Question

Causes and harmful effects of a) carbon monoxide, b) sulphur dioxide, C) oxides of nitrogen

Answer 1

1) Carbon monoxide :

Cause : Household appliances, such as gas fires, boilers, central heating systems, water heaters, cookers, and open fires which use gas, oil, coal and wood may be possible sources of CO gas. It happens when the fuel does not burn fully. Running a car engine in an enclosed space can cause CO poisoning.

Harmful Effect : Symptoms and Health Effects. Breathing CO can cause headache, dizziness, vomiting, and nausea. If CO levels are high enough, you may become unconscious or die. Exposure to moderate and high levels of CO over long periods of time has also been linked with increased risk of heart disease.

2) Sulphur dioxide

Cause : It is produced from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) and the smelting of mineral ores (aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, and iron) that contain sulfur. Sulfur dioxide dissolves easily in water to form sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is a major component of acid rain.

Harmful Effect : It irritates the nose, throat, and airways to cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or a tight feeling around the chest. The effects of sulfur dioxide are felt very quickly and most people would feel the worst symptoms in 10 or 15 minutes after breathing it in.

3) Oxides of Nitrogen

Cause : A natural source of nitrogen oxides occurs from a lightning stroke. The very high temperature in the vicinity of a lightning bolt causes the gases oxygen and nitrogen in the air to react to form nitric oxide. The nitric oxide very quickly reacts with more oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide.

Harmful Effect : Nitric oxide is not considered to be hazardous to health at typical ambient concentrations, but nitrogen dioxide can be. ... NOx gases react to form smog and acid rain as well as being central to the formation of fine particles (PM) and ground level ozone, both of which are associated with adverse health effects..