We have all admired the beauty of sunsets and sunrises, which are natural phenomena that occur all around the world. The skies are stained with a variety of shades ranging from yellow to pink to purple, creating a picturesque landscape that signals the beginning or end of a day. 

But have you ever wondered why the color of our skies can differ so drastically across various locations? Well, air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter may have a role to play in altering the appearance and intensity of sunsets and sunrises. 

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Recently, the Sterra Moon air purifier has been gaining a lot of attention on social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram. With various Gen Z influencers promoting the use of their air purifiers, the brand has certainly become the talk of the town when it comes to the issue of breathing clean and fresh air. According to their website, the product boasts the ability to kill 99.7% of bacteria and viruses while absorbing formaldehyde, an extremely toxic chemical commonly found in home appliances. 

However, are air purifiers really as effective as they claim to be? Do they really help to provide a clean and safe environment, especially indoors? This blog explores the efficacy of air purifiers in combating air pollution and filtering particulate matter based on scientific research. 

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Scented products, which include items such as perfumes, deodorants, candles and air fresheners, are widely used to create an aesthetically pleasing environment by masking unwanted odours. However, the chemicals used in these products have been associated with adverse effects on air quality and health. They are a primary source of indoor air pollution, but they also contribute to air pollution outdoors due to their increased usage. This blog explains how and why some of our favourite products might be contributing to the pollution problem. 

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Farming is an essential part of human civilization, providing the food and resources necessary for survival. Agricultural air pollution comes from both farm equipment and farming itself, which includes the soil, plants, animals and fertilizers. A study published in Geophysical Research Letters found that emissions from farms outweigh all other human sources of fine-particulate air pollution in much of the United States, Europe, Russia and China. The harmful gases from agricultural practices can have a significant impact on air quality, which inevitably affects mankind. Research shows that animal agriculture alone is responsible for 80% of deaths from pollution related to food production. 

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As a continuation of the previous post, I will now discuss the deadly effects of air pollution specific to the country of China. China is the third largest acid rain zone in the world, closely behind North America and Europe. 258 of its cities experience acid rain due to excessive emissions of sulfur dioxide, amounting to approximately 2.75 million tons in 2021. 

The severity of acid rain in China resulted in numerous detrimental effects, ranging from social to natural impacts that are often irreversible. This blog post examines three main consequences of poor air quality in the region.

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Acid rain is yet another one of the long lists of air pollution consequences, and is broadly classified under the scientific term acid deposition. It is a serious environmental threat that if left unchecked, would result in severe environmental damage to ecological systems and affect human lives. Some regions that have been historically plagued by acid rain include the Black Triangle – Czech Republic, Germany and Poland as well as the eastern United States. Nowadays, it has become a common phenomenon worldwide, especially in rapidly industrializing countries like China and India. 

Acid rains are typically associated with poor air quality and pollution. So what is acid rain and how is it formed? Why are its impacts so concerning?

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I am reading a module titled Sociology of Deviance this semester, whereby topics surrounding crime and criminology are discussed. This got me thinking about the relationship between crime and air pollution. And before I knew it, I was delving into the depths of websites and research articles highlighting the positive correlation between these two variables – something I never knew about. 

Breathing polluted air not only makes us sick, but it could also even indirectly account for the proportion of criminal behavior within a society. This is especially so on days when air pollution levels dip below safety standards. Researchers from Colorado State University found that a 0.01 parts-per-million increase in same-day exposure to ozone is associated with a 0.97% increase in violent crime or a 1.15% increase in assaults.

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In the previous post, I discussed how the advancement of technology in mobile phones has helped mankind predict, know and take action regarding air pollution and its associated effects. However, we ought to take a step back and think about the environmental cost of the very gadget that has now become irreplaceable in the lives of 6 billion people worldwide. 

According to findings published in the 2018 Journal of Cleaner Production, information and communications technology (ICT) will account for 14% of global emissions by 2040. Extensive research has been conducted to analyse the impacts smartphones leave on the environment, but little has been done to address the issue. A smartphone is the most damaging ICT device as it contributes to global emissions throughout the entirety of its lifecycle – from manufacturing to usage to disposal.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly stressed over the years that air pollution is one of the biggest threats to mankind alongside climate change. This is alarming considering 92% of people in the world live in places that do not adhere to air quality standards set by WHO. 

Due to growing concerns regarding the detrimental impacts of air pollution, humans have resorted to devising innovative means to measure air quality levels. Artificial intelligence coupled with the modernisation of technology has led to people capitalising on their mobile phones to track air quality data and one’s exposure to pollutants. 

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In the previous post, we’ve established that food retailers like supermarkets are significant contributors to pollutants and emissions to the environment. However, what people might tend to overlook is the fact that indoor air pollution in these commercial establishments can be very worrying. 

In a study titled Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in Retail Stores, researchers found that ventilation rates in retail shops were lower than those of bars, restaurants and healthcare facilities. This means that pollutants including hydrofluorocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter and microbiological contaminants are trapped inside with us.

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