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Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the air that can harm the health of humans, animals and plants. It can even damage buildings. Pollutants in the air take many forms. They can be gasses, solid particles or liquid droplets. Sources of Air Pollution. Pollution enters the Earth's atmosphere in many different ways.
Today, automobile emissions are a major source of air . pollution contributing to climate change, and plastics fill our ocean, creating a significant health hazard to marine animals. And what about the electric lightbulb, thought to be one of the greatest human inventions of all time?
Air Pollution Sometimes, air pollution is visible. A person can see dark smoke pour from the exhaust pipes of large trucks or factories, for example. More often, however, air pollution is invisible. Polluted air can be dangerous, even if the pollutants are invisible. It can make people’s eyes burn and make them have difficulty breathing. It ...
Noise pollution can cause health problems for people and wildlife, both on land and in the sea. From traffic noise to rock concerts, loud or inescapable sounds can cause hearing loss, stress, and high blood pressure.
Factories and power plants can be a source of point-source pollution, affecting both air and water. Smokestacks may spew carbon monoxide, heavy metal, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, or “particulate matter” (small particles) into the air.
Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. The term "smog" was first used in the early 1900s to describe a mix of smoke and fog . The smoke usually came from burning coal .
Marine pollution is a growing problem in today’s world. Our ocean is being flooded with two main types of pollution: chemicals and trash. Chemical contamination, or nutrient pollution, is concerning for health, environmental, and economic reasons.
Plastic pollution is most visible in less-wealthy Asian and African nations, where garbage collection systems are often inefficient or nonexistent. But wealthy nations, especially those with low recycling rates, also have trouble properly collecting discarded plastics.
They cause climate change by trapping heat, and they also contribute to respiratory disease from smog and air pollution. Extreme weather, food supply disruptions, and increased wildfires are other effects of climate change caused by greenhouse gases.
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that result from both commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics. As a pollutant, microplastics can be harmful to the environment and animal health.