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Sources of Air Pollution
Our lungs work hard for us, filtering and processing almost four gallons of air a minute. That's more than 5,000 gallons - and about 20,000 breaths - every day. So of course we want to know that the air we breathe is clean. But healthy air is not always what we get. Massachusetts has made remarkable progress in reducing the amounts of some pollutants, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.
| Pollutant |
Chief Sources |
Health Effects |
| Carbon Monoxide |
Incomplete combustion from motor vehicles and industry. |
Displaces oxygen in the bloodstream; aggravates heart disease; impairs alertness. |
| Ground-Level Ozone |
Formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides - from motor vehicles, industry, household products - combine on hot, sunny days. |
Irritates eyes, nose, throat; exacerbates heart and lung diseases; decreases lung function. |
| Nitrogen Oxides |
Combustion from utility plants, industrial boilers, incinerators, motor vehicles. |
An irritant that impairs breathing, increases lung infections, and exacerbates lung disease. |
| Air Toxics |
Organic compounds and metals from combustion, industrial processes, consumer products, motor vehicles. |
Mercury bioaccumulates in fish tissue, prompting advisories for pregnant women to limit consumption. Long-term inhalation of other substances may cause a variety of problems. |
| Particulate Matter |
Diesel exhaust; industrial incinerators; smoke from wood-burning stoves; dust and soot. |
Exacerbates such lung diseases as bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, cancer. |
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reports, plans & data
air quality & monitoring
