Unit 7: Air Pollution: (ground level pollution)- the intro of chemical, particulate matter or microorganisms into the atmosphere at concentrations high enough to harm animals, plants and materials such as buildings

Unit 7: Air Pollution:
(ground level pollution)- the intro of chemical, particulate matter or microorganisms into the atmosphere at concentrations high enough to harm animals, plants and materials such as buildings

Air pollution:

inputs: sources of pollution

outputs: components of atmosphere and biosphere that remove air pollutants

Major Pollutants

sulfur dioxide (SO2)- combustion of fuels that contain sulfur, including coal, oil, gasoline

nitrogen oxides (NOx)- all combustion in the atmosphere including fossil fuel combustion, wood and other biomass burning

Carbon monoxide (CO)- incomplete combustion; malfunctioning exhaust systems and ventilated cooking fires

Particulate matter (PM)- solid or liquid particles suspended in the air (particles/ particulates)

vocabulary:

photochemical oxidants- a class of air pollutants formed as a result of sunlight acting an compounds such as nitrogen oxides

ozone- a secondary pollutant made up of 3 oxygen atoms bound together

smog- a type of air pollution that is a mixture of oxidants and particulate matter

photochemical smog- Los Angeles type smog; brown; dominated by oxidants such as ozone

sulfurous smog- dominated by sulfur dioxide and sulfate compounds; London type smog/ gray smog/ industrial smog

lead- trace metal that occurs naturally in rocks and oils (oil and coal)

mercury- trace metal that is toxic to the nervous system found in coal and oil (just like lead)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)- an organic compound that evaporates at typical atmospheric temperatures

primary pollutant- a polluting compound that comes directly out of a smokestack, exhaust pipe, or natural emission sourc

secondary pollutant- a primary pollutant that has undergone transformation in the presence of sunlight, water, oxygen, or other compounds (ex:ozone)

Each year, EPA uses a report that shows the national level of 6 criteria air pollutants relative to publish standards

Indoor air pollution:

responsible for 4 million deaths annually worldwide

asbestos- a long, thin, fibrous silicate mineral with insulating properties, which can cause cancer when inhaled
(affect of indoor air pollution)

sick building syndrome- a buildup of toxic pollutants in an airtight space, seen in newer buildings

VOCs- a large group of chemicals that are found in many products we use to build and maintain our homes

radon- a radioactive gas that occurs naturally from the decay of uranium

effects: Lung cancer, lung disease, mesothelioma
cleanup: removal, encapsulation

effects: can cause people to die or to become very sick due to long periods of exposure

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effect:
Respiratory & mucous membrane irritant, possible carcinogen

cleanup:
IV; reduce tobacco use; alternate products; air filtering

smog-a type of air pollution that is a mixture of oxidants and particulate matter; originally used to describe the combo of smoke, fog and sometimes sulfur dioxide that occurs in cities burning large quantities of coal

Air:

more than 4 in 10 american's live in countries where the air is unhealthy to breathe

american lung association reported that over 125 million out of 325 million within the US were exposed to air that didn't comply with the max allowed ozone concentration of 0.075 ozone/ million parts of air over an 8 hour period

associated with urban areas

thermal inversion- a situation in which a relatively warm layer of air at mid altitude covers a layer of cold, dense air

inversion layer- the layer of warm air that traps emissions in a thermal inversion

Acid Rain:

all rain has some acid

result of human activity

has high mobility (allows for great spread)

greatest effect is on aquatic ecosystems

erodes statues and building due acidity

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nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere by combustion. then when met with oxygen and water, primary becomes secondary and nitric acid and sulfuric acid is formed

Pollution control measures:

best way to decrease emissions is to avoid them in the first place

use of low sulfur coal/oil is one of the best ways of controlling the pollution

scrubber- tool used to clean emission before release into the atmosphere, helping control pollution released

clean air act- provisions for buying and selling of allowances that authorized the owner to release a certain quantity of sulfur

total SO2 emission have dropped between 1982 to 2008 from 23.5 million metric tone to 10.3 million metric tons in the US