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AAirPollutionNearYouByAlyssaDehnTopic:LocalsourcesofpotentialairpollutionGrade:7thMichiganStandard:E.ES.07.42Describetheoriginsofpollutionintheatmosphere,geosphere,andhydrosphere,(carexhaust,industrialemissions,acidrain,andnaturalsources),andhowpollutionimpactshabitats,climaticchange,threatensorendangersspecies.ScientificBackground(Attached)Objectives:

• Thestudentswilllearnaboutthepotentialsourcesofairpollutionintheirlocalarea• Studentswillbeabletodescribesomeofthevariablesthatmayleadtoincreased

levelsofairpollution.• Thestudentswilllearnwhichsourcesproducethemostairpollutionintheirarea.• Thestudentswillexplainpossiblewaystoreducetheamountofairpollution

particlesintheirarea.• Thestudentswilllearnhowairpollutionimpactshumans,otherlivingorganisms,

andtheenvironment.MaterialsandSetup:

• Indexcards(severalperstudentorgroup)• Petroleumjelly• Plasticspoons• Popsiclesticks• Ducttapeormaskingtape• Scissors• Oneplasticsandwichbag(control)• Magnifyingglass1. Labeleachindexcardwiththelocationwhereitwillbeplaced2. Drawacircleabout2incheswideontheindexcard3. Tapeindexcardtopopsiclestick4. Smearpetroleumjellywithinthecircleontheindexcardusingtheplasticspoon.5. Placeinlocationstocollectairpollutionparticles

Safety:Ifstudentsareplacingtheirexperimentsalongaroad,studentsshouldremainonthesideoftheroadandawareofcarsontheroad.Thepetroleumjellyshouldnotbeconsumedortouchedtotheeyes.Misconception:

• Iftheairsmellsalrightorlooksclear,itisn’tpolluted• Airpollutionisaresultofhumanactivity,notnaturalsources

RequisiteKnowledge/skillsforstudents:

• Scientificmethod• SomeknowledgeaboutthelayersofEarth’satmosphere• Whatcleanairiscomposedof

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Engage:Theteacherwillshowanimageviaprojectorofsmogoveracityandhavestudentswritedownwhatcomestomind.Studentscansharetheirideas.Theteacherwillaskthestudentsaboutwhereairpollutionmightcomefromintheircommunityandhowtheyknowitispresent.SuggestedQuestions:

• Doyouthinkthereisairpollutioninourarea?• Wheredoyouthinkthepollutioncomesfrom?• Howdoesairpollutionaffecthumans?Animals?Theenvironment?

Explore:PartOneThestudentswilldiscoverthesourcesofpollutionintheirarea(GrandRapidsforexample)usingthefollowingwebsite:“EPA2013ToxicReleaseInventoryFactsheet:City–GrandRapids,MI”http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet?&pstate=MI&pcity=Grand%20Rapids&pyear=2013(Ifthestudentsdon’thaveaccesstocomputers,thefactsheetcanbeprintedout)ThisisafactsheetthatreviewstheToxicReleaseInventory(TRI)ofacity(ex.GrandRapids,MI).TheTRItracksthemanagementofcertaintoxicchemicalsthatmayposeathreattohumanhealthandtheenvironment.Industriesmustreportannuallyhowmuchofeachchemicalisrecycled,combustedforenergyrecovery,treatedfordestruction,anddisposedoforotherwisereleasedon-andoff-site.Theteacherwillstartthestudentsoffbypointingoutthegraphsandinformationtheyshouldbepayingattentiontoandhowtolookatthosegraphsbeforethestudentsbeginansweringtheprovidedquestionsandposingtheirownquestions.PartTwoAftercompletingtheworksheetthatfollowsthefactsheet,theteacherwillprojectthemapoftheTRIfacilitiesinthecityareaandaskstudentstolookcarefullyatthemap,pointoutwheretheschoolislocatedandhavethemthinkaboutwheretheyliveinrelationtothefacilities.SuggestedDiscussionQuestions:

• Arethereanyfacilitiesclosetoourschool?• Arethereanyfacilitiesclosetoyourhome?• Whichfacilitiesposethebiggestthreatstothearea?• Arethereanyconcernsweshouldhave?• Whatsources,otherthantheindustrialfacilitiesonthemap,couldproduceair

pollution?o Possibleanswers:Cars,trains,gasstations.

