Air pollution. What is it? What causes it? What makes it worse?According to the World Health Organiz
Air pollution. What is it? What causes it? What makes it worse?According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.” When air pollution is mentioned, many conjure up a mental image of Beijing’s residents wearing masks to inhibit the inhalation of polluted air. Yet, according to a 2016 report by the WHO, about 80% of cities have worse air quality than is considered healthy, and Beijing does not even rank in the bottom 15 cities. It is important to expand our conception and knowledge of air pollution beyond the smog that plagues Beijing.Air pollution is caused by natural and anthropogenic factors. Automobile exhaust, industrial plants, wood burning stoves, and wildfires all produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides. When sunlight interacts with VOCs and fine particles in the air, like dust and water vapor, smog is formed. The formation of smog can be hindered or exacerbated by climate and geography. Smog forms fastest on hot, sunny days with no wind. Temperature inversions, which disrupt the natural flow of the atmosphere, create conditions where smog can linger over a city for days. When inversions occur warm air gets trapped near the ground instead of rising. Without an incoming weather system to clear the air, more pollutants are added to the atmosphere and the smog gets worse. Many large cities located in valleys tend to have poor air quality because wind is unable to carry the polluted air over the mountains.If you are curious as to what the air quality in your city is you can visit waqi.info. There are air quality stations in over 60 countries. Air quality on this website is monitored hourly using PM2.5 measurements. PM2.5 measures particles that are less than 2.5 micro-meters across. These are the most dangerous pollutants in the air as they can invade the narrowest of our airways. Be vigilant! Check to see if your city’s air passes the test.KKSWebsite to check air quality:http://bit.ly/1hN8LYBRead more:http://bit.ly/1w7fxjHSunset over Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo. Air quality readings this day were considered hazardous.Photo credit (Me) -- source link
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