Air Pollutants

Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3NO2. It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. As an intermediate in organic synthesis, it is used widely in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings. It is also used as a racing fuel in Top Fuel drag racing, and as an important component in the fuel for the miniature internal combustion engines used, for example, in radio-controlled models.

Nitropropane, also known as 2-NP, is a high volume chemical that the general population is not exposed to frequently, but does affect people working with the chemical. Occupational exposure occurs to about 4,000 workers a year and is from cigarette smoke (1.1 to 1.2 µg/cigarette), residues in coatings such as beverage can coatings, adhesives and print, and vegetable oils fractionated with 2-NP, and as a gasoline additive (INCHEM, 1992).

Mononitrotoluene, or methylnitrobenzene or nitrotoluene (MNT or NT), is a group of 3 organic compounds, a nitro derivative of toluene (or alternatively a methyl derivative of nitrobenzene). Its chemical formula is C6H4(CH3)(NO2).

Nonane is a linear alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C9H20. Nonane has 35 structural isomers. Tripropylene is a mixture of three specific isomers of nonane. Its substituent form is nonyl. Its cycloalkane counterpart is cyclononane, (C9H18).

Nitrogen oxides, known as NOx, are a group of gases composing of nitrogen and oxygen.

The gases are formed during combustion processes in car engines, power plants, or refineries.

Aldrin is used exclusively in the United States as a termiticide that also yields long residual control of most soil insects. Prior to 1974, aldrin and it’s relative dieldrin were popular pesticides for crops like corn and cotton. However, concerns about the potential for damage to the environment and the potential hazards to human health led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban all use of these chemicals except for the control of termites. Aldrin is a member of the organochlorine class of pesticides, among which many have now been banned completely. These chemicals are extremely toxic, very difficult to metabolize and are not biodegradable, thus making them almost impossible to eliminate from the environment.

Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula CH3(CH2)6CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane (isooctane) is used as one of the standard values in the octane rating scale.

The onion is any of a variety of plants in the genus Allium, specifically Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the “garden onion” or “bulb” onion. Above ground, the onion shows only a single vertical shoot; the bulb grows underground, and is used for energy storage, leading to the possibility of confusion with a tuber, which it is not. It is a close relative to garlic. Allium cepa is known only in cultivation, but related wild species occur in Central Asia. The most closely related species include Allium vavilovii (Popov & Vved.) and Allium asarense (R.M. Fritsch & Matin) from Iran. However, Zohary and Hopf warn that “there are doubts whether the A. vavilovii collections tested represent genuine wild material or only feral derivatives of the crop.”

Ozone (O3), or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope (O2). Ozone in the lower atmosphere is an air pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals and will burn sensitive plants; however, the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is beneficial, preventing potentially damaging ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth’s surface. Ozone is present in low concentrations throughout the Earth’s atmosphere. It has many industrial and consumer applications.