PartThreeUsingtheideasfrom“ScienceBuddies”website,studentswillperformclassresearchonwhichlocationsintheirtownhavethemostpollutionusingairpollutionparticlecatcher.

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Afterreviewingthemapandthinkingaboutothersourcesofairpollution,studentswillbedividedintogroupsof3or4andaskedtohypothesizewhereintowntheythinkproducesthemostpollutionandwheretheremightbelesspollution.Eachgroupwillchoosethreedifferentlocationstotesttheirairpollutionparticlecatchersandwritethemdownintheirsciencejournalortheprovidedhandout.Theywillwritetheirhypothesisforeachlocation.Possiblelocationsinclude:

• Atatruckstop• Byagasstation• Nearabusyroad• Nexttoafactory• Byrailroadtracks• Inaparkoryard• Cornfield• Nexttoatree• Schoolgrounds

Acontrolshouldalsobemadewiththesameprocess,butplacedwithinaforest.Theteachercanthenplacesomeoftheindexcardsintheirlocationsafterschool,sincetheymightbetoofarfromtheschoolforthestudentstogoto.Thestudentscanplaceotherindexcards,suchastheonethatisontheschoolgrounds,inapark,ornexttoatree.Studentscandeterminewhenobservationsoftheirindexcardsshouldbemade,whetherit’severytwodaysfortwoweeksoronceeachweekforthreeweeks.Whenstudentsmaketheirobservations,theycanuseamagnifyingglassormicroscopetoexaminethenumberofparticlesattachedtothepetroleumjelly.Eachtimethestudentsobservetheirindexcard,theywillcountandrecordthenumberofparticlesattachedtothepetroleum.Thecontrolshouldalsobeobservedtocompare.Theywillrecordthedataintheirsciencejournalorprovidedhandout.Attheendofthedesignateddatacollectiontime,theindexcardsarecollectedforfurtheranalysis.Theyshouldbeabletodeterminewhichoftheircardshasthemostsolid,airpollutionparticlesonit.Studentswillthenreflectontheirhypothesesanddetermineifitwascorrect.Theycanwritedowntheresultsoftheexperimentandtheirownreflectionsintheirsciencejournalsoronthehandout.Exampleofairpollutionparticlecatcher:

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Explain:Theteacherwillfacilitateaclassdiscussiongoingovereachgroup’sresultsfromtheexperiment.Afterdiscussion,theteacherwillintroducethepaperthestudentswillwritefortheirevaluation.SuggestedQuestions:

• Whatparticlesdidyouobserve?Wasthatexpected?• Whichlocationsshowedmoreairpollution?Lesspollution?• Whydosomelocationshavemorepollutionthanothers?• Werethereanyproblemswiththeexperimentthatmightaffecttheresults?• Basedonyourresults,shouldwebeconcernedaboutthelocalsourcesofair

pollution?Whichlocalsourcesareofmostconcern?• Whatcanwedotoreduceairpollution?Possibleanswers:

o Conserveenergyo Limitdriving-carpooling,usingpublictransportation,bikingandwalkingo ShowEPAwebpagefor“WaystoReduceAirPollution”

http://www3.epa.gov/airquality/peg_caa/reduce.htmlTheteacherwillthendescribefurtherbackgroundinformationaboutairpollutionsuchasparticulatecontaminants,primaryandsecondarypollutants,andsourcesofairpollution.Also,factorsthataffectairqualityincludingtopography,weather,andphysicalandchemicalpropertiesofpollutants.Elaborate:Theteacherwillaskthestudentsifairpollutionisthesameallaroundthestate/country/world.Thestudentswillusethefollowingwebsite,titledMyEnvironment,fromtheEPA,toresearchenvironmentalinformationbasedontheirlocation.http://www3.epa.gov/enviro/myenviro/Theteacherwillintroducethewebsitebymodelingwhatthestudentsshouldbelookingatandpointingoutthegraphstopayattentionto.Theywillenterthecityandstate(ex.GrandRapids,MI)ontheentrypage,thengoto“MyAir.”He/sheshouldpointoutdifferentpiecesofinformationincludingtheHistoricalAirQualityIndexandCurrentParticulateMatter.Thisisjustasourceofinformationforstudentstoknowtheactualqualityoftheirairandwhethertheyshouldhaveanyconcerns.Usingtheirowndevices,studentscanusethesamesitetolookuptheircityandcompareitwiththequalityofairinothercitiesinthestateorcountry.Theteachercansharethefollowingwebsitethatgoesoverthe10smoggiestcitiesintheU.S.http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/top-10-smoggiest-cities-in-us/

