Air Pollution
In and outside Bulgaria
Emilia Atanasova
Joanna Shuleva
Zahary Ninov
The Issue
• “If the system shows pollution levels high above the health norms, downtown traffic
may be temporary stopped, in order to improve the conditions," Traikov told
reporters. (2008) – (11)
Air Pollution - Basics
• Air = Oxygen (18) – air supplies us with O2
• 99.9% air = nitrogen, oxygen, H2O vapor, inert gases (18)
• Air Pollution = gases, dust, odor, fumes in harmful amounts (15)
• Result: • Harm for the health or comfort of humans and animals (15)• Damage to plants and materials (15)
pollutants = substances that cause air pollution(15)
The Issue
• Bulgaria – most polluted in EU (7)
• In EU – 30 µg/m² dust are normal, 40 µg/m² - max norm; BG – 55 µg/m² (7)
• Stara Zagora - 30 µg/m² Sulphur dioxide are normal; about 300 µg/m² are critical; 830 µg/m² recorded; 1000 µg/m² lethal (16)
Pollutants in Bulgaria (12)
• Sulphur Oxides (SOx)
• Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
• Particulate Matter (PM10, PM2.5)
• Ground level ozone (O3)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S)
• Carbon Sulphide (CS2)
Sulfur Oxides (SOx)• Fuels containing sulfur – burned => SOx
(12) – mostly coal and oil (17)• Most common: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) (12)• Sources: power plants, vehicles; (12) • During metal smelting + other industrial
processes (17)• Effects:
• high concentration = breathing problems (17)• Short-term exposure – wheezing, chest tightness,
shortness of breath; (17)
• Other effects:– respiratory illness,
alterations in the lungs' defenses (17)
– aggravation of existing cardiovascular disease. (17)
• Environmental effects:– Major precursor of
acid rain (17)– => corrosion of
buildings and monuments; low visibility; acidified soils, lakes, streams (17)
(6)
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
• A mixture of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (9)
• Inorganic gases = combination of oxygen & nitrogen from the air (9)
• Sources: fuel burned => transportation; industrial processes; power generation; (9)
• Effects: respiratory; acid rain, formation of fine particles; global warming (12)
• Acid Rain (1)
Caused by(2):• Sulfur oxide• Ammonia• Nitrogen oxideby reacting with the
water molecules during the process of precipitation
• 1970 – EU measurements to be reduced
Particulate Matter (PM10, PM2.5)
• Particles that are part of liquid or solid matter (14)
• What do numbers represent? (μm) (14)
• the smaller the diameter – the longer they stay (14)
• Causes – asthma, lung cancer (14)
•Average annual ground level concentration of PM10, μg/m3;•in the region of Kremikovtsi, metallurgical plant•(Annual limit value 30 μg/m3)
(21)
Ground level Ozone (O3)
• Ozone in the stratosphere – good; in the atmosphere – bad (10)
• Ground level Ozone is formed by the gases emitted by vehicles (10)
What has been done, is being done, or should be done to improve the air
quality in Bulgaria?Done:• Penalties/sanctions/taxes• Imposing limits (19)Being done:• Increasing the renewable energy
usage/production (19)• Searching for sources that does not
pollute the air (cars powered by alternative fuels)
Pollution Around the World
The 10 worst-polluted places in the world
are (20) :• Linfen, Tianying, China • Sukinda, Vapi, India• La Oroya, Peru • Dzerzhinsk, Norilsk, Russia; Chernobyl, • Sumgayit, Azerbaijan • Kabwe, Zambia
Los Angeles
Worst air polluted metropolitan city – 2003-2005Causes: (19)• Fossil fuels( coal, gasoline)• Vehicles – 12 mln (19)• Industry• Lack of wind ( to spread away the smog)(19)• Sunlight (19)• “clean construction” – paint; solvents(19)• Increasing population • Water traffic – sulfur based fuel;
25,000 to 45,000 (ppm) ships – 15 (ppm) cars (8)
Los Angeles
Effects:• Lung cancer, asthma,• Increase in mortality
rates • Hearth diseases• One of the highest
rates of lung diseases
and premature deaths(20)
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2004/7523/fig1.jpg
Los Angeles
Reduction measurements:
• Bio-fuels
• More fuel efficient engines
• Taking data of the air pollution(5)
• Ships being powered by less sulfur
based diesel - in July 2008- 17% reduction level; in 2011 -45%(8)
Benelux area; Italy
Causes: (4)
• High traffic
• Fossil fuel burning
• Light pollution
• High industry level
http://www.myhealthfulworld.com/files/featured/pollution_europe_L.jpg
Benelux area; Italy
Measurements (4) :
• Less coal being burned
• More renewable energy sources
• Reducing the traffic in the cities ( in the area)
• Urge the society to look for less air polluting activities
Works Cited1. Acid Rain. N.d. How Stuff Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2010.
<http://static.howstuffworks.com/ gif/ acid-rain-1a.jpg>.2. “Acid Rain.” Oracle ThinkQuest. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010.
<http://library.thinkquest.org/ CR0215471/ acid_rain.htm>.3. Air Pollution. N.d. Deviant Art. N.p., 19 Dec. 2009. Web. 13 June 2010.
<http://fc03.deviantart.net/ fs70/ f/ 2009/ 353/ 4/ 2/ Air_Pollution_by_mary_juana.jpg>.
4. “Air Pollution Causes Early Deaths.” BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 2/ hi/ health/ 4283295.stm>.
5. “Air Quality Monitoring.” The Port of Los Angeles. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.portoflosangeles.org/ environment/ air_quality.asp>.
6. Article-Pic-for-Niweidou. N.d. China Dialogue. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.chinadialogue.net/ UserFiles/ Image/ article-pic-for-niweidou.jpg>.
7. “Bulgarian Air Most Polluted in Europe.” EUbusiness. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.eubusiness.com/ news-eu/ 1236337323.03>.
8. “Clearing the Air in Los Angeles.” Simple Steps . N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.simplesteps.org/ community/ community-services/ clearing-air-los-angeles>.
9. “Definition.” Air Quality in Europe. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.airqualitynow.eu/ pollution_home.php>.
10. “Health Risks of Ozone Pollution.” Clean Air Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.cleanairtrust.org/ ozone.html>.
11. “High Air Pollution to Close Downtown Sofia.” Novinite.com. N.p., 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.novinite.com/ view_news.php?id=89367>.
12. INSTITUTE OF CONTROL AND SYSTEM RESEARCH. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.icsr.bas.bg/ ICSRwebsite/ departments/ rdts/ htdocs/ pollutants_en.html>
13. “Los Angeles Air Pollution.” Scipeeps.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://scipeeps.com/ los-angeles-air-pollution/>.
14. “Particulate Matter.” EPA - US Environmental Protection Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.epa.gov/ pm/>.
15. “Pollution.” EPA - Environment Protection Authority. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ air/ aq4kids/ pollution.asp>.
16. “Severe Air Pollution in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.” WECF - Women in Europe for a Common Future. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.wecf.eu/ english/ articles/ 2005/ 07/ air_pollution.php>.
17. “Sulfur Dioxide.” Clean Air Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.cleanairtrust.org/ sulfurdioxide.html>.
18. “What is Air Pollution?” Berkeley Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.lbl.gov/ Education/ ELSI/ pollution-main.html>.
19. “What the EU is doing.” European Commission. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://ec.europa.eu/ environment/ climat/ campaign/ actions/ whatiseudoing_bg.htm>
20. “The World’s Most Polluted Places.” TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.time.com/ time/ specials/ packages/ completelist/ 0,29569,1661031,00.html>.
21. Joanna’s Father
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