Ozone, particle pollution, and air toxins are all produced by mobile sources of air pollution. Millions of individuals are affected by the health effects of mobile source air pollution, especially those who live near major roadways. Haze has been reported in many places of the United States, including several of our national parks and wilderness areas, as well as acidification of lakes and streams.
Effects of Air Pollution
The effects of air pollution on the human body vary depending on the type of pollutant, the time and intensity of exposure, and other factors like a person’s health risks and the cumulative impact of various pollutants or stressors. Vehicle fumes remain the most harmful one of them all. The government has made emission tests mandatory for vehicles before riding them on the road. If you want to get a diesel emissions test in Ontario, get in touch with us.
Smog and soot
These are the two most common types of pollution in the air. When fossil fuel emissions react with sunlight, smog (also known as ground-level ozone) forms, soot (also known as particulate matter) is made up of microscopic particles of chemicals, soil, smoke, dust, or allergies carried in the air as gas or solids. Smog and soot have similar sources. Both are emitted by automobiles, trucks, factories, power plants, incinerators, engines, and anything else that burns fossil fuels like coal, gas, or natural gas. Smog can irritate the eyes and throat and harm the lungs, particularly in children, the elderly, and those who work or exercise outside. It’s much worse for people who suffer from asthma or allergies, as the additional pollutants can exacerbate their symptoms and provoke asthma attacks.
The tiniest airborne particles of soot, whether gaseous or solid, can infiltrate the lungs and bloodstream, worsening bronchitis, causing heart attacks, and even causing death. In 2020, a Harvard study found that COVID-19 mortality rates were higher in areas with more soot pollution than in areas with even slightly less, demonstrating a link between the virus’s timeliness and long-term exposure to delicate particulate matter and highlighting an issue of environmental issues. Because highways and polluting facilities have often been built in or near low-income neighborhoods, the negative consequences of pollution have been disproportionately felt by residents of these areas.
Don’t worry if you own a large vehicle or truck; we got your back for its emission testing. Get in touch with us for a heavy-duty truck emissions test in Ontario.
Hazardous air pollutants
Several air contaminants are hazardous to one’s health and can even be fatal in tiny doses. Almost 200 of them are restricted by legislation; mercury, lead, dioxins, and benzene are the most frequent. These are most commonly emitted during the combustion of gas or coal, incinerating, or—in the case of benzene—in gasoline. The EPA has classed benzene as a carcinogen, which can irritate the eyes, skin, and lungs in the short term and cause blood abnormalities for a long time.
Dioxins, which are most commonly found in food but can also be found in minute levels in the air, can impair the immune, neurological, and endocrine systems and reproductive functions in the short term. The central nervous system is attacked by mercury. Lead poisoning can harm children’s brains and kidneys, and even minor exposure can influence their IQ and capacity to study.
Greenhouse gases
Warmer temperatures result from greenhouse gases trapping the earth’s heat in the atmosphere, resulting in the characteristics of climate change: rising sea levels, more intense weather, heat-related fatalities, and increased transmission of infectious illnesses.
Carbon dioxide accounted for 81 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, while methane contributed 10%. We emit far more carbon dioxide, but methane is significantly more potent, so it’s also very destructive. Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels are burned, and methane is produced by natural and industrial processes, including enormous volumes released during oil and gas drilling. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are greenhouse gases that trap heat thousands of times more effectively than carbon dioxide.
To protect the environment from such harmful gases, the government has passed specific laws, including getting your vehicle’s emission test done before using them on the road to ensure it does not eliminate harmful emissions. If scouting the best emission test center in Ontario, get in touch with us at ETRH.
