Nearly every large city on Earth suffers from some degree of smog. This word itself is a combination of smoke and fog, though the actual substance that hangs in the atmosphere like a dirty brown blanket is usually far more complicated.

During the initial century of the industrial revolution, smog was almost always caused by the emissions from coal-fired plants. However, since the 1950s, smog is more commonly found as petrochemical smog, most often containing a mixture of nitrogen oxides and a whole collection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are both emitted by the burning of fossil fuels, chiefly automobiles.

If these chemicals remained as they were, they’d be problematic enough. However, once released into the atmosphere, they react with sunlight to form many noxious compounds including carbon monoxide, particulate matter, ground-level (or tropospheric) ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. All of these substances are known to cause respiratory disorder and premature death.

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India is one of the most polluted countries in South East Asia. There are severe problems with both indoor and outdoor air pollution in India. The indoor air pollution is caused by many factors, but mostly the burning of toxic fuels to prepare meals. Indian people, burn coal, wood, and even animal dung to cook their meals, which releases toxins into the air they breathe. Breathing in this terrible quality air is responsible for nearly 500,000 deaths there each year. This high number is mostly women and children and it is a serious problem. This number, according to the World Health Organization, is 80% of the nearly 600,000 deaths related to indoor air pollution in all of SE Asia. A shocking 70 percent of rural households in India do not have any ventilation at all. Air pollution in India caused by these problems could be cut in half by taking a few measures. These measures include promoting smokeless cooking methods, and the use of proper ventilation. If these methods of helping were put into action then the deaths caused by indoor air pollution in India could be reduced by half. Although the methods for helping with air pollution in India sound great it will be a long and hard road to success. These methods for cooking have been in place for so many years people do not want to change.

In India more than 3 billion people burn fuels to cook their meals, so this is a lot of people to try to convince to change their ways. People have been doing things a certain way so long they are stubborn about making the changes. Some arguments to the smokeless cooking methods that the villages men have are that it doesn’t have the same flavor they prefer when cooked without smoke, and that the smoke keeps mosquitoes away from their homes. An argument people have against ventilation is it takes away from their privacy. Mostly women are exposed to the highest concentration of smoke while cooking, and they end up dying too soon as a result. It may take along time and much convincing but the Indian government is committed to getting these changes in effect by 2015. People may think the only risks of air pollution in India are from factories and automobiles, like most places, but the indoor air pollution is a serious problem. There are many risks from the outdoor pollution in the cities of India, but the indoor air pollution cant be ignored because of the alarming number of deaths it causes each year.

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Air pollution in Moscow is an incredible problem effecting people from around the world. Moscow may have seemed like a distant, uncomplicated world in Europe’s heartland, but the fact is this city has grown in its love for luxurious living and in turn has become a large problem for the environment. In some cases, the growth of Russia’s capital has come at the fate of the air quality. The country may be just entering a large phase to improve the quality of life there, but unless significant changes are made in the way air pollution is produced, that increase in life quality will not be worth it. Air pollution in Moscow is a problem, and people are taking notice.

One of the largest causes of air pollution in Moscow is the simple explosion of cars on the streets of the city. Air pollution is directly related to the burning of fossil fuels including the fuels used to power those vehicles. The city has expanded in size in terms of the number of cars it has, with some 3 million cars on the road each day. The burning of fossil fuels is the largest contributor to poor air quality and increased air pollution. That could be why, then, that a layer of smog blankets the city nearly every day of the year. The streets are stressful too; with traffic becoming an increasing problem itself. That traffic keeps people on the roads longer, increasing the amount of carbon monoxide pushed into the air by these vehicles.

The growth of air pollution in Moscow does come from other sources as well. For example, the city now has some 12 super large heat power stations for its people. In addition, there are 53 more smaller heating stations called district stations. Plus, the industrial age in Moscow is still full force with more than 3000 industrial factories and complexes producing huge amounts of air pollution each year. All of this is within Moscow’s city borders.

There are limits and regulations in place in Russia and in Europe as a whole. The problem is, Moscow’s current state pushes them to the maximum. Air pollution in Moscow is more than 10 to 20 times the limits allowable by law, depending on the day and time of year you visit. The concentration of harmful substances in the air that people breathe in each day continues to grow.

