Smog, The Environmental Issue

            Smog is a type of air pollution. The name “smog” is derived from the combination of the word “smoke” and “fog”. The most recognized source of smog, however not the largest producer of it is large amounts of coal burning. However, most modern smog does not come from coal but instead vehicles and industrial emissions which respond to sunlight to form secondary pollution.

            In the 1950’s a new type of smog was discovered. This new pollutant known as photochemical smog is caused by sunlight and other pollution reacting. This forms pollution which is a mix of very dangerous chemicals. Photochemical smog is the chemical reaction between sunlight, nitrous oxides, and other compounds in the atmosphere which leaves some particles in the air as well as ground-level ozone. Nitrogen oxides are released from fossil fuel burning engines in cars, trucks, coal-burning power plants, and industrial manufacturing. All of the chemicals in the air are highly reactive. Therefore, photochemical smog is considered a major problem of industrialization. These chemicals are considered present in all modern cities. However, it is more common in cities with sunny, warm, dry climates and large numbers of motor vehicles. Because smog travels with the wind, it can end up almost anywhere. The most common color of massive amounts of smog is an orangey brown.

            Smog can form in almost any climate where industries or cities release large amounts of air pollution. Smog, however, is much worse during periods of warmer, sunnier weather.

Another reason for concern about the smog is the major health concerns. Pollution such as ground level ozone, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide hazardous to anyone’s health, but especially to senior citizens, children and people with heart and lung problems. The pollution can cause swelling of the breathing passages. This creates difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and pain when breathing deeply. The air pollution can also cause extremities like death. Hospital entrances and deaths due to respiratory failure increase as ozone levels increase. For example, the Ontario Medical Association said that smog is responsible for around 9500 early deaths in Ontario each year.

            Smog is a common problem in Southeast Asia due to large amounts of forest and land fires in Indonesia. The smog above Asia is commonly referred to haze although technically it is actually just smog. Farmers and plantations are usually the ones who are responsible for the fires. They use burning as a main method to remove bushes and other obstacles to make room for additional plantings. The totally economic loss resulting for the fires and smog is estimated at around $9.3 billion US. This includes damages to agriculture as well as tourism, health transportation and many others. The Southeast Asian Nations are now working on a monitoring and warning system to alert of forest fires along with a system to rate how dangerous a fire is.

            A type of smog which is slightly less common is volcanic smog. This occurs when a volcano erupts and thus releases high levels of sulfur dioxide. The volcanic smog is referred to as vog. Vog and smog both share similarities, they both cause acid rain, and they are both hazardous for plants and animals (including humans) to breathe. The most active volcano is the Kilauea. It emits an approximate amount of 2000 tons of vog every day. 

Sources

“Smog.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 19 Nov 2008, 10:38 UTC. 20 Nov 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smog&oldid=252756333>.

“Vog.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 9 Nov 2008, 20:23 UTC. 20 Nov 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vog&oldid=250717135>.