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Sources of    Air Pollution

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

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