Air Pollution

What is Air Pollution?

Air pollution means

any solid, liquid or
gaseous substance
present in the
atmosphere in such
concentrations that may
tend to be injurious to
human beings or other
living creature or plants
or property or
enjoyment.

What is Air Pollution?

Perkins ( 1974)defined air pollution as the presence

in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more contaminants
such as dust, fumes, gas, mist, odor, smoke or vapor in
quantities or characteristics and of duration such as to be
injurious to human, plant or animal life or property or
which unreasonably interferes with the comfortable
enjoyment of life and property.

Classification of Pollutants

Natural
Contaminants
Pollen is important
natural contaminant
because of its peculiar
properties of irritation
and allergy sometimes
leading to bronchitis,
asthma and dermatitis.

Classification of Pollutants

Aerosols
Dust produced by
crushing, grinding and
natural sources like
windstorm.

Classification of Pollutants

Aerosols
Smoke made up of
finely divided particles
produced by incomplete
combustion.

Classification of Pollutants

Aerosols
Mist a light dispersion
of minute water droplets
suspended in the
atmosphere ranging from
40 to 400 micron in size.

Classification of Pollutants

Aerosols
Fog made up of
dispersion of water or ice
near the earths surface
reducing visibility to less
than 500 m.

Classification of Pollutants

Aerosols
Fumes are solid
particles generated by
condensation from the
gaseous state after
volatilization from melted
substances.

Classification of Pollutants
Gases
SMOG
Smog is the most important and dangerous. It can
be of two types photochemical or produced by coal.
*Photochemical smog occurs in high motorized
areas under adverse meteoroidal conditions (no wind),
by the interaction of hydrocarbons and oxidants in
presence of sunlight. It causes severe eye irritation,
reduces visibility, damages vegetation and cracks the
rubber.
*Coal based smog occurs due to the mixing of smoke
in calm cold conditions with the sulfur compound and
fly ash.

Carbonmonoxide
It is a colourless, odourless gas that is
poisonous animals. It is formed by incomplete
combustion of carbon containing fuels.
Source of carbonmonoxide is cigarette smoking
and incomplete combustion of fossil fuels
(more than 77% comes from motor vehicle
exhaust)
Nitrogen Dioxide
It is a reddish-brown irritating gas that
causes photochemical smog. In the
atmosphere, it gets converted into nitric acid
(HNO3). It is caused by burning fossil fuels in
industries and power plants.

Sulphur Dioxide
It is a colourless and irritating gas that is formed
by combustion of sulphur containing fossil fuels such
as coal and oil. In the atmosphere it is converted into
Sulphuric acid which is a major component of acid
deposition.

Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM)

Includes a variety of particles and droplets
(aerosols) that can be suspended in atmosphere for
short to long periods.
Human sources for SPM include burning coal in
power and industrial units, burning diesel and other
fuels in vehicles, agriculture, unpaved roads,
construction, etc.

Ozone
-is a highly reactive gas with an
unpleasant odour occurring in the
stratosphere where it protects mankind fro
the harmful ultra-violet rays from the Sun.
However on earth, it is a pollutant.
It occurs on earth due to reaction between
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and
Nitrogen Oxides. It moderates the climate

Hydrocarbons
Lower hydrocarbons accumulate due
to decay of vegetable matter.

Types of Air Pollution

Personal air exposure
It refers to exposure to dust, fumes and gases to
which an individual exposes himself when he indulge
himself in smoking
Occupational air exposure
It represents the type of exposure of individuals to
potentially harmful concentration of aerosols, vapors,
and gases in their working environment.
Community air exposure
This is most serious, complex, consists of varieties
of assortment of pollution sources, meteorological
factors, and wide variety of adverse social,
economical, and health effects.

Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor airis air within a building such as your

home, classroom, office, shopping center, hospital or
gym. We sayIndoor Air Pollutionif indoor air is
contaminated by smoke, chemicals, smells or
particles.
Unlike outdoor air pollution, the effect of indoor air
pollution is health related and less of an
environmental issue. In colder regions, building and
heating methods make use of airtight spaces, less
ventilation and energy efficient heating. Sometimes
synthetic building materials, smells from household
care and furnishing chemicals can all be trapped
indoors. As less fresh air gets indoors, the
concentration of pollutants such as pollen, tobacco
smoke, mold, pesticides, radon, asbestos and carbon
monoxide trapped inside the building increases and
people breathe that in.

Common indoor air pollutants

Tobacco smoke
This is smoke burning cigarettes or exhaled smoke by
people smoking.
Biological Pollutants
These include allergens such as pollen from plants, hair
from pets, fungi and some bacteria.
Radon
This is a gas that is naturally emitted from the ground.
Radon can be trapped in basements of building and homes.
The gas is known to cause cancer after exposure over a
period.
Carbon Monoxide
This is a poisonous gas with no color or smell. Carbon
monoxide is produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal or
wood do not burn fully.

