Air Pollution€¦ ·  · 2017-01-13Air Pollution Introduction ... The depletion of the ozone layer leads to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation reaching Earth's surface. ...

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Air Pollution Introduction

• Air pollutants are gases, liquids or solids in the air that

can adversely affect plant and/or animal life.

• Primary pollutants are pollutants that are emitted

directly by natural or manmade processes.

• Secondary pollutants are pollutants that arise

from chemical reactions of atmospheric gases with

gases emitted by natural or manmade processes.

• There are six major pollutants: particulates, carbon

oxides, sulfur dioxides, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic

compounds, ozone

Primary Pollutants

Secondary Pollutants

Sources

Natural

Pollutants

Stationary

CO CO2

SO2 NO NO2

Most hydrocarbons

particles

Mobile

Major pollutants: Carbon monoxide

• Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless,

odorless gas from volcanic eruptions,

forest fires and other processes like

gas heat and burning wood.

• Extremely toxic and dangerous to

humans and animals.

Major pollutants: Sulfur dioxide

• Sulfur compounds can occur as

gaseous or aerosol forms.

• respiratory irritant. contributes to

acid fog and acid rain.

Major pollutants: Nitrogen Oxides (NOX)

• Nitric oxide (NO) is a nontoxic,

colorless, and odorless gas.

• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a

toxic, yellow to reddish-brown gas

that is pungent and corrosive.

Provides polluted air with the

yellow to reddish brown color.

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Major pollutants: Ozone

• Ozone, NO2, formaldehyde and

other gases combine with solar

radiation to form Los Angeles-

type photochemical smog.

• Causes respiratory and heart

problems.

Major pollutants: Volatile Organic

Compounds - VOCs (Hydrocarbons)

• Made of carbon

and hydrogen.

Examples:

methane, butane,

propane, octane,

etc.

• Health effects vary

Major pollutants: Particulates

• Particulates are

solid or liquid matter

suspended in the

air

• Particulates can

cause asthma and

lung cancer

Global distribution of Particulate Matter

(2001-2006)

Image from NASA

Credit: Dalhousie

University, Aaron

van Donkelaar

U.S distribution of Particulate Matter

(2001-2006)

Image from NASA

Credit: Dalhousie

University, Aaron

van Donkelaar

Why should we care about

pollution in other parts of the

World?12

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Global effect:

Anything released by human beings will be

transported globally by atmospheric circulations

and ocean circulations

Video: Science to Protect the Air We

Breath (by EPA)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PO_3e

xwN-I

The

Clean

Air

Act

Congress found:

• Most people now live in urban areas

• Growth results in air pollution

• Air pollution endangers living things

It decided:

• Prevention and control at the source was appropriate

• Such efforts are the responsibility of states and local authorities

• Federal funds and leadership are essential for the development of effective programs

Clean Air Act

• Originally signed 1963

❖States controlled standards

• 1970 – Uniform Standards by

Federal Govt.

❖Criteria Pollutants

- Primary – Human health risk

- Secondary – Protect materials, crops,

climate, visibility, personal comfort

Clean Air Act

• 1990 version

❖ Acid rain, urban smog, toxic air pollutants,

ozone depletion, marketing pollution rights,

VOC’s

• 1997 version

❖ Reduced ambient ozone levels

❖ Cost $15 billion/year -> save 15,000 lives

❖ Reduce bronchitis cases by 60,000 per year

❖ Reduce hospital respiratory admission

9000/year

Human Impact on Atmosphere• Burning Fossil Fuels

• Using Nitrogen fertilizers and burning fossil fuels

• Refining petroleum and burning fossil fuels

• Manufacturing

▪ Adds CO2 and O3 to troposphere

▪ Global Warming

▪ Altering Climates

▪ Produces Acid Rain

▪ Releases NO, NO2, N2O, and NH3 into troposphere

▪ Produces acid rain

▪ Releases SO2 into troposphere

▪ Releases toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and As) into troposphere

www.dr4.cnrs.fr/gif-2000/ air/products.html

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

• Human Health

❖ EPA estimates each year 50,000 people

die prematurely from illnesses related to air

pollution.

- Likelihood of suffering ill health is related

to intensity and duration of exposure.

➢Inhalation is the most common route,

but absorption through the skin and

consumption via food can also occur.

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Effects of Air Pollution

• Consequences of breathing dirty air leads to

increased probability of heart attack, lung

diseases and cancers.

• 250,000 people in US suffer from pollution

related bronchitis per year

• Conditions are much worse in developing

countries.

• City dwellers are more prone to pollution

related diseases than countrysidedwellers.

