Air Quality and Pollutants Essay

Air pollution is the introduction of pollutants into the indoor or outdoor environment by contaminants such as chemical, biological, or physical agents that alters the atmosphere's natural characteristics. Pollutants have emerged as a significant public health concern, and they include ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, mercury, and ammonia, among others. This paper examines carbon monoxide as a major pollutant.

The chemical symbol for carbon monoxide is CO (Levy, 2015). The source of carbon monoxide (CO) is incomplete combustion of carbon compounds such as during fires, faulty furnaces, and engine exhaust, among others (Rose et al., 2017). Unlike carbon dioxide, it is not naturally occurring. The environmental source of CO is the incomplete burning of coal, oil, and natural gas.

Carbon monoxide becomes airborne and migrates to the environment when there is incomplete combustion of fuel. The sources can either be human-made or natural. Automobiles exhausts are one of the main sources of carbon monoxide in the environment. Potential indoor sources of the pollutant include improperly connected gas appliances, fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, and furnaces (Wilbur et al., 2012).

Once in the environment, carbon monoxide has a mean lifespan of approximately two months. It then reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (Wilbur et al., 2012). Since carbon monoxide is in the environment, humans can be affected. The reaction of CO with hemoglobin after inhalation leads to the formation of carboxyhemoglobin (Levy, 2015). This limits the capability of the hemoglobin molecule to bind with oxygen. It, therefore, means there is a reduction of oxygen transportation to the tissues leading to tissue damage from local hypoxia. Also, organs such as the brain and the heart which have high oxygen capacity are affected. CO in the environment has also been weakly associated with the greenhouse effect. For example, it reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, which is a strong greenhouse gas causing global warming.

Conclusion

In conclusion, carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, which makes it one of the most dangerous pollutants. It is formed through incomplete combustion of fuel when there is limited oxygen supply. It is harmful to a human being as it combines with hemoglobin preventing the supply of oxygen to tissues and organs.

References

Levy, R. (2015). Carbon monoxide pollution and neurodevelopment: A public health concern. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 49, 31-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2015.03.001

Rose, J., Wang, L., Xu, Q., McTiernan, C., Shiva, S., Tejero, J., & Gladwin, M. (2017). Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Pathogenesis, Management, and Future Directions of Therapy. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 195(5), 596-606. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201606-1275ci

Wilbur, S., Williams, M., Williams, R., Scinicariello, F., Klotzbach, J., Diamond, G., & Citra, M. (2012). Toxicological Profile for Carbon Monoxide. Retrieved 28 September 2019, from https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp201.pdf