Government agencies share in dealing with air pollution

Federal◦Managed through Environment Canada (primarily)◦1999: Canadian Environmental Protection Act

(CEPA)◦Enters into international agreements (e.g. Montreal

Protocol, Kyoto Protocol) Canada was first developed country to withdraw from

Kyoto in 2011◦Enters into transboundary agreements with the

U.S. (e.g. Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement)

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Government agencies share in dealing with air pollution (cont’d)

Provincial/territorial◦Managed through each environment ministry

◦Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME)

◦Harmonization Accord, Canada-Wide Standards Sub-Agreement, National Ambient Air Quality Objectives

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Government agencies share in dealing with air pollution (cont’d)

Municipal◦Only Montreal and Greater Vancouver regulate

sources of air pollution◦Most municipalities raise public awareness

Top concerns differ from one region to another◦Mississauga, Ontario = air quality◦Halifax, Nova Scotia = wastewater management

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Monitoring shows that many forms of air pollution have decreased

• Cleaner-burning vehicles and catalytic converters decrease carbon monoxide

• Permit-trading programs and clean coal technologies reduce SO2 emissions

• Scrubbers = technologies that chemically convert or physically remove pollutants before they leave the smokestacks

• Phaseout of leaded gasoline

• Improved technologies and federal policies

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Smog is the most common, widespread air quality problem

Smog = unhealthy mixtures of air pollutants over urban areas

Industrial (gray air) smog = industries burn coal or oil◦Occurs in cooler, hilly areas◦Government regulations in

developed countries reduced smog

◦Coal-burning industrializing countries face significant health risks

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Industrial smog

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Photochemical smog is produced by a complex series of reactions

Light-driven reactions of primary pollutants and normal atmospheric compounds

Morning traffic exhaust releases pollutants

Irritates eyes, noses, and throats

Vehicle inspection programs have decreased smog

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Air quality is a rural issue, too

Airborne pesticides from farmsIndustrial pollutants drifting from cities,

factories and powerplantsFeedlots, where cattle, hogs, or chickens are

raised in dense concentrations◦Voluminous amounts of methane, hydrogen sulfide,

and ammonia◦People living or working nearby have high rates of

respiratory problems

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Industrializing nations are suffering increasing air pollution

Outdoor pollution is increasingChina has the world’s worst air pollution

◦Four out of five Chinese cities had emissions above the threshold set by WHO

Southern Asian brown cloud = a 3 km-thick layer of pollution that reduces sunlight by 10-15%, affects climate, decreases productivity, and kills thousands each year

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China smog emergency shuts city of 11 million peopleBEIJING | Mon Oct 21, 2013 1:57am EDT (Reuters) - Choking smog all but shut down one of northeastern China's largest cities on Monday,forcing schools to suspended classes, snarling trafficand closing the airport, in the country's first major airPollution crisis of the winter.

An index measuring PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin, the gritty capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province and home to some 11 million people.A level above 300 is considered hazardous, while the World Health Organisation recommends a daily level of no more than 20.

The smog not only forced all primary and middle schools to suspend classes, but shut the airport and some public bus routes, the official Xinhua news agency reported, blaming the emergency on the first day of the heating being turned on in the city for winter. Visibility was reportedly reduced to 10 meters. The smog is expected to continue for the next 24 hrs.

Synthetic chemicals deplete stratospheric ozone

Ozone layer = ozone in the lower stratosphere◦12 ppm concentrations effectively block incoming

damaging ultraviolet radiationChlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) = chemicals

that attack ozone◦1 million metric tons/year were produced in early

1970s◦Releases chlorine atoms that split ozone

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Synthetic chemicals deplete stratospheric ozone (cont’d)

Ozone hole = ozone levels over Antarctica had declined by 40-60%

Global ozone depletion causes skin cancer, harms crops and decreases ocean productivity

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There are still many questions to be resolved about ozone depletion

Will ozone depletion spread from the polar regions to encompass mid-latitude regions?

What is the actual relationship between ozone depletion and human health impacts?

What are the other potential impacts of ozone depletion (e.g. on ecosystems)?

Are the substitute chemicals that are being proposed in international agreements definitely less damaging to the stratospheric ozone layer?

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The Montreal Protocol addressed ozone depletion

1987: Montreal Protocol = 197 nations agreed to cut CFC production in half◦ Follow-up agreements deepened cuts, advanced

timetables and addresses other ozone-depleting chemicals

◦ Today, production and use of ozone-depleting chemicals has decreased 95%

◦ The ozone layer is beginning to recover Challenges still face us

◦ CFCs will remain in the stratosphere for a long time◦ Nations can ask for exemptions to the ban

United States to use methyl bromide to control pests on strawberries

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The Montreal Protocol addressed ozone depletion (cont’d)

Considered the biggest environmental success story◦Policymakers included industry in helping solve the

problem◦Adaptive management strategy allowed changes in

response to new scientific data, technological advances, and economic figures

The Montreal Protocol can serve as a model for international environmental cooperation

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Acid deposition is another transboundary pollution problem

Acidic deposition = the deposition of acid, or acid-forming pollutants, from the atmosphere onto Earth’s surface◦Acid rain = precipitation of acid◦Atmospheric deposition = the wet or dry

deposition on land of pollutantsOriginates from burning fossil fuels

◦release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides◦react with water to form sulfuric and nitric acids

