There are a large number or chemical compounds that are present in a polluted atmosphere and that alone or in combination are important to consider for their potential effect on the respiratory system and impact on athletic performance. A general categorization or description of the level of pollution in terms of the concentration of one or more compounds or by type such as oxidizing compounds is inadequate and misleading. A useful initial categorization of pollutant compounds according to their mechanism of production, primary or secondary, is often made. For health effects, consideraiions of the physical state, gaseous or particulate, and the solublity and reactivity of the pollutant is also important. Pollutant compounds or substances that are emitted directly from a source and that undergo little or no chemical change in the atmosphere from source to receptor are termed primary pollutants.