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Evaluate:Studentswillwriteashortpaperontheirconclusionsandreflectionsoftheexperiment.Theywillthinkaboutwhysomeofthecardscollectedmorepollutionthanothers,whatevidenceprovesthatsomeareashavemorepollutionthanothers,whatfactorsmightaffecttheamountofairpollutioninthedifferentlocations(population,sizeofcity,numberofindustrialfacilities),whatconcernstheymayhaveaboutairpollutionintheircity,andwhattheycandotochangetheamountofairpollutionparticlesinthearea.Holisticrubric:

15 10 5 0Thestudenthaswrittenathoroughunderstandingabouttheirconclusionsandreflectionsoftheexperiment,includingtheirhypothesis,procedure,andevidence.Theyhavereflectedonwhysomelocationscreatemorepollutionthanothersandwhatmaycausethatpollution.Thestudenthasincludedhealthconcernspeopleshouldhaveintheirtown.Lastly,thestudenthasconsideredpossiblesolutionstoreducingairpollution.

Thestudenthaswrittenasomewhatthoroughunderstandingabouttheirconclusionsandreflectionsoftheexperiment.Thehypothesis,procedure,andevidencearepresentbutnotclearorcomplete.Thestudentsomewhatreflectedonwhysomelocationscreatemorepollutionthanothersandwhatmaycausethatpollution.Thestudenthasattemptedtoincludehealthconcernsbutisnotclear.Thestudentpartiallyconsideredpossiblesolutionstoreducingairpollution

Thestudenthasnotwrittenathoroughunderstandingabouttheirconclusionsandreflectionsoftheexperiment.Theydidnotincludehypothesis,procedure,orevidence,oronlyincludedoneofthethree.Thestudentdidnotreflectonwhysomelocationscreatemorepollutionthanothers.Thestudentdidnotincludehealthconcernspeopleshouldhaveintheirtown.Thestudentdidnotconsiderpossiblesolutionstoreducingairpollution.

Thestudentdidnotcompletetheassignment

References:Airpollutionexperiment:http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/EnvSci_p009.shtmlMyEnvironment:http://www3.epa.gov/enviro/myenviro/EPATRIHomepage:http://www2.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program

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TRIFactsheetforGrandRapids,MI:http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet?&pstate=MI&pcity=Grand%20Rapids&pyear=201310SmoggiestCitiesintheU.S.:http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/top-10-smoggiest-cities-in-us/Backgroundinformationofairpollution:http://www.nps.gov/shen/learn/nature/airpollution.htmhttp://www.bcairquality.ca/101/air-quality-factors.htmlEPA“WaystoReduceAirPollution”:http://www3.epa.gov/airquality/peg_caa/reduce.htmlMisconceptions:http://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/viewFile/4406/4596

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Name:Date:

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) for Grand Rapids, MI

Thetoxicreleaseinventory(TRI)tracksthemanagementofcertaintoxicchemicalsthatmayposeathreattohumanhealthandtheenvironment.Industriesmustreportannuallyhowmuchofeachchemicalisrecycled,combustedforenergyrecovery,treatedfordestruction,anddisposedoforotherwisereleasedon-andoff-site.GotothefollowingwebsitetoreviewtheTRIfactsheetforGrandRapids,MI:http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet?&pstate=MI&pcity=Grand%20Rapids&pyear=2013Lookoverthedataandinformation,andthenanswerthefollowingquestions:

1. Mostoftheon-sitedisposalofemissionsgoeswhere?Howmanypoundsofemissionsarereleasedintothisplace?

2. Michiganisranked________outof56states/territoriesnationwidebasedon

_______________________________________________.

3. Whatisthemitigationusedtoreducewastegeneratedandmovingtowardsaferwastemanagementmethods.

4. Describethetrendofthebargraph,“Production-relatedwastemanagedinGrand

Rapids,MI,2003-2013.”WhatarethemostcommonwastemanagementpracticesforGrandRapidsfacilities?

