What is Smog?

The Avengers read an article on Wonderopolis "What is Smog?". They then collaborated on a cause and effect map and summary.

Pollution is a world issue alongside food scarcity, racism and the refugee crisis. One type of pollution that has a huge impact on our world is smog. Smog is a type of air pollution caused by tiny particles in the air. The word comes from a mixture of smoke and fog.

One cause of smog is when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides found in fossil fuel emissions from vehicles. In cities like Los Angeles with lots of traffic there is a greater chance of smog occurring. However car emissions are not the only cause heavy industry and power plants e.g. steel, chemical plants produces also contribute to the production of photochemical smog. Some cities are also more prone to smog because of their geographical location cities in basins surrounded by mountains trap smog in the valley where it can’t be blown away.

The effects of smog can be devastating. Smog is known to  damage crops and cause health problems in farm animals. This can impact the production of food and also affect the ability to export food to other countries. Smog can also cause corrosive damage to buildings and vehicles. The most serious impact of smog though is that it makes breathing more difficult, especially for those with asthma, the young and elderly.

To prevent smog we suggest that governments should plan carefully where they place factories and power plants, factories are restricted to when they can release certain types of chemicals into the air and people should think about using electrical cars and avoid burning of trash.

Smog is an issue for everyone regardless of where you live and everyone can contribute to reducing the amount of smog produced.