What is smog: what it consists of, how it is formed and how dangerous it is for humans
What is smog: what it consists of, how it is formed and how dangerous it is for humans
If you live in any of the 90% of the world's major cities, you have experienced the unpleasant phenomenon of «smog». Viscous, slow-crawling through the streets, suffocating and definitely toxic. That's urban smog.
A gray or brown haze akin to fog can sometimes be seen over major cities. This phenomenon is smog, which is a sign of polluted air in areas with high industrial activity.
In this article we will explain to you what smog is, what it consists of and what types of smog there are. We will pay special attention to the impact of smog on your body. You will learn about the dangers of smog and how to protect yourself from it.
Content
What is smog?
The term «smog» was first coined in 1905 by Dr. Henry Antoine De Vaux in a document describing the combination of smoke and fog that plagued London at the time.
Dr. Henry Antoine De Vaux first used the term «smog» in 1905 while speaking at a public meeting of the Public Health in London to describe the mixture of fog and smoke polluting the capital's air. His speech was intended to draw the attention of the public and health professionals to the problem of air pollution.
How is«smog»defined today?
Smog is an aerosol consisting of smoke, fog and dust. It arises in the atmosphere of industrial cities from particles of soot, ash, products of dry distillation of fuel; in a humid atmosphere it also contains liquid droplets.
There is also a variation of the definition of «smog», which refers it to lithometeors - atmospheric phenomena associated with the transfer of dust or sand by wind from the Earth's surface or with suspended solid particles in the atmosphere: dust, smoke, cinders. Smog is also a product of automobile exhaust.
It is important to realize that smog is not just dirty air. It is a combination of pollution and the inability to disperse suspended particles, which is closely related to weather or natural conditions.
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How is smog formed?
Smog not only causes problems with visibility on the roads and makes spending time outdoors less comfortable, but it also damages materials by corroding metals and has a toxic effect on living organisms. Let's take a closer look at how smog is formed and what goes into its composition.
The main cause of smog is air pollution and the difficulty of dispersing pollution particles in large cities and industrial areas. This can happen in any climate zone, but is especially common in places where winds are blocked by natural barriers such as mountains and hills.
This is due to poor turbulence (chaotic movement of air currents), as it is windless weather that allows harmful particles to accumulate over a city. Smog reaches its highest concentration in the cooler morning hours, and by noon, when the surface of the earth warms up, suspended particles gradually disperse, rushing upward with the air currents.
The situation can be made worse by high humidity, as wet pollutant particles are less likely to disperse, even if the wind is strong enough. Smog can also be caused by a phenomenon called temperature inversion, where the normal distribution of temperatures over altitude is disrupted, which also contributes to its formation.
Normally the air gets colder with increasing altitude, but if an anomaly occurs, the upper layers of air remain warm and block this process, stopping the vertical movement of air. This causes polluted air to stagnate and form a fog layer.
A so-called temperature inversion occurs - this is when it is warmer at the top than at the bottom, rather than the other way around as is normal. Because of this, the polluted air cannot rise up and disperse, but stays down below, making the air dirtier.
Smog formation due to temperature inversion
Smog is formed due to pollutants in the air from factories, people's work, and natural disasters. Typical causes of toxic suspended particles in the air:
activities of industrial centers
Operation of coal-fired power plants and coal heating in the private sector
industrial and construction dust
automobile exhaust
Waste treatment plants
forest and peat fires
volcanic eruptions
What are the different types of «smog»?
There are two main types of smog in urban and industrial centers: grayish (or London) smog and photochemical (or Los Angeles) smog.
Grayish smog is formed by high concentrations of sulfur oxides in the air, most often caused by the burning of coal and other sulfur-containing fuels. This type of smog is characterized by the presence of suspended particles that combine with moisture to create a dense fog. It is especially dangerous during cold and wet seasons.
Photochemical smog results from chemical reactions between automobile exhaust emissions containing nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbon vapors and sunlight. This process produces ozone and other harmful substances that give the air its characteristic brownish color. This type of smog is more common on warm, sunny days in cities with heavy automobile traffic.
Typical urban smog consists of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), brown (NO₂) gases, ozone (O₃), and volatile organic compounds and particulate matter: smoke, dust, sand, and pollen
Ice smog
This is when small ice crystals appear in the air in very cold places. This happens when it is very cold outside and the humidity is high, causing water to turn into ice crystals rather than normal water droplets, and of course such crystals easily pick up toxic suspended particles from polluted air.
Volcanic smog
Volcanic smog, or «vog», is air pollution created by volcanic eruptions. It contains gases and particles, such as sulfur dioxide, that react with the atmosphere to form a haze that is harmful to health and the environment.
What is the danger of smog to humans?
In 2022, the World Health Organization reported that almost the entire world population (99%) breathes air quality that exceeds WHO limits and threatens their health.
The key air pollutants that are extremely harmful to anyone's health are suspended solid toxic particles ranging in size from 2.5 to 10 microns.
