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Sources of   
Air Pollution

There are two main types of air pollutants, primary pollutants and secondary pollutants.

Primary pollutants are those that come directly from or are increased by human activities such as driving cars.

Secondary pollutants are produced by Chemical Reactions in the atmosphere between primary pollutants.

Some air pollution also comes from natural sources such as volcanoes, cows and other animals and rotting vegetation.
 

Common Sources of Primary Pollutants

 
Source  Pollutants Chemical Formulae
Cars, Trucks, Buses    Nitrous oxide,   
  carbon monoxide,   
  carbon dioxide,  
  hydrocarbons 
    NO2  
    CO 
    CO2 
    CxHy
   Industry   Nitrous oxide,   
  carbon monoxide,   
  carbon dioxide,   
  hydrocarbons   + others 
        NO2  
        CO 
        CO2 
        CxHy
 Aerosol cans    CFCs  
      (chlorofluorocarbons), 
   hydrocarbons 
        Various
Burning  
Coal
  Carbon monoxide,  
  carbon dioxide  
  sulfur dioxide  
       (in Europe and USA)
        CO 
        CO2 
        SO2 
 
Burning off, Bush fire   Carbon monoxide,  
  carbon dioxide
        CO 
        CO2
Cows   Methane  
       (simple hydrocarbon)
        CH4
Volcanoes   Carbon dioxide,  
  sulfur dioxide 
        CO2 
        SO2
 
 
 

 Secondary Pollutants

Secondary pollutants are all the result of chemical reactions of primary pollutants.These reactions take place in the atmosphere and depend greatly on the weather.
 

Examples of Secondary Pollutants

Chemical Formula

Nitrogen dioxide   
This is also considered a primary pollutant as it has  
some primary sources.
    NO2
Ozone  
Good in the ozone layer but causes problems down here.
    O3
PAN gas  
(peroxyacetalnitrate)  
 
    C2H3N2O5
Acid Rain  
Usually sulphuric acid, can also be nitric acid.
      H2SO4
 
 

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