The major pollutants that are emitted by jet aircraft include: particulate matter (soot), carbon monoxide, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. The first of the pollutants, particulate matter (smoke), constitutes not only a visual nuisance but is also a potential health problem. The rest, which are not visible, are irritants and in high enough concentrations can be toxic. Since pollutants emitted by jet aircraft are of the same type as those given off by a car, a direct comparison is possible. In one landing take off cycle (LTO), a four engine jet aircraft emits the same amount of particulate matter as does approximately 2500 cars in one day. The result is a dense trail of exhaust smoke that is left behind during each jet aircraft landing and take off. Jet aircraft which use the three major New York metropolitan airports emit almost 10,000 tons/year of particulate matter and carbon monoxide. They also emit over 5000 tons/year of nitrogen oxides and almost 2000 tons/year of unburned hydrocarbon. Finally, these jet aircraft produce nearly 1000 tons of aldehydes per year. Two of these contaminants contribute significantly to the total amount of air pollution in the New York Metropolitan area. These are particulate matter (3.7% of the total emissions and aldehydes (3.0% of the total emissions). With regard to carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides, jet aircraft contribute from 0.1 to 0.7% of the total from all sources.
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