, thus contributing to the adulteration of the content of the Earth's atmosphere. Heavy industries, fossil fuel-burning power plants, and automobile traffic They are a huge source of environmental pollution.

For example, the use of aerosols with CFCs, for example, caused serious damage to the ozone layer in the atmosphere during the late 20th century, and the tragedy of the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor threw thousands of radioactive particles into the air that were carried by the wind. towards nearby rural populations, destroying the quality of air, water and soil.

Consequences of air pollution

The breakdown of the chemical and energy balance of the atmosphere has the following possible consequences:

Respiratory problems. Polluted air can deteriorate the health of people, animals and even plants, as it contains carcinogenic or poisonous substances.
Acid rains. Certain chemical elements react in the atmosphere with water vapor and form acids or corrosive mixtures, which then fall to the earth with rain.
Water deterioration. Air pollution affects water pollution, since when it evaporates and precipitates it comes into contact with atmospheric pollutants.
Damage to the ozone layer In the upper layers of the atmosphere is the ozone layer that protects us from the direct impact of the sun's rays. Certain gases react with it and “hole” the protective layer.
The greenhouse effect. The presence of certain heavy gases in the atmosphere constitutes an artificial chemical barrier, which prevents a portion of the Earth's heat from radiating into space, causing global temperatures to increase.