Air Pollution, Including Sources and Effects On The Environment

Air pollution is the largest environmental risk factor for human health worldwide, and the single issue that connects public health policy, industrial permitting, transport planning and climate strategy. Yet it is routinely discussed in vague terms — 'smog', 'emissions', 'bad air' — by people who need to work with it precisely. This course replaces that vagueness with a technical command of the subject: which pollutants matter, in what units, from what sources, at what concentrations they cause harm, and under which legal instruments they are controlled.

The programme begins with the physical and chemical foundations — the definition of a pollutant, the criteria pollutants and their measurement units, the distinction between primary and secondary species, the photochemistry of ground-level ozone and the formation of acid deposition, the compilation of emission inventories, and the meteorology that governs dispersion and deposition. It then works systematically through effects: respiratory and cardiovascular disease assessed against the WHO global air quality guidelines, neurological and behavioural outcomes, carcinogenic and reproductive effects, damage to ecosystems, crops and building materials, and the two-way relationship between air pollution and climate change. The final module covers the regulatory architecture — international conventions and protocols, national ambient standards, industrial permitting and best available techniques, compliance monitoring and enforcement.

Throughout, the emphasis is on real numbers, published methods and named standards rather than generalities. Worked examples take you through unit conversions, sulphur mass balances, deposition-flux calculations and attributable-fraction estimates, so that you can read a monitoring report or an emissions inventory critically rather than take its conclusions on trust.

What you will learn

• Define air pollution precisely and distinguish primary from secondary pollutants, and natural from anthropogenic sources.
• Convert confidently between parts-per-billion and micrograms per cubic metre, and interpret averaging periods and percentile-based limit values.
• Explain the photochemistry of ozone and photochemical smog, and the gas-phase and aqueous routes that produce sulphuric and nitric acid.
• Compile and critique an emission inventory using activity data, emission factors and tiered methodologies.
• Predict how boundary-layer stability, inversions and stack height govern ground-level concentrations, and calculate deposition fluxes.
• Assess health effects against the WHO 2021 global air quality guideline values and estimate attributable burden.
• Evaluate ecosystem damage using critical loads, critical levels and ozone exposure metrics such as AOT40.
• Navigate the international and national regulatory framework, from the CLRTAP protocols to national ambient standards, permitting and enforcement.

Who it is for

The course is written for environmental practitioners, HSE and sustainability officers, regulatory and compliance staff, consultants preparing air quality assessments, engineers responsible for emission sources, and students or graduates moving into environmental science and management. No prior atmospheric chemistry is assumed, but a general scientific or technical background will help you get the most from the worked examples.

How the course works

Study is entirely self-paced and online. Work through the modules in order, at whatever pace suits you, revisiting lessons as often as you wish. The course concludes with a 30-question final examination with a 70% pass mark. Successful learners receive a verifiable SKEDMIA certificate.