Enter your search terms:. Smog is commonly of two types. The gray smog of older industrial cities like London and New York derives from the massive combustion of coal and fuel oil in or near the city, releasing tons of ashes, soot, and sulfur compounds into the air. The brown smog characteristic of Los Angeles and Denver in the late 20th cent.
Nitric oxide from automobile exhaust combines with oxygen in the air to form the brown gas nitrogen dioxide. Image of the Day Atmosphere Snow and Ice. As cool air pours into valleys on chilly autumn nights, valley fog and dicey driving conditions can emerge.
Image of the Day Atmosphere Land. EO Explorer. Smog or Fog? Actually, a Bit of Both. At the time of publication, it represented the best available science. View more Images of the Day:. You might also be interested in view all. It is produced when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in automobile and fossil-fueled power-plant emissions combine with oxygen in the air in direct sunlight.
Whereas industrial smog casts a gray pallor over the areas it affects, the nitrogen dioxide in photochemical smog creates a dingy, brownish haze. Both industrial and photochemical smog can kill.
Ozone damages lung tissue and can lead to decreased resistance to infectious diseases, and the VOCs and nitrogen oxides in photochemical smog can also lead to chronic lung damage.
California state officials estimate that 9, people die annually in that state from smog-related causes. The effects of industrial smog are more immediate. Smog fatalities that occurred in London through the s and early s -- as well as during the Great Smog of -- typically occurred while the smog was in the air or a matter of weeks thereafter. The primary by-product of industrial smog is acid rain, which results from the combination of sulfur dioxide and water. Moreover, tar and particulate matter settle on surfaces throughout the affected area.
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