Air Pollution - Practice Questions & MCQ

• We depend on air for our respiratory needs. So, air pollution causes injury to all living organisms.
• In case of plants, the growth and yield of crops are reduced and cause premature death. In animals including man, serious metabolic and respiratory diseases are manifested due to air pollution.
• Air pollution is also called atmospheric pollution. The atmosphere is an invisible layer of gases that surround the earth.
• The atmosphere extends from the surface of earth upto 650 kilometers. The lowest layer of atmosphere is known as the troposphere which extends upto 8-10 km near the poles and 18-20 km near the equator. 
• Air pollution is largely confined to the lower atmosphere i.e. troposphere.

Sources of Air Pollution:

• Transportation (42%)
• Fuel combustion in stationary sources (21%)
• Industrial processes (14%)
• Solid waste disposal (5%)
• Forest fires (8%)
• Miscellaneous sources including radioactive fallout (10%)
• So far, six pollutants that account for most of the air pollution worldwide are 
  • carbon monoxide (CO), 
  • sulphur dioxide (SO₂), 
  • nitrogen oxides (NOx), 
  • Ozone (O₃), parti
  • culate matters (PM10) and 
  • Lead
• They may come from natural sources or from human activities. 
  • Natural sources of air pollution are volcanic eruption, discharge of spores, conidia, endospores etc. of airborne microorganisms, pollens of certain flowers, dust particles suspended in air.
  • Man Made Sources are, burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gases, kerosene, petroleum products, etc.), burning of firewood for domestic purpose, automobile exhausts, smokes of domestic and industrial sources, particulate matters and aerosol etc.