Air pollution is a global problem, affecting most of the countries of the world. Over half of the world's population is directly or indirectly affected by air pollutants. Over population and extensive urbanisation leads to high emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, which impacts air quality and stimulates climate change. Several reports have highlighted environmental health problems caused by different air pollutants. To be more precise there are some specific air pollutants which are labelled under the Clean Air Act of 1971, as strongly suspected to be harmful for public health as compared to other primary and secondary pollutants, they are termed as criteria pollutants. Globally, there are very limited studies on this category of air pollutants. This brief aims at bringing together scattered information on criteria pollutants with a special focus on environmental health (both animals and plants). It first focuses on a background of criteria air pollutants and their sources, sinks and chemistry; further discuss their respective effects and mechanism of action on plants and animal health. The chapters that follow explore the detailed nature of primary criteria pollutants such as -- nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and lead and their chemical mechanism, causes, environmental health effects which include both plants and human life. Further, it continues with the details about the secondary criteria pollutants like ozone and their chemistry, sources, environmental health effects. It concluded with possible solutions to control the emission of criteria pollutants and enlists future recommendations and policy formulations in relation to criteria air pollutants. This brief will be valuable information for students in environmental science, biological science and agriculture, as well as for environmental consultants and professionals involved in air quality research and in application of air quality guidelines and advice.

Dr. Pallavi Saxena is an Assistant Professor, Environmental Science, Hindu College, University of Delhi, India. She has been awarded DST Fast Track Young Scientist Award at School of Environmental Sciences Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. She has done her Post Doc from Space and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. She has been elected as Chair of South Asia and Middleeast Region of Early Career Scientist Network of iLEAPS community, UK. She is also a co-author and collaborator from India of TOAR International Meeting which focuses on tropospheric ozone and its impact on vegetation. In addition to that, she has been a recipient of various awards like Young Scientist Award from Indian Society of Plant Physiology, DBT BioCaRe Award. Several travel grant awards from WMO, IGAC and NOAA to participate as an expert in Ozone Pollution and Its Impact on Vegetation in TOAR Meeting. Dr. Saurabh Sonwani recently awarded his Doctoral degree from School of Environmental Sciences (SES), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. He has also completed his M.Phil. degree from SES, JNU, New Delhi. He completed his Master in Science (Environmental Sciences) from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, India. His area of expertise includes atmospheric chemistry, climate change and environmental health. Dr. Sonwani is an advisory board member at Cambridge Scholars Publishing House, England, the UK in the "Environmental Sciences" section. He is also an active member of the iLEAPS scientific community from South Asian and Middle East Early Career Scientists Network (SAMEECSN). He has both research and teaching experiences in the field of Environmental Sciences. Dr. Sonwani is a recipient of JRF and SRF through the UGC after qualifying test conducted by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grant Commission jointly (CSIR-UGC) in the area of Earth, Atmosphere, Planetary and Ocean Sciences. He qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET) in Environmental Sciences organized by UGC, Government of India. He has also awarded by several reputed travel grants from American Geophysical Union (AGU), USA, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal and Corpus fund, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. He has written several research papers in reputed National and International Journals indexed in SCOPUS, SCI, Thomson and Reuter and UGC. He has also contributed several book chapters in books published with reputed International Publishers such as Springer, CABI and NOVA. Dr. Sonwani is a lifetime member of several scientific communities such as AOGS, AGU, IASTA and BARC. Till now, he has presented his research work in more than 15 conferences and workshops at the national and international platform.

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