Introduction to the hazards of air pollution

Air is what we breathe every day, but the quality of the air has become vulnerable over time. The industrialized society has brought not only technological progress, but also polluted air. Although for ordinary people, air pollution is not a serious matter, in fact, air pollution will affect our health. Next, we will introduce to you in detail the hazards of air pollution.

Harmful to human body

Air pollutants cause harm to the human body in many ways, the main manifestations being respiratory diseases and physiological dysfunction, as well as irritation of mucous membranes such as the eyes and nose.

When the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere is very high, it can cause acute pollution poisoning, or worsen the symptoms, and even claim thousands of lives within a few days. In fact, even if the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere is not high, breathing this polluted air for years can cause diseases such as chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, emphysema and lung cancer.

Harm to plants

Atmospheric pollutants, especially sulfur dioxide and fluoride, are extremely harmful to plants. When the concentration of pollutants is very high, it will cause acute harm to plants, causing scars on the surface of plant leaves, or directly causing the leaves to wither and fall off; when the concentration of pollutants is not high, it will cause chronic harm to plants, causing plant leaves to turn green, or no visible symptoms of harm may appear on the surface, but the physiological functions of the plants have been affected, resulting in a decrease in plant yield and deterioration in quality.

Impact on climate

The impact of atmospheric pollutants on weather and climate is very significant, which can be explained from the following aspects:

① Reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the ground: A large amount of smoke particles emitted into the atmosphere from factories, power stations, cars, and home heating equipment make the air very turbid, blocking the sunlight and reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching the ground. According to observations, on days when smog lingers in large industrial cities, the amount of sunlight directly reaching the ground is reduced by nearly 40% compared to days without smog. In cities where air pollution is serious, if it happens every day, people, animals and plants will suffer from poor growth and development due to lack of sunlight.

② Increase atmospheric precipitation: Many of the particles discharged from large industrial cities act as water vapor condensation nuclei. Therefore, when there are other precipitation conditions in the atmosphere, precipitation weather will occur. Precipitation is higher in areas downwind of large industrial cities.

③Acid rain: Sometimes, the rain falling from the sky contains sulfuric acid. This acid rain is formed when sulfur dioxide, a pollutant in the atmosphere, is oxidized to form sulfuric acid, which then falls as natural precipitation. Sulfuric acid rain can destroy large tracts of forests and crops, corrode and break paper, textiles, leather products, etc., deteriorate metal anti-rust coatings and reduce their protective effects, and corrode and pollute buildings.

The above content is some introduction to the hazards of air pollution. Air pollution will have a huge impact on our lives, so in order to reduce these hazards, we also need to cherish our environment. When the air pollution is serious, we need to wear a mask when going out and avoid breathing polluted particles that affect the respiratory tract.