The science behind smog

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I don't think there is anyone in the world who is a not a beneficiary of the industrial revolution, things like cars ,motorcycles, clothes building materials and petrochemical products and many more emanated from this period of technology and industrialisation of the 21st century.In order to make our lives better and more comfortable we are increasing the number of factories and industries day in day out because man is never satisfied so we keep inventing innovating every day for us to be able to satisfy our needs and thirst for more innovation.

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It is unfortunate that countries that call themselves the superpowers or the industrialised countries are those with the most factories and industries.This is good thing because with them developing countries or third world countries wouldn't get the products and machinery to satisfy their needs and wants.

It is a fact that most of this industries and factories burn things in the processing of manufacturing and release tons of harmful gases into the atmosphere.But the question when this gases are released into the atmosphere where do they go?
They can back to us and we are suffering currently suffering the consequences of those harmful gases in the atmosphere. Before the coming of the global pandemic which we all know it to be called the COVID-19. Big industrialised countries like China ,had their citizens wearing nose mask because the level of smog in the atmosphere is too much for the people to bear so they had to protect themselves.

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Someone people from china who always travel to less developed or less industrialised countries are always over whelmed whey the see blue skies. It is a fact that most Chinese might see a skies in their entire life because the smoke from the industries and factories have polluted the atmosphere and had turned it to something cloudy.

Not only in China other industrialised countries has had their share of this atmospheric pollution. The great Smog or biggest smoke of London was the most terrible air pollution situation in the history of Europe causing about eight thousand to about twelve thousand deaths. The biggest london smoke was started in Donora USA in the year 1948 which was a life threatening smog. One serious thing is that this atmospheric pollutant are always a global problem in that it can start in one country and end in another country who might suffer the outcome .
The smoke that formed the smog clouds of the biggest london smoke consisted of metal in dust forms,carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide most innocent people suffered from the many various breathing problems ,of which many died and many others were hospitalised.

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In the year 2013 similar wicked air pollution situation happened in Beijing which was caused by the burning of coal.This crisis lead to the premature death of about three hundred and sixty-six thousand people.This tells you and i how serious atmospheric pollution or air pollution by smog could be.

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sources of smog
The smog is normally beneath the basin of rivers which are always surrounded by mountains this makes the release of smog from the natural source unpopular. But most of the smog is caused by we humans which is coming from anthropogenic sources such the combustion of fossil fuels ,coal plants and from the exhaust of vehicles. This processes lead to the release of primary pollutant such nitric oxide,oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide.

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This primary pollutant react with secondary pollutant in the atmosphere by chemical interactions in the atmosphere to form secondary pollutant such nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide which leads to the creation of photochemical smog which pose a serious problem on human health and the environment.

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Effects of smog

Numbers	Effects of smog
One	causes heart diseases
Two	causes lung cancers
Three	damage to nerves
Four	causes brain damage
Five	kidney damages
Six	damage to the liver
Seven	can cause defects in babies
Eight	it leads to throat irritation
Nine	cause many respiratory diseases such emphysema and bronchitis
Ten	causes ground level ozone
Eleven	it diminish visibility

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How can we prevent smog
We should limit the use of private cars as can advocate for the use of public transport, this will go a long way to reduce the emission from the numerous cars that flood our roads each day .people can switch to riding bicycles to work places as this will reduce the emissions of carbon monoxide and methane from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels in the cars we use

The environmental protection agencies and others stake of concern should come out with policies and laws that will avoid the use of volatile organic compounds products and other products containing the toxic gases .This product emit compounds that contribute to the formation of petrochemical smog.

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Regular maintenence of old cars, more especially in the developing countries. Cars owners should try to take of their by regular repairs and routine maintenance this will reduce the huge emissions of gas from the exhaust pipes of second hand cars and olds which is sometime more than the smoke from the chimney of homes.

We should minimise the use of firewood and charcoals in cooking.The cutting of the fire in the first place leads to deforestation which is indirectly reducing the number of trees that could have absorbed some of this atmospheric pollutant. Secondly the burning of the firewoods leads to the release of smoke and certain air pollutant which contribute to the formation of smog.

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