Air pollution in Moscow continues to be strikingly familiar to that which happened in many American cities. Unless there is significant change soon, the quality of air will continue to worsen.

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With a focus on air pollution prevention, many companies are working hard to improve the quality of air in both the smallest and the largest of cities throughout the United States. In some larger cities, such as Los Angeles, air quality is a very worrisome factor. A layer of smog can be seen from a distance, all of which are toxins set to enter the body when you breathe. What is essential is having preventative measures in place to reduce the amount of pollution that enters the air, instead of trying to remove what is already there. Air pollution prevention benefits everyone and therefore these efforts are very important to the well being of the planet.

Most air pollution prevention is in the form of improving pollution from factories. Factories contribute the largest amount of pollution in most cities. The cities themselves, along with federal and state governments regulate and monitor the amount of emissions produced by the factory itself. The key to improving air quality starts with finding technologies and fuel sources that do not cause this toxic combination and to implement them into factories. This has happened in many cities, which has helped to reduce the amount of toxins in areas.

In addition to improving air quality through factories, every day citizens can do things that are small but make a big impact. Air pollution prevention methods for home include the following.

Invest in vehicles that do not produce high levels of toxic fumes. While most states have regulated the amount of fumes produced by cars, there is still a lot of improvement to go. By choosing high quality cars that are safe for the environment, this increases the success rate that much more.
Do not use chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Some chemicals break down the ozone layer, contributing to air pollution. Take the time to use organic and natural types of chemicals that are not harmful to the environment.
Get an older style lawn cutter. Fumes from lawn mowers during the summer months are incredibly toxic to the environment. For air pollution prevention, which to one of the newer push mowers. These non-engine lawn mowers are easy to use and do not require a lot of maintenance.

Air pollution prevention is something that everyone needs to take an active role in. Through a combined effort, everyone around the world will benefit. It takes only a small amount of time to see significant differences in the quality of air. The sooner people make changes to the way they are living to improve air quality, the better the results will be.

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Air pollution solutions are some of the most sought after solutions today. Finding a way to improve the quality of air in local cities and states is incredibly important to the well being of the world as a whole. While you can look to governments to make solutions happen for everyone, you can also play a significant role in making decisions for yourself. The fact is, if everyone contributes in some small way to any air pollution solutions, the results will be impressive for everyone. From a large scale to a small scale, there are solutions available.

Air pollution solutions often come from people making small changes in the way they lead their life. Here are some ways you can directly improve the quality of air you breathe in daily.

Improve the quality of life you have indoors. Since you likely spend 80 percent or more of your day indoors, then improving air quality there is the first step in the right direction. Do not smoke in your home but instead smoke outdoors. Choose the best cleaning products for you, which are all natural. Choose chemicals, paints and glues that are healthy for you and always keep windows open while using them to provide good ventilation. Remove debris and dust from your home on a regular basis to keep the quality of air high and to limit mold.

You can also find air pollution solutions from a number of other solutions. For example, invest in energy savings methods, which mean that fewer fossil fuels are used which protects the air quality. Invest in a thermostat that will regulate temperature better and will turn off the air conditioner or furnace when you do not need it on. Replace the light bulbs in your home with new, energy efficient models that reduce the amount of energy you use. Use a clothesline to dry your clothing instead of using a dryer. Choose EPA approved models of all appliances, small and large, that you use within your home.

Air pollution solutions must come from other sources as well as individual use. It pays off for you to invest time and money into businesses and governments that are always working to improve the emissions and air quality in your area. Let your local government officials know how important air quality is to you and work with them to find solutions. For most people, these simple changes will make a sizeable difference on a local level, while also helping to improve the environment as a whole. The more people that contribute, the better the results will be.

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What are the bad effects of air pollution? There is a lot of talk about the environment and going green. There is also a lot of talk about the carbon footprint that each person leaves behind. The smaller your footprint is, the more you are doing to help protect the environment for generations to come. Yet, understanding what the bad effects of air pollution are is essential. After all, how can you make a difference in the environment if you do not know what air pollution causes?

The bad effects of air pollution affect many people from all walks of life. At the most risk are young children and the elderly. Those that have compromised immune systems, chronic illness or an unhealthy lifestyle are also at a higher risk level. However, it is important to note that poor air quality affects everyone even if you are completely fit in every other way. The amount of damage that air pollution causes is based on how much exposure you have both in terms of the types of chemicals you breath in, the amounts, and the length of the exposure. The higher these numbers are, the more detrimental they are for you.

