Air pollution has adverse impacts on human health, plants, animal, materials and as well as, in its global implications like depletion of the ozone layer, green house effects, climate change etc.
Global Warming
Global warming is a direct consequence of the greenhouse effect, which is produced by the high emission of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. Most of these emissions are produced by the industry and vehicles.
Climate Change
Climate Change is consequence of global warming. When the temperature of the planet increases, there is a disturbance in the usual climatic cycles, accelerating the changes of these cycles in an evident way.Due to climate change, the mass of the poles is melting, and this is leading to flooding and the rising of sea levels.
Acid Rain
The gases emitted by industries, power plants, boilers, heating and transport are very toxic. Those gases include sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) released into the atmosphere that come from fossil fuels burning. When those substances accumulate in the atmosphere and react with water, they form dilute solutions of nitric and sulphuric acid, and when those concentrations become rain, both the environment and surfaces suffer.
Affects on Human Health: Air Pollutants usually enter the body through the respiratory system or skin and may affect specific organs as shown in the table below:
| S.No. | Air Pollutants | Major Sources of Emissions | Time Weighted Average | *Standard Level (Concentration in Ambient Air) | Health Impact target organs |
| Industrial, Residential, Rural & Other Area | Ecologically Sensitive Area |
| 1. | Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), µg/m3 | Fuel combustion | Annual 24 hours | 50 80 | 20 80 | Respiratory, Central Nervous System (CNS) Involvement, Eye irritation |
| 2. | Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), µg/m3 | Fuel combustion, Vehicular exhaust | Annual 24 hours | 40 80 | 30 80 | Damage to liver, lung, spleen and blood |
| 3. | Particulate Matter, PM10, µg/m3 | Engines, Industrial activities, Construction & Demolition, Road dust | Annual 24 hours | 60 100 | 60 100 | CNS and reproductive dysfunctions, cancer |
| 4. | Particulate Matter, PM2.5, µg/m3 | Engines, Industrial activities, C & D, Road dust | Annual 24 hours | 40 60 | 40 60 | Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases |
| 5. | Ozone (O3) µg/m3 | Vehicular exhaust, Industrial activities | 8 hours 1 hours | 100 180 | 100 180 | Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, Eye irritation |
| 6. | Lead (Pb) µg/m3 | Lead smelting, Industrial activities | Annual 24 hours | 0.50 1.0 | 0.50 1.0 | CNS and hematologic dysfunctions, eye irritation |
| 7. | Carbon Monoxide (CO), mg/m3 | Engines, Burning coal, oil & wood, industrial activities | 8 hours 1 hours | 02 04 | 02 04 | CNS and cardiovascular diseases |
| 8. | Ammonia (NH3) µg/m3 | Fertilizer applications, Industrial process, Vehicular emissions | Annual 24 hours | 100 400 | 100 400 | Asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular issues, birth defects. |
| 9. | Benzene (C6H6) µg/m3 | Vehicular exhaust, Industrial activities | Annual | 05 | 05 | Skin irritation, eye irritation, harm nervous system. |
| 10. | Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)- Particualte phase only, ng/m3 | Vehicular (diesel engines), Combustion of organic material | Annual | 01 | 01 | Causes skin, lung, and bladder cancer |
| 11. | Arsenic (As) ng/m3 | Vehicular exhaust, Industrial activities | Annual | 06 | 06 | Skin lesions , respiratory and/or nervous systems and different types of cancers |
| 12. | Nickel (Ni) ng/m3 | Combustion of coal, diesel, fuel oil and the incineration of waste | Annual | 20 | 20 | Lung fibrosis, kidney and cardiovascular diseases and cancer of the respiratory tract |
Affects on Plants
The penetration of pollutants into plants is mainly through the leaves. Oxides of sulfur disturb the functioning of the photosynthesis. Barley, buckwheat, clover, oats, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, spinach, squash plants are generally considered susceptible to sulfur dioxide.
Acid rain causes mineral deficiencies leading to yellowing of the leaves due to rainwater leaching of the mineral elements Ca, K and Mg.
Ozone symptoms characteristically appear as a flecking, bronzing or bleaching of the leaf tissues. Although yield reductions are usually with visible foliar injury, crop loss can also occur without any sign of pollutant stress. Cucumber, grape, green bean, lettuce, onion, potato, radish, rutabagas, spinach, sweet corn, tobacco and tomato are generally considered susceptible to ozone.
The fluoride enters the leaf through the stomata and is moved to the margins where it accumulates and causes tissue injury. Apricot, barley (young), blueberry, peach (fruit), gladiolus, grape, plum, prune, sweet corn and tulip are generally considered susceptible to fluoride.
Particulate matter such as cement dust, magnesium-lime dust and carbon soot deposited on vegetation can inhibit the normal respiration and photosynthesis mechanisms within the leaf.
Affects on Animals
Animals or wildlife are vulnerable to harm from air pollution. It affects the quality of the environment or habitat in which they live.
Acid rain can change the chemistry and quality of soils and water. Water bodies can become too acidic for some animals to survive or have normal physiological functions.
Higher availability of heavy metals in the water are very toxic to many animals including fish.
Other forms of air pollution, such as smog, particulate matter, and ground-level ozone, to mention a few, may likely affect wildlife health in similar ways to human health including harming the lungs and cardiovascular systems.
Affects on Buildings
Air pollutants deteriorate building materials, so many buildings and infrastructure are weakened, eroded or destroyed at an accelerated rate over time.
SO2 speeds up deterioration of marble and limestone (the potential damage to Taj Mahal of Agra from Mathura refinery is a perfect example).