Air pollution

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/air-pollution

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary anthropogenic sources?Transportation, industrial processes, energy production, agriculture, residential heating
2. What is the major health outcomes?Respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD, lung cancer), cardiovascular diseases, neurological impacts, premature mortality
3. Where does most air pollution come from?Most of it comes from human activities such as cars, factories, farms, and homes that burn fuels or use chemicals. Natural events like volcanoes and wildfires also add some pollution.
4. Why does air pollution hurt our health?Breathing polluted air can cause breathing problems like asthma, make heart attacks more likely, and even lead to lung cancer.

Particulate Matter (PM): Microscopic solid or liquid particles suspended in the air, classified by size (e.g., PM2.5, PM10).
Photochemical Smog: A type of smog produced when ultraviolet light from the sun reacts with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds.
Acid Rain: Rain that contains high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids, formed from pollutants in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse Gases: Gases in the atmosphere that trap heat, such as carbon dioxide and methane, contributing to global warming.