We must contain air pollution

The atmosphere normally has nitrogen, oxygen and a small amount of carbon dioxide and other gasses and particulates. The work of a number of natural processes is to make sure that there occurs a balance in all the different segments of the atmosphere -- for example, plants use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen which is used by animals, and they produce carbon dioxide through respiration. Forest fires and volcanic eruption cause gasses and particulates to shoot up into the atmosphere and rain washes them out and wind scatters them.

Air pollution occurs when such large amounts of gas and particulates are released into the air that natural processes are not able to take care of and maintain the balance in the atmosphere.

In our times, enormous amount of gasses and particulates pour into the atmosphere every year. Most of it comes from the burning of fuels. Some of it also comes from businesses and industrial processes. The burning of garbage may release smoke and heavy metals such as mercury and lead into the atmosphere. Also many dry cleaning plants remove dirt from clothing using a chemical called perchloroethylene, which is a hazardous air pollutant.

One of the most common types of air pollution is smog which is a hazy, brown mixture of gasses and particulates. Smog develops when certain gasses which are released by the burning of gasoline and other petroleum products react with sunlight in the atmosphere. This is how hundreds of harmful chemicals that make up smog are created.

Ozone, one of the chemicals found in smog, is a highly toxic form of oxygen. Too much exposure to ozone causes some people to have headache, burning eyes and irritation in the respiratory system. Ozone is also a threat to plant life. In the lower atmosphere ozone may also cause death..

Acid rain is made up of rain and other precipitation that is polluted mainly by sulfuric and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide react with water vapour in the air these acids are formed. These gasses come from the burning of coal, gas, and oil by cars, factories and power plants. The acids found in rain travel through the air and water and harm large areas of the environment. Too much acid rain may harm forests and soil.

CFC is short for chlorofluorocarbon. These chemicals are dangerous pollutants that destroy the ozone layer. CFCs are used in refrigerators, air conditioners and styrofoam. Amazingly, the ozone which is the same gas that is a harmful pollutant in smog forms a protective layer in the upper atmosphere shielding us from the ultra violet rays of the sun. As CFCs thin the ozone layer these menacing, ultra violet rays reach the surface of the earth. Overexposure to radiation damages plant life and increases the likelihood of skin cancer in people.

The warming of the earth that results when the earth's atmosphere traps the sun's heat is called the greenhouse effect. Gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane allow the sunlight to reach the earth but prevent the heat from leaving the atmosphere. These heat trapping gasses are called greenhouse gasses and cause global warming. Fuel burning and other human activities make the ozone layer get thinner and thinner.

Air pollution is a threat to our quality of life and threatens the lives of the people to come. We cannot continue what we are doing at the cost of our health and the lives of the people who have not arrived. This is crime. Therefore, something, anything should be done to reduce air pollution -- and I mean you and me not just the prime ministers and the officials -- I mean every individual should do his/her bit.

Naeema Naqeeb is a student of Lakehead Grammar School.