Categories
Atmospheric Chemistry C&EN

Do air pollution masks work? – in C&EN

Air pollution is a growing concern in cities around the world, and seeing people on the streets wearing masks to block air pollution is increasingly common. What exactly are these masks intended to block – and more importantly, do they actually work? This month’s graphic in C&EN has the answers.

Categories
Atmospheric Chemistry

The Chemistry of Vehicle Emissions Reduction & The Volkswagen Scandal

Volkswagen have been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past week. The company admitted to installing a ‘defeat device’ in millions of cars which made it appear in emissions tests that they emitted far lower levels of particular pollutants than they actually did in normal road conditions. Plenty of articles have […]

Categories
Atmospheric Chemistry

A Brief Guide to Atmospheric Pollutants

Back in school, you’ll have learned that the air in our atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen, at 78%, and oxygen, at 21%, with a number of other trace gases. It’s to these trace gases we’re looking today – more specifically, at how human activity can result in the release of air pollution in to […]