Topic.2. air composition. protection of atmospheric air from pollution

Measures to protect atmospheric air from pollution

The modern picture of air protection includes the development of relevant legislative acts: the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the law “on the protection environment"from November 26, 1992 No. 1982-12, law “on the protection atmospheric air"from 04/15/1997 No. 29-3, SanPiN No. 3086-84, “MPC of pollutants in the atmospheric air of populated areas.”

Air pollution from industrial emissions must be controlled. This requires comparative criteria for the content of impurities, by which GOST understands substances that are not contained in the constant composition of the atmosphere. The values of temporarily permissible airborne concentrations are used as established air quality criteria. The main indicator is maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) harmful substances.

MPC of atmospheric air- this is the maximum concentration of an impurity in the atmosphere, related to a certain averaging time, which, with periodic exposure or throughout a person’s entire life, does not have a harmful effect on him, including long-term consequences and on the environment as a whole. Separate rationing also provides for the division of maximum permissible concentrations into maximum one-time and average daily ones. MPCs are established by the Ministry of Health on the basis of standardized studies and examinations and are a law that is not subject to control.

In addition to legislative measures, the protection of atmospheric air from pollution includes:

Greening of technological processes;

Organization of sanitary protection zones;

Purification of exhaust gases from harmful substances;

Measures to reduce vehicle emissions;

State environmental control over atmospheric air protection.

Purification of exhaust gases from harmful substances

The main means of combating harmful emissions is the development gas treatment plant systems. Dust collecting devices are used to clean the emitted air from dust.

Dry dust collectors include cyclones, multicyclones, dust settling chambers, wet dust collectors include scrubbers, turbulent dust collectors, and gas scrubbers.

Dry dust collectors designed for rough mechanical cleaning of emissions from large and heavy dust.

Wet dust collectors require a water supply and operate on the principle of dust particles being deposited on the surface of droplets under the influence of inertial forces and Brownian motion. They provide cleaning from particles larger than 2 microns.

Filters(fabric, granular) are capable of retaining fine particles up to 0.05 microns.

Electrostatic precipitators– the most advanced method of purifying gases from suspended dust particles up to 0.01 microns in size with high efficiency of gas purification. When the electrodes are shaken, the deposited dust particles fall down into the dust collector under the influence of gravity.

The method of neutralizing waste gases from contaminants is their purification. All cleaning methods can be divided into two groups: catalytic And non-catalytic.

In the first group, impurities are removed by condensation or absorption by liquid or solid absorbers, in the second, impurities are converted into other substances.

Non-catalytic purification methods are divided according to the type of process into absorption chemo- and adsorption, and according to the nature of the process into regeneration and non-regeneration. Chemisorption is based on the absorption of gas by liquid absorbents with the formation of low-volatile chemical compounds. Adsorption is based on the selective absorption of harmful gases and vapors by solid adsorbents having a developed microporous structure. The catalytic method is based on the transformation of harmful components of industrial emissions into less harmful or harmless substances in the presence of catalysts. The thermal method involves high-temperature combustion of harmful impurities contained in technological emissions.

Dispersion of gaseous impurities in the atmosphere used to reduce dangerous concentrations of impurities to the level of the corresponding maximum permissible concentration and is carried out using high chimneys, the dispersing effect of which depends on their height.

Organization of sanitary protection zones

Any objects that are a source of emissions of harmful substances, as well as sources of noise, vibration, ultrasound, EMF, etc., must be separated from residential buildings by sanitary protection zones (SPZ).

Sanitary protectivezone is a part of the territory around any source of chemical, biological or physical influence on the human environment, established in order to minimize the risk of exposure to adverse factors on human health. It must be properly landscaped and must meet special hygiene requirements. The boundary of the sanitary protection zone is a line delimiting the territory, or the maximum of the planned projections of space, beyond which adverse impact factors do not exceed established hygienic standards.

The territory of the sanitary protection zone is intended to: ensure a reduction in the level of impact to established hygienic standards for all factors of impact outside its boundaries; creating a sanitary protective barrier between the territory of an enterprise (group of enterprises) and the territory of residential development; organizing additional green areas that provide screening, assimilation and filtration of atmospheric air pollutants, and increasing the comfort of the microclimate.

