Question

State whether the following statements are true or false?

I. Human activities are sole responsible for air pollution.
II. Air pollutants do not affect the growth and yield of crops.
III. Air pollutants have detrimental effects on the respiratory system of humans.

Choose the correct option.

• A. I - F, II - T, III - F
• B. I - T, II - T, III - F
• C. I - T, II - F, III - F
• D. I -F, II - F, III - T

Answer 1

The correct option is D I -F, II - F, III - T

Any agents which can cause undesirable changes in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air are called air pollutants. These substances cause harm to all living organisms and are added to the atmosphere by -

• Volcanic eruptions, pollens released from flowers, etc., are the pollution from natural sources
• Human activities such as automobile exhausts, burning of fossil fuels such as coal in thermal power plants etc.

Thus statement I is false.

Exposure to pollutants can inhibit growth or cause premature death in plants which can lead to reduced crop yield. Air pollutants have extreme adverse effects on both plants and animals. The extent of damage caused depends on the concentration of pollutants, duration of exposure to the pollutants and the tolerance level of an individual.
Thus statement II is false.

Air pollution can have many detrimental effects on the human respiratory system. Some are short term effects that can result in respiratory diseases such as bronchitis (inflammation of the lining of bronchial tubes), pneumonia (inflammation of air sacs which cause them to be filled with fluid or pus), etc. whereas some are long-term effects can result in lung cancers, emphysema (destruction of lung tissue, especially alveoli), etc. Thus statement III is true.