Essay Outline- AIR POLLUTION

Essay Outline- AIR POLLUTION

1. Introduction

• Definition of air pollution

Air pollution is the release of poisonous or harmful substances into the air that adversely affects human health and the universe as a whole

• Thesis statement

Air pollution is only caused by use of fossil fuels in vehicles and manufacturing industries

• Plan of development

Air pollutants released into the atmosphere are mainly gases and tiny particles by either human activities or natural factors. Air pollution contributes to climatic change and adverse effects on human health. Air pollution can be reduced by using cleaner sources of energy and enforcing building and industrial standard.

1. Causes of air pollution

Body paragraph 1

Topic sentence: Combustion of fossil fuels such as petroleum, diesel, and coal emits sulfur dioxide causes a significant amount of air pollution.

Detail Sentence 1: Incomplete or improper burning of these fossil fuels also produces carbon monoxide, which is one of the major air pollutants

Detail sentence 2: diesel-using cars produce approximately 42% of nitrogen oxide and around 46% carbon monoxide.

Body paragraph 2

Topic sentence: Another cause of air pollution is exhaust from manufacturing industries.

Detail sentence 1: The mount of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and organic compounds and chemicals are released to the air by manufacturing industries.

Detail sentence 2: When such elements are released into the air, they turn into nitrogen oxide and ozone, which are among the primary air pollutants.

Body paragraph 3

Topic sentence: Agricultural activities, such as the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, also contribute to air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: Such farm chemicals emit harmful substances into the air.
• Detail sentence 2: Some farm machinery is driven by fossil fuels, which, when burned, produce gases that pollute the air.

Body paragraph 4

Topic sentence: Mining activities also contribute to a significant amount of air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: Mining activities also contribute to a significant amount of air pollution. Mining operations release a lot of dust and chemicals into the air, thus causing massive air pollution.
• Detail sentence 2: The dust and chemicals produced during mining also lead to deterioration of the health of workers and people who reside near the mining sites.

Body paragraph 5

Topic sentence: Another leading cause of air pollution is volcanic eruptions, which releases a lot of pollutants to the air.

• Detail sentence 1: Volcanoes emit sulfur, chlorine, dust, ash, and smoke particulates into the atmosphere, which causes air pollution.
• Detail sentence 2: According to National Geographic, volcanic eruptions can emit enough sulfur dioxide to influence global cooling.

Body paragraph 6

Topic sentence: Some activities, like cooking, the use of household products containing chemicals, and home-heating also contribute to air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: Cooking and home-heating utilize fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, which, when burned, produces pollutants like sulfur dioxide.
• Detail sentence 2: Some household products such as sprays, aerosols, cleaning products such as bleach also produce substances that pollute the air.

Body paragraph 7

Topic sentence: Aerosols are also major air pollutants because they contain substances chlorofluorocarbons, which not only pollute the air but also destroy the ozone layer.

• Detail sentence 1: The ozone layer shields the earth from dangerous ultraviolet rays.
• Detail sentence 2: Although the production of aerosols has been banned in many countries, their effects on the atmosphere, particularly the ozone layer, continue to be experienced.

Body paragraph 8

Topic sentence: Open burning of waste and organic waste in landfills also contributes to air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: open waste burning and organic landfill waste emit harmful furans, methane, dioxins, and black carbon to the atmosphere.
• Detail sentence 2: When such substances are released into the atmosphere, a significant level of air pollution occurs.

Body paragraph 9

Topic sentence: Sand and dust storms are another cause of air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: The storms may also carry harmful substances and pathogens, which can cause chronic respiratory problems once released into the atmosphere.
• Detail sentence 2: Fine dust particles are released into the air and can travel thousands of miles, causing even more air pollution.

 

Body paragraph 10

Topic sentence: Wildfires and uncontrolled burn activities in agriculture emit carbon monoxide smoke and smoke, which contribute to pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: Uncontrolled burning of biomass releases a lot of smoke can constitute almost 75% of air pollution.