For objects, their individual buildings and structures with technological processes, which are sources of impact on the environment and human health, depending on the power, operating conditions, nature and quantity of toxic and odorous substances released into the environment, generated noise, vibration and other harmful physical factors, as well as taking into account the measures provided to reduce their adverse impact on the environment and human health, while ensuring compliance with the requirements of hygienic standards in accordance with the sanitary classification of enterprises, industries and facilities, the following minimum sizes of sanitary protection zones are established: first class enterprises - 1000 m; second class enterprises - 500 m; third class enterprises - 300 m; fourth class enterprises - 100 m; fifth class enterprises - 50 m.

Within the boundaries of the sanitary protection zone of enterprises it is prohibited to place: industrial buildings and structures in cases where factors emitted by one of the enterprises may have harmful effects on health or lead to damage to materials, equipment, and finished products of another enterprise; - food industry enterprises, as well as those producing tableware, equipment, etc. for the food industry, food warehouses; - enterprises for the production of water and drinks for drinking purposes, complexes of water supply facilities for preparation and storage drinking water; collective or individual summer cottages and garden plots; athletic facilities; recreation parks, educational institutions, medical and preventive and health institutions common use.

Measures to reduce vehicle emissions

The main source of urban air pollution is motor transport. Measures to protect atmospheric air from vehicle emissions: special urban planning techniques for development and landscaping of highways, placement of residential buildings according to the zoning principle; control of the emission of toxic substances (standards for the emission of toxic substances from exhaust gases have been established); changing the composition of the fuel, producing gasoline that is resistant to detonation, replacing tetraethyl lead with less dangerous substances, introducing additives into the fuel; use of braking energy through recuperation (fuel savings are 27 - 40%, and the volume of exhaust gases is reduced by 39 - 49%); conversion of cars to liquefied gas; neutralization of harmful exhausts (catalytic, flame, thermal, liquid neutralizers); improvement of internal combustion engines (a carburetor with separate mixture formation ensures complete combustion of the working mixture, which in turn allows the content of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons in the exhaust gases to be minimized); use of alternative fuel (liquid hydrogen, ethyl, methyl alcohols and their mixtures); transition to electric vehicles; introduction of hybrid engines; solar cars.

Organization of the fight against noise pollution

Noise control is so relevant and complex that many cities have created special commissions that coordinate the activities of economic and other organizations in this area. Prevention of communal noise should begin from the moment a project is drawn up for the construction of a new or reconstruction of an existing city (neighborhood). It is recommended to use calculations to create a “noise map”, plotting the predicted street noise on a city map with symbols. Similar noise maps are compiled in existing cities through systematic noise measurements in various places in the locality. When compiling a city noise map, they take into account traffic conditions on main streets, the intensity and speed of traffic, the number of units of freight and public transport in the flow, the location of industrial facilities, transformer substations, external transport, and the density of the housing stock.

The fight against street noise includes legislative (development of noise control regulations in populated areas), technological (replacement of noisy sources or improvement of equipment, replacement of trams with trolleybuses, smooth street surfaces), sanitary and technical (use of noise-insulating casings, noise-absorbing installations, emission mufflers), planning ( sufficient width of streets, screening, zoning of settlements, green spaces, use of a closed type of development, laying transit highways and locating airports outside populated areas and recreational areas, removal of noisy industrial enterprises outside the residential area and landscaping of the sanitary protection zone with strips of 30-50 m of trees and shrubs), organizational measures (limiting street transport signals, streamlining the movement of cars and trucks on certain streets, compliance with a set of measures limiting indoor and street noise from 23 until 7 a.m. and weekends).

Have you ever thought about how important air is in our lives? Just imagine that human life cannot last more than two minutes without it. We rarely think about this, taking the air for granted, however, there is a real problem - the Earth's atmosphere is already quite polluted. And she suffered precisely at the hands of man. This means that all life on the planet is in danger, because we constantly inhale various toxic substances and impurities. How to protect air from pollution?

How do people and their activities affect the state of the atmosphere?

The faster it develops modern society, the more and more needs he has. People need more cars, more household appliances, many products for daily use - the list goes on. However, the point is that to meet the needs of modern people, you need to constantly produce and build something.