Particles 5-10 microns will settle in your upper respiratory tract: mold spores, dust mite residue, cat and dog dander, large components of construction and industrial dust, 2-5 microns will settle in your bronchi....
these are the most dangerous suspended particles of industrial and construction dust, tobacco smoke, automobile exhausts and others..., smaller ones will get into the alveoli and will be partly removed by the body, and partly will be deposited in the body at the molecular level.
According to Rospotrebnadzor, more than 90 million people, or more than 63 percent of the country's population, are affected by chemical, biological and other types of environmental pollution. The researchers found that today 46 percent of Russian city dwellers live in places with high and very high levels of air pollution. 136,000 people in Russia die prematurely because of environmental problems.
Particles deposited in the upper respiratory tract cause nervous system complications, respiratory complications, in the bronchi and lungs - pulmonary complications, exacerbation of heart disease, in addition, there is a risk of toxic damage to the liver, which is the filter in our body, in addition, toxic particles can lead to an increased risk of fetal damage and reproductive disorders.
Some of the most common painful conditions that smog can cause include:
shortness of breath
shortness of breath
general malaise, weakness
Insomnia accompanied by headaches
sore throat
cough
tearfulness
Do you want to protect your health and the health of your loved ones?
CALL A NANOFIBER NF2.0 SPECIALIST, get advice and find out how to improve the quality of the air you breathe right now.
Smog is dangerous because it can cause a variety of health problems over time. Smog can cause a sore throat or watery eyes for some people, and can aggravate existing respiratory or heart problems by lowering the body's immune system.
What are the official recommendations for protecting your health from the harmful effects of smog?
In 2019, due to serious forest fires in Siberia, the Ministry of Health has given advice on how to behave when there is heavy smoke from fires. These tips are also suitable for other bad weather conditions, such as when there is a lot of pollution in the air, which is sometimes called «black sky».
Go outside as little as possible and avoid being outdoors for long periods of time in the early morning when smog levels are at their highest
Make active use of air purification systems
Perform regular damp cleaning and increase indoor humidity levels, use dampened curtains and personal protective masks.
Limit physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption.
Monitor the water-salt balance of the body, increase fluid intake to 2-3 liters per day for adults, eat easily digestible food rich in vitamins and minerals.
Take more frequent showers, rinse nose and throat
If you have chronic diseases, carry the necessary medications, carefully monitor unfavorable symptoms, in case of malaise, immediately seek medical help.
When the NMU regime is introduced in the city, educational institutions simultaneously receive a recommendation from the regional Ministry of Education to limit walks in kindergartens and school groups during this period.
Do you want to protect yourself from urban smog and start breathing clean air even in the conditions of «black sky»?
Book a call with a Nanofiber specialist; they will explain the simplicity and high efficiency of the Nanofiber NF2.0 window filter-cleaner.
Important conclusions for you and me:
Smog, a phenomenon characteristic of large cities, arises as a result of interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors. Smog is directly related to the level of air pollution. The impact of smog on human health is extremely negative: its composition is toxic. Smog causes exacerbation of chronic diseases and increases the likelihood of new ones. It is necessary to monitor the level of air pollution and follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health: first of all, reduce the time spent outdoors and try to prevent the polluted air from entering the room. The optimal solution to protect yourself from the harmful effects of smog indoors is to install a breezer, a supply ventilation device with an air purification function.
NANOFIBER NF2.0 is a modern and unique solution for cleaning dirty urban air from toxic suspended particles. So far the only air purification technology that turns any window into a filtration device in just one movement. You simply insert the filter into the window and the window begins to clean the air entering the room instantly without the need for adjustments or electricity.
How long and how often is it important to ventilate a room?
For any person, for us swami is important our health, daily state of vigor, joy, good mood. This is largely determined by how our body is oxygenated. Oxygenation is, of course, best done outdoors, in the open. In a closed, enclosed space, however, access to oxygen is severely limited, so it's important for you and me to understand how to replenish it.
And the most important thing for the city dweller is how to keep air pollutants that would be blown away by a gust of wind outdoors, but remain suspended in the house, from entering the enclosed space.
So, this article will tell you how often and for how long it is important to ventilate the rooms in your home at different times of the year.
Everyone filters the water, taking care of their health. It's time to filter the inhaled air.
Perhaps you will agree that in the modern world, the issue of water filtration with concern for your health is no longer something unusual.
You and I drink water at home several times a day and we absolutely do not have a question: whether to filter it. Definitely, yes! This is health, because it enters our body, affects its cells, structures, and systems.
Fine. And how many times a day do we breathe in the air while at home? On average, a person takes 16-20 breaths per minute, an average of 1000 breaths per hour. In general, what is in the air enters your body a thousand times more often than what is in the water, which you undoubtedly filter.
Do you get the point? The quality of the inhaled air is 1000 times more important than the quality of the water consumed.
Today we will talk about this.
The cleanliness of the air in your home critically affects your health and overall well-being. The inhaled air can be contaminated with dust, microorganisms, toxic suspended particles and other substances, which negatively affects the respiratory system and reduces performance.
In the article, together with you, we will consider what "home air" is, what is in its composition, what determines its quality and how its quality can be improved.
