Air Pollution
Feb 23, 2016
Air Pollution
WHAT IS AIR?• Air is the ocean we breathe• Supplies us with oxygen which is essential for our
bodies to live• Air is 99.9%:– Nitrogen– Oxygen – Water vapor – Inert gases
• Human activities can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.
WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION• Air pollution comes from many different sources:
– Factories – Power Plants – Cars– Windblown Dust – Wildfires
• Air pollution threatens the health of:– Humans – Trees – Lakes – Crops – Animals – Ozone Layer
• Air pollution also causes: – Haze, reducing visibility
How Pollution Is Formed
Primary vs. Secondary• Primary Pollutants: emitted directly from a source
• Secondary Pollutants: formed in the atmosphere as a result of interactions between 2 or more chemicals in the air
Sources of Pollutants
#1- Stationary Sources• Larger sources of pollution that are always in the
same place– Oil/Chemical Refineries– Power Plants– Factories
Sources of Pollutants
#2- Area Sources• Smaller sources of pollution that are always in
the same place– Dry Cleaners– Auto Body Shops– Volcanoes– Forest Fires
Sources of Pollutants
#3- Mobile Sources• Travel from one place to another– Cars– Buses– Trucks
Physical Phases of Pollutants
• Gaseous- chemicals in their low-density, elastic, aeriform state
• Particulate: small solid fragments light enough to be suspended in the air
Regulatory CategoriesCriteria Air Pollutants vs. Hazardous Air Pollutants
• Criteria: US Government Top 6 Common Pollutants:– Carbon Monoxide– Lead– Nitrogen– Ozone– Particulate Matter– Sulfur Dioxide
Causes: - Premature Mortality- Asthma Attacks- Acid Rain
Regulatory Categories
Criteria Air Pollutants vs. Hazardous Air Pollutants
• Hazardous: chemical which can cause adverse effects to human health or the environment, almost 200 of these chemicals have been identified
Causes:- Cancer- Birth Defects
Risk and Health Effects of Air Pollutants
• 130 million people live in countries with unhealthily air
Possible Health Effects• Carcinogenic- can cause cancer, these compounds are
found in indoor and polluted outdoor urban air• Respiratory- impacts lungs and breathing• Neurological- impacts the nerve and brain development• Immunological- affects the body's immune system• Reproductive: affects ability to have babies• Developmental: affects the proper physical/mental
development• Circulatory: affects the circulation of blood/heart
function
Ecological Effects• Acid Rain- caused when fossil fuel emissions of sulfur
and nitrogen oxides combines with water in the atmosphere
• Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6• Acid Rain Causes:– Decay of building materials– Paints– Statues– Sculptures– Death to plants– Death to aquatic life
Ecological Effects
• Global Warming- the increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere
• Ozone Depletion: the ozone layer in the stratosphere protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, air pollution causes the layers of the ozone to deplete
• Smog- smoke, fog, mixture of air pollutants which form a haze in the air
Ways To Detect Air Pollution
• Smell: some chemicals can be identified by their smell– Chlorine– Hydrogen Sulfide (smells like rotten eggs)
• Sight: smog, haze, smoke• Taste: pollutants like sulfur can actually be
detected with the tongue (tastes metallic)