Cleaning Up Commonly Found Air Pollutants
The six common air pollutants of primary concern to the United States are particle pollution, ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and lead. These pollutants are detrimental to health, the environment, and a person's home and other belongings. The worst two of the six pollutants are particle pollution and ground-level ozone, which have to be regulated by the EPA. Particle pollution, or particle matter, consists of soot, smoke, and chemically formed "droplets". These particles are very small and can bury themselves deep inside the lungs. Ground-level ozone is found in smog and can also negatively affect the lungs. Ozone is composed of two chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). VOCs come from cars burning gasoline, petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturing plants, etc., while NOx results from burning gasoline, coal, or oil.
Read more about this topic: National Emissions Standards Act
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