Welfare Effects - Smog

"Smog" is a term used in our daily language. It is the mixing of smoke particles from industrial plumes with fog that produces a yellow-black color near ground level. Under the right conditions, the smoke and sulfur dioxide produced from the burning of coal can combine with fog to create industrial smog. The burning of fossil fuels like gasoline can create another atmospheric pollution problem known as photochemical smog. Photochemical smog is a condition that develops when primary pollutants (oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds created from fossil fuel combustion) interact under the influence of sunlight to produce a mixture of hundreds of different and hazardous chemicals known as secondary pollutants. Smog is the brownish haze that pollutes our air, particularly over cities in the summertime. Smog can make it difficult for some people to breathe and it greatly reduces how far we can see through the air.

Smog is a mixture of pollutants with ground-level ozone being the main culprit. Increased levels of ground level-ozone are generally harmful to living systems because ozone reacts strongly to destroy or alter many other molecules. Excessive ozone exposure reduces crop yield and forest growth. It interferes with the ability of plants to produce and store food, reducing overall plant health and the ability to grow and reproduce. The weakened plants are more susceptible to harsh weather, disease, and pests. In addition, increases in tropospheric ozone lead to a warming of earth's surface.

More information on smog can be found at http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/gooduphigh/