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Pollutants Add Up To Smog

Smoggy Los Angeles
O3, CO, NO2, and CxHyO3NO2, & PM collect close to the ground in the air we breathe.

Smog
Step by Step...
Description of the stages of the chemical reactions that create smog.

Catalytic Converter
Did You Know...
Catalytic converters reduce the levels of nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are oxidized to carbon dioxide and water and the nitrogen oxides are reduced to nitrogen.

The familiar smog hanging over our cities today is created mainly by the photochemical action of sunlight on pollutants in the exhaust from cars and trucks as well as emissions from industry, businesses, and household products. These pollutants, nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and unburned hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are leftover from the incomplete combustion (burning) of gasoline and other fossil fuels. There are other pollutants smoke (particulates) and other harmful gases.

Source
A series of chemical reactions are set into motion that create photochemical smog:


Shockwave animation of the basic photochemical reaction

Not only does ozone build up quickly, but in other complex photochemical reactions noxious products are created like peroxyacyl nitrates or PANs (CxHyO3NO2).

Nitrogen dioxide, ozone, PANs and carbon monoxide are all extremely toxic.

How It Hurts
Criteria pollutants add up to smog, bringing their collective damage to us, our environment and our economy.

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