Some of the short term effects of air pollution are significant. For example, if you enter a city that has a heavy haze of smog over it, chances are good you will start to feel some change in your body. You may experience irritations to the eyes, to your throat and your nose. In addition, if that exposure lasts for more than a few minutes, you may have upper respiratory infections that lead to illnesses such as pneumonia. Increased exposure can also head to frequent headaches and allergic reactions in some people.

There are also long term bad effects of air pollution to take note of. For these situations, individuals have been exposed to air pollution over a number of days, weeks or months, or longer. Long term effects including lung cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory problems including asthma and breathing difficulties. In some cases, there is even damage to the brain, kidneys, liver and other parts of your body.

Perhaps the worst of all facts about the bad effects of air pollution is the sad reality that each year, more than 500,000 people die prematurely in the United States because of their repeated exposure to air pollution. By simply improving the quality of air and reducing the bad effects of air pollution, people can live longer lives, often of better quality, too. The risks are heavy and they affect virtually everyone.

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There are many different sources that can be sited as causing air pollution, and they all fall into two different categories. These two categories are natural sources and human sources. The first category, natural causes of air pollution, can not be controlled by us. These causes include things like smoke that comes from wildfires, which as you know we cant control. Wildfires are a necessary part of life and nature takes these measures to renew an area of land naturally. Another natural source would be volcanoes, which put sulfur and ash out into the air as perform their typical activities. You might not ever guess this one but, methane is another natural cause of air pollution that is produced when animals digest food. An example of this type you might recognize is cattle. One other, not so well known natural pollutant is dust that comes from large barren areas of land. This dust blows around polluting the air around it and anywhere the wind may take it. These causes of air pollution are all real, even though they are not as bad for your health and the environment as the ones caused by our daily activities as humans. Now that you know natural sources of air pollution are not as harmful to us, we can explore human related pollution.

The second source of air pollution, which comes from human activity, is usually caused by burning different types of fuel we need for daily activities. There are the many causes of air pollution we are already are familiar with like power plants and automobiles, which are very dangerous, but there are also some sources you might not realize are air pollution. The fumes from different things we use everyday can be very harmful to the air we breathe and the environment. Some of these sources include varnish, solvents, paint, hair spray, and many other aerosol sprays. We use these things everyday not realizing the negative effects they are having on the earth we live on. Burning wood stoves, fireplaces, and furnaces are another cause of air pollution that you might not have guessed. These seemingly harmless fuel burning activities make our lives easier, but they also cause the air we breathe to bit a little more polluted. Most people could not make it a day without using their hairspray, painting their house or car, or burning a furnace. These are activities necessary to living life the way we are used to, but with a little effort, we can cut down on the causes of air pollution we contribute to every day.

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You and your children could be at risk when breathing in polluted air. There are two types of, effects of air pollution, and they are long term, and short term effects. Just how badly each person is harmed by pollution will depend on the duration of exposure, as well as the amount they were exposed to during that time. These together, are referred to as the total exposure to the pollution. Elderly people, as well as children usually are more harmed by the effects of air pollution, than a healthy adult. It is also dangerous for people with asthma or lung disease to be exposed to air pollution. People know that pollution is harmful and could even kill you, but the benefits we get from activities causing pollution, often outweigh the potential harm, in our minds. It is not until we have felt the effects of air pollution personally that we begin to be concerned with fixing the problem.

The short term effects of air pollution have probably harmed you already without you realizing it. Some of the short term effects include irritation to the nose, throat, and eyes. Some more serious effects include things like bronchitis, respiratory infections, and even pneumonia. You might have gotten these problems from air pollution and didn’t even realize it. You probably only think the effects of air pollution include the long term effects like lung cancer, and respiratory disease. So then you might have never realized, that the last time you had a respiratory infection, you were being harmed by air pollution. Although the long term effects of air pollution are much more serious you are being harmed by air pollution every time you breathe in something you shouldn’t. When the long term effects start to harm you, it is much too late to start thinking about how to cut back on air pollution. These terrible problems include lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease, heart disease, and organ damage. The organ damage can happen to your lungs, brain, nerves, kidneys, and liver. One very preventable way of polluting the air includes smoking cigarettes. Many people die each year, before their time, because of smoking cigarettes. When someone smokes around children, they can damage their lungs even before they are fully developed. Smoking and other air pollution can harm the elderly, and irritate their already present medical conditions. All of the human related sources of air pollution can be prevented, if we all keep trying to find ways to do what we need to do, without polluting the air we breathe.

