By volume, air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.

04% carbon dioxide, and small

amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea
level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.
Air pollution may be defined as the presence in the air (outdoor atmosphere) of one or more contaminants or
combinations thereof in such quantities and of such durations as may be or tend to be injurious to human,
animal or plant life, or property, or which unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or
property or conduct of business. Air pollution is any atmospheric condition in which certain substances are
present in such concentrations that they can produce undesirable effects on man and his environment.
Substances like gases, radioactive materials and many others,
a) Example for gases substances like sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons
etc.,
b) Example for particulate matter like smoke, dust, fumes, aerosols.
Most of these substances are naturally present in the atmosphere in low (background) concentration and
usually considered to be harmless.
Particulate substance can be considered an air pollutant only. When its concentration is relatively high
compared with the background value and causes adverse effects.
For e.g. sulphur dioxide, if present in the atmosphere in concentration greater than the background value of
2x10-4 ppm and cause measurable effects on humans, animals, plants or property, then only it is clarified as a
air pollutant.
Classification of air pollutants:
The variety of matter emitted into the atmosphere by natural and anthropogenic sources. Its classified into
two categories,
a) Primary pollutants
b) Secondary pollutants
a) Primary pollutants:
Those that are emitted directly from the sources. Typically pollutants included under this category,
Particulate matter for eg, ash, smoke, dust, fumes, mist and spray.
Inorganic gases such as sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, nitric oxide, ammonia,
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen fluoride, olefinic and aromatic
hydrocarbons.
Radioactive compounds.
b) Secondary pollutants:
Those that are formed in the atmosphere by chemical interactions. Among primary pollutants
and normal atmospheric constituents. Secondary pollutants such as ,
Sulphur trioxide, Nitrogen dioxide, PAN (peroxyacetyl nitrate), Ozone, Aldehydes,
Ketones, and various Sulphate and Nitrate salts are included in this category.
Particulate Matter and Gaseous Pollutants:
Particulate Matter:
In general the term particulate refers to all atmospheric substances that are not gases. They can be
suspended droplets or solid particles or mixtures of the two. Particulates can be composed of inert or
extremely reactive materials ranging in size from 100 m down to 0.1m and less. The inert materials do
not react readily with the environment not do they exhibit any morphological changes as a result of
combustion or any other process, Where as the reactive materials could be further oxidized or may react
chemically with the environment.
The classification of various particulates may be made as follows;
Dust :
It contains particles of the size ranging from 1 to 200m. These are formed by natural disintegration of rock
and soil or by the mechanical processes of grinding and spraying.
They have large settling velocities and are removed from the air by gravity and other inertial process Fine
dust particles at act as centers of catalysis for many of the chemical reactions taking place in the atmosphere.
Smoke :
It contains fine particles of the size ranging from 0.01 to 1 m which can be liquid or solid, and are formed
by combustion or other chemical process. smoke may have different colours depending on the nature of
materials burnt.
Fumes:
There are solid particles of the size ranging from 0.1 to 1m and are normally released from chemical or
metallurgical processes.
Mist:
It is made up of liquid droplets generally smaller than 10m which are formed by condensation in the
atmosphere or are released from industrial operations.
Fog:
It is the mist in which the liquid is water and is sufficiently dense to obscure vision.
Aerosols:
In this category are included all air borne suspensions ether solid or liquid, these are generally smaller than
1 m. Particles in the size range 1 to 10m have measureable settling velocities but are readily stirred by air
movements, whereas particles size 0.1 1 m have small settling velocities. These below 0.1m, a
submicroscopic size found in urban air, undergo random Brownian motion resulting from collisions among
individual molecules.
Sources of Air pollution
Sources of air pollution refer to the various locations, activities or factors which are responsible for the
releasing of pollutants into the atmosphere. These sources can be classified into two major categories which
are:
Anthropogenic sources (human activity) mostly related to burning different kinds of fuel
"Stationary Sources" include smoke stacks of power plants, manufacturing facilities (factories)
and waste incinerators, as well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating devices
"Mobile Sources" include motor vehicles, marine vessels, aircraft and the effect of sound etc.
 Chemicals, dust and controlled burn practices in agriculture and forestry management. Controlled
or prescribed burning is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie
restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland
ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for foresters. Controlled burning stimulates the
germination of some desirable forest trees, thus renewing the forest.
Fumes from paint, hair spray, varnish, aerosol sprays and other solvents
Waste deposition in landfills, which generate methane. Methane is not toxic; however, it is highly
flammable and may form explosive mixtures with air. Methane is also an asphyxiant and may
displace oxygen in an enclosed space. Asphyxia or suffocation may result if the oxygen
concentration is reduced to below 19.5% by displacement
Military, such as nuclear weapons, toxic gases, germ warfare and rocketry
Natural sources:
Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or no vegetation
Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by animals, for example cattle
Radon gas from radioactive decay within the Earth's crust. Radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally
occurring, radioactive noble gas that is formed from the decay of radium. It is considered to be a