To achieve this, forests are being rapidly cut down, new companies are being created, plants and factories are opening, which daily emit tons of chemical waste, soot, gases, and all kinds of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Every year hundreds of thousands of new cars appear on the roads, each of which contributes to air pollution. People unwisely use resources, minerals, dry up rivers, and all these actions directly or indirectly affect the state of the Earth's atmosphere.

Gradually collapsing ozone layer, designed to protect all living things from radioactive solar radiation, is evidence of irrational human activity. Its further thinning and destruction will lead to the death of both living organisms and flora. How to save the planet from atmospheric pollution?

What are the main sources of air pollution?

Modern auto industry. Currently, there are over 1 billion cars on the roads of all countries of the world. In Western and European countries, almost every family has several cars at its disposal. Each of them is a source of exhaust gases that enter the atmosphere in tons. In China, India and Russia, the situation does not seem to be the same yet, but the number of cars in the CIS, compared to 1991, has clearly increased significantly.

Factories and plants. Of course, we cannot do without industry, but we should not forget that when we receive the goods we need, we pay in return clean air. Soon, humanity will have nothing to breathe if factories and industrial enterprises do not learn to recycle their own waste instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

The combustion products of oil and coal consumed in thermal power plants rise into the air, filling it with very harmful impurities. Subsequently, toxic waste falls out along with precipitation, feeding chemicals soil. Because of this, green spaces are dying, but they are necessary to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. What about us without oxygen? We will die... So air pollution and human health are directly related.

Measures to protect air from pollution

What measures can humanity take to stop polluting the air on the planet? Scientists have long known the answer to this question, but in reality few people implement these measures. What should be done?

1. Officials must strengthen control over the organization of work of factories and industrial enterprises that is safe for nature and the environment. It is necessary to oblige the owners of all factories to install wastewater treatment plants to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere to zero. For violation of these obligations, introduce penalties, possibly in the form of a ban on the continuation of the activities of enterprises that continue to pollute the air.

2. Produce new cars that run only on environmentally friendly fuel. If we stop producing cars that consume gasoline and diesel fuel and replace them with electric cars or hybrid cars, then buyers will have no choice. People will buy cars that do not harm the atmosphere. It will happen in time complete replacement old cars into new, environmentally friendly ones, which will bring great benefits to ourselves, the inhabitants of the planet. Already, many people living in the countries of the European continent are choosing such transport.

The number of electric vehicles in the world has already reached 1.26 million. According to the forecast of the International Energy Association, in order to prevent a rise in temperature due to warming by more than 2 degrees, it is necessary to increase the number of electric vehicles on the roads to 150 million by 2030 and 1 billion by 2050, with other existing production indicators.

3. Environmentalists agree that if the operation of outdated thermal power plants is stopped, the situation will stabilize. However, first we need to find and implement new ways to extract energy resources. Many of them are already successfully used. People have learned to convert the energy of the sun, water and wind into electricity. Alternative views energy resources are not associated with the release of hazardous waste into external environment, which means they will help protect the air from pollution. In reality, in Hong Kong, more than half of the electricity generation comes from coal-fired thermal power plants, and therefore the share of carbon dioxide emissions in last years increased by 20%.

4. In order for the environmental situation to stabilize, we need to stop destroying natural resources - cutting down forests, draining water bodies, and start using minerals wisely. It is necessary to constantly increase green spaces so that they help purify the air and enrich it with oxygen.

5. It is necessary to increase public awareness. In particular, information on how to protect air from pollution for children. In this way, you can change the approach of many people to the current state of the situation.

Air pollution gives rise to many new problems - the incidence of cancer is increasing, people's life expectancy is decreasing, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The real problem is that the damaged ecology threatens global warming, and this will lead to serious natural disasters in the future. Already, the protest of our planet against the thoughtless activities of people is manifested in the form of floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural phenomena. Humanity needs to seriously think about protecting the air from dirt.

By the way!

At a meeting today in Rwanda, as reported by Reuters, delegates from nearly 200 countries agreed to reduce the use of greenhouse gases (hydrofluorocarbon gases) used in refrigeration equipment and air conditioners. Hydrofluorocarbon gases destroy the Earth's ozone layer many times more than carbon dioxide (10 thousand times).
The minister reported to journalists about the signing of the agreement following the meeting natural resources Rwanda.

