Air pollution
by Chris Woodford. Last updated: March 30, 2011.
From cigarette smoke to global warming, air pollution has many different causes and affects us in many different ways. Pause a moment to make a list of all the different types of air pollution you come across in a single day and you might be surprised. How about car exhausts or garden bonfires, rotting food on landfills, forest fires caused by accident or arson, or fumes from factories?
This is our student resource guide to air pollution that will help you read around the subject for school and college projects (and general research). If you're looking for more of a general overview, you might like to try our introduction to air pollution.
Photo: Air pollution pouring from a smokestack (chimney). Photo by courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service.
What is pollution?
Photo: The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica caused by CFC pollution.
Picture courtesy of NASA.
If you can smell it and you don't like it, it's probably pollution. But a bad smell may be the least of your worries. An awful lot of pollution is highly toxic and harmful to health. (Did you know, for example, that garden bonfire smoke contains over 350 times as much of the cancer-causing chemical benzpyrene as cigarette smoke?)
Over time, the chemicals in pollution can accumulate in the food chain or inside your body, so even if you're exposed for only a short time the risk can be significant. Maybe you think air pollution is nothing to worry about because the wind disperses it quickly and blows it away. Sometimes that's true. But air pollution can dissolve in rain and return to Earth as water pollution in another state, country, or even continent from where it was produced. Nothing illustrated this more dramatically than the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine in 1986, which blew a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of western Europe.
How to tackle a project on pollution
This page is a collection of Web links designed to help you if you're doing a school or college project into air pollution. The best way to approach your research is to consider air pollution in a very systematic way:
- You could start by thinking about the different causes of air pollution and the different types of pollution that each one produces.
- Next, maybe you could look at the actual chemicals involved and the effects they have on human health. (Incinerators that dispose of household trash, for example, are often considered controversial because if they don't burn at high enough temperatures they can generate toxic chemicals called dioxins.)
- Then you could move onto thinking about the different effects pollution has on the natural environment—on plants, animals, and people.
- Finally, you need to think about some solutions to the pollution problem. Is the best approach to use laws? If so, how do you establish who's responsible for pollution when the effects may show up a long way from the cause—maybe even a long time afterwards? And how do you tackle pollution at an international or global level? What do you do about pollution produced in one country that can affect countries on the other side of the world? Maybe you'll conclude that the best solution is to raise public awareness of the problem so more people change their behavior. Or maybe you'll decide politicians need to regulate industry more—but how will that happen in a world where businesses pull the strings of power? Are there any easy things we can all do as individuals to reduce the problem of air pollution? For example, could we shun plastic packaging to reduce the amount of trash that has to be burned? Could we switch to biodegradable plastics? How much difference would it make if everyone recycled more?
Links for further research
We try very hard to ensure these links are all working and up-to-date, and we do check them regularly, but it's not easy—the web is a dynamic place! Sorry if you find some broken links.
- Cool stuff for schools!
- Government agencies and international organizations
- Institutions, campaign groups, NGOs, etc.
- Air pollution and smog from cars and other vehicles
- Other human causes of air pollution
- Natural causes of air pollution
- Ozone depletion, the ozone layer, and the ozone hole
- Radioactive fallout
- Health effects
- Ecological effects
- Chemicals in air pollution
- Measuring air quality
- Air pollution statistics
- Acid rain and atmospheric deposition
- Indoor air pollution
- Laws and conventions
- Things you can do
- Search for news stories
Cool stuff for schools!
A lot of the information on this page is quite detailed scientific stuff. If you're doing a project for school, you might not have time to work through all these zillions of links. We suggest you take a look at the links below - you will probably find everything you need for your project right here!
For younger students
- Introduction to air pollution: Our own simple but detailed introductory guide.
- Planet Polluto: The Pollutonians need your help to save their planet from the ravages of air pollution.