health hazard. Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in buildings, especially in confined
areas such as the basement and it is the second most frequent cause of lung cancer, after cigarette
smoking
Smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires
Vegetation, in some regions, emits environmentally significant amounts of VOCs on warmer days.
These VOCs react with primary anthropogenic pollutantsspecifically, NOx, SO2, and
anthropogenic organic carbon compoundsto produce a seasonal haze of secondary pollutants.[6]
Volcanic activity, which produce sulfur, chlorine, and ash particulates
Effects of air pollution;
The pollutants are to overwhelm the natural scavenging ability of the atmosphere. As a result, the
concentrations of the pollutants persist at levels which are much higher than the allowable background
levels.
This is particularly true for urban and other industrial regions where the pollutants adversely affect the
health of humans and animals and cause plant and material damage.
Effects of Human Health:
Adverse effects of air pollution may be divided into two classes
i) Acute effects
ii) Chronic effects
Acute effects manifest themselves immediately upon short term exposure to air pollutants at high
concentrations, and chronic effects become evident only after continuous exposure to low levels of air
pollution.
Epidemiological studies are statistical surveys on the effects of air pollution on human populations under
natural conditions. Such studies are extremely important, but due to the multiplicity of unknown factors it is
not possible to establish a cause effect relationship.
Toxicological studies are conducted in the laboratory under controlled conditions. The effect of several
variables such as pollutants concentration, exposure duration, temperature, humidity, etc., can be
experimentally studied. Even though there experimental studies can clearly demonstrate a direct cause effect
relationship between certain pollutants and sickness or death, their relevance to natural setting is sometimes
questionable.
Respiratory Effects:
Pollutants may enter the body by a number of ways. They can cause eye and skin irritation. Certain
particulates may be swallowed asa result of internal respiratory cleaning action or certain pollutants could
even be ingested. But the primary mode of pollutant transfer into the human body is through the respiratory
system. The respiratory systemic composed primary of two lungs and the air passages which lead to them.
The air passages begin at the nose and mouth, and include windpipe (trachea) and its two branches known as
bronchi.
Particulate matter inhaled may be deposited in various regions of the respiratory system depending on
particle size. Particle above 10m are almost wholly retained in the nose.
The health risk is primarily from the deposition of the particles smaller than 0.5m in the alveoli where they
cause damage to the respiratory organs.
Air pollution effects on Vegetation
The most obvious damage caused by air pollutants to pollutants to vegetation occurs in the leaf structure.
The surface of a leaf is covered by a waxy layer known as the cuticle. Its chief functions are the protection
of the inner tissues from excessive moisture loss and the admission of carbon dioxide and oxygen to these
internal tissues. The leaf surface is penetrated by a large number of openings called the stomatas.
The damage caused by air pollutants is of several types like necrosis, chlorosis and epinasty. The dead areas
on a leaf structures are referred to as necrosis. Chlorosis is the loss or reduction of chlorophyll and lead to
the yellowing of the leaf.
Epinasty is a downward curvature of the leaf due to higher rate of growth on the upper surface, and the
dropping of leaves called abscission. Few plant species are spared damage on exposure to one or more of the
principle air pollutants.
In general, the pollutants enter the inner tissue through the stomata, where they destroy the chlorophyll and
disrupt photosynthesis. The adverse effects range from reduction in growth rate to death of the plant. The
effect of particulates on vegetation is not well known. However, some specific dusts have been observed to
cause damage.
Cement dust deposited on leaves, on combination with mist or light rain, forms incrustation. Plugging of
stomata may occur, resulting in plant damage.
Chemicals such as arsenic and fluorides when deposited on the leaves can poison animals.
Effects of Air pollution on materials
The damage caused by atmospheric pollutants to materials is a well known phenomenon. Particulates such
as soot, dust and fumes soil painted surface, fabrics and buildings, and because of their abrasive nature,
particulates can cause damage to exposed surface when they are driven by wind at high velocities. Through
their own corrosiveness or in the presence of SO2 and moisture, they can accelerate the corrosion of steel,
copper, zinc and other metals.

The most notorious pollutant responsible for metallic corrosion is sulphur dioxide. It has been reported that
corrosion of hard metals such as steel begins at annual mean concentrations of 0.02ppm (52g /m3).
SO2 is readily absorbed by leather and causes its disintegration. Paper is also discolored by SO2 and
becomes brittle and fragile. Sulphuric acid mist in the atmosphere causes deterioration of structural materials
such as marble and limestone.
Ozone is a very reactive substance. Much of the degradation of materials, such as fabrics and rubber, now
attributed to weathering is caused primarily by ozone.
The fading of fibers and the cracking of rubber are attributed to ozones oxidizing ability. Nitrogen oxides,
although less widely published them ozone, are known to cause fading in acetate, cotton and rayon fibers at
levels of 0.6 -2 ppm over 2 3 month period. It has been observed that particulate Nitrates attack and
damage nickel brass alloys in the presence of moisture.
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected
continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about 0.8 C (1.4 F)
with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades. Warming of the climate
system is unequivocal, and scientists are more than 90% certain most of it is caused by increasing
concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil
fuels. These findings are recognized by the national science academies of all the major industrialized
countries.