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AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

• Reducing Pollution

❖ Most effective strategy for controlling pollution is to minimize polluting activities.

❖ Best effective strategy is to conserve energy: reducing electricity consumption,insulating homes and offices,better public transport to reduce air pollution.

❖ Alternative energy source: wind & solar.

❖ Technological advances

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How Can I help?

• Ride the bus, walk, or bike to school

• Carpool with friends

• Recycle

• Reduce your electrical use – turn off

lights, unplug things when not in

use, etc.

• Encourage your friends and family to

participate!

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What’s Eating the Ozone?

• Scientists in the

1960s realized

that something was going wrong in the ozone layer.

• They soon figured

out that human actions were

damaging Earth's shield against harmful radiation.

What is the Ozone Hole?

The ozone hole is not technically a

“hole” where no ozone is present, but is

actually a region of ozone

depletion in the stratosphere over

the Antarctic that happens at the

beginning of Southern Hemisphere

spring (August-October).

The average concentration of ozone in

the atmosphere is about 300 Dobson

Units; any area where the concentration

drops below 220 Dobson Units is

considered part of the ozone hole.

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Who discovered the Ozone Hole?

The Antarctic Ozone Hole was

discovered in 1985 by

British scientists Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan Shanklin of the British Antarctic Survey.

The Ozone Hole has steadily

grown in size (up to 27

million sq. km.) and length of duration(from August

through early December) over the past two decades.

What causes Ozone Depletion?• The Ozone Hole is caused by chemicals called

CFCs, short for chlorofluorocarbons. CFCs escape into the atmosphere from refrigeration and propellant devices and processes, and they are so stable they last for decades. This long life allows some CFCs to eventually reach the stratosphere.

• The chemicals that make up CFCs, mainly chlorine and fluorine, float around the stratosphere, breaking up ozone molecules.

• One molecule of CFC can destroy more than 100,000 molecules of stratospheric ozone.

• Today, no spray cans contain CFCs. Other chemicals are gradually replacing the CFCs in air conditioners.

Ultraviolet Radiation

The depletion of the ozone layer leads to higher levels of

ultraviolet radiationreaching Earth's surface.

This in turn can lead to a

greater incidence of skincancer, cataracts, and impaired immune systems, and is expected also to reduce crop yields, diminish the productivity of the oceans, and possibly to contribute to the decline of amphibians that is occurring around the world.

What is the Montreal Protocol?

• The Montreal Protocol is a landmark international agreement designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer.

• The Montreal Protocol says that the production and consumption of compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere--chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform--are to be

phased out by 2030.

The Future of the Ozone Hole

• As a result of the Montreal

Protocol, atmospheric

concentrations of some ozone-

depleting substances, such as

CFC-11, have begun to declineand concentrations of others will

follow suit over the next decade.

• Over the much longer term, the

health of the ozone layer will

depend primarily on our ability to

rid the atmosphere of present

ozone-depleting substances and

prevent the release of new ones.

Progress of the Ozone Hole

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Progress of the Ozone Hole

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Progress of

the Ozone

Hole

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The current situation

• The holes developing over the pole suggest

that they may be showing an improvement

• BUT CFC molecules take 30 years to rise

up to the stratosphere

• The chlorine radicals last a long time

• The peak ozone damage was supposed to

be in 2000

• Damage could go on another 50 years

© 2007 Paul Billiet ODWS

Air Pollution Video

Causes and Effects - Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATtDieuH6

1o

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Why do scientists think that

Greenland’s climate was warm and

moist 80 million years ago?

Fossils of magnolias and palm trees found in

Greenland provide evidence for the climate

change. Scientists assume that the

ancestors of magnolia and palm trees

require similar warm and moist climate

conditions as before.

What is global warming?

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How Global Warming Works

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

The Sun’s energy

passes through the

car’s windshield.

This energy (heat)

is trapped inside

the car and cannot

pass back through

the windshield,

causing the inside

of the car to warm

up.

Example of the

Greenhouse Effect

What’s the difference

between “global warming”

and “climate change”?

Difference

GLOBAL WARMING

is the increase of the

Earth’s average

surface temperature

due to a build-up of

greenhouse gases in

the atmosphere.

CLIMATE CHANGE

is a broader term that

refers to long-term

changes in climate,

including average

temperature and

precipitation.

Take

Notes!

Effects of Global Warming

Increased Temperature

Habitat Damage and Species Affected Changes in Water Supply

Rising Sea Level What’s the proof that

global warming is taking

place?

