Air Pollution Research Paper

The basis of this research paper is how do greenhouse gases, vehicles or fuels, particle pollution, mercury and other toxic air pollutants affect our planet and what are some possible ways to prevent these air pollutants? My hypothesis is that since air pollutants most likely cause a significant amount of damage, the best and most efficient way to control this is through regulatory, market-based or voluntary programs of action.

A very obvious factor of global warming is greenhouse gases. When solar radiation passes into the Earth’s atmosphere, most is absorbed by the Earth and generated back into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases however, trap the heat, keeping it from passing through the atmosphere creating the lower atmosphere to get warm. An example of one of these dangerous greenhouse gases is Carbon Dioxide, which is emitted through a variety of ways (solid waste, biomass, fossil fuels, or industrial processes) but can be removed by plants as part of a biological carbon cycle, commonly known as photosynthesis. Nitrogen dioxide is also a prime example and is emitted fossil fuels, solid waste combustion and during agricultural and industrial activities. Finally, Methane is also radiated during the production or transport of fossil fuels as well as, can be emitted through livestock and landfills. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and agricultural practices, have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases to increase significantly in the atmosphere. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased at an accelerating pace because of human activities.

Secondly, vehicles are a major source of pollution worldwide. In many urban areas, motor vehicles collectively produce 50%-90% of air pollution. Cars, motorcycles, trucks and busses are known as “on-road” mobile sources emitting fuel pollution. Emissions from these vehicles come from the tailpipe. Gasoline powered vehicles also generate evaporative emissions from fuel tanks, out of oil reservoir, and around engine seals. Most cars and light-duty trucks generate large quantities of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide. Motorcycles on the other hand, are especially polluting and can emit more air pollution than a small fleet of modern cars. Heavy-trucks or busses emit are usually powered by diesel-fuel and generate significant amounts of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide. “Off road” mobile sources include construction or farm equipment, airplanes, ships, lawn or garden equipment, mobile generators and pumps, as well as many others. Possible solutions to vehicle and fuel pollution are the change of petroleum fuel vehicles to fuel cell technology, electric cars, reducing distance drive on the road, changing travel and commuting patterns, build up safer and more efficient public transportation, or walking or biking.

Particulate matter can be either emitted directly by sources (primary) or formed in the atmosphere from precursors (secondary). Primary particles tend to be generated by combustions like burning fuel, and by mechanical generation such as the churning of road dust, brake wear, and construction activities. Secondary particles form in the air due to complex chemical reactions that convert gaseous pollutants into particles. This is dangerous because the fine particles can be inhaled or absorbed deep in the lungs, possibly causing aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, lung cancer, cardiac problems, and premature death. Control strategies could include a set of regulations that specifies emission limits through measurement. Control equipment or programs may address specific industrial processes such as nonroad equipment that burns diesel fuel and nonpoint sources such as dust from agricultural activities and travel on unpaved roads, and smoke from fireplaces and woodstoves.

Lastly, toxic air pollutants are substances that cause cancer, birth defects, neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, or respiratory disease. They can be found in aerosol, gaseous, or particulate forms. One particular toxic pollutant, Mercury, can end up being a persistent bioaccumulative toxic, meaning they are stored in the body indefinitely and increase over time. These toxics can deposit onto soil or surface waters, ingested by animals when taken up by plants, where they can be taken up to move up through the human food chain. Sources of hazardous air pollutants include factories, dry cleaners, hospitals, and even mobile sources like cars, busses and construction equipments. Control of mercury emissions is based upon reduction of the emissions and pollutant releases into the atmosphere by the industries that use mercury within their processes, emit mercury or dispose of products containing mercury, such as thermometers. Strategies for controlling mercury and other toxic air pollutants include pollution prevention measures, including product substitution, process modification, work-practice standards and materials separation such as coal cleaning, flue gas treatment technologies, and many more.

Lastly, another possible solution to air pollution would be the use of nuclear energy. “Nuclear power is the only expendable, large-scale energy source that avoids air pollution and can meet electricity demands of the economy. Nuclear power plants do not emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases linked to global warming, nor do they emit pollutants that contribute to haze or smog” (Cite 6). According to the same website as noted, based on the 1999 figures, if nuclear plants would had to be replaced with oil or coal-burning plants, the U.S. would have to eliminate 135 million passenger cars just to to keep our carbon dioxide emissions at current levels. Nuclear energy itself is energy released during nuclear fission or fusion, especially when used to generate electricity. In recent years, a national debate is whether or not to use nuclear energy to replace current use of fossil fuels, especially since global warming. The first pro of using nuclear energy is that it relatively lowers costs. The initial cost of power plants and to keep maintenance is actually more expensive but generating electricity in the nuclear reactors is cheaper than from oil, gas, or coal. On Top of this point, nuclear energy is a renewable resource, unlike the previously listed fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants could also provide a stable base load of energy and this can also work hand in hand with energy sources such as wind and solar since the electricity production from plants can be lowered when good wind and solar resources are available. Another way it is in the most cases, beneficial, in terms of climate crisis, the environmental effects of nuclear power are relatively light. As well as all this, if we can learn to control atomic fusion in the future, there will be practically unlimited energy. Lastly, it is estimated the amount of energy released in a nuclear fusion reaction is immensely greater (in a particular article, citation 7, 10 million times) than the amount released in burning a fossil fuel. Therefore, the amount of fuel required in a nuclear power plant is much smaller compared to other types of power plants.

In conclusion, there are a variety of types of air pollutants and they all affect our planet and human or animal safety and health in a variety of ways. Yet the solutions for a majority of them are relatively the same and that is because there either needs to be a way to eliminate or decrease by controlled standards and procedures the use of each one, and seems to be an alternative for each problem of air pollution. As presented in my hypothesis, air pollutants cause a significant amount of damage and the way to control this is through regulatory, market-based or voluntary programs of action.