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)