What is air pollution?

Ishaa

You might have heard the term before but what does ‘air pollution’ actually mean?

Well…in the simplest terms it’s the release of ‘pollutants’ into the ‘air’.

Pollutants are chemicals and substances that are harmful to our health or the natural environment. Air pollution happens both indoors and outside.

Outside air pollution is mainly caused by traffic and factories that release pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide into the air. When those pollutants interact with light they produce a toxic gas called ‘ozone’ and that’s what causes the smog that we see in towns and cities.

Across the world there are a wide range of reasons for indoor air pollution like; cooking using open fires and stoves that burn solid fuels like wood, dung or coal. These produce carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, and carbon monoxide, which is poisonous. Smoking, building materials, fabrics and some cleaning and decorating products are also sources of indoor air pollution. People who work in factories for the industries like the fast fashion industry can be affected by dust and other pollutants.

Air pollution can have a big impact on our health and in some circumstances can be linked to heart disease, strokes and asthma.

So what can we do to make the air ‘cleaner’?

First we need to know where the pollution is coming from. In cities, air pollution comes from petrol and diesel cars, but in rural areas, it is more likely to come from industry and agriculture

Knowing this means we can make a difference by choosing to walk, cycle, or use public transport instead of travelling in cars.

And we can encourage factories and farms to look at ways to make less waste, treat the pollutants they create and reduce their emissions by using more renewable energy sources like; wind and solar power.

In recent years we have seen positive action working with projects like the ‘London Low Emission Zone’. Which encourages drivers to use less polluting vehicles by charging a fee to drivers of heavily polluting vehicles. This means there’s a financial benefit to taking public transport or investing in an electric car.

Changes like these can begin to clean up our air and give us all a chance to be healthier.