Body paragraph 11

Topic sentence: In some regions of the world, some vegetation such as poplar, black gum, willow, and oak emits a significant amount of volatile organic compounds.

• Detailed sentence 1: When the volatile organic compounds react with nitrogen oxides, carbon compounds, and sulfur dioxide, low-lying seasonal smog, which contains high levels of ozone, is produced.

Body paragraph 12

Topic sentence: Deforestation also contributes to air pollution in that, when forests are cleared, the storage of carbon dioxide is destroyed.

• Detail sentence I: Therefore the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases.
• Detail sentence 2: Trees take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and store the carbon dioxide in the plant tissues
• Effects of air pollution

Body paragraph 13

Topic sentence: Air pollution causes adverse effects on human health, like respiratory problems, cardiovascular issues, and cancer.

• Detail sentence 1: According to the World Health Organization, air pollution kills around seven million people every year.
• Detail sentence 2: A third of deaths due to stroke, heart disease, and lung cancer are caused by air pollution

Body paragraph 14

Topic sentence: Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone cause irritation in the lungs’ airways, thus alleviating the symptoms of lung diseases.

• Detail sentence 1: Fine particles can get deep into the lungs, causing inflammation and making lung disease worse.
• Detail sentence 2: Ozone can also aggravate some conditions like bronchitis and asthma.

Body paragraph 14

Topic sentence: Air pollution is also a predisposing factor to stroke, especially in regions where air pollution levels are high.

• Detail sentence 1: A study in 2007 revealed that air pollution is associated with ischemic stroke in women.
• Detail sentence 2: In a cohort study in 2011, it was found that air pollution is also linked to increased incidences and deaths due to coronary stroke.

Body Paragraph 15

Topic sentence: Air pollution has also been associated with an increased risk of cancer due to long-term exposure to fine particulates

• Detail sentence 1: Air pollution has been associated with an increased risk of mortality due to lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
• Detail sentence 2: Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are also associated with increased chances of getting lung cancer.

Body paragraph 16

Topic sentence: Air pollution also causes preterm birth or low birth weight in infants.

• Detail sentence 1: A study by the World Health Organization revealed that exposure to fine particulates in women increases the risks of giving birth to an infant with low-birth-weight.
• Detail sentence 2: The effect is due to increased oxidative stress and stimulating inflammation caused by air pollution.

Body paragraph 17

Topic sentence: Early exposure to air pollution causes brain damage due to inflammation.

• Detail sentence 1: A study conducted by the University of Rochester suggests that air pollution can also cause autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Detail sentence 2: Air pollution also alleviates the risk of dementia in individuals over 50 years old.

Body paragraph 18

Topic sentence: Air pollution has contributed to increased environmental degradation over a few decades.

• Detail sentence 1: Air pollution has led to the disruption of ecosystems and the natural bio-network through global warming, acid rains, photochemical smog, depletion of the ozone, and formation of aerosol.
• Detail sentence 2: Air pollution has led to an increased level of global temperatures, which has adversely affected the climate.

Body paragraph 19

Topic sentence: Air pollution leads to the formation of acid rain, which causes adverse effects on the environment.

• Detail sentence1: When sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere react with water, nitric and sulphuric acids are formed.
• Detail sentence 2: Acid rain has adverse effects on the environment, like affecting the productivity of plants, altering soil pH, causing harm to aquatic life.

Body paragraph 20

Topic sentence: Air pollution also leads to depletion of the ozone through the destruction of ozone molecules by hydrocarbons.

• Detail sentence 1: The ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet rays from the sun’s radiation and protects the effect of UV rays.
• Detail sentence 2: The depletion of the ozone allows the UV rays to reach the surface of the earth, causing some severe conditions such as skin cancer.

Body paragraph 21

Topic sentence: Air pollution also contributes to the formation of aerosol and photochemical smog.