Cause and Effects

IMPACTS ON
ENVIRONMENT
Acts like carbon
Fatal at high doses. Attacks
Carbon Monoxide
dioxide. i.e. traps the
the nervous system
earths heat
POLLUTANTS

HEALTH EFFECTS

Hydrocarbons

Cause eye irritation,

coughing and drowsiness.
High molecular weight
compounds can be cancer
producing(carcinogenic)

Oxides of nitrogen
Benzene
Ozone near earth
surface
Lead (Pb)

Asthma and loss of

immunity
Carcinogenic
Eye irritation
Impairs the mental ability

Produce the
dangerous
photochemical smog
Acid rain

Impairs the growth of

plants
Water pollution, SPM

POLLUTANT

HUMAN HEALTH

ENVIRONMENT

Arsenic

Bronchitis, dermatitis and skin

cancer

death, inhibition of growth,

photosynthesis and reproduction, and
behavioural effects

Aldehydes

Irritation of eyes and respiratory

tracts

Chlorine

Irritation to eye,nose,throat.
Bronchitis, pneumonitis

Bleach plants leaves, stops the plants

from producing chlorophyll

Lead

Systemic poison,
anaemia(reduction of
haemoglobin), affects kidney
faction, damages brain

pollute soils or surface waters

Mercury

Highly toxic, enzyme poison,

nervous system disorder

Nickel

Respiratory disorder

Pesticides

affect reproduction, reducing

microbiological activity, vital to the
terrestrial food chain
high nickel concentrations on sandy
soils can clearly damage plants and
high nickel concentrations in surface
waters can diminish the growth rates
of algae

Various insecticides, herbicides,

fungicides, nematicides and
reducingbiodiversityby reducing food
repellents are toxic and produce
availability of native species
headache, stomach disturbances
and irritations

Cause and Effects

Natural Air
Pollution
Forest fires, erupting
volcanoes, and gases
released from radioactive
decay of rocks inside
Earth are just three
examples of natural air
pollution that can have
hugely disruptive effects
on people and the planet.

Cause and EffectsTraffic

Virtually all of cars
are powered by gasoline
and diesel engines that
burn petroleum to
release energy.
Petroleum is made up of
hydrocarbons (large
molecules built from
hydrogen and carbon)
and, in theory, burning
them fully with enough
oxygen should produce
nothing worse than
carbon dioxide and
water.

Cause and Effects

Power plants
Renewable energy
sources such as solar
panels and wind turbines
are helping us generate a
bigger proportion of our
power every year, but
the overwhelming
majority of electricity is
still produced by burning
fossil fuels such as coal,
gas, and oil, mostly in
conventional power
plants.

Cause and Effects

Mining operations
Mining is a process
wherein minerals below
the earth are extracted
using large equipment.
During the process dust
and chemicals are
released in the air
causing massive air
pollution. This is one of
the reason which is
responsible for the
deteriorating health
conditions of workers and
nearby residents.

Cause and Effects

Agricultural effects
We know that air
pollution (in common
withwater pollution) can
seriously affect the growth
of plants. At one end of the
spectrum, it's easy to find
chemical residues in plants
that grow alongside
highways. At the opposite
extreme, the huge increase
in atmospheric carbon
dioxide now causing global
warming and climate
change is expected to have
a major impact on the
world's agriculture.

Human Health

Cause and Effects

According to
theWorld Health
Organization(WHO), air
pollution is one of the
world's biggest killers: it
causes around two
million people to die
prematurely each year.
Deaths aren't the only
human consequence of
air pollution. For every
person who dies,
hundreds or thousands
more suffer breathing
problems such as asthma
and bronchitis.

Cause and Effects

Respiratory and
heart problems
The effects of Air
pollution are alarming. They
are known to create several
respiratory and heart
conditions along with
Cancer, among other
threats to the body. Several
millions are known to have
died due to direct or indirect
effects of Air pollution.
Children in areas exposed to
air pollutants are said to
commonly suffer from
pneumonia and asthma.

Global warming
Another direct effect is
the immediate alterations
that the world is witnessing
due to Global warming.
With increased
temperatures world wide,
increase in sea levels and
melting of ice from colder
regions and icebergs,
displacement and loss of
habitat have already
signaled an impending
disaster if actions for
preservation and
normalization arent
undertaken soon.

Cause and Effects

Cause and Effects

Acid Rain
Harmful gases like
nitrogen oxides and
sulfur oxides are released
into the atmosphere
during the burning of
fossil fuels. When it rains,
the water droplets
combines with these air
pollutants, becomes
acidic and then falls on
the ground in the form of
acid rain. Acid rain can
cause great damage to
human, animals and
crops.

Cause and

Depletion of Ozone
Effectslayer
Ozone exists in earths
stratosphere and is
responsible for protecting
humans from harmful
ultraviolet (UV) rays. Earths
ozone layer is depleting due to
the presence of
chlorofluorocarbons, hydro
chlorofluorocarbons in the
atmosphere. As ozone layer
will go thin, it will emit harmful
rays back on earth and can
cause skin and eye related
problems. UV rays also have
the capability to affect crops.

