Synonyms

• Acid rain, aerosols, air pollutants, air purification, air quality, allergens, asbestos, backyard fire pits, carbon monoxide, CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, Clean Air Act, CO, criteria pollutants, environmental air pollution, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, ground-level ozone, HAPs, hazardous air pollutants, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, indoor air pollution, indoor air quality, lead, mercury, methane, mold, nitrogen oxides, NOx, outdoor air pollution, ozone, ozone substitutes, particulate matter, PM, power plants, radon, smog, SO₂, sulfur dioxide, toxic air pollutants, VOCs, volatile organic compounds.

Background

• Air pollution is the contamination of air by smoke and harmful gases. These airborne pollutants can have serious negative effects on both indoor and outdoor air quality.
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution can have a big impact on indoor air quality, which may affect a person's health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.4 million people worldwide die annually, due to the effects of air pollution. In America alone, hundreds of thousands of people die every year from heart and lung damage caused by toxic air pollutants. In 1998, a study published in the journal Environmental Research estimated that $14-55 billion is spent annually on the human health costs related to outdoor air pollution.
• There are many sources of toxic, or hazardous, air pollution. Six air pollutants actually represent the biggest health threats to the public. Known as "criteria pollutants," these are: lead (Pb), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) gas, ground-level ozone, and carbon monoxide (CO). Researchers have estimated that the damage caused by these pollutants may range from $75-280 billion annually.
• Toxic air pollutants are hard to completely avoid, as they are released by common, everyday sources. For instance, gasoline, dry cleaning fumes, paint and paint remover, and common metals all produce potentially harmful air pollutants. Asbestos and mold can release indoor air pollutants that have negative health effects as well.
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Technique

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Theory/Evidence

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Health Impact/Safety

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Future Research or Applications

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Author Information

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Bibliography

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