Developed countries of the EU and the USA have pledged to reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbon gases by 10% by the beginning of 2019, that is, over the next 2 years.
India, China and Pakistan have pledged not to increase their use of hydrofluorocarbon gases until 2028, and to reduce their use after that date. Moreover, China – until 2024.

Let me remind you that on November 4, 2016, the Paris Climate Agreement (dated December 2015) will come into force, which gradually replaces the Kyoto Protocol, which is in force until 2020. Russia signed the Paris climate agreement.

Any production activity is accompanied by environmental pollution, including one of its main components – atmospheric air. Emissions from industrial enterprises, energy installations and transport into the atmosphere have reached such a level that pollution levels significantly exceed permissible sanitary standards.

According to GOST 17.2.1.04-77, all sources of air pollution (APP) are divided into natural and anthropogenic origin. In turn, sources of anthropogenic pollution are stationary And mobile. Mobile sources of pollution include all types of transport (with the exception of pipelines). Currently, due to changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation in terms of improving regulation in the field of environmental protection and introducing measures of economic incentives for business entities to implement best technologies it is planned to replace the concepts of “stationary source” and “mobile source”.

Stationary sources of pollution can be point, linear And areal.

Point source of pollution is a source that releases air pollutants from an installed opening (chimneys, ventilation shafts).

Linear source of pollution- this is a source that emits air pollutants along an established line (window openings, rows of deflectors, fuel racks).

Area source of pollution is a source that releases air pollutants from an installed surface ( tank farms, open evaporation surfaces, storage and transfer areas for bulk materials, etc. ) .

According to the nature of the organization of emissions, they can be organized And unorganized.

Organized source pollution is characterized by the presence special means removal of pollutants into the environment (mines, chimneys, etc.). In addition to organized removal, there are fugitive emissions penetrating into the atmospheric air through leaks technological equipment, openings as a result of spillage of raw materials and materials.

According to their purpose, IZA is divided into technological And ventilation.

Depending on the height of the mouth on the surface of the earth, there are 4 types of IZA: high (height more than 50 m), average (10 – 50 m), low(2 – 10 m) and ground (less than 2 m).

According to the mode of action, all ISAs are divided into continuous action And salvo.

Depending on the temperature difference between the emission and the surrounding atmospheric air, heated(hot) springs and cold.

Dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere.

Initially, the pollutant emitted from the pipe is a cloud of smoke (plume). If the substance has a density less than or approximately equal to the density of air, then most likely the direction of movement of the pollutant (pollutant) will coincide with the speed and direction of air movement; if the substance is heavier than air, then it will settle. Industrial emissions are usually a mixture of air with relatively small amounts of pollutants. The most common case is the movement of a contaminated jet together with the horizontal movement of air masses.

The change in the concentration of pollutants with distance from the mouth of the source of pollution depends on the height and intensity of mixing of air masses. As you move away from the pipe, the concentration along the axis of the torch decreases, and the size of the torch in the direction perpendicular to the axis increases. The initial point of contact of a stream of polluted air with the surface of the earth is the beginning of the pollution zone, after which the concentration of pollutants above the surface of the earth begins to increase, reaching a maximum at distances of 10 - 40 pipe heights, which is associated with the fall out of the plume of impurities reaching the surface of the earth at the moment, and also impurities that previously reached the ground and continue their movement in the direction of the wind. Wind speed at a specified altitude at which the surface concentration from the pollutant source reaches maximum value- called dangerous wind speed. When there is calm and low wind speeds, the emission plume rises to a great height and does not fall into the ground layers of air. At strong wind the smoke plume is actively mixed with a large volume of air. Thus, between calm and high wind speed there is such a dangerous wind speed at which the smoke torch, pressing against the ground at a certain distance X m, creates the largest surface concentration With m .

After reaching the maximum value, the concentration of pollutants begins to first quickly and then slowly decrease, usually inversely proportional to the distance from the source. The maximum concentration is directly proportional to the productivity of the source and inversely proportional to the distance from the source.

Many factors influence the dispersion of pollutants. First of all, it depends on the height of the pipe N and from the lifting height flue gases above the mouth of the pipe. The height of the rise of gases depends on the exit speed of the gas-air mixture  0 . Harmful substances spread in the direction of the wind within a sector limited by a rather small opening angle of the torch near the exit from the pipe of 10 - 20 °. If we assume that the opening angle does not change with distance, then the cross-sectional area of the torch should increase in proportion to the square of the distance (the torch widens).