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Sources of acid deposition14-17

Acid deposition is another transboundary pollution problem (cont’d)

Rain and other forms of precipitation with pH of less than 5.1 are considered acidified

Acidic deposition can have wide-ranging, cumulative detrimental effects on ecosystems and on our built environment◦Acids leach nutrients from the topsoil◦Alters soil chemistry harming plants ◦Mobilizes toxic metal ions◦Run-off into surface waters◦Erodes and corrodes built structures (Parthenon)

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Acid deposition has not been reduced as much as scientists had hoped

New technologies such as scrubbers have helpedSO2 emissions are lowerNOx emissions are higherAcid deposition’s effects are worse than

predicted

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Indoor Air Pollution

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Indoor air pollution

Indoor air contains higher concentrations of pollutants than outdoor air

◦6,000 people in North America die per day from indoor air pollution

The average person in North America is indoors at least 90% of the time

◦Exposed to synthetic materials (insecticides, cleaning fluids, plastics, and chemically treated wood)

◦1973-74: ventilation systems were sealed off and windows put in that did not open, trapping pollutants inside

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Indoor air pollution in the developing world arises from fuelwood burningBurning wood, charcoal, dung, crop wastes for

cooking and eating Kills 1.6 million people each yearCauses pneumonia, bronchitis, allergies,

cataracts, asthma, heart disease, cancer and premature death

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Tobacco smoke and radon are the most dangerous indoor pollutants in the developed worldSecondhand smoke from cigarettes is

especially dangerous ◦Containing over 4000 dangerous chemicals◦Causes eye, nose, and throat irritation◦Smoking has declined in developed nations

After cigarette smoke, radon gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the developed world◦Colourless, odourless gas that can seep into

buildings

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Many VOCs pollute indoor air

VOCs = volatile organic compoundsReleased by everything from plastics and oils to

perfumes and paints Most VOCs are released in very small amountsUnclear health implications due to low

concentrationsAlso include pesticides, which are found indoors

more often than outdoors due to seepageFormaldehyde, which leaks from pressed wood

and insulation, irritates mucous membranes and induces skin allergies

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Living organisms can pollute indoors

Tiny living organisms can also polluteIncludes dust mites and animal dander worsen asthmaFungi, mold, mildew, airborne bacteria cause severe

allergies, asthma, and other respiratory ailmentsSick building syndrome = a sickness produced by

indoor pollution with general and nonspecific symptoms◦Solved by using low-toxicity building materials and good

ventilation

How Safe Is Your Indoor Environment?

Think about the amount of time you spend indoors. Name the potential indoor air quality hazards in your home, work, or school environment.

What could you do to make the indoor spaces you use safer?

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weighing

the issues

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Living organisms can pollute indoor spaces

Dust mites and animal danderFungi, mould, and mildewAirborne bacteria (Legionnaire’s disease)Microbes that induce allergic responses are

thought to be a major cause of sickness produced by indoor pollution◦Sick-building syndrome

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We can reduce indoor air pollution

In developed countries:◦Use low-toxicity material◦Monitor air quality◦Keep rooms clean◦Limit exposure to chemicals

In developing countries:◦Dry wood before burning◦Cook outside (including with solar cookers)◦Use less-polluting fuels (natural gas)

Conclusion

Indoor air pollution is a potentially serious health threat

Outdoor air pollution has been addressed by government legislation and regulation in developed countries, but is still a problem

Improvement is required in reducing acidic deposition, photochemical smog

Avoiding unhealthy pollutants in developing world will pose a challenge as less-wealthy nations industrialize; indeed air pollution is getting worse

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QUESTION: Review

The major component of Earth’s atmosphere is …

a) Nitrogen gasb) Oxygen gasc) Argon gasd) Water vapor

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QUESTION: Review

Ozone in the _________ is a pollutant, but in the ______ is vital for life

a) Stratosphere, troposphereb) Troposphere, stratospherec) Troposphere, tropopaused) Stratosphere, thermosphere

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QUESTION: Review

_____ is defined as the ratio of water vapor in the atmosphere compared to the amount the atmosphere could contain a) Atmospheric pressureb) Ozonificationc) Temperatured) Relative humidity

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QUESTION: Review

If you were on a sailing ship going from Europe to Canada, you would want to be in the ________

a) Doldrumsb) Trade windsc) Westerliesd) Polar cell

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QUESTION: Review

Which criteria pollutant is colorless, odorless, and poses a risk to humans, even in small amounts?

a) Sulfur dioxideb) Nitrogen dioxidec) Tropospheric ozoned) Carbon monoxide

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QUESTION: Review

The Montreal Protocol addressed _______

a) Global warming, and was not successfulb) Criteria pollutants, and was successfulc) Ozone depletion, and was successfuld) Acid deposition, and was successful

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QUESTION: Interpreting Graphs and Data

What does this graph show about the mesosphere?

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a) It contains the most ozoneb) It is a very thin layerc) Temperature decreases

with increasing altituded) Temperature increases

with increasing altitude

QUESTION: Viewpoints

Should the government be able to prevent restaurants from allowing smoking, to protect people from secondhand smoke?

a) Yes; I don’t want to be exposed to this form of pollution

b) Yes, only if the restaurant agreesc) No, let the restaurant owner decide d) No; I want to be able to smoke in a restaurant

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