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Article: Air Pollution
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Air Pollution
Air pollution is the presence in the atmosphere of any substance at a concentration great enough to produce an undesirable effect on humans, animals, vegetation, or materials, or to significantly alter the natural balance of any ecosystem. Air pollutants can be solids, liquids, or gases, and can have local, regional, and global impacts.
At urban scales, air pollution is frequently referred to as photochemical smog. "Smog" is a contraction of the words "smoke" and "fog," and was originally used to describe air pollution caused by coal burning in London. Urban smog is photochemical because many of the chemicals found in urban air are formed by chemical reactions driven by ...