"Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials."
The sources and effects of air pollution, including harmful gases and particles from transportation, factories, and other man-made sources.
Introduction to Air Pollution: An overview of the basic concepts of air pollution.
Atmospheric Composition: The different gases and particles found in the atmosphere, their sources, and their effects.
Greenhouse Gases: The role of greenhouse gases in climate change and their sources.
Acid Rain: The causes, effects, and management of acid rain.
Ozone Depletion: An overview of the causes and effects of the depletion of the ozone layer.
Particulate Matter: The types and sources of particulate matter, and their health effects.
Criteria Pollutants: The six criteria pollutants monitored by environmental agencies and their effects on human health and the environment.
Air Quality Monitoring: An overview of how air quality is measured, including methods and guidelines.
Air Quality Standards: The different types of air quality standards and regulations.
Air Pollution Control Technologies: Different technologies used to control and reduce air pollution.
Air Pollution and Public Health: The impact of air pollution on public health and the economy.
Atmospheric Modeling: An overview of the different models used to predict air pollution levels.
Global Warming: The causes and effects of global warming, and its impact on the environment.
Indoor Air Pollution: Different sources and effects of indoor air pollution.
Emissions Inventories: How emissions inventories are used to estimate air pollution levels.
Mobile Sources: The sources and impacts of air pollution from transportation.
Stationary Sources: The sources and impacts of air pollution from industrial facilities.
Air Pollution and Climate Change: The links between air pollution and climate change, and their shared impacts and drivers.
Health Effects of Air Pollution: An overview of the different health outcomes associated with exposure to air pollution.
Risk Assessment: Methods commonly used to assess health risks associated with exposure to air pollution.
Particulate Matter: Small particles of solid or liquid that suspend in the air can cause respiratory and cardiovascular damage.
Ground-level ozone: A highly reactive gas that forms when pollutants react with sunlight and heat - can cause breathing difficulties.
Sulfur dioxide: A gas that contributes acid rain and respiratory problems.
Nitrogen oxides: Emitted by cars and industrial work which are responsible for smog and respiratory problems.
Carbon monoxide: An odorless gas emitted by incomplete combustion from cars, trucks, and generators can cause headaches, nausea, and death.
Volatile organic compounds: Organic compounds that evaporate from paints, cleaning solvents, and industrial releases.
Hydrocarbons: Unburned fuel and lubricating oil vapor can cause smog.
Radon: Invisible radioactive gas that can enter homes which can cause lung cancer.
Lead: A toxic heavy metal emitted by industrial use, and residential and commercial use of leaded paint.
Mercury: A highly toxic metal emitted by coal-fired power plants and waste incineration.
"There are many different types of air pollutants, such as gases (including ammonia, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane and chlorofluorocarbons), particulates (both organic and inorganic), and biological molecules."
"Air pollution can cause diseases, allergies, and even death to humans; it can also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals and crops, and may damage the natural environment or built environment."
"Air pollution can be caused by both human activities and natural phenomena."
"The human health effects of poor air quality are far-reaching, but principally affect the body's respiratory system and the cardiovascular system."
"Many of the contributors of air pollution are also sources of greenhouse emission, i.e., burning of fossil fuel."
"Air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of pollution-related diseases, including respiratory infections, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, and lung cancer."
"Growing evidence suggests that air pollution exposure may be associated with reduced IQ scores, impaired cognition, increased risk for psychiatric disorders such as depression, and detrimental perinatal health."
"Outdoor air pollution attributable to fossil fuel use alone causes ~3.61 million deaths annually, making it one of the top contributors to human death, with anthropogenic ozone and PM2.5 causing ~2.1 million."
"Overall, air pollution causes the deaths of around 7 million people worldwide each year, or a global mean loss of life expectancy (LLE) of 2.9 years."
"Air pollution is the world's largest single environmental health risk, which has not shown significant progress since at least 2015."
"Various pollution control technologies and strategies are available to reduce air pollution."
"Local rules, when properly executed, have resulted in significant advances in public health. Some of these efforts have been successful at the international level, such as the Montreal Protocol, which reduced the release of harmful ozone-depleting chemicals, and the 1985 Helsinki Protocol, which reduced sulfur emissions."
"Productivity losses and degraded quality of life caused by air pollution are estimated to cost the world economy $5 trillion per year."
"90% of the world's population breathes dirty air to some degree."
"Although the health consequences are extensive, the way the problem is handled is considered largely haphazard or neglected, albeit sometimes being moderately regulated and monitored."
"Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst toxic pollution problems."
"Air quality is closely related to the earth's climate and ecosystems globally."
"Some of these efforts have been successful at the international level, such as the Montreal Protocol, which reduced the release of harmful ozone-depleting chemicals, and the 1985 Helsinki Protocol, which reduced sulfur emissions."
"The scope of the air pollution crisis is large, and the problem has not shown significant progress since at least 2015."