Air Pollution

The gases of the atmosphere cannot be seen, and we rarely aware of them. But they are of greatest importance. Without the atmosphere , people, animals, and the plant could not live. Of almost equal importance is the quality of the atmosphere or air - whether it is pure or polluted (meaning impure).

All air contains small amounts of impurities. In rural areas, far remove from factories and heavy traffic, the air many contain pollen from plants, dust from the soil, and even bacteria.

Air is said to be polluted when it contains enough harmful impurities to affect the health, safety, or comfort of living things. The impurities or pollutants, could be tiny particles of matter or gases not normally found in air.

There are two main type of air pollution - natural pollution and pollution caused by people. Natural pollutants are windblown dust, pollen, fog, and the like. There have been instances when the ash from volcanic eruptions has been blow across large areas of the earth. Forest fires blanketed huge areas with smoke. Acts of nature such as these often beyond human control.

The chief concern is the second and perhaps more serious from of air pollution - the pollution caused by people. Most of this pollution is produced by industry and by vehicle such as cars, trucks, and aeroplanes. It become worse as society becomes more industrialized - as more automobiles are driven, new factories are built, and existing factories are expanded. Sometimes the work at factories create waste chemical that escape into air. Smoke from cigarette can pollute the air in closed room.