- The Last Gasp Gazette: A colorful 8-page introduction to smogbusting in California from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. (PDF format)
- EPA Environmental Kids Club: an introduction to air quality, global warming, and ozone from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Kid's Air: an introduction from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Clean Air Kids: Information sheets, games, and puzzles for kids.
- The Know Zone: from the Canadian Air Resources Board
- The Kids Quiz!: a short introduction to air pollution and a quiz to test your knowledge, from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
- Search Yahoo! Kids for "air pollution"
- Search Fact Monster for "air pollution"
- Air pollution: an introduction for students from the Indian website edugreen
- NRDC for kids: loads of links from the Natural Resources Defense Council
- Air quality for kids: from EPA Victoria in Australia
- Sunwise school program: The US EPA's schools website about over-exposure to the Sun.
- Air Quality Program Kids' Site from Washington State Department of Ecology.
- UNEP Children and the Environment: flash website
For older students and general readers
- Introduction to air pollution: Our own simple but detailed introductory guide.
- dmoz Open Directory Project: air pollution
- Wikipedia article on "air pollution": introductory article compiled by many readers
- Answers.com information on "air pollution": introductory articles (answers.com article usually include wikipedia entries and a few other sources too)
- Air pollution: articles and search results from Encyclopedia.com
- Pollution: A life and death issue: by Alex Kirby. A 2004 BBC News story. Serves as a good introduction for older students (high school) and adults.
- Air quality: a simple intro from Britain's University of East Anglia
- Air pollution: an introduction from the Indian website edugreen
- Clean Air Campaign: information and resources for students and teachers.
- Taking toxics out of the air: A detailed brochure published by the US EPA.
- Acid Rain: A simple introduction from ThinkQuest.
- South Coast Air Quality Management District: Covering Orange County and urban Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties (the smoggiest part of the U.S.) Click on "Health and education" to find a student's guide to the health effects of air pollution, kids pages, and more.
- The environment: a global challenge: information from thinkquest.
- Glossary of environmental terms from Environment Canada
- Air pollution causes and effects by Tom Socha.
- Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution An introduction from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Lesson plans and materials designed specifically for teachers
- Air quality for kids: from EPA Victoria in Australia. This link takes you to the teacher's page.
- Friends of the Earth Learning: Many excellent lesson plans for teachers and booklets for students, covering all sorts of environmental issues. Produced in the UK but of much wider relevance.
- Geography standards: How Human Actions Modify the Physical Environment: Curriculum guidance from National Geographic.
- Indoor air quality tools for schools: From the US EPA. "The Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff."
- Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution Includes a section on classroom activities.
- State of California: Indoor Air Quality Program: Quite a bit of material relevant to schools, including recent material on whether school cleaning products contribute to childhood asthma.
- Acid Rain WebQuest: Student activities that involve thinking about acid rain.
Government agencies and international organizations
- United States and Canada:
- UK and Ireland:
- UK National Air Quality information
- Irish EPA air quality
- Air Quality in Wales: Lots of info from the Welsh Air Quality Forum, including current pollution levels.
- SEPA: Scotland air quality
- European Union:
- European Commission: Air Pollution: describes the Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) program.
- Other nations:
- Airnow: International Air Quality: A list of air quality indicators from around the world
- United Nations Environment Programme GEO3: Air pollution and Air Quality
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation: Website of Australia's national science agency includes lots of information about air pollution and atmospheric science.
Institutions, campaign groups, NGOs, etc.
- American Lung Association: lots of information about how air pollution affects human health.
- Clean Air Campaign: encouraging people to help improve the quality of the air.
- Environmental Defense: Air quality campaign pages.
- Friends of the Earth UK
- Friends of the Earth US: air and water program.
- National Audobon Society: unfortunately very little information about air pollution, but lots about related campaigns.
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): clean air and energy web pages.
- Environmental Protection UK: UK campaign on air, noise, and land pollution. (Formerly known as the National Society for Clean Air or NSCA)
- Sierra Club: clean air campaign pages.
- World Resources Institute: a great source of background information and statistics. Type "air pollution" into the search box.
