ABSTRACT

A number of gaseous inorganic pollutants enter the atmosphere as the result of human activities. 1 Those added in the greatest quantities are CO, SO2, NO, and NO2. (These quantities are relatively small compared to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The possible environmental effects of increased atmospheric CO2 levels are discussed in Chapter 13.) Other inorganic pollutant gases include NH3, N2O, N2O5, H2S, Cl2, HCl, and HF. Substantial quantities of some of these gases are added to the atmosphere each year by human activities. Globally, atmospheric emissions of carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides are of the order of one to several hundred million tons per year.