Temperature has a strong influence on the level of surface concentration. atmospheric stratification, i.e. vertical temperature distribution. IN normal conditions During the day, the earth's surface warms up and, due to convection exchange, heats the lower surface layer of air. Under these conditions, as you rise upward, the temperature drops by 0.6 °C for every 100 m. At night, in clear weather, the surface of the earth gives off heat to the surrounding space. The earth's surface cools and, at the same time, cools the ground layer of air, which cools faster than the upper layers. As a result, an inversion (rotation) of the temperature distribution occurs. Air temperature increases with altitude.

With a normal temperature gradient, favorable conditions are created for emissions to “float up”; rising currents of warmer air intensify the mixing of gases. Under inversion conditions, these processes are weakened, which contributes to the accumulation of impurities in the surface layer.

Harmful substances emitted with flue gases are transferred and dispersed in the atmosphere depending on meteorological, climatic, terrain and the nature of the location of enterprise facilities on it, the height of chimneys and aerodynamic parameters of the emission gases.

Maximum value of ground level concentration of harmful substance With m(mg/m 3) when releasing a gas-air mixture from a single point source with a round mouth is achieved under unfavorable meteorological conditions at a distance x m(m) from the source and is determined by the formula

Where A- coefficient depending on the temperature stratification of the atmosphere; M(g/s) - the mass of a harmful substance emitted into the atmosphere per unit time; F- dimensionless coefficient taking into account the rate of deposition of harmful substances in the atmospheric air; T And n- coefficients. taking into account the conditions for the exit of the gas-air mixture from the mouth of the emission source; H(m) - height of the emission source above ground level (for ground-based sources, calculations take N= 2 m);  - dimensionless coefficient that takes into account the influence of terrain, in the case of flat or slightly rough terrain with a height difference not exceeding 50 m per 1 km,  = 1;  T(°C) - the difference between the temperature of the emitted gas-air mixture and the temperature of the surrounding atmospheric air; V 1 (m 3 /s) - flow rate of the gas-air mixture, determined by the formula

Where D(m) - diameter of the mouth of the emission source;  0 (m/s) - average speed of exit of the gas-air mixture from the mouth of the emission source.

If the pipe has a square or rectangular mouth, then the equivalent diameter is calculated using the formula:

Where a And b are the length and width of the pipe mouth, respectively. Meaning D eq is substituted instead D into the formula.

Coefficient value A, corresponding to unfavorable meteorological conditions, under which the concentration of harmful substances in the atmospheric air is maximum, is taken to be equal to:

a) 250 - for regions of Central Asia south of 40° N. sh., Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and Chita region;

b) 200 - for the European territory of the USSR: for regions of the RSFSR south of 50° N. sh., for other regions of the Lower Volga region, the Caucasus, Moldova; for the Asian territory of the USSR: for Kazakhstan. the Far East and the rest of Siberia and Central Asia;

c) 180 - for the European territory of the USSR and the Urals from 50 to 52° N. w. with the exception of the areas listed above and Ukraine falling within this zone;

d) 160 - for the European territory of the USSR and the Urals north of 52° N. w. (except for the ETS Center), as well as for Ukraine (for sources located in Ukraine with a height of less than 200 m in the zone from 50 to 52° N - 180, and south of 50° N - 200);

e) 140 - for Moscow, Tula, Ryazan, Vladimir, Kaluga, Ivanovo regions.

F accepted for gaseous harmful substances and fine aerosols (dust, ash, etc., the rate of ordered sedimentation of which is practically zero) - 1; for fine aerosols with an average operational emission purification factor of at least 90% - 2; from 75 to 90% - 2.5; less than 75% and in the absence of cleaning - 3.

When determining the value  T(°C) the ambient air temperature should be taken T V(°C), equal to the average maximum temperature of the outside air of the hottest month of the year according to SNiP 2.01.01-82, and the temperature of the gas-air mixture emitted into the atmosphere T G(°C) - according to the technological standards in force for this production. For boiler houses operating according to the heating schedule, it is allowed to take the following values in calculations: T V equal to the average outside air temperatures for the most cold month according to SNiP 2.01.01-82.

