Airports

Airports are usually located on the outskirts of major cities surrounded by countryside or on sites close to the sea. Pollution in airport facilities is mainly generated from kerosene fumes from aeroplanes as they take off and land, exhaust gases from traffic in and around the airport and from the surrounding area in the form of pollen, harvesting, industries, salt particles etc. Contaminants are both molecular and particulate.

In airport terminals, control towers and commercial areas like restaurants, cafeterias and office blocks, contamination drawn through HVAC intakes from the external air include jet fumes and vehicle exhaust gases from bus and car traffic in and around the airport itself. The main molecular contaminants produced by the combustion of fossil fuels are sulphur dioxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and aldehydes. Low level ozone is also a product of fossil fuel combustion. Wind blown mineral dust, dust from building construction, farming and industrial processes as well as sea spray in coastal regions are among the principle sources of particulate matter.

Internal sources of contamination include formaldehyde from building materials, ozone from photocopier machines and odours from various sources like restaurants, bars, cafeterias, toilets, cleaning products to mention a few.