The process of air pollution has been going on for more than the first millennium, but never before has it been as intense as in the past decades. The only effect that a person once had on the atmosphere, causing air pollution , is the use of fire. Because of this, the walls of the house suffered and it became difficult to breathe in the room, however, the heat that gave the people flame was much more important. Even when ancient people concentrated in large enough groups, it did not pose a threat to the atmosphere. That was until the nineteenth century. And in the last hundred years, such technological processes that once a person could not even imagine have spread. And what is the uncontrolled growth of millionaire cities worth, which is no longer possible to stop. Air pollution is, of course, the result of human activities.
Three categories of sources of air pollution can be distinguished: industrial, domestic, and transport. In different parts of the world, the proportion of each species is very different. In general, industry is the most harmful.
Thermal power plants, together with smoke, emit carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, enterprises processing ferrous and especially non-ferrous metals emit nitrogen oxides, chlorine, ammonia, fluorine, hydrogen sulfide, phosphorus, and mercury particles. Cement and chemical plants are also a source of pollution. Harmful gases resulting from the burning of various fuels for the needs of industry, heating, housing, transport, waste processing - these are also causes of air pollution .
Pollution itself is primary and secondary. The former immediately enter the atmosphere, and the latter are formed as a result of the conversion and decomposition of primary pollutants. For example, sulfur dioxide passes into sulfuric anhydride, which interacts with water vapor and forms droplets of sulfuric acid. If sulfuric anhydride enters into a chemical reaction with ammonia, ammonium sulfate is released in the form of crystals.
Danger to the atmosphere is represented by pyrogenic sources that cause air pollution - chemical and metallurgical industry enterprises, thermal power plants, boiler plants. The following harmful substances are released as a result of their activity:
- carbon monoxide. It is formed when its compounds do not completely burn out. It goes into the air after burning solid waste, with exhausts and emissions from enterprises. Carbon monoxide actively reacts with many elements of the atmosphere and gradually contributes to an increase in temperature throughout the planet.
- Sulfur anhydride. This substance is the result of burning fuel, which includes sulfur, as well as processing it in the form of ore.
- Sulfuric anhydride is the result of the oxidation of the above substance. It is absorbed into the soil with rainwater, acidifying it.
Air pollution causes cosmic dust, which is released after the combustion of meteorites passing in the atmosphere. Every year, a huge amount of “garbage” from space settles on earth - up to five million tons. Dust from the Earth is part of the atmosphere, its main sources are steppes and deserts, volcanoes, mold fungi, products of decay and decomposition of plants and animals.
The air above the surface of the oceans contains small particles of salts of sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, which appear after the spray of water has dried.
It should be noted that natural air pollution does not threaten negative consequences for any biocenosis and living organisms, however, a short-term negative effect is not excluded.
Dust in the atmosphere provokes an early accumulation of condensate and, as a result, precipitation forms more quickly. It also significantly reduces the penetration of solar radiation, protecting living organisms.