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Air and Atmosphere (carbon monoxide (preventive measures (use other modes…
Air and Atmosphere
carbon monoxide
sources
incomplete combustion of carbon containing substances (eg. charcoal, wood and petrol)
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effects
human impact
can cause breathing difficulties and even death because it prevents transport of oxygen in blood around the body
environmental impact
reacts with other pollutants in the air to create potentially harmful ground level ozone (does not have significant environmental effects at global level)
preventive measures
use other modes of transport (eg cycling, walking or public transport)
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ozone
sources
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emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants
effects
environmental impact
Affects sensitive vegetation and ecosystems (including forests, parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas)
human impact
Breathing ozone can trigger chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and airway inflammation etc
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Can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma
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methane
sources
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common in landfills, marshes, septic systems, sewers, wetlands
found both below ground and under the seafloor, and is formed by both geological and biological processes
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emissions from oil, coal and natural gas
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effects
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human impacts
At extremely high (artificial) concentrations in an enclosed space the reduction in oxygen levels could lead to suffocation
preventive measures
More people going vegan and eating less meat to reduce demand for livestock (farmers will not raise as much livestock so less methane gas is produced)
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reducing food wastage (microbes will have less organic matter to feed on, thus producing less methane gas)
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sulfur dioxide
sources
combustion of fossil fuels in motor vehicles, power stations and factories
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effects
human impact
irritate the eye and the lungs and cause breathing difficulties (causes coughing, mucus secretion and aggravates conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis)
environmental impact
react with water in the atmosphere to form acid rain, which corrodes buildings and harms aquatic life and plants
causes deforestation (it may weaken trees by damaging their leaves, limiting nutrients uptake, or poisoning them with toxic substances released from the soil)
preventive measures
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power plant can also install equipment called scrubbers (remove the sulfur dioxide from gases leaving the smokestack)
use renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power
nitrogen oxides
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effects
environmental impacts
react with water in the atmosphere to form acid rain, which corrodes buildings and harms aquatic life and plants
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human impacts
irritate the eye and the lungs and cause breathing difficulties (Chronic lung disease, Exacerbate asthma)
Hydrolyzes into Nitric Acid → inflames lungs, reduce immunity
preventive measures
installing air pollution control equipment (eg selective non-catalytic reduction or selective catalytic reduction)
exhaust gas recirculation (exhaust gases fed back into the engine, dilute O2 concentration & inert gases to absorb combustion heat, reducing temperature)
unburnt hyfrocarbons
sources
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incomplete burning of petroleum, oil refineries and oil fuel power station
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effects
environmental impact
react with sunlight and other pollutants (eg nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide) to form ozone, a main component of photochemical smog
human impact
causes cancer (Hydrocarbons like Benzene which is toxic and carcinogen can disrupt healthy cell growth in humans)
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