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What is air pollution?
Air pollution is dirty air that damages the health of humans, plants and animals.
How do we make the air dirty?
Burning fossil fuels for energy, electricity and transport. Fossil fuels are the main cause of air pollution.
Agriculture. Farm equipment, farm animals and fertilizers used in farms pollute the air.
Forest fires. Fires release gases into the atmosphere that change the quality of our air.
Volcanoes. Volcanoes release a lot of pollutants into the air.
Vapour from some liquids. This also releases pollutants into the air.
How does air pollution harm humans, plants and animals?
Through:
1. Acid Rain
How is it formed?
When a mixture of gases combine with sunlight, ozone and cloud water in the air, harmful acidic gases are made.
These harmful acids can be carried long distances by wind and are released in snow, mist and rain.
Because of this:
Basic food for plants found in soil get washed away.
Trees become weak and can be killed by cold weather or other harmful things. These trees are never able to grow again.
Harmful materials such as aluminium are created when acid rain reacts with soil. These are washed into rivers and lakes, killing the fish and other animals living in the water.
Birds that eat the fish are harmed.
People who have asthma or bronchitis become ill.
2. Ozone
How is it formed?
Ozone is formed by sunlight combining with chemicals or liquids that evaporate. These then combine with oxygen to form ozone during hot, sunny days.
Ozone is also created by printers and photocopiers.
Because of this:
It can become hard for us to breathe properly.
It can become hard for us to think clearly.
Plants die, including plants that give us food.
3. Carbon Monoxide
How is it formed?
Vehicles such as cars, buses and trains give off this gas.
Because of this:
We can experience headaches, sleepiness and vomiting.
We can struggle to concentrate.
What can you do to help?
Use public transport, walk or use a bicycle to get around.
Car pool and avoid using cars for transport whenever you can.
Plant trees.
Ask your parents to avoid buying household products that contain hydrocarbons and avoid using spray cans of any sort.
Ask your parents to buy water-based or low-solvent paints, glues, varnishes and wood preservatives.
Remember?
It is up to us to help keep the air that we breathe clean!