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Portage Glacier

1914 2004

• Alaska

Photos: NOAA Photo Collection and Gary Braasch – WorldViewOfGlobalWarming.org

Colorado River

• Arizona

June 2002 Dec 2003

Why is global warming

happening?

Burning of Fossil Fuels

Pollution from coal,

natural gas, and oil

Pollution from coal,

natural gas, and oil

Pollution from coal,

natural gas, and oil

When did global

warming start?

Global Atmospheric Concentration of CO2

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“What’s in our Air?”

Atmosphere as a Resource• Atmospheric Composition

– Nitrogen 78.08%

– Oxygen 20.95%

– Argon 0.93%

– Carbon dioxide 0.04%

• Ecosystem services

– Blocks UV radiation

– Moderates the climate

– Redistributes water in the hydrologic cycle

•Any visible or

invisible particle

or gas found in

the air that is

NOT part of the

original, normal

composition.

We breathe constantly… without thinking about it.

But not everything in our air is healthful… there can be harmful

substances in our air called POLLUTANTS.

Air Pollution is a problem!Two Main Categories of Air Pollution:

Primary Air Pollutant Harmful substance that is

emitted directly into the atmosphere

Secondary Air Pollutant Harmful substance formed in

the atmosphere when a primary air pollutant reacts with substances normally found in the atmosphere or with other air pollutants

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Where does Air Pollution come from?

Some sources of air pollution are natural, but most air pollution is the result of human activities.

Natural Sources = •Forest Fires

•Volcanoes

•Sand Storms

Which human activities release air pollution?

Burning Fossil Fuels (produces most of our air pollution)

(such as coal, oil, gasoline, diesel fuel)

50% from cars and other motor vehicles

50% from factories, power plants and other sources.

Major Air Pollutants & their EffectsPOLLUTANT EFFECTS

Carbon Monoxide

illness, death

Nitrogen Dioxide

breathing problems, lung damage

Sulfur Dioxide acid rain, breathing problems

Particulate Matter

breathing problems, throat irritation

Ozone smog, asthma

That’s a lot of info… Let’s look at 3 pollutants

in greater detail:Sulfur Dioxide

Particulate MatterGround Level Ozone

Sulfur Dioxide causes acid rain… yikes!

• Pollutants in the air combine with water in the atmosphere and form acids.

• That acid gets in our rain/snow and falls back to earth, harming our lakes & ponds, and all the organisms that live there.

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What is particulate matter?• Tiny particles of dust and smoke in the air.

• These particles make it

hard to breathe. (especially for older folks and young kids)

• These particles also cause haze and reduce visibility.

View of Chicago on 2 different days

(one clear, one hazy)Chicago - Summer 2000.

Clear Day : PM 2.5 < 5 µg/m3

Clear Day in Chicago, Summer 2000

Chicago - Summer 2000.Hazy Day : PM 2.5 = 35 µg/m3

Hazy Day in Chicago, Summer 2000 Wait – isn’t OZONE a good thing? • The ozone layer in

the stratosphereprotects us. GOOD

• BUT ground-level ozone makes SMOG. BAD

(an UNHEALTHY brown haze)

•Combination of gases with water vapor

and dust

•Combination of words smoke and

fog

•Forms when heat and sunlight

react gases (photochemical smog)

•Occurs often with heavy

traffic, high temperatures, and

calm winds

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Causes… Causes…

Causes… Causes

Causes

Atlanta

Particulate Matter & Smog in Atlanta

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The air quality

index of this

classroom is

rated as

healthy for

sensitive

groups.

How can you protect yourself from air pollution?

• Check your local Air Quality Index (AQI) every day.

• The AQI is a color-coded system that tells you how clean the air is.

Good

Moderate

Unhealthy

for sensitive

groups

Unhealthy

Very

Unhealthy

Hazardous

What time of day has the worst air quality?

Interesting Air Pollution

Facts…

Air Pollution can travel far…

What goes around …comes around

Forest fire smoke

drifts across Florida

PM & CO2 drift from Asia to U.S.

Clouds

Smog

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Air Pollution kills people…

Annual Deaths due to:

Air Pollution = 23,000

Drunk Driving = 17,000

Murder = 20,000

North Carolina summers are not good for your health!

In NC, air pollution causes an EXTRA:

240,000 Asthma Attacks

6,300 ER Visits

The “Worst 25” Cities for OzoneAtlanta 6th

Knoxville 8th

Charlotte 9th

Raleigh-Durham 13th

Nashville 18th

Memphis 19th

New York 20th

Birmingham 21st

Greensboro-Winston 21st

Macon 24th

Chattanooga 24th