Fighting air pollution with a $1 tool (Spanish Edition)

A simple new device that costs less than US $1 to make could help global efforts to reduce harmful air pollution caused by ammonia emissions, while also improving access to food. The small plastic tool was designed by Brazilian scientists in collaboration with the IAEA and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). After isotopic techniques were used to test and confirm its accuracy, the tool is now being rolled out to help countries monitor and better manage ammonia emissions from agriculture, including the livestock industry. Ammonia — a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen — is one of the major by-products of agriculture and is a gas released when, for example, fertilizers and animal manure breakdown. The presence of this gas (NH3) in the atmosphere can act as a secondary source of nitrous oxide (N20) — a powerful greenhouse gas — and can damage ecosystems by exacerbating water pollution, as well as causing health problems in people.