Pollution

Air, Solid, Water

Animation of CO2Emmission

• Climate Change Video

The star pollutants mentioned are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulates caused by an assortment of methods such as burning fossil fuels, bi products of power plants or even particles that include lead, dust ammonia and other harmful substances

•Properties: colorless, odorless, heavier than air, 0.0036% of atmosphere•Effects: binds tighter to Hb than O2, mental functions and visual acuity, even at low levels•Sources: incomplete combustion of fossil fuels 60 - 95% from auto exhaust•Class: carbon oxides (CO2, CO)

•Properties: grayish metal•Effects: accumulates in tissue; affects kidneys, liver and nervous system (children most susceptible); mental retardation; possible carcinogen; 20% of inner city kids have [high]•Sources: particulates, smelters, batteries•Class: toxic or heavy metals

•Properties: reddish brown gas, formed as fuel burnt in car, strong oxidizing agent, forms Nitric acid in air•Effects: acid rain, lung and heart problems, decreased visibility (yellow haze), suppresses plant growth•Sources: fossil fuels combustion @ higher temperatures, power plants, forest fires, volcanoes, bacteria in soil•Class: Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

•Properties: colorless, unpleasant odor, major part of photochemical smog•Effects: lung irritant, damages plants, rubber, fabric, eyes, 0.1 ppm can lower PSN by 50%, •Sources: Created by sunlight acting on NOx and VOC , photocopiers, cars, industry, gas vapors, chemical solvents, incomplete fuel combustion products•Class: photochemical oxidants

•Properties: particles suspended in air (<10 um)•Effects: lung damage, mutagenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic•Sources: burning coal or diesel, volcanoes, factories, unpaved roads, plowing, lint, pollen, spores, burning fields•Class: SPM: dust, soot, asbestos, lead, PCBs, dioxins, pesticides

•Properties: colorless gas with irritating odor•Effects: produces acid rain (H2SO4), breathing difficulties, eutrophication due to sulfate formation, lichen and moss are indicators•Sources: burning high sulfur coal or oil, smelting or metals, paper manufacture•Class: sulfur oxides•Combines with water and NH4 to increase soil fertility

•Properties: organic compounds (hydrocarbons) that evaporate easily, usually aromatic •Effects: eye and respiratory irritants; carcinogenic; liver, CNS, or kidney damage; damages plants; lowered visibility due to brown haze; global warming•Sources: vehicles (largest source), evaporation of solvents or fossil fuels, aerosols, paint thinners, dry cleaning•Class: HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants) •Methane•Benzene•Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), etc.

Carbon Monoxide Lead Nitrogen Oxides Ozone Particulate Matter Sulfur Dioxide VOC

NASA Video on Ozone Hole

Stratospheric ozone depletion

1 Cl atom can split many O3 molecules

CFCs persist in the stratosphere. They split oxygen atoms off ozone (O3) to form oxygen (O2).

Primary PollutantsPrimary Pollutants

Secondary PollutantsSecondary Pollutants

SourcesSourcesNaturalNaturalStationaryStationary

COCO COCO22

SOSO22 NONO NONO22

Most hydrocarbonsMost hydrocarbons

Most suspendedMost suspendedparticlesparticles

SOSO33

HNOHNO33 HH22SOSO44

HH22OO22 OO33 PANsPANs

MostMost andand saltssaltsNONO33––

MobileMobile

SOSO4422 ––

More

H+

More

OH-

Industrial smogChemistry of industrial smog:

• Burning sulfur-rich oil or coal creates SO2, SO3, sulfuric acid, ammonium sulfate.

• Carbon leads to CO2 and CO.

Photochemical Smog

Primary Pollutants

NO2 + Hydrocarbons

Auto Emissions

UV radiation

H2O + O2

Secondary Pollutants

HNO3 O3

nitric acid ozone

Photochemical Smog

...when polluted air is stagnant (weather conditions, geographic location)

Los Angeles, CA

Smog Forms

Photochemical smogMexico City,ancient lakebed surrounded by mountains is just one of the world’s cities suffer from the brownish

Household Hazardous Waste

• Common household items such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides contain hazardous components

• Labels – danger, warning, caution, toxic, corrosive, flammable, or poison identify products that might contain hazardous materials

• Leftover portions of these products are called household hazardous waste (HHW)

• These products, if mishandled, can be dangerous to your health and the environment

Factors Effecting Climate Change

• Wobble of the planet

• Albedo-reflectiveness

• Cloud cover

• Pollution- Aerosols and particulates

• Ocean absorbing heat, absorbing CO2…

Earth’s climate system

Milankovitch cyclesThese 3 types of cycles also affect climate in the long term.

Wobble of Earth’s axis

Variation of Earth’s orbit

Variation of Earth’s tilt

Oceans and climatevideo from NasaIf global warming causes enough of Greenland’s ice sheet to melt, freshwater runoff into the north Atlantic could shut down current and abruptly

change the climate of Europe and eastern North America.

El Niño and La NiñaNormal conditions

In an El Niño event, winds weaken, warm water sloshes to the east, and prevents the cold upwelling.

La Niña is the opposite: Cold water spreads west.

Pollution of Air, Water, Land… continued

• Minamata

Jakata Sudan

Story of Stuff

• Love Canal Part 1

• Love Canal Part 2

• Story of Stuff

• Story of cosmetics stuff

Wasting Resources

•United States – 4.6% of the world's

population– 33% of the world's

solid waste – 75% of its hazardous

waste

Solid WasteStory of Stuff Video

•98.5% is from–1. Mining–2. Oil and gas production–3. Agriculture–4. Sewage treatment–5. Industry

•1.5% is municipal solid waste (MSW)

Municipal Solid Waste

• MSW—more commonly known as trash or garbage—consists of everyday items– Product packaging– Grass clippings– Furniture– Clothing– Bottles– Food scraps– Newspapers– Appliances– Paint– Batteries

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/facts.htm

What do we do with it?

A Modern Landfill Incineration

Agriculture Waste

• Livestock produce sewage– 200,000 hens, 1200 head of cattle in a

feedlot, & 10,500 hogs may produce as much waste as 20,000 people

– In the U.S., there are 337 million hen, 96.1 million head of cattle & 58.7 million hogs which produce twice as much sewage as all the humans in the U.S.

Landfill DesignLandfill Design

Superfund Legislation

• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabilities Act (CERCLA); 1980– “Superfund” to clean up abandoned

sites

– Hazard Ranking System (HRS)

– National Priority List (NPL)

– Reauthorized in 1986 (SARA)

Love Canal Part 1 and Part 2