This information is available in alternate format. Call Michelle Waters-Ekanem, Diversity Director, at 617-292-5751.
TDD# 1-866-539-7622 or 1-617-574-6868
MassDEP Website: www.mass.gov/dep
Printed on Recycled Paper
Health & Environmental Effects of Air Pollution
Health Effects
Air pollution can harm us when it accumulates in the air in high enough concentrations.
Millions of Americans live in areas where urban smog, particle pollution, and toxic
pollutants pose serious health concerns. People exposed to high enough levels of
certain air pollutants may experience:
Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
Wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and breathing difficulties
Worsening of existing lung and heart problems, such as asthma
Increased risk of heart attack
In addition, long-term exposure to air pollution can cause cancer and damage to the
immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems. In extreme cases, it can
even cause death.
Who Is Most at Risk?
Air pollution is a problem for all of us. However, some groups of people are especially
sensitive to common air pollutants such as particulates and ground-level ozone.
Sensitive populations include children, older adults, people who are active outdoors,
and people with heart or lung diseases, such as asthma. If you are sensitive to air
pollution, you need to be aware of steps you can take to protect your health.
For more information on sensitive populations and the health effects of common air
pollutants, check out our pollutant fact sheets.
Environmental Effects
Along with harming human health, air pollution can cause a variety of environmental
effects:
Acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. These
acids are formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the
atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. These acids fall to the Earth either as wet
precipitation (rain, snow, or fog) or dry precipitation (gas and particulates). Some are
carried by the wind, sometimes hundreds of miles. In the environment, acid rain
damages trees and causes soils and water bodies to acidify, making the water
unsuitable for some fish and other wildlife. It also speeds the decay of buildings,
statues, and sculptures that are part of our national heritage. Acid rain has damaged
Massachusetts lakes, ponds, rivers, and soils, leading to damaged wildlife and forests.
For more information on acid rain, go to http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/.
Eutrophication is a condition in a water body where high concentrations of nutrients
(such as nitrogen) stimulate blooms of algae, which in turn can cause fish kills and loss
of plant and animal diversity. Although eutrophication is a natural process in the aging of
lakes and some estuaries, human activities can greatly accelerate eutrophication by
increasing the rate at which nutrients enter aquatic ecosystems. Air emissions of
nitrogen oxides from power plants, cars, trucks, and other sources contribute to the
amount of nitrogen entering aquatic ecosystems.
Haze is caused when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles in the air. Haze
obscures the clarity, color, texture, and form of what we see. Some haze-causing
pollutants (mostly fine particles) are directly emitted to the atmosphere by sources such
as power plants, industrial facilities, trucks and automobiles, and construction activities.
Others are formed when gases emitted to the air (such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides) form particles as they are carried downwind. For more information on haze, visit
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Visibility Web page:
http://www.epa.gov/oar/visibility/.
Effects on wildlife. Toxic pollutants in the air, or deposited on soils or surface waters,
can impact wildlife in a number of ways. Like humans, animals can experience health
problems if they are exposed to sufficient concentrations of air toxics over time. Studies
show that air toxics are contributing to birth defects, reproductive failure, and disease in
animals. Persistent toxic air pollutants (those that break down slowly in the
environment) are of particular concern in aquatic ecosystems. These pollutants
accumulate in sediments and may biomagnify in tissues of animals at the top of the food
chain to concentrations many times higher than in the water or air.
Ozone depletion. Ozone is a gas that occurs both at ground-level and in the Earth's
upper atmosphere, known as the stratosphere. At ground level, ozone is a pollutant that
can harm human health. In the stratosphere, however, ozone forms a layer that protects
life on earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. But this "good" ozone is
gradually being destroyed by man-made chemicals referred to as ozone-depleting
substances, including chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons.
These substances were formerly used and sometimes still are used in coolants,
foaming agents, fire extinguishers, solvents, pesticides, and aerosol propellants.
Thinning of the protective ozone layer can cause increased amounts of UV radiation to
reach the Earth, which can lead to more cases of skin cancer, cataracts, and impaired
immune systems. UV can also damage sensitive crops, such as soybeans, and reduce
crop yields.
Crop and forest damage. Air pollution can damage crops and trees in a variety of
ways.Ground-level ozone can lead to reductions in agricultural crop and commercial
forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased plant
susceptibility to disease, pests and other environmental stresses (such as harsh
weather). As described above, crop and forest damage can also result from acid rain
and from increased UV radiation caused by ozone depletion.
Global climate change. The Earth's atmosphere contains a delicate balance of
naturally occurring gases that trap some of the sun's heat near the Earth's surface. This
"greenhouse effect" keeps the Earth's temperature stable. Unfortunately, evidence is
mounting that humans have disturbed this natural balance by producing large amounts
of some of these greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane. As a result,
the Earth's atmosphere appears to be trapping more of the sun's heat, causing the
Earth's average temperature to rise - a phenomenon known as global warming. Many
scientists believe that global warming could have significant impacts on human health,
agriculture, water resources, forests, wildlife, and coastal areas. For more information,
visit EPA's Global Warming Web page: http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/.