5. Describethetrendofthebargraph,“TotalOn-SiteReleasesbyEnvironmentalMediuminGrandRapids,MI,2003-2013.”Whyhasitdeclined?

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6. Fromthebargraph,“TopFiveFacilitiesbyTotalOn-SiteDisposalorOtherReleasesGrandRapids,MI,2013”chooseoneofthefacilitiesandanswerthequestions.

a) Facilityname:

b) Typeofinindustry:

c) Disposaltypes:

d) Totalon-sitedisposaland/orotherreleases(lbs):

e) Otherobservations:

7. WhatwasthetopfivechemicalsreleasedtotheairinGrandRapids,MIin2013?

8. Chooseoneofthefivechemicals,clickonit,andanswerthequestions.

a) Nameofchemical:

b) Percentoftotalchemicals:

c) HealthEffects:

10.LookatthemapofTRIFacilitiesinGrandRapids,MI.Arethereanyfacilitiesnearyourhome?Whatarethey?

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Name:AnswerKeyDate:

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) for Grand Rapids, MI

Thetoxicreleaseinventory(TRI)tracksthemanagementofcertaintoxicchemicalsthatmayposeathreattohumanhealthandtheenvironment.Industriesmustreportannuallyhowmuchofeachchemicalisrecycled,combustedforenergyrecovery,treatedfordestruction,anddisposedoforotherwisereleasedon-andoff-site.GotothefollowingwebsitetoreviewtheTRIfactsheetforGrandRapids,MI:http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet?&pstate=MI&pcity=Grand%20Rapids&pyear=2013Lookoverthedataandinformation,andthenanswerthefollowingquestions:

1. Mostoftheon-sitedisposalofemissionsgoeswhere?Howmanypoundsofemissionsarereleasedintothisplace?Air;126.2thousandpounds

2. Michiganisranked__25__outof56states/territoriesnationwidebasedon

_totalreleasespersquaremile__.

3. Whatisthemitigationusedtoreducewastegeneratedandmovingtowardsaferwastemanagementmethods.Thepreferredmanagementmethodisrecycling,followedbyenergyrecovery,treatment,andasalastresort,disposingoforreleasingthewaste.

4. Describethetrendofthebargraph,“Production-relatedwastemanagedinGrand

Rapids,MI,2003-2013.”WhatarethemostcommonwastemanagementpracticesforGrandRapidsfacilities?Theamountofwastemanagedincreasedin2004and2005,andthendecreasedinto2009.Itincreasedagainuntil2012,anddecreasedalittleinto2013.Themostcommonwastemanagementpracticesarerecyclingandtreatment.

5. Describethetrendofthebargraph,“TotalOn-SiteReleasesbyEnvironmentalMediuminGrandRapids,MI,2003-2013.”Whyhasitdeclined?Thegraphshowsasharpdecreasefrom2006to2007,andhasremainedlowsincethen.Facilitieshaveusedbetterwastemanagementpractices,suchasrecycling.

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6. Fromthebargraph,“TopFiveFacilitiesbyTotalOn-SiteDisposalorOtherReleasesGrandRapids,MI,2013”chooseoneofthefacilitiesandanswerthequestions.

f) Facilityname:PaulstraCRCCorp

g) Typeofinindustry:PlasticandRubber

h) Disposaltypes:On-siteair;off-sitedisposal

i) Totalon-sitedisposaland/orotherreleases(lbs):Air-27,799lbs;Other-

3,391lbs.Total-31,190lbs

j) Otherobservations:Producedthemostwaste

7. WhatwasthetopfivechemicalsreleasedtotheairinGrandRapids,MIin2013?

TolueneNitricAcidMethylIsobutylKetoneN-HexaneXylene.