- WWF: toxics program.
Air pollution and smog from cars and other vehicles
- Clean Air Campaign: encouraging people to reduce air pollution by using cars more sensibly.
- Transportation: Air Pollution Prevention: from sfenvironment.org. What is San Francisco doing to tackle car pollution?
- Car pollution: information from Environmental Protection UK.
- Cars and air pollution: A page for kids from EPA Victoria in Australia.
- Air pollution from cars: from the government of New Zealand.
- Transportation and air quality: from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Information about pollutants, fuels, and new technologies for reducing pollution.
- Vehicles and smog: a 2001 report from the Sierra Club, USA.
- Smog check and emissions information: from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
- EU pollution deaths cost billions: A 2005 BBC news story about air pollution deaths, including a section on particulates from diesel cars.
- Peering through the smog: can cars be clean: A 2004 news story about the growing menace of vehicle pollution in China.
- Green vehicle guide: from the US EPA.
- Port of Seattle: air quality and alternative fuels: Are cleaner fuels the way to solve the problem?
- Smog guilty of sex discrimination: a BBC News story from 1999 reporting findings of a Californian study apparently showing that boys and girls are affected differently by pollution.
- Smog crop damage costs billions: A 2002 New Scientist news story looks at the ecological cost of smog.
- The cost of crop damage by air pollution from motor vehicles: A 1999 report by James Murphy et al of the University of Arizona.
- Motor vehicle pollution and public health: asthma: A report from Environmental Defense (PDF file).
- Motor vehicle pollution and public health: cancers: A report from Environmental Defense (PDF file).
Other human causes of air pollution
- Garden and other outdoor fires:
- Garden bonfires: from Environmental Protection UK
- Bonfires: The law on bonfires, from the UK government's direct.gov website
- Darlington Council bonfires leaflet (in PDF form)
- How smoke from fires can affect your health from the US government Air Now website
- Domestic smoke and heating:
- Using Wood and Coal for Home Heating (air quality impacts): from Environmental Protection UK
- Smoke Control Areas: from the UK government
- Why is wood smoke a problem?: from the Australian government of New South Wales.
- Pollution From Home Fires Damaging Atmosphere: News of a 2001 study.
- Aircraft pollution:
- Aviation pollution: from Environmental Protection UK. Includes air pollution and noise.
- An introduction to aircraft-related pollution: from AERCO, a community group focused on Chicago's O'Hare airport.
- Air pollution impacts from aircraft: from the UK government's Civil Aviation Authority.
- Centre for Air Transport and the Environment: Scientific research from Manchester Metropolitan University.
- Incineration of waste:
- Guidance on Hazardous Waste Incinerators: A factsheet from the US Sierra Club.
- Incineration: Lots of information from Greenpeace on types of incineration, alternatives, and the problems incinerators cause.
- Oregon Toxics Alliance: A state campaign against incinerators and other toxic polluters.
- Power generation:
- Electricity Generation and Pollution: A one-page summary fact sheet compiled by Environmental Defense in 2002 (PDF).
- Air Emissions: Information from the US EPA on air quality impacts of energy use.
- Environmental impact of electricity generation: A Wikipedia article that compares impacts of different forms of fossil-fueled, renewable, and other power generation.
Natural causes of air pollution
- Volcanic pollution:
- USGS Volcano Hazards: information about volcano pollution and related hazards.
- Volcanic Air Pollution: A Hazard in Hawaii: a 2000 factsheet from the US Geological Survey (USGS).
- Mount St. Helens the state's No. 1 air polluter: A 2004 article from the Seattle Times.
- 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: An excellent (featured) article from Wikipedia about the most destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States.
- Pollen:
- Pollen, pollution continue to challenge the immune system: an interesting 2005 article from USA Today, which explains how the body's immune system reacts differently to pollen and air pollution.
- Pollen linked to heart and lung deaths: a BBC News story from 2000 reporting a Dutch study into pollen pollution.
- Pollen: Very brief summary from the Chattanooga APCB.
- Other natural pollutants:
- Mold Another brief Chattanooga APCB summary article.
- How ozone pollution works: An introduction from howstuffworks website.
- The effects of ozone pollution: health effects explained.
- Natural air pollution: sulfur/sulphur released by the oceans: How ocean sulfur is produced and how scientists measure it.
Ozone depletion, the ozone layer, and the ozone hole
- US EPA ozone depletion pages
- NOAA stratospheric ozone page: lots of scientific information about ozone depletion and the ozone hole.
- NASA Ocean Resource Page: Lots of up-to-date information about the ozone layer and ozone depletion.
- Useful Wikipedia artices relevant to ozone depletion:
- Ozone layer protection: A good selection of info from Environment Canada.
- Ozone depletion: frequently asked questions (FAQ): from FAQs.org.
- The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica: A great picture of the ozone hole from NASA.
- The ozone depletion phenomenon: from Beyond Discovery website.
- Ozone pollution: Information from Environmental Protection UK,
- Ozone depletion statistics: Information from the UK government environment department DEFRA.
- Why do ozone depleting chemicals cause holes at the poles?: An Ask-a-Scientist question from Scientific American.
- Ozone layer may be on the mend: A 2003 news article from National Geographic.
- Ozone benefits from treaty: A 2003 BBC News story about signs of recovery in the ozone layer.
- Old Fridges, Cars Slow Ozone Hole Recovery, Scientists Say: A 2005 news article from National Geographic.
- Major ozone loss over Antarctic: A 2005 BBC News story about one of the largest ozone holes ever recorded.
Radioactive fallout and nuclear pollution
- General:
- Radiation Protection: The US EPA's website about harmful exposure to radiation.
- Nuclear fallout: Introductory article from Wikipedia.
- Radiation contamination: Introductory article from Wikipedia.
- Chernobyl (1986):
- Chernobyl.info: The official, hugely detailed website dedicated to the 1986 Chernobyl explosion.
- Fallout from Chernobyl: Lesson plans from National Geographic.
- Increases in Leukemia in Infants in Wales and Scotland Following Chernobyl: Sharp increases in infant leukaemia after Chernobyl have been observed in five countries.
- Health effects of the Chernobyl accident: A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) presents the most definitive conclusions we have so far about the short- and long-term impacts of Chernobyl.
- Fukushima (2011):
- Fukushima I nuclear accidents: A Wikipedia page dcoumenting nuclear incidents at Fukushima following an earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011.
- Q&A: Health effects of radiation exposure: By Richard Warry, BBC News, 30 March 2011.
- US atomic tests:
- Study: 1950s nuclear fallout worse than thought: A 2002 news story from CNN about the hazards of above-ground weapons tests carried out in the United States.
- Nuclear Fallout Testing has killed thousands, a new study shows.: A 2002 article from In These Times by Jeffrey St. Clair. A new report estimates that fallout from open-air nuclear testing has killed more than 15,000 Americans and will cause at least 80,000 cancers.
- Estimated Exposures and Thyroid Doses Received by the American People From Iodine-131 in Fallout Following the Nevada Atmospheric Nuclear Bomb Tests: Testimony of Richard D. Klausner, M.D. Director, National Cancer Institute, before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, 1997.
- Risks of nuclear terrorism:
- Secure Energy? Civil Nuclear Power, Security and Global Warming: A report edited by Frank Barnaby and James Kemp, with a foreword by Jürgen Trittin, March 2007, the Oxford Research Group.
- Nuclear power and terrorism: A dossier from Greenpeace UK, published January 2006.
- Nuclear Terrorism: A 2003 report from the Oxford Research Group.
- Nuclear Terrorism: How To Prevent It: A summary from the nonprofit Nuclear Control Institute, which advocxates the prevention of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism.
Health effects
- MedLine: Air Pollution: A comprehensive list of links from the US National Institute of Health.
- Outdoor Air Pollution: Possible Health Effects: An introduction from FamilyDoctor.org
- Health and ecological effects of air pollution: A small collection of links from the US EPA.
- Health impacts of air pollution: a good introduction from edugreen
- World Resources Institute: Exploring the links between environmental quality and human health.
- Urban air pollution risks to children: Millions of children in the world's largest cities are exposed to life-threatening air pollution.
- Health effects of air and water pollution: Briefings and news stories from the NRDC.
- Dirty air and your health: US-based information from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
- Pollen linked to heart and lung deaths: a BBC News story from 2000 reporting a Dutch study into pollen pollution.
- Smog guilty of sex discrimination: a BBC News story from 1999 reporting findings of a Californian study apparently showing that boys and girls are affected differently by pollution.
- The effects of ozone pollution: health effectsexplained.
- Mothers' Exposure to Air Pollutants Linked to Chromosome Damage in Babies: results of a 2005 study summarized by the US National Institute of Health.
- House Beautiful, House Breathable: Health information from the American Association for Respiratory Care.
Ecological effects
- Ecological effects of air pollution: Links to numerous detailed reports at California's Air Resources Board.
- Impacts of air pollution on crops and forests: Detailed scientific report from York University UK.
- Air pollution's toll on forests and crops: According to the World Resources Institute, the scientific evidence is growing that air pollution (primarily ozone and acid deposition) is causing extensive damage to vegetation in both Europe and the United States.
- Ill winds: Airborne pollution's toll on trees and crops: This World Resources Institute report summarizes forest and crop damage in the United States and Europe, examines the evidence connecting it to air pollution, and recommends that emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and hydrocarbons be significantly reduced and non-fossil energy sources introduced.
- Ecological effects of air pollution: A 2005 paper/illustrated presentation by Bridget Emmett, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (PDF).
- Air pollution impacts on crops and forests: an introduction: by Dr Lisa Emberson of York University.
- The Effects of Environmental Pollution on North American Temperate Forests: A review by Melissa Kaplan.
- Crop archive shows pollution link: A 2005 BBC News story describing how air pollution affects fungal diseases in wheat.
- Smog crop damage costs billions: A 2002 New Scientist news story looks at the ecological cost of smog.
- The cost of crop damage by air pollution from motor vehicles: A 1999 report by James Murphy et al of the University of Arizona concludes pollution causes billions worth of damage.
Chemicals in air pollution
- Toxic air pollutants: The US EPA's web pages about the toxic chemicals in air pollution.
- Pollutants: Information from Environment Canada. Covers Criteria Air Contaminants and related pollutants (e.g. SO2, NOx, Volatile Organic Compounds, etc), Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)(e.g. dioxins and furans), Heavy Metals (e.g. mercury, and other toxics
- Taking toxics out of the air: A detailed brochure published by the US EPA.
- Particles and particulates: A handy table of the different particles from Environmental Protection UK.
- Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site: Information and statistics about polluting companies in the United States.
- Volatile organic compounds: Sources of indoor air pollution; information from the US EPA.
- Volatile organic compounds: Background information from California's Indoor Air Quality Program.
- Common indoor air pollutants: A 2004 article from the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Hazardous products in the home: A great site from Purdue, with a "clickable" house showing the toxics you're likely to find in each room.
- Heavy metals: Information from UNEP.
- Persistent organic pollutants (POPs): Background information from UNEP.
- Six Common Air Pollutants: The US EPA describes the major air pollutants: Ozone, Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide, and Lead.
Measuring air quality
- Air Quality Index for Kids: The US EPA's web pages for children aged 7-10.
- UK National Air Quality information
- Measuring air quality: How does the Province of British Columbia do it?
- Air quality: Information from Environmental Protection UK. Includes information about UK and worldwide standards.
- State of the Air: Measurements of air quality for the entire United States, from the American Lung Association.
- Air Quality Index: Air quality measurement scales explained by Wikipedia.
- Simple Device Allows Students to Measure Air Pollution: Lawrence Berkeley Lab "The low-tech equipment, which yields results comparable to those obtained by standard scientific instruments, consists of a piece of tissue paper, a vacuum cleaner, two disposable cups, a plastic bag, and a photographic print." The main project website, linked from this page, seems no longer to be online.
Air pollution statistics
- US National Emissions Inventory (NEI) Air Pollutant Emissions Trends Data: Reports from the USA EPA.
- Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: includes air pollution statistics
- UK National Air Quality information
- Europe: Air Quality Now: Recent air quality measurements for European cities, compiled by the European Commission.
- EarthTrends Environmental Information: A large collection of environmental statistics from the World Resources Institute.
- Statistical Resources on the Web: Links to statistics websites, including a number of sites with pollution statistics..
- Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site: Information and statistics about polluting companies in the United States.
Acid rain and atmospheric deposition
- Acid rain: Introductory article from Wikipedia.
- How acid rain works: An introductory article from HowStuffWorks.
- US EPA acid rain pages
- Acid Rain And Aquatic Life : A science fair project from Science Buddies.
- National Atmospheric Deposition Program: "...a nationwide network of precipitation monitoring sites. The network is a cooperative effort between many different groups, including the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and numerous other governmental and private entities."
- Air Quality in the Great Lakes Region
- Chesapeake Bay: Water quality problems caused by air pollution
- Convention
on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
- EMEP: The Co-Operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-Range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP),
- Transport Programme Overview: Understanding the transport and fate of contaminants arriving at the Arctic ocean. Study by Norwegian Ministry of Environment
- Acid Rain WebQuest: Student activities that involve thinking about acid rain.
Indoor air pollution
- Indoor air quality: An introduction from Wikipedia.
- Indoor air quality: A FAQ from the US Environmental Protection Agency.
- Medline: Indoor Air Pollution: A collection of links from the US National Library of Medicine.
- World Health Organization: Indoor Air Pollution: How big is the problem worldwide and what can we do about it?
- California Indoor Air Quality Program: Information about a variety of subjects including asthma, mold, tobacco smoke, asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and radon.
- How dishwashers pollute the indoor air: Science News, 1999
- House Beautiful, House Breathable: Health information from the American Association for Respiratory Care.
- World Health Organization: Percentage of population using solid fuels indoors:
- Indoor air quality tools for schools: From the US EPA. "The Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff."
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission: lots of useful background reports about home hazards like paint strippers, carpet chemicals, room humidifiers, etc.
Laws and conventions
- Plain English Guide to the 1990 Clean Air Act: from the US EPA.
- Clean Air Act 1990: Full text from the US EPA.
- History of air pollution laws in the United States: A discussion of clean air legislation from 1955 to 1990.
- Air Quality: This is a good starting point for researching European environmental laws (directives) on air pollution. It gives information about the European Union Framework Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality and related directives.
- Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution: administered by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
- International Joint Commission: Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America on Air Quality
- Panel of Experts Finds That Anti-Pollution Laws Are Outdated: A New York Times article from 2004.
- Factory Farms Want Exemption from Air Pollution Laws: A Sierra Club press release from 2003.
- California air pollution control laws: The "bluebook" of air pollution laws.
Things you can do
- Improving Air Quality in Your Community: How we can all make the air in our communities cleaner and healthier. Advice from the US EPA.
- Fifty Things You Can Do to Reduce Air Pollution: Simple, easy-to-follow tips from the California EPA Air Resources Board.
- What We Can Do to Improve Air Quality: Advice we can all follow for a cleaner atmosphere, from the Government of British Columbia, Canada.
- House Beautiful, House Breathable: How to reduce air pollution in your own home. Information from the American Association for Respiratory Care.
- 50 top tips for cutting waste: Pollution comes from waste, so reducing waste reduces pollution. Try these tips from Friends of the Earth UK.
- What you can do: More general environmental tips from EDF (Environmental Defense Fund).
