Air Quality

Air QualityAir Quality

• With increasing With increasing breathing breathing problems, this is an problems, this is an important section. important section.

• Asthma cases have Asthma cases have doubled since doubled since 1990.1990.

Environmental Environmental Pollution is part of Pollution is part of the problem.the problem.

How Does Air Quality Concern How Does Air Quality Concern YouYou??

Human Health ProblemsHuman Health Problems Cancer, Cataracts, AsthmaCancer, Cataracts, AsthmaAnimal Health ProblemsAnimal Health Problems Deformities, Pickled eggs of fish and Deformities, Pickled eggs of fish and amphibians, softer eggs in birds amphibians, softer eggs in birds Changes in pH of rainChanges in pH of rain Damage to our property Damage to our property clothes, clothes, cars, tires, paint, statues, pyramidscars, tires, paint, statues, pyramids

Photochemical Smog

• Makes ‘bad’ ozone from chemical reactions triggered by the sun light and air pollution.

http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/air/images/summersmog.jpg

http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?pg=5215&mat=pdef

LA

•

Common Chemicals in Photochemical Smog

NO2

O3 this is the bad

Ozone that damages our lungs and plants.

NO http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~courses/genchem/Tutorials/AirQuality/intro.htm

Low Pollution vs High Pollution

http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~courses/genchem/Tutorials/AirQuality/intro.htm

http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~courses/genchem/Tutorials/AirQuality/origin.htm view the movie

Photochemical Smog is Always a Reddish-Brownish Color from NO2

Bangkok and Seattle

Photochemical SmogPhotochemical Smog

ContributorsContributors CauseCause SolutionsSolutions

NONO22 Burning coal, Burning coal, gasolinegasoline

Car Pool, Car Pool, ride busesride buses

VOCVOC

Volatile Volatile organic organic chemicalschemicals

Benzene, evaporated Benzene, evaporated gasoline, cleaning gasoline, cleaning solvents, finger nail solvents, finger nail polish removers, ectpolish removers, ect

Fill up your Fill up your lawnmowers lawnmowers and cars and cars after darkafter dark

SunlightSunlight

Bad Ozone made close to ground by pollution and sunlight

Plants:

Damages plant

leaves

Plants: Ozone is absorbed by the leaf; interferes with photosynthesis in plant leaves

Photochemical Smog producing bad ozone damages

Humans: Low concentrations: hurts lungs and eye, nose, and throat are irritated.

Humans: High concentrations: coughing and lowers ability to concentrate

Bad Ozone from photochemical smog at ground level

Materials: Attacks rubber, cellulose and plastics

Materials: Wears down tires, clothes colors, electrical insulation, windshield wipers

London Type Fog from Coal London Type Fog from Coal Burning Burning http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/perspect/london.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/history/topics/perspect/london.htm

“The smog even invaded the world of Shakespeare, whose witches in Macbeth chant, "fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air."

Temperature Inversions:Temperature Inversions: “The Great Smog of 1952” “The Great Smog of 1952”

12,ooo people died in London when the 12,ooo people died in London when the layers of air inverted (turned upside down) layers of air inverted (turned upside down) from the usual patterns. from the usual patterns. Londoners burned more coal to keep warm. Londoners burned more coal to keep warm. The pollution increased. The pollution increased. Their coal was higher sulfur coal which Their coal was higher sulfur coal which caused worse polution.caused worse polution.The inversion lingered.The inversion lingered.

The Olympics of 2008: Beijing Video if you The Olympics of 2008: Beijing Video if you can look at it: can look at it: http://www.truveo.com/Smog-Chokes-Olympic-Cithttp://www.truveo.com/Smog-Chokes-Olympic-City/id/1784238193y/id/1784238193

Acid Rain

Solutions (liquids where water is the largest part) can be neutral, acids or bases.

Acids react with metals to make hydrogen gas.

Acids are measure with pH paper and have a range from 17 which is neutral water.

Any pH >7 is a base. pH paper has

chemicals dried on it.

http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/oceancolor/locus/images/aq_800px-Acid_rain_woods1.JPG

IRELAND

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/acid-rain-1a.jpg

pH distribution of acid rain in the US. http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/acidrain/2.html

Effects of Acid Rain:http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/acid-rain-4.jpg

Marble reacts with acid. This statue has lasted almost 2000 years until our acid rain problems began.

Effects on animals

Birds don’t depend on Calcium from the soil. Why were their eggs shells breaking?

Only birds in high acid rain areas were having this problem.

Birds eat snails and spiders and insects. Snails could not survive where CaCO3 was

leached out of the soil by the acid rain. Spiders and insects did not provide enough

calcium for the birds after the snails died out.

HYPOTHESIS:

Increase the calcium in the birds diets and observe the new eggs.

Scientists put broken chicken egg shells in the area for the birds to eat.

RESULTS:Egg shells became stronger again in the new

hatchings and the birds returned to normal.

pH

Stomach acid (HCl) is pH = 1.7

The acid dissolves your teeth when you throw up. Rinse your mouth out but don’t brush vigorously when you are sick.

pH < 5 water with lower pH has very few insects and almost no clams.

Acid Rain Effects

Effects from Acid Rain

Pickled Frog Eggs from Acid Rain

http://www.elements.nb.ca/theme/toxics/john/john.htm

http://oregonstate.edu/~blaustea/pdfs/Blaustein_SciAm_2003.pdf

http://oregonstate.edu/~blaustea/pdfs/Blaustein_SciAm_2003.pdf

Three possible causes: Increased UV rays

from Ozone Layer

problems.

Habitat Destruction

Possible Causes being investigated: Shifts in parasite populations perhaps

are caused from acid rain or other pollutants.

Amphibians are at the middle of the lower part of the food chain. This has been happening since the mid 1990’s. This is a concern for us.