Air Pollution Essay

Air Pollution is another major problem that is yet to be solved. The air is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and inert gases. We as humans depend on the air around us to live, without it we would die. Although we rely on this as an essential source for living, it is still littered and polluted with chemicals. Pollution of the atmosphere and the air around us is air pollution, and this is becoming more â€Å"popular† everyday. There are several main types of air pollution that include smog, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and â€Å"holes† in the ozone layer. The types are extremely harmful to the environment and could result in serious damage. There are many causes of air pollution and there are many to blame. The first type of air pollution is smog. The word smog came from a newspaper article almost 50 years ago. The word is slang for smoke and fog, and that is indeed what smog is. Smog is a form of air pollution created by the photochemical reaction with sunlight and the chemicals in the air, and than this deadly mixture is released into the atmosphere. An example of how fatal smog was in 1952 with the incident, â€Å"London’s killer smog.† This incident happened in December of 1952, when a deadly wave of smog hit London killing over 10,000 people. Citizens walked through the streets with surgical masks on, waiting for a wind to raise and blow this terrible wave of pollution away. There wish came true on December 10, after almost a week of terror and many injured and dead people. Smog alone is just as fatal and dangerous as the other forms of air pollution. The other major types of pollution are acid rain, greenhouse effect, and â€Å"holes† in the ozone layer. Acid Rain is any precipitation that has an abnormal acidic amount. Acid rain is formed when chemicals are released from places like cars and factories, these chemicals rise and mingle in the clouds, and than return to earth in the form of precipitation. The Greenhouse effect is another import issue in air pollution. The Greenhouse effect is the trapping of heat and energy due to the gases that form a barrier in the atmosphere. The gases will let heat in but will not let all heat out. This is similar to what happens in a greenhouse. The ozone layer  is also at great risk. In places like Antarctica the ozone layer is disappearing rapidly. Scientists have different theories about that, saying that it is due to chemicals made on earth, the extreme temperature in Antarctica, and some believe it is a solar activity to blame. In any case it is obvious to see that the ozone laye r is in danger. CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS There are numerous causes to air pollution. There are two main causes of air pollution; fuel burning in residential, commercial, and industrial places is one cause. The other cause is automobiles creating immense amounts of carbon monoxide and other toxic fuels. The burning of chemicals releases fumes in the air polluting the atmosphere. Large factories are at blame in this case due to their large amounts of chemicals burned and of their large smoke stack which pumps these fumes into the air. Inside many factories they burn fossil fuels, these fumes than are sent into the atmosphere, further contributing to the air pollution problem Another major cause of air pollution is car fumes. Inside the engines of cars, fossil fuels are being burned, and than these vapors are omitted out through pipes in the car. The major chemical being pumped out of the car is carbon monoxide; this is a very toxic material and can be fatal if enough is in taken. Diesel engines are also very toxic. These engines contain over 450 different chemicals and about 40 of the chemical’s exhaust are considered toxic air contaminants by the State of California. Air Pollution also imposes the biggest threat of all; our health. Our health is the most precious thing to us and air pollution endangers this greatly. The people that are most vulnerable to the air pollution risk are young children, people with breathing problems, and elderly people. Short-term effects to air pollution include irritated eyes, nose, throat and upper respiratory system and other symptoms include headaches and nausea. Some long term effects of air pollution exposure are chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart diseases and damage to important organs such as the brain. Although there are many problems there is also a number of solutions. By completely eliminating the pollution would solve all these problems, so by doing little things we all can make a big difference. Since cars contribute a great deal to the air pollution problem, by using them less would lessen the problem. By not using things like Styrofoam, which are made in a factory that had to burn fossil fuels, you are also helping your community. To eliminate pollution indoors always use clean and clear ventilation machines and filters. Lawmakers should also make more laws on air pollution and pass more bills pertaining to this subject. CONCLUSION There is many to blame when it comes to air pollution. There is the citizens who use cars (that give out carbon monoxide) and use material made in a factory. There are the factory owners, who let their factories run, although they know they’re polluting the air everyday. Than there is the government. Although the government is trying to stop it, they also contribute to the problem by not passing more laws about this situation. Everyone is at blame for the air pollution problem, but if we all work together we can fix our mistake and save the atmosphere. Air Pollution is an extremely serious matter that is not taken seriously. The future of the earth is in our hands and we should treat this with respect. We have the opportunity to change our future, the opportunity to alter the way generations live, we should treat this opportunity with care and kindness. We should be more aware of the things that are happening in the world and what we are doing when the car revs up and puff the smoke. As we drive away in our cars, we are driving our future generations into a tangle of trouble. Soon people will have to wear surgical masks when walking down the street. We cannot let this happen to our society! We must be aware, prevent, and do it. We must be in action at all times trying to save the ozone layer and trying to stop smog from occurring in great masses. Let’s drive away from air pollution and drive into a smog-free life!