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Then will Allah say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy
mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou did speak to the
people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the
Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird,
by My leave, and thou breathed into it and it becomed a bird by My leave, and you healed
those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! You brought forth the dead by
My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when
you did show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing
but evident magic.'
[Qur’an 5:110]
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The air cycles: pollution and facts:
THE SMOG:
The earth's atmosphere has been polluted since long, in fact, since humans first began to
use fire for agriculture, heating, and cooking. But, during the Industrial Revolution, people began
to build cars and plastic products, cameras, etc. These new inventions made life more enjoyable,
and it was affordable for many, but they were produced by industries which rejected toxic wastes
directly into the water and the air. Therefore, since the 18th century, air pollution became a major
problem in industrialized countries because nature could not handle that amount of pollutants
released into its air.
Urban air pollution is nowadays commonly known as smog.
Smog is a mixture of carbon monoxide and organic compounds from incomplete
combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, and sulfur dioxide from impurities in the fuels. As the
smog ages and reacts with oxygen, organic and sulfuric acids condense as droplets, increasing the
haze.
Another type of smog, called photochemical smog alters the air quality over large cities
like those of California. The sky is charged with dark clouds and gives an impression of stormy
weather. This latter smog is caused by combustion in cars, trucks, and airplane engines, which
produce nitrogen oxides and release hydrocarbons from unburned fuels.
Sunlight causes the nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons to combine and turn oxygen into ozone, a
chemical agent that attacks rubber, injures plants, and irritates lungs. The hydrocarbons are
oxidized into materials that condense and form a visible, pungent haze. This haze is also called
acid rain!
In 1952, 2000 Londoners died of its effects.
Another important fact: Most pollutants are washed out of the air by rain, snow, fog, or
mist, but only after traveling large distances, sometimes across continents.
SMOG is made of different substances:
POLLUTING SUBSTANCES
SOURCES OF POLLUTANT
FOR SMOG
HARMFUL EFFECTS
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