• Detail sentence 1: Aerosol blocks solar radiation and can also be deposited on plant leaves, thus affecting photosynthesis
• Detail sentence 2: Photochemical smog causes allergies and respiratory disorders because it is composed of polluting gases.

Body paragraph 22

Topic sentence: Air pollution also leads to eutrophication, which adversely affects aquatic life.

• Detail sentence 1: Eutrophication happens when a high amount of nitrogen in some pollutants develops on the surface of the sea and turns into algae.
• Detail sentence 2: The green-colored algae affect fish, animal species, and plants adversely.

 

 

1. Solutions to air pollution

Body paragraph 23

Topic sentence: Many countries have enacted rules and regulations to reduce air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: One of the possible solutions towards reducing air pollution is through reduction of the use of fossil fuels.
• Detail sentence 2: Fossil fuels used in vehicles, ships, airplanes, and household use should be replaced with much cleaner fuels like natural gas, thermal energy, or other renewable sources of energy.

Body paragraph 24

Topic sentence: Air pollution can also be reduced through the adoption of various technologies to control air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: Technologies such as the use of hydropower, solar power, and wind power instead of fossil fuels also help to fight against air pollution.
• Detail sentence 2: Another remedy is to use titanium dioxide to reduce air pollution by facilitating the release of free electrons by the UV light.

Body paragraph 25

Topic sentence: Pollution control devices have also been used to control air pollution.

• Detail sentence 1: The devices remove pollutants from an exhaust stream before being released into the atmosphere or destroying the pollutants.
• Detail sentence 2: Some devices used to control particulate in the atmosphere include mechanical collectors, electrostatic air cleaners, bag-houses, and particulate scrubbers.

Body paragraph 26

Topic sentence: Countries should also enforce energy efficiency guidelines for manufacturing industries.

• Detail sentence1: Industries should be encouraged to use alternative energy sources.

Detail sentence 2: Strict rules and regulations should be implemented to ensure that those industries adhere to environmentally friendly practices.

Body paragraph 27

Topic sentence: Governments should also ban the use of toxic materials such as asbestos and aerosols.

• Detail sentence 1: Countries should also educate architects, engineers, and designers about the risks of some building materials used in the construction industry.
• Detail sentence 2: Conducting awareness campaigns for citizens to educate them on causes of air pollution and how to avoid it can also be an effective strategy towards minimizing air pollution.

Body paragraph 28

Topic sentence: The government should also discourage the use of recognized harmful materials.

• Detail sentence 1: Countries should implement a minimum standard for high-risk pollutants like volatile organic compounds and fine particulates found in indoor spaces.
• Detail sentence 2: The government should also legislate and enforce national rules and guidelines for building indoor air and ventilation quality.

1. Conclusion

Concluding sentence: Air pollution is not only caused by combustion of fossil fuel, but also by other factors such as natural phenomena and other human activities.

 

 

 

 

Works cited

Fleischer, Nancy L., et al. “Outdoor air pollution, preterm birth, and low birth weight: analysis of the world health organization global survey on maternal and perinatal health.” Environmental health perspectives 122.4 (2014): 425-430.

Landrigan, Philip J. “Air pollution and health.” The Lancet Public Health 2.1 (2017): e4-e5.

Perera, Frederica. “Pollution from fossil-fuel combustion is the leading environmental threat to global pediatric health and equity: Solutions exist.” International journal of environmental research and public health 15.1 (2018): 16.

Rajagopalan, Raghavachari. Environmental studies: from crisis to cure. No. Ed. 3. Oxford University Press, 2015.

Schmale, Julia, et al. “Air pollution: Clean up our skies.” Nature News 515.7527 (2014): 335.

Vallero, Daniel A. Fundamentals of air pollution. Academic press, 2014.

West, J. Jason, et al. “What we breathe impacts our health: improving understanding of the link between air pollution and health.” (2016): 4895-4904.

https://www.who.int/airpollution/news-and-events/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-air-pollution.php

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution/