URBAN AIR POLLUTION

The Contribution of Vehicles to Urban Air Pollution: Environmental and Socioeconomic Policies Overhaul

Table of Contents

Introduction2

Discussion2

Primary and secondary air pollutants:3

Tools for controlling Urban Air Pollution:4

Policies in UK:4

Establishment of a network of environmental monitoring:5

Modelling atmospheric-climate and making a model of atmospheric pollution:6

Some measures can help reduce air pollution:7

Conclusion8

References9

The Contribution of Vehicles to Urban Air Pollution: Environmental and Socioeconomic Policies Overhaul

Introduction

Urban air pollution causes a number of premature deaths in UK as well as all over the world. Transportation, especially diesel vehicles generate invisible pollution, but it has significant adverse effects on the citizens. Outdoor and indoor environments and gaseous contaminants vapours come out in diverse concentrations. The most widespread contaminants are gaseous carbon dioxide, the carbon-monoxide, the hydro carbons, the nitrogen-oxides, sulphur-oxides and ozone. Diverse sources generate these chemicals, although the key source is artificial burning fossil fuel. Indoor air-pollution is caused by consumption of snuff, the utilization of specific construction materials, home furnishings and cleaning products. Gaseous air pollutants originate from industries and volcanoes. The universally known type of air pollution is smog, which normally refers to a situation produced by the action of sunlight on the exhaust gases of automobiles and factories. Within these chemicals, the fine particles, which are much thinner than a human hair, can be inhaled and they could become the cause of respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases and even cancer. The WHO estimates that 865,000 deaths per year are directly attributable to air pollution (Fuks, et.al, 2011, Pp. 1706-1711). This paper discusses the contribution of vehicles to urban air pollution in a holistic context.

Discussion

Air pollution means the presence in the atmosphere of substances in a quantity that involves discomfort or risk to the health of humans and other living things are of any nature, and they can attack different materials, reduce visibility and cause unpleasant odours. The term of air pollution generally applies to alterations that have harmful impacts on the material elements and living organisms, and not other harmless abnormalities. The foremost mechanisms of atmospheric pollution are industrial process that involves combustion, within industries like automotive and residential heating that generates carbondioxide and carbonmonoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur, among other contaminants. Air pollution can be local, when the effects are felt bound to focus near the same, or planetary, when the features of the contaminants, are affecting the balance of the planet (Fenn, de Bauer & Hernandez-Tejeda, 2002, Pp. 112-145).

Primary and secondary air pollutants:

The primary pollutants are those emitted directly into the atmosphere such as sulphur dioxide SO2, which directly damages the vegetation and is irritating to the lungs. On the other hand, secondary pollutants are those which are formed by chemical processes that act upon atmospheric contaminants on non-primary or contaminants in the atmosphere. The following are important secondary pollutants:

The sulphuric acid, H2SO4, which is formed by the oxidation of SO2

The nitrogen dioxide NO2, which forms the primary contaminant to oxidize NO and ozone

O3, which is formed from the oxygen O2.

Both pollutants, primary and secondary can be deposited on the surface of the earth by precipitation. Nitro-methane is an organic compound of chemical formula CH3NO2. The nitro derivative is nitro or ...