Air pollutant
Air pollutant
Air pollutant (pronunciation: /ɛər pəˈluːtənt/) is a substance in the air that can cause harm to humans and the environment.
Etymology
The term "air pollutant" is derived from the Latin words 'aer' meaning 'air', and 'polluere' meaning 'to soil or defile'.
Definition
An air pollutant is a harmful or excessive quantity of a substance, particles, or biological materials that exist in the Earth's atmosphere. These pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. They can be natural or man-made. Pollutants can be classified as primary or secondary. Usually, primary pollutants are substances directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption, the carbon monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust or sulfur dioxide released from factories. Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air when primary pollutants react or interact.
Related Terms
- Particulate matter: These are tiny particles of solids or liquids suspended in a gas or liquid. In the context of air pollution, they are often the by-products of chemical reactions between air pollutants.
- Smog: This is a type of air pollutant that is a mixture of smoke and fog. It is often caused by burning large amounts of coal or oil.
- Greenhouse gases: These are gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat. They let sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the heat that the sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere. The main greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
- Ozone layer: This is a layer in the Earth's stratosphere at an altitude of about 10 km containing a high concentration of ozone, which absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation.
- Acid rain: This is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure.
- Air Quality Index (AQI): This is a number used by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Air pollutant
- Wikipedia's article - Air pollutant
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