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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