ENVIRSC 1C03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Sulfur Dioxide, Benzene, Volatile Organic Compound
17 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Pollution is the human caused addition of any material or heat energy in amounts that cause undesired alterations to the environment and is the by product of economic and social activity. An air pollutant is a gas, aerosol or particulate added to the atmosphere that can harmful effects of humans, the environment, or the climate. Three levels determine the level of air pollution: the amount of pollutants entering the air, the amount of space into which the pollutants are dispersed, the mechanisms that remove the pollutants from the air. Primary pollutants: products of combustion or evaporation and are harmful to the environment but more to humans. When emitted into the troposphere they can react to form harmful substances. They come from volcanic eruptions, burning of vegetation (co also released), or dust storms. Secondary pollutants: products of the interaction of the primary pollutants with things in the atmosphere and the light from the sun.