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Indoor air pollution may not sound too serious, but it does contribute to some terrible diseases like, asthma, respiratory infections, and even lung cancer. You need to be very concerned with pollution indoors because lung disease, every year, claims 335,000 American lives. People constantly warn you of the harmful effects of giant factories, and exhaust from motor vehicles; however they do not often enough discuss the dangers of indoor air pollution. In addition to causing chronic lung problems, poor indoor air quality can cause headaches, nasal congestion, nausea, and dry eyes. It is especially dangerous for someone who already suffers from lung problems, to be exposed to indoor air pollution on a regular basis. You may never suspect it, but the quality of air in your home could easily be polluted by many biological pollutants. Many people get sick and miss days of school and work, when their illness could be prevented by keeping up with good quality air, in the home. You could have a number of biological pollutants in your air such as, bacteria, molds, pollen, viruses, dust mites, and even pet dander. There are many ways to keep things like mold out of your home, and the sooner you learn of these the better your life will be.

To help prevent the growth of various molds, in your home, you need to keep the humidity levels of bathrooms, kitchens, and basements low. This can be done by keeping good air flow in the rooms, and keeping them clean regularly. If your basement is high in humidity, you might need to buy a dehumidifier to keep it from turning into a mold factory. A major cause of indoor air pollution is cigarette smoke. It is especially terrible if a person smokes around non smokers like their children. Environmental tobacco smoke is known to cause 3,000 lung cancer deaths and at least 30,000 deaths from heart disease each year, in non smokers. Another cause of indoor air pollution, that can even cause death, is carbon monoxide. There are many appliances in the home that use gas or wood as fuel, including heating systems, which can release carbon monoxide into your home. This is a serious problem because carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that stops oxygen from getting to vital parts of the body. In mild cases it can cause dizziness, confusion, headache, and fatigue; however when inhaled in high doses it will cause death. You can get detectors for carbon monoxide which is the only way to know it is in your air. The best defense for indoor air pollution is research, combined with common sense choices.

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Preventing air pollution is not just the job of the government or the environmental activists you see marching in protest. In fact, air pollution is something that everyone can contribute to. Poor air quality leads to increased levels of smog. Breathing problems, including asthma are directly related to the onset of pollution in some areas. There are many other problems caused by air pollution. Therefore, anyone and everyone will benefit from making just a few changes. Big things will happen when individuals make even just small changes in their lives.

What are the best ways for you to help in preventing air pollution? One of the first ways is to improving your driving habits and driving lifestyle. Since fossil fuel burning is the largest contributor to air pollution, it becomes essential to reduce driving habits or to find ways to improve them so there are fewer toxins entering the air from vehicle. Some ways to do this include carpooling and walking instead of driving your car to work. You may be close enough to ride a bike to work instead of taking your vehicle. You can also reduce the amount if air pollution you cause with your vehicle by working from home, taking the bus or even better, simply using the web to make your purchases.

You can also make other changes to your vehicle to help improve air quality. Preventing air pollution can come from other methods such as making sure your vehicle is a hybrid using less gas. Drive your vehicles correctly including following speed limits, setting cruise control when appropriate and accelerating the vehicle slowly. You will also find that keeping your car in top working condition can also be one of the best ways to keep it from producing toxins.

Preventing air pollution is not just a car related task, though. For example, make sure that all of the appliances you have in your home are working at top level and are all items that do not pollute the air. Choose water based or low amounts of volatile compound products whenever possible. Switch to a push mower for grass cutting. Use water based paints. When painting, use a brush to paint instead of using a paint sprayer.

The best methods for preventing air pollution are those you already know. Make smart energy saving decisions whenever you buy or use a product. Learn what the best options for the environment are before you make a purchase. Always seek out the green alternative rather than looking at the most lavish or expensive item available. Small changes make big differences when it comes to preventing air pollution.

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