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)