air pollution definition
Photo: Air pollution is obvious when it pours from a smokestack (chimney), but it's not always so easy to spot. This smoke comes from a coal-fired power plant and its pollutants include sulfur dioxide and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Human-made air pollution comes from many things. Most air pollution made by humans today is because of transportation. Cars, for instance, make about 60% of the human-made air pollution. The gases inside car exhaust, like nitrogen oxide, make smog and acid rain. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution. Examples of pollution in a sentence. industrial practices that have caused pollution of the air and water. Unfortunately, they're also a form of air pollution: they're believed to have long-term (chronic) effects on people's health and they also play a role in the formation of ozone and smog. Particulates: These are the sooty deposits in air pollution that blacken buildings and cause breathing difficulties. Air pollution is the pollution of air by smoke and harmful gases, mainly oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen. Many of the world's large cities today have bad air quality. Even 2,000 years ago, the Romans were complaining about the bad air in their cities. At that time, the air was thick with smoke from fires and the smell of sewers. Examples of pollution in a sentence. 1  industrial practices that have caused pollution of the air and water. 2  The tests showed high levels of pollution in the water. 3  The fish are dying of pollution. Air pollution occurs when the air contains pollutants such as gases, fumes and dust in harmful amounts. Air pollution can be harmful to the health of humans and animals if left unchecked. Keep Learning. Definition of pollution for English Language Learners. : 1  the action or process of making land, water, air, etc., dirty and not safe or suitable to use. : 2  substances that make land, water, air, etc., dirty and not safe or suitable to use. When sulfur (spelled sulphur in some countries) burns with oxygen from the air, sulfur dioxide (SO2) is produced. Coal-fired power plants are the world's biggest source of sulfur-dioxide air pollution, which contributes to smog, acid rain, and health problems that include lung disease.
Air pollution occurs when the air contains pollutants such as gases, fumes and dust in harmful amounts.