Air Pollution During The Industrial Revolution

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How/when did air pollution become a problem?
The growth of cities and factories during the Industrial Revolution was a major contributor to the decline of air quality. Some pollutants have always been here, for example, particulate matter like ash from fires, volcanic eruptions, or dust caused by wind. However, there weren’t many human populations/communities, and the technology required to produce hazardous conditions didn't exist until about 20 years ago. “The industrialization of England in the 1750s, followed by that of France in the 1830s and German in the 1850s, created high-density populations of millions of people who were drawn to cities to work in factories, leading to huge increases in airborne pollutants.” Work conditions in factories …show more content…
Nitrogen dioxide can inflame the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections like influenza. Short term effects are unclear, but long tern exposure to amount of nitrogen dioxide that are higher than normally found in the air can cause more cases of respiratory illness in children. “Nitrogen oxides contribute to ozone formation” and can have negative effects on land and aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen oxides in the air can greatly contribute to environmental effects like acid rain and eutrophication (“Nitrogen Dioxide”).
Once in the atmosphere, NO forms NO2. NO2 can then be taken apart by radiation from the sun to produce oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms then react with other oxygen atoms to form ozone which in the summer, can build up close to the ground, causing respiratory problems (“Nitrogen Oxides”).
SULPHURIC ACID AND SULPHUR OXIDES
A lot of the sulfuric acid in the air is formed when sulfur dioxide released when coal, oil, and gas are burned. The released sulfur dioxide turns into sulfur trioxide, which reacts with the water in the air to form sulfuric …show more content…
Sulfuric acid in rain contributes to the formation of acid rain. Sulfuric acid in water separates to form hydrogen ions and sulfate.
H2SO4 (g) → H2 (g) + SO4 (g)
The ability of sulfuric acid to change the acidity of water is dependent on the amount of sulfuric acid and the ability of other substances in the water to neutralize the hydrogen ions.
Sulfuric acid is very corrosive and irritating and will cause direct effects to the skin, eyes, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems when there is direct contact/exposure to high enough amounts of sulfuric acid. Breathing in sulfuric acid can cause tooth decay and respiratory tract irritation. If consumed sulfuric acid will burn your mouth and throat and might erode a hole in your stomach. Breathing in small drops of sulfuric acid in the air on a day with high air pollution might make it harder to breathe especially is you have asthma or have been exercising.
ACID RAIN
Most acid rain is caused by sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are turned into sulfuric acid and nitric acid in the atmosphere. Forms of these acids can fall to earth as different forms of precipitation. When it’s not raining, the compounds come into contact with the soil
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