Dimensionless coefficient value F accepted:

a) for gaseous harmful substances and fine aerosols (dust, ash, etc., the rate of ordered sedimentation of which is practically zero) - 1;

b) for fine aerosols with an average operational emission purification factor of at least 90% - 2; from 75 to 90% - 2.5; less than 75% and in the absence of cleaning - 3.

Coefficient values m And n determined by nomograms or calculated.

According to GOST 17.2.1.04-77, all sources of air pollution (APP) are divided into natural and anthropogenic origin. In turn, sources of anthropogenic pollution are stationary And mobile. Mobile sources of pollution include all types of transport (with the exception of pipelines). Currently, in connection with changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation in terms of improving regulation in the field of environmental protection and introducing measures of economic incentives for business entities to implement the best technologies, it is planned to replace the concepts of “stationary source” and “mobile source”.

Stationary sources of pollution can be point, linear And areal.

Point source of pollution is a source that releases air pollutants from an installed opening (chimneys, ventilation shafts).

Linear source of pollution- this is a source that emits air pollutants along an established line (window openings, rows of deflectors, fuel racks).

Area source of pollution is a source that releases air pollutants from an installed surface ( tank farms, open evaporation surfaces, storage and transfer areas bulk materials etc. ) .

According to the nature of the organization of emissions, they can be organized And unorganized.

Organized source pollution is characterized by the presence of special means of removing pollutants into the environment (mines, chimneys, etc.). In addition to organized removal, there are fugitive emissions penetrating into the atmospheric air through leaks in technological equipment, openings, as a result of spillage of raw materials and materials.

According to their purpose, IZA is divided into technological And ventilation.

According to the mode of action, all ISAs are divided into continuous action And salvo.

Depending on the temperature difference between the emission and the surrounding atmospheric air, heated(hot) springs and cold.

End of work -

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Ecology as a science. History of the development of environmental teachings

History of the development of environmental teachings The formation of ecology as a science is associated with the names of English biologist scientists John Ray and chemist Robert Boyle D Ray in..

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If we consider environmental problems, one of the most pressing is air pollution. Environmentalists are sounding the alarm and calling on humanity to reconsider its attitude to life and consumption of natural resources, because only protection from air pollution will improve the situation and prevent serious consequences. Find out how to solve such a pressing issue, influence the environmental situation and preserve the atmosphere.

Natural sources of clogging

What is air pollution? This concept includes the introduction and entry into the atmosphere and all its layers of uncharacteristic elements of a physical, biological or chemical nature, as well as changes in their concentrations.

What pollutes our air? Air pollution is caused by many reasons, and all sources can be divided into natural or natural, as well as artificial, that is, anthropogenic.

It’s worth starting with the first group, which includes pollutants generated by nature itself:

The first source is volcanoes. When they erupt, they emit huge quantities of tiny particles of various rocks, ash, poisonous gases, sulfur oxides and other equally harmful substances. And although eruptions occur quite rarely, according to statistics, as a result of volcanic activity, the level of air pollution increases significantly, because up to 40 million tons of hazardous compounds are released into the atmosphere every year.
If we consider natural causes of air pollution, then it is worth noting such as peat or forest fires. Most often, fires occur due to unintentional arson by a person who is negligent about the rules of safety and behavior in the forest. Even a small spark from a fire that is not completely extinguished can cause the fire to spread. Less often, fires are caused by very high solar activity, which is why the peak of danger occurs in the hot summer.
Considering the main types of natural pollutants, one cannot fail to mention dust storms, which arise due to strong gusts of wind and mixing of air currents. During a hurricane or other natural event, tons of dust rises, causing air pollution.

Artificial sources

Air pollution in Russia and other developed countries is often caused by the influence of anthropogenic factors caused by the activities carried out by people.

