About Air Pollution
Air pollution comes from many different sources. Some sources are natural such as windblown dust and smoke from wildfires. Other sources are man-made such as emissions from factories, power plants, automobiles, construction equipment, small businesses (I.E. print shops, autobody shops, gas stations, dry cleaners, etc.) and open burning. These air pollutants can be solids, liquids, or gases. Air pollution can cause adverse health effects in humans and animals, damage trees, lakes, streams, crops, and influence climate change.
Although we may not have control over natural sources of air pollution, we do have control over made-made sources. Federal, state and local regulatory agencies create air quality regulations to require the reduction of pollutants from man-made sources. However, regulations can only do so much. It is also up to individuals to understand how the decisions that they make, and the actions that they take, everyday can contribute to air pollution. Once we understand how we contribute to air pollution, we can effectively work to reduce it. Examples of everyday actions include:
- How much we drive our vehicles
- How we maintain our vehicles and other gas-powered equipment
- The amount and type of energy we consume
- The products we buy (I.E. paints, solvents, etc.)
- What we burn in our fireplaces and backyards
- What type of vehicles we buy (fuel efficiency)
- How we maintain our yards (equipment, pesticides)
Click here for information about how these actions affect our air quality and what you can do to reduce air pollution.
Businesses can continue to reduce air pollutants by complying with establish regulations, and implementing pollution prevention practices to reduce emissions and save money. Pollution Prevention is the reduction or elimination of pollution at its' source, instead of treating pollution (I.E. air filters, air scrubbers) before it is emitted into the atmosphere. Businesses around the world have benefited from reducing pollution at the source. These benefits include less regulation, reduced operational costs, and less liability associated with the generation of pollution. A simple example of pollution prevention is energy conservation. By reducing energy consumption, a business saves money and contributes to reduction of pollutants emitted by the power generation facility (I.E. power plants). For more information about pollution prevention and potential opportunities for your business, click here.
The following are different types of air pollution sources:
Point Source:
- Power plants
- Factories
- Industrial and commercial boilers
- Chemical processing
- Large petroleum storage facilities
Nonpoint Sources:
- Small businesses (I.E. dry cleaners, autobody shops, printers, painting operations, gas stations, etc.)
- Homes (wood combustion, furnaces, paint and solvent use, etc.)
- Office buildings (heating sources, etc.)
- Wildfires
- Waste disposal (I.E. landfills)
- Agricultural sources (open burning, pesticide application, tilling, feedlots, etc.)
- Wind erosion
- Unpaved roads
- Biogenic (I.E. trees - oak, pines, sweetgum, eucalypti and poplars)
Onroad Sources:
- Cars
- Motorcycles
- Trucks
- Heavy-duty trucks (I.E. Semi-tractor trailers, dump trucks, etc.)
Nonroad Sources:
- Construction equipment (I.E. excavators, bull dozers, skid steers, etc.)
- Gas-powered Lawn and garden equipment (I.E. lawn mowers, weedeaters, chainsaws, leaf blowers, chippers, etc.)
- Off-road motorcycles and ATV's
- Golf carts
- Snowmobiles
- Boats
- Farm equipment (I.E. tractors, sprayers, balers, etc)
- Aircrafts
What are Biogenic Sources?
Biogenic sources mainly include various types of trees. Trees provide tremendous resources including air pollutant removal, and cooling benefits (homes, businesses). However, certain types of trees also emit volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions. These VOC emissions can react with nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the air to form ground-level ozone. Most plants emit some VOC's. But the following trees emit the most:
- Oak
- Pines
- Sweetgum
- Eucalypti
- Poplars
For more information about air pollution, visit the following websites: