What is Smog?

What is Smog?

The term was first used to describe smoky fog in the early 20th century because of its opacity and odor. This sort of observable air pollution is made up of smoke, ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and other particulates. Because of the volume of traffic, the number of companies, and the combustion of various fuels, dense metropolitan areas are more susceptible to smog. When contaminants are discharged into the atmosphere, smog develops. Both naturally occurring and human-induced pollutants exist, but the latter is more worrisome because of the quantity they produce when fossil fuels are burned and extracted, which is known to have severe negative impacts on health. Since a significant portion of smog is produced in cities, where a sizable portion of the population resides, the location of smog formation is also a major concern, particularly for human health....

Types of Smog

Photochemical Smog...

Causes of Smog

The typical causes of smog include pollutants that cause haze from a variety of sources, including industry, consumer goods, and cars. More than half of the haze in most urban areas is caused by vehicle emissions. Smog is typically brought on by the interactions between weather patterns, heavy traffic, industrial emissions, and other emissions from consumer goods. Paints, sprays, plastic containers, and solvents are examples of consumer goods....

How is Smog Formed?

The term smog is used to describe air pollution that develops when sunlight interacts with specific substances in the environment. Ozone is one of the main elements of photochemical smog. Ozone on the ground is damaging to human health, whereas ozone in the stratosphere shields the earth from dangerous UV radiation. When sunlight interacts with nitrogen oxide-containing vehicle emissions (mainly from exhaust) and volatile organic compounds (from paints, solvents, and fuel evaporation), ground-level ozone is created. Because of this, some of the sunniest cities are also among the dirtiest....

Why is Smog Harmful?

Smog irritates our airways when we breathe it in, raising our chance of developing serious lung and heart conditions. Because of these health dangers, many cities keep an eye on smog levels. The eyes and throat may burn on a day with a high ozone alert and may cough and wheeze as well. While the young and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the impacts of pollution, anyone who is exposed to it for either a short or lengthy period of time might have negative health effects. Shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, bronchitis, pneumonia, inflammation of the lungs’ tissues, heart attacks, lung cancer, an increase in asthmatic symptoms, exhaustion, heart palpitations, and even early aging of the lungs, and mortality are all difficulties....

Effects of Smog

Smog Effects on Humans...

How Smog can be Controlled

Conserve energy everywhere you are—at work, at home, etc. When purchasing equipment for your home or office, look for the ENERGY STAR label. When possible, carpool, take the bus, bike, or walk there. For effective vapor recovery, follow the directions for refueling with gasoline. Be cautious not to spill any fuel, and make sure the gas cap is properly tightened. Where available, think about buying portable fuel containers marked “spill-proof.” Keep the engines of your car, boat, and other vehicles tuned. Make sure your tyres are filled appropriately. Whenever possible, use paints and cleaning supplies that are safe for the environment. Compost or mulch your yard debris. Think about switching to gas logs from wood....

Conclusion:

The community’s air is contaminated by smog, which has a diverse composition. The vegetation could be destroyed, and both people and animals would be harmed by it. It darkens or greyizes the sky. Smog typically occurs in large cities with a lot of industry and traffic. Because the pollution is contained in the valley and cannot be transported by the wind, smog problems might arise in towns with mountainous environs. Success in emission management requires a comprehensive strategy. It should combine successfully implemented scientific theories with technical breakthroughs, benefit the economy, and have popular support. In many urban areas of India, there are major air quality problems. Every city, both rural and urban, should have public awareness campaigns started by the government, emphasizing the value of controlling air pollution at its source and the many control options available to lower pollutant emissions. Such programs might drastically reduce practices like burning crops, burning rubbish in the open, using biomass as a cooking fuel, and burning plastic and rubber during the winter....

FAQs on Smog:

1Q. Smog is a mixture of which Gases?...