{"id":7735,"date":"2022-02-18T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T08:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.breeze-technologies.de\/?p=7735"},"modified":"2022-02-18T13:36:19","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T12:36:19","slug":"nitrogen-dioxide-no2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.breeze-technologies.de\/de\/blog\/nitrogen-dioxide-no2\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to know about nitrogen dioxide (NO2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2<\/sub>) is a chemical compound part of a <\/span>group of highly reactive gases<\/span><\/a> known as oxides of nitrogen or nitrogen oxides (NOx<\/sub>). It is a common air pollutant recognized by many standard air quality guidelines, including the <\/span>World Health Organization<\/span><\/a>. At Breeze Technologies, NO2<\/sub> is one of the more important air pollutants among the many monitored by our air quality sensors, and it is thus also included in our <\/span>air quality index (AQI)<\/span><\/a>. Read on to find out why.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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What is nitrogen dioxide?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2<\/sub>) is an important atmospheric trace gas that is soluble in water. It has a reddish-brown color and is a strong oxidant. NO2<\/sub> is <\/span>formed through<\/span><\/a> the oxidation of nitric oxide (NO) in combustion processes such as diesel engines and coal, oil, gas, wood, and waste plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NO2<\/sub> has many roles in the atmosphere and also in health effects. A <\/span>few important roles<\/span><\/a> of NO2<\/sub> include:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. NO2<\/sub> could have a potential direct role in global climate change if its concentrations were to be high enough, as it is an absorber of visible radiation, thus creating <\/span>impaired atmospheric visibility<\/span><\/a> and heating up the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. NO2<\/sub> plays a critical role in determining <\/span>ozone (O3<\/sub>)<\/span><\/a> concentrations in the troposphere (i.e. at ground level).\u00a0 Through light absorption, NO2<\/sub> is broken down through light absorption into O3<\/sub> during a process called photolysis. This formation of O3<\/sub> can occur in polluted and unpolluted atmospheres.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. NO2<\/sub> controls the build-up and fate of so-called \u201cradical species,\u201d as NO2<\/sub> itself is a <\/span>free radical<\/span><\/a> (also written as \u2022<\/sup><\/span>NO2<\/sub>). Free radicals are unstable atoms that have an unpaired electron and are dangerous when consumed in excess levels. Interaction between free radicals and oxidants can generate a phenomenon known as oxidative stress. <\/span>Oxidative stress<\/span><\/a> can damage the cells in our body and destroy other structures such as proteins, lipids, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), thereby causing aging, illness and cell damage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What are sources of nitrogen dioxide?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Emission of nitrogen dioxide (NO2<\/sub>) from <\/span>natural sources<\/span><\/a> comes from:<\/span><\/p>\n