Air Pollution

Explanation-Natural Pollution

• Even before there were people, there were air pollution. Wildfires, windblown dust, and volcanic eruptions added pollutants to the atmosphere, and they still do so. Volcanoes spew ash and poisonous gases into the atmosphere.
• Example: In 1995 eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat covered much of the Caribbean island with ash. The ash and fear of further eruptions caused the evacuation of more than half the country.
• Dust storms, especially in arid regions, add massive amounts of particulate matter to the atmosphere.