Air pollutants are the gases, particles and molecules which make air unfit for living organisms. Air pollutants may cause discomfort, infection and/or diseases to the various life forms. There are two main types of air pollutants: Primary pollutants and secondary pollutants.
Primary pollutants are those pollutants that are directly emitted from the source to the atmosphere. These could be a result of the combustion of fuels (gasoline, diesel, etc.) from automobiles or from industries (such as coal or natural gas combustion from thermal power plants, etc.) or exhaust from any other source. Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide generated from vehicles, soot generated from coal-powered thermal power plants, etc. are all primary air pollutants.
Secondary air pollutants are formed from the reactions of primary air pollutants and are not emitted directly from the source. Examples of secondary pollutants include ozone, which is formed by the reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic matter (VOC) in the presence of sunlight. Smog is another secondary pollutant and is formed by a combination of smoke and fog.
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