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Pictured left: Before flue gas desulfurization was installed, the emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide.
Air pollution is the presence of substances in the air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be gases, like ozone or nitrogen oxides, or small particles like soot and dust. Both outdoor and indoor air can be polluted.
Natural sources of air pollution include wildfires, dust storms, and volcanic eruptions. Indoor air pollution is often from burning firewood or agricultural waste for cooking and heating. Outdoor air pollution comes from some industrial processes, burning fossil fuels for electricity and transport, waste management and agriculture. Many sources of local air pollution, especially burning fossil fuels, also release greenhouse gases that cause global warming. However air pollution may limit warming locally.
Air pollution kills 7 or 8 million people each year. It is a significant risk factor for a number of diseases, including stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung cancer. Particulate matter is the most deadly, both for indoor and outdoor air pollution. Ozone affects crops, and forests are damaged by the pollution that causes acid rain. Overall, the World Bank has estimated that welfare losses (premature deaths) and productivity losses (lost labour) caused by air pollution cost the world economy over $8 trillion per year. (Full article...) (Full article...)