Intro to Air Pollution

What is Air Pollution?• Air pollution is the introduction of compounds or organisms

into the atmosphere at concentrations high enough to harm organisms and materials or alter ecosystems.

• What are the four main gases in the atmosphere?

It is currently a debate as to whether CO2 is

an air pollutant.

Primary vs. Secondary• Air pollution can be divided into two categories.

–Primary pollutants are compounds that come directly out of the smoke-stack, exhaust pipe, or natural emission source.

• Secondary pollutants form from a primary pollutant. –They undergo a transformation in the presence of sunlight,

water, oxygen or other compounds.

Particulates Sulfur OxidesNitrogen Oxides Carbon Monoxide

MercuryLead VOCs

Ozone NitrateSulfate Acid Rain

The air quality of an area is assessed based on these pollutants.

Let’s Look At How The World Is Doing!

How is CT’s Air Quality??

Excellent Good Fair Poor

How is the World’s Air Quality??

What did you notice??

Is it Always the Same?

The AQI changes throughout the day!

Which of these are primary pollutants?

Which Pollutants Determine the AQI?

Ground Level Ozone Carbon Monoxide

Particulate Matter Sulfur Dioxide

Nitrogen Dioxide

Let’s Check Your Knowledge of the Primary Air Pollutants!

Meet The Major Pollutants• The Clean Air Act is the comprehensive

federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. –Establishes National Ambient Air

Quality Standards (NAAQS)To protect public health and welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants.

Particulates Ozone Sulfur Oxides

Nitrogen Oxides Lead Carbon Monoxide

• In addition to the 6 criteria pollutants, the EPA also monitors for Mercury and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

There are Two of Them!

PM2.5 PM10

• The particulates are divided into two categories based on size.

Primary Pollution

Natural Sources• Air pollution sources can also be natural.

–Volcanoes - SO2, PM, CO, and NOx

– Lightning - NOx

– Forest Fire - PM, CO, and NOx

–Plants - VOCs

Health Hazard• From your research, you can see that there are significant

human health and environmental impacts associated with the primary air pollutants. –This impact is increased by the fact that they lead to the creation

of the secondary air pollutants.

What is our responsibility in all of this if our air quality looks like this?