Pollutant Interaction

Ozone:
Ground level ozone is a photochemical oxidant and the major component of smog. Ozone isn't directly emitted into the the air, is the result of a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in the presence of sunlight. NOx is released through car emissions and other combustion processes. VOC's are present in glue, cleaning supplies, silicon and other household items. The mere usage of these items will release VOC's, but the chemical prodution process in order to obtain these materials are the major contributor to the presence of VOC's in our environment.

Particulate Matter:
Particulate matter (PM), or "particle pollutants" consist of small airborne particles. PM is rated into two different categories:
PM10 & PM 2.5. These numbers refer to the size of the particles at hand. Particulate Matter is the result of chemical interactions between NOx, Sulfur Dioxides (SO2), organic vapors as well as metals and "dust." It is visible to the human eye (brown "haze").

Acid Rain:
Nitrogen Oxides and Sulfur Dioxide are the main the components contributing to the formation of acid rain. Chemical reactions take place in the atmosphere and the result reaches the earth's ground level through fog, rain, snow and in some cases dry particles.