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[[Particulate matter]] (PM), also known as '''particle pollution,''' includes the tiny particles of [[fly ash]] and dust that are expelled from coal-burning power plants. Fine particles are a mixture of a variety of different compounds and pollutants that originate primarily from combustion sources such as power plants, but also diesel trucks and buses, cars, etc. Fine particles are either emitted directly from these combustion sources or are formed in the atmosphere through complex oxidation reactions involving gases, such as [[sulfur dioxide]] (SO2) or nitrogen oxides (NOX). Among particles, fine particles are of particular concern because they are so tiny that they can be inhaled deeply, thus evading the human lungs' natural defenses.<ref name="em">[http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/cleanair.htm "Coal Plant pollution kills 30,000 people each year"] EcoMall, accessed August 2010.</ref>
[[Smog]] is the chemical reaction of sunlight, [[nitrogen oxides]] (NOx), and [[volatile organic compounds]] (VOCs) in the atmosphere, which leaves airborne particles ([[particulate matter]]) and ground-level [[ozone]] (smog). Ground level ozone is an invisible gas made of three oxygen atoms (O3).<ref name="ccme">"What is Smog?", Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, [http://www.ccme.ca/assets/pdf/pn_1257_e.pdf CCME.ca]</ref>
[[Black carbon]], also called [[soot]], arises from sources such as diesel engine exhaust, burning biomass, cooking fires, and coal plants. It is made up of tiny carbon [[particulate matter]] that contributes to [[global warming]] by absorbing heat in the atmosphere and reducing albedo, the reflection of sunlight, when deposited on snow and ice. It is also a big component of [[Air pollution from coal-fired power plants|air pollution]] around the world.<ref name="sd">[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100729144225.htm "Black Carbon Implicated in Global Warming"] Science daily, July 30, 2010.</ref>
===CO2 and air pollutants===