ABSTRACT
The quality of the air that we breathe is affected by the particles and gases emitted from burning hydrocarbon fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. Like the water we drink in order to sustain our bodies and our lives, the air we breathe is a precious life-sustaining gift of nature. Pure and clean, the air is refreshing and healthy; contaminated and fouled by toxins and particles, the air is the cause of numerous respiratory ailments and life-threatening diseases. Until recently, we could say complacently that some substances “disappeared into thin air,” or went “up in smoke.” Now we know that what we put into the air comes back to us in the air we breathe.