8. Chooseoneofthefivechemicals,clickonit,andanswerthequestions.

d) Nameofchemical:Toluene

e) Percentoftotalchemicals:51%

f) HealthEffects:Neurological-impairedsensoryandmotorsignaling;Ocular-eyeirritation,itchingandimpairedvision;Renal-decreasedfilteringcapacity/efficiency,bloodintheurineand/orincreased/decreasedbloodpressure;Respiratory-inflammationofthelungs,increased/decreasedbreathingrate,respiratoryfailure.

10.LookatthemapofTRIFacilitiesinGrandRapids,MI.Arethereanyfacilitiesnearyourhome?Whatarethey?

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Name:

Data Table for Air Pollution Experiment

Hypothesis:Whichindexcardlocationwillcollectthemostparticles?Why?Conclusion:Basedonyourdata,whichindexcardlocationcollectedthemostparticles?Whydoyouthinkthismaybe?

Card Location

Particle Count for each location Date:

Date:

Date:

Date:

TOTAL

Average

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ScientificBackgroundAirpollutionoccursinmanyformsbutistypicallythoughtofasgaseousandparticulatecontaminatesthatarepresentinEarth’satmosphere.TheGaseouspollutantsincludesulfurdioxide(SO2),nitrogenoxides(NOx),ozone(O3),carbonmonoxide(CO),volatileorganiccompounds(VOC),hydrogensulfide(H2S),hydrogenfluoride(HF),andvariousgaseousformsofmetals.Thesepollutantsareemittedfromlargestationarysources,suchasfossilfuelfiredpowerplantsandmanufacturingfacilities,aswellasfrommobilesources.Theycanbecorrosivetovariousmaterials,whichcausedamagetoculturalresources,andcauseinjurytoecosystemsandorganisms,aggravaterespiratorydiseases,andreducevisibility.Particulatescomeinbothlargeandsmallor“fine”solidforms.Largeparticulatesincludedust,asbestosfibers,andlead.Fineparticulatesincludesulfates(SO4)andnitrates(NO3).Toxicairpollutantsareaclassofchemicals,whichmaypotentiallycausehealthproblemsinasignificantway.Sourcesincludepowerplants,industries,pesticideapplication,andcontaminatedwindblowndust.Primarypollutantsarethoseemitteddirectlyintotheairfrompollutionsources.Secondarypollutantsareformedwhenprimarypollutantsundergochemicalchangesintheatmosphere(ex.Ozone=smog;notthegoodozoneinthestratosphere).Stationarysourcereferstoanemissionsourcethatdoesnotmove,alsoknownasapointsource.Examplesincludefactories,powerplants,anddrycleaners.Areasourcedescribesmanysmallsourcesofairpollutionlocatedtogetherwhoseindividualemissionsmaybebelowconcern,butwhosecollectiveemissionscanbesignificant.Canbethoughtofasnon-pointsources.Examplesincluderesidentialwoodburners,landfills,orconstructionofhousingdevelopments.Mobilesourcesrefertoasourcethatiscapableofmovingunderitsownpower.Thisincludesvehiclessuchascars,sportutilityvehicles,andbuses.Alsoincludes“off-road”category,whichreferstolawnmowers,boats,farmandconstructionequipment,planes,andtrains.Naturalsourcesof“pollution”includewildfires,duststorms,andvolcanicactivity,whichalsocontributegasesandparticulatestoouratmosphere.Airtransportreferstothemechanismbywhichairpollutionmovesfromanemissionssourcetoareceptor.Theatmosphereitsselfisatransporterofpollutantsthroughwindcurrents.Windspeedcontributestohowquicklypollutantsarecarriedawayfromtheiroriginalsource.Oncepollutantsareemittedintotheair,theweatherlargelydetermineshowwelltheydisperse.Turbulencemixespollutantsintothesurroundingair.Hotairrisingresultsinvigorousmixing,whilecoolerairnearthesurfaceisheavierandwon’twanttomoveuptomixwiththewarmerairaboveit(temperatureinversion).Anypollutantsreleasednearthesurfacewillgettrappedandbuildupinthecoolerlayerofairnearthesurface.Temperatureinversioniscommoninmountainvalleysbecausetheinversionandvalleywallscantrapthepollution(imagetotheright).