Save the Air

What Is Air Pollution? Being sick is pretty lousy, isn’t it? If you know someone who has a cold, you tend to steer clear of them because you don’t want to catch their germs. Every time that person coughs or sneezes, their germs get put into the air and are then free to travel to the next person. Can you imagine trying to contain something like that in the air? It would be pretty difficult because, not only are the germs invisible, but they expand outward as they enter the air. We don’t think of germs as air pollution, but it really is the same idea. Air pollutants are gases and particles in the atmosphere that harm organisms and affect climate. Air pollution, then, is the release of these particles and gases into the air. For the previous example, the germs would be the pollutants, but the air wouldn’t be polluted until those germs are sneezed out. Sources of Air Pollution When you think of air pollution, you likely think of human activities, such as coal-burning plants and e

Sources of Air Pollution Air pollution, harmful gases and particles in the air, comes from sources. Sources of air pollution can impact National Park Service (NPS) areas even though the vast majority of air pollution is created outside park boundaries. Learn more about  sources of air pollution  and transport by exploring the tabs below. Types of Sources Transport Parks Where does pollution come from? There are four main types of air pollution sources: mobile sources – such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains stationary sources – such as power plants, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and factories area sources – such as agricultural areas, cities, and wood burning fireplaces natural sources – such as wind-blown dust, wildfires, and volcanoes Mobile sources account for more than half of all the air pollution in the United States and the primary mobile source of air pollution is the automobile, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Stationary source