Air Quality Monitoring, Assessment and Management

Human beings need to breathe oxygen diluted in certain quantity of inert gas for living. The atmosphere is a complex natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems. Air pollution has become a problem of major concern in the last few decades as it has caused negative effects on human health, nature and properties. Air is considered to be polluted when it contains certain substances in concentrations high enough and for durations long enough to cause harm or undesirable effects. The atmosphere is susceptible to pollution from natural sources as well as from human activities. To improve air quality, it is important for governments, industry and the public to understand the interconnected components of an air quality management system. Air quality management (AQM) refers to all the activities to make sure that the air we breathe is safe, both outdoors and indoors. The AQM process is the system of understanding the sources that contribute to pollution in the air and the health and environmental effects of the pollutants, and then taking steps to reduce or control the sources to reach or maintain agreed upon target pollution levels in the air. These levels may vary from country to country, but the overall system for planning, assessing, characterizing, mitigating, and implementing control strategies is similar. While AQM is generally handled at the national government level, regional and local governments, industry, and the public all have important roles to play in this system. Each air quality management activity is related to the others. This book, entitled Air Quality Monitoring, Assessment and Management is invaluable tool for all those, whether as a student, researcher, entrepreneur, consultant, or government agency with obligation in this area.