Outdoor Air Pollution

When you breathe, the air might seem clean, but it can still contain tiny harmful particles. This is called air pollution, a major problem affecting both people and the environment.

Some sources of air pollution are natural, like wildfires and volcanoes, but most pollution comes from human activities, like burning fossil fuels and industrial waste.

Air pollution exists both indoors and outdoors.

Outdoor air pollution occurs when harmful substances like smoke, chemicals, and dust, called pollutants, are released into the atmosphere. There are two main types of outdoor air pollutants.

The first is primary pollutants, which occur when harmful particles like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and smoke from factories and cars are directly released into the air.

When these primary pollutants mix with sunlight and other atmospheric gases, they form secondary pollutants. One example is ground-level ozone, a key part of smog that causes breathing issues.

Overall, outdoor air pollution doesn’t just make the air dirty—it can also lead to acid rain, respiratory diseases, and climate change.