CLASSIFICATION OF

AIR POLLUTANTS
CHE185
Narvaez, Jaira Danielle
Ocampo, Aileen
Peaflor, Judel Joshua

What is Air Pollution

May be defined as any atmospheric
condition in which substances are
present at concentrations high enough
above their normal ambient levels to
produce a measurable effect on man,
animals, vegetation, or materials.

What is Air Pollution

Substances
any natural or anthropogenic
(man-made) chemical compounds
capable of being airborne.
They may exist in the atmosphere
as gases, liquid drops, or solid
particles

What is Air Pollution

Measurable effects on human and
Environment due to:
indoor air pollutants
air toxics and radioactivity
urban photochemical smog
acid rain
greenhouse warming
depletion of ozone layer
climate forcing due to anthropogenic
atmospheric aerosols

Emission
Sources

Atmosphere
Pollutan
ts

1.
Transportation

2. Industrial
and Fuel
Burning
3. Industrial

acts as a
medium for
transport and
dispersion,
physical and
chemical
transformatio
ns

Receptors
Mixing
and
Chemical
Reaction
1.

Humans
2.
Animals
3. Plants
4.
Materials

Air pollution
can come from
a variety of
sources
including
natural
sources and
manufactured
sources

AIR POLLUTION
CLASSIFICATION
According to chemical composition:
1.Sulfur-containing compounds
2.Nitrogen-containing compounds
3.Carbon-containing compounds
4.Halogen-containing compounds
5.Toxic substances
6.Radiative compounds
According to categories:
7.Primary pollutants
8.Secondary pollutants

TYPES AND SOURCES OF AIR

POLLUTANTS

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Particulate Matter (PM)

Sulfur Dioxide
Nitrogen Oxides
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Carbon Monoxide
Lead

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
PARTICULATE MATTER
solid or aqueous particles composed of
one or several chemicals and small
enough to remain suspended in the air
PM 10 are particles with diameter < 10
micrometers (m)
Effects:
diverse health effects
contribute to urban haze, cause
visibility reduction

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
PARTICULATE MATTER
Examples
Dust
Soot
Smoke
Sulfates
Nitrates
Asbestos
Pesticides
Bioaerosols (e.g., pollen, spores,
bacterial cells, fragments of insects,

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
PARTICULATE MATTER
Sources
power plants
iron/steel mills
land clearing
highway construction
Mining
other activities that disturb or disrupt
the earth's surface

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
SULFUR OXIDES
Gases produced by the chemical
interactions between sulfur and oxygen
(mainly sulfur dioxide)
Sulfur is present in many fuels (e.g., coal,
crude oils) over a wide range of
concentrations. Combustion causes its
oxidation to sulfur dioxide.

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
SULFUR OXIDES
Effects:
Causes severe respiratory problems
Causes acid precipitation (H2SO4 )
Sulfur dioxide is an precursor of sulfate
particulates (sulfates) which affect the
radiation balance of the atmosphere and
can cause global cooling

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
NITROGEN OXIDES
Nitric oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide,
NO2
Are formed mainly from N2 and O2
during high temperature combustion of
fuel in cars

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
NITROGEN OXIDES
Effects:
causes the reddish-brown haze in city
air, which contributes to heart and
lung problems and may be
carcinogenic
Acid rain
nitrogen oxides combines with
water to produce nitric acid, HNO3,
and other acids
Affect the radiation balance of the

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCs) :
Hydrocarbons
those that contain both hydrogen and
carbon
Examples:
Methane
Benzene
Propane
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)
Concentrations of many VOCs are
consistently higher indoors than outdoors.
some HCs and VOCs contribute to ozone

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
CARBON MONOXIDE
is a colorless odorless flammable gas,
major pollutant of an urban air, produced
from incomplete combustion.
CO is also produced by atmospheric
oxidation of methane gas and other
hydrocarbons.
Effects:
highly poisonous
reduces the ability of blood
hemoglobin to attach oxygen

SECONDARY POLLUTANTS
Ozone
- the stratosphere where it occurs
naturally
- the troposphere where it occurs both
naturally and as a result of humangenerated emissions.
Stratospheric Ozone
Tropospheric Ozone

Photochemical Smog - is a product of

the chemical reaction between

SECONDARY POLLUTANTS
Ozone
Ozone in the troposphere can have the
following negative effects on animals
(including humans) and the natural
environment:
Respiratory infections
Difficulty in breathing
Reduction in agricultural yields
Interference with photosynthesis and
suppression of growth of some plant
species

AIR POLLUTANTS: POPs

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
are compounds which are resistant to
degradation and persistent in the
environment, with half lives of years in the
soil or sediment and days in the
atmosphere.
Such compounds may include dioxins,
furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and
organochlorine pesticides such as DDT.
Sources: Pesticides
Effects:
Death and illness including disruption of
endocrine, reproductive and immune

We can reduce indoor

air pollution !

We can reduce indoor

air pollution !
In developed countries:
1. Use low-toxicity material
2. Monitor air quality
3. Keep rooms clean
4. Limit exposure to chemicals
In developing countries:
5. Dry wood before burning
6. Cook outside
7. Use less-polluting fuels (natural gas)

THANK YOU!
Reference:
http://www.plastep.eu/fileadmin/dateien/Events/2011/110725_Summer_Schoo
l/Vasarevicius_Classification_PlasTEP__2_.pdf