Ozone

Electric Vehicles eliminate tailpipe air pollution but still produce some emissions from wear, charging, and manufacturing. Cleaner energy and battery recycling help reduce EV air pollution.

Air pollution has changed over time, with sources evolving from wood burning and smelting to widespread fossil fuel use, industrial emissions, and intensified wildfires.

Wildfire smoke contains a complex mix of harmful pollutants, such as ozone precursors, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter like PM2.5 and black carbon. These pollutants can affect health and travel far from the fire source.

LA battles air pollution driven by geography, traffic, and summer heat. Learn about its smog history, current challenges, and efforts to protect public health.

Air pollutants influence ecosystems, the water cycle, and global temperatures by driving acid rain, ocean acidification, ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect, and changes in Earth's albedo.

Smog includes two main types: sulfurous smog, linked to coal burning and sulfur dioxide, and photochemical smog, formed by sunlight-driven reactions between nitrogen oxides and VOCs, producing ozone and particulate matter.

Natural sources such as wildfires, volcanoes, and sandstorms emit air pollutants like particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds, sometimes affecting human health and the climate.

Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are a group of pollutants formed from nitrogen and oxygen, primarily referring to nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). These gases have adverse health effects and contribute to smog, acid rain, and ozone formation.

Carbon Monoxide, formed by the incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, is invisible, odorless, and poisonous. It contributes indirectly to climate change and is regulated globally.

The summer season can impact air quality due to its high temperatures and weather patterns, which can not only increase the concentration of harmful air pollutants such as ground-level ozone but also degrade air quality and threaten human health through air stagnation, heat waves, drought, and an increased risk of wildfire.