Cause and Effects

Effect on Wildlife
Just like humans,
animals also face some
devastating affects of air
pollution. Toxic chemicals
present in the air can
force wildlife species to
move to new place and
change their habitat. The
toxic pollutants deposit
over the surface of the
water and can also affect
sea animals.

How can we control air pollution

in the environment?

How can we control air pollution

in the environment?
1. Controlling the spread of
coal dust by sprinkling
water on it before
handling in a thermal
power plant
2. Preventive maintenance
by repairing leaky valves
in advance so as to
prevent the leakages of
the harmful gases in air.
3. Applying zoning to
distribute the impact of
air pollution in a
community
4. Selection of proper
material

How can we control

air regular
pollution
1. Make
tuning of the
in the environment?vehicle
2. Keep its engine and
silencer in good condition
3. Get balancing of vehicles
regularly

4. Maintain air pressure in

tubes properly
5. Avoid using adulterated
fuel
6. Never use or apply
pressure horn
7. Use vehicle when very
necessary
8. If convenient rely mostly on
public transport

Laws and Regulations

Republic Act No. 8749: Philippines Clean Air

Act
The Clean Air Act outlines the governments
measures to reduce air pollution and incorporate
environmental protection into its development plans.
It relies heavily on the polluter pays principle and
other market-based instruments to promote selfregulation among the population. It sets emission
standards for all motor vehicles and issues
registration only upon demonstration of compliance.
It also issues pollutant limitations for industry.

Presidential Decree No. 1181

Providing for the Prevention,
Control, and Abatement of Air
Pollution from Motor Vehicles and for
Other Purposes

It is the purpose of this Decree to prevent control,

and abate the emission of air pollution from motor
vehicles in order to protect the health and welfare of
the people and to prevent or minimize damage to
property and hazards to land transportation.

Republic Act No. 6969

Toxic Substances and
Hazardous and Nuclear Waste
Control Act of 1990
Presidential Decree No. 1586
Establishing an Environmental Impact
Statement System, Including Other Environmental
Management Related Measures and For Other
Purposes

Programs
Linis Hangin Program
- is a multi- sectorial effort that focuses on the three
main sources of air pollution in our country, Bantay
Tambutso (for vehicular sources), Bantay Tsimeneya ( for
industrial sources) and Bantay Sunog Basura ( for area
sources)
- Bantay Tambutso has the objective of minimizing
smoke belchers plying major thoroughfares of Metro
Manila.
- The Linis Hangin : Bantay Tambutso programs aims to
reduce pollutants especially total suspended particulates
coming from vehicular emissions which can cause serious
respiratory ailments.

o Completion of the MRT construction along EDSA

o Implementation of the MMDAUnified Vehicle
Reduction Program along main thoroughfares (Color
coding) i.e. EDSA

 Intensified antismoke belching operations by

MMDA thru MMAQISDP (20002002), the SMOKE
FREE EDSA (Oct 2003) later changed to LINIS
HANGIN PROGRAM (Nov. 2004 up to June 2009) by
DENR.
Effective July 2009, INTENSIFIED ASB OEPRATIONS
OF THE METRO MANILA LGUs in coordination with
the MMASBA, LTO and LTFRB
Intensified stack emission testing program of
industrial sources/facilities within the Metro Manila
Air shed (MMAQISDP)/accreditation of 3rd Party
Stack Emission Firms (2003present)

Improved fuel quality

Phaseout of leaded gasoline in January 2001
Reduction of benzene and aromatics in ULG from
4% (by vol.) to 2% and 45% to 35% from Jan. 2000
to Jan. 2003, respectively
Reduction of sulfur content of automotive diesel oil
(ADO) from 0.5% to 0.20% from 1999 to 2001 &
further reduction to 0.05% in Jan.2004

Use of Alternative Fuels

Conversion of gasolinefed taxis to LPG
Introduction of new CNG buses pursuant to
Executive Order No. 290 [Natural Gas Vehicle
Program for Public Transport (NGVPPT)] dated 14
February 2004. To date, a total of 30 new CNG
buses plying the route of Batangas/Sta. CruzEDSA
Cubao & vice versa (on commercial scale)
Intensified IEC and public awareness campaign
Voluntary phaseout of 2stroke motorcycles by the
motorcycle manufacturers in mid 2006

Examples

Group 2
Leaders:
Bautista, Jenika Mare G.
Calibara, Liezel C.
Members:
De Leon, John Christian C.
Dela Cruz, Joyce Camille V.
Faulan, Patrick Neil L.
Ilustrisimo, Harold Loyd M.
Laylo, Anna Marie E.
Moredo, Ruel V.
Pagcaliwagan, Renz
Saballa, John Eric P.
Toreja, Romark P.

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