Let us list the main artificial sources causing air pollution:

Rapid development of industry. It’s worth starting with chemical air pollution caused by the activities of chemical plants. Toxic substances released into the air poison it. Metallurgical plants also cause atmospheric air pollution with harmful substances: metal processing is a complex process that involves huge emissions as a result of heating and combustion. In addition, small solid particles formed during the manufacture of building or finishing materials also pollute the air.
The problem of air pollution from motor vehicles is especially pressing. Although other types also provoke, it is cars that have the most significant negative impact on it, since there are many more of them than any other vehicles. The exhaust emitted by motor vehicles and generated during engine operation contains a lot of substances, including hazardous ones. It's sad that emissions are increasing every year. An increasing number of people are acquiring an “iron horse”, which, of course, has a detrimental effect on the environment.
Operation of thermal and nuclear power plants, boiler plants. The life of humanity at this stage is impossible without the use of such installations. They supply us with vital resources: heat, electricity, hot water. But when any type of fuel is burned, the atmosphere changes.
Household waste. Every year the purchasing power of people increases, and as a result, the volumes of waste generated also increase. Their disposal is not given due attention, but some types of waste are extremely dangerous, have a long decomposition period and emit fumes that have an extremely adverse effect on the atmosphere. Every person pollutes the air every day, but waste from industrial enterprises, which is taken to landfills and is not disposed of in any way, is much more dangerous.

What substances most often pollute the air?

There are an incredibly large number of air pollutants, and environmentalists are constantly discovering new ones, which is associated with the rapid pace of industrial development and the introduction of new production and processing technologies. But the most common compounds found in the atmosphere are:

Carbon monoxide, also called carbon monoxide. It is colorless and odorless and is formed during incomplete combustion of fuel at low volumes of oxygen and low temperatures. This compound is dangerous and causes death due to lack of oxygen.
Carbon dioxide is found in the atmosphere and has a slightly sour odor.
Sulfur dioxide is released during the combustion of some sulfur-containing fuels. This compound provokes acid rain and depresses human breathing.
Nitrogen dioxides and oxides characterize air pollution from industrial enterprises, since they are most often formed during their activities, especially during the production of certain fertilizers, dyes and acids. These substances can also be released as a result of fuel combustion or during operation of the machine, especially when it is malfunctioning.
Hydrocarbons are one of the most common substances and can be contained in solvents, detergents, and petroleum products.
Lead is also harmful and is used to make batteries, cartridges and ammunition.
Ozone is extremely toxic and is formed during photochemical processes or during the operation of transport and factories.

Now you know which substances pollute the air most often. But this is only a small part of them; the atmosphere contains a lot of different compounds, and some of them are even unknown to scientists.

Sad consequences

The scale of the impact of air pollution on human health and the entire ecosystem as a whole is simply enormous, and many people underestimate it. Let's start with the environment.

Firstly, due to polluted air, a greenhouse effect has developed, which gradually but globally changes the climate, leads to warming and provokes natural disasters. It can be said that it leads to irreversible consequences in the state of the environment.
Secondly, acid rain is becoming more and more frequent, which has a negative impact on all life on Earth. Through their fault, entire populations of fish die, unable to live in such an acidic environment. A negative impact is observed when examining historical monuments and architectural monuments.
Thirdly, fauna and flora suffer, since dangerous fumes are inhaled by animals, they also enter plants and gradually destroy them.

A polluted atmosphere has an extremely negative impact on human health. The emissions enter the lungs and cause disruptions in the respiratory system and severe allergic reactions. Together with the blood, dangerous compounds are carried throughout the body and greatly wear it out. And some elements can provoke mutation and degeneration of cells.

How to solve the problem and save the environment

The problem of air pollution is very relevant, especially considering that the environment has deteriorated greatly over the past few decades. And it needs to be solved comprehensively and in several ways.

Let's consider several effective measures to prevent air pollution:

To combat air pollution, it is mandatory to install treatment and filtering facilities and systems at individual enterprises. And at particularly large industrial plants it is necessary to begin introducing stationary monitoring posts for monitoring air pollution.
To avoid air pollution from cars, you should switch to alternative and less harmful energy sources, such as solar panels or electricity.
Replacing combustible fuels with more accessible and less dangerous ones, such as water, wind, sunlight and others that do not require combustion, will help protect atmospheric air from pollution.
The protection of atmospheric air from pollution must be supported at the state level, and there are already laws aimed at protecting it. But it is also necessary to act and exercise control in individual constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
One of the effective ways that air protection from pollution should include is to establish a system for disposing of all waste or recycling it.
To solve the problem of air pollution, plants should be used. Widespread landscaping will improve the atmosphere and increase the amount of oxygen in it.

How to protect atmospheric air from pollution? If all of humanity fights it, then there is a chance of improving the environment. Knowing the essence of the problem of air pollution, its relevance and the main solutions, we need to jointly and comprehensively combat pollution.