Air & Air Pollution

Air & Air Pollution
Prof. Gilbert L. Fabila

Learning Objectives
1. List the seven major classes of air pollutants, including ozone and hazardous air pollutants, and describe
their effects.
2. Describe the adverse health effects of specific air pollutants.
3. Provide several examples of air pollution-control technologies.
4. Summarize the effects of the Clean Air Act.
The Atmosphere
• Atmosphere
o Gaseous envelope surrounding Earth
• Composed of:
o 78% nitrogen
o 21% oxygen
o 0.04% carbon dioxide
o 0.93% argon
o 0.03% other gases
o Water vapor and trace amounts of air
pollutants
• The atmosphere becomes less dense as it
extends outward into space
Copyright © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. 3
The Atmosphere (2 of 4)
• The atmosphere is composed of four concentric layers

o Troposphere
o Stratosphere
o Mesosphere
o Thermosphere
• These layers vary in altitude and temperature, depending on latitude and season
The Atmosphere
• The atmosphere performs several ecosystem services
o Protects Earth from most radiation from the sun and space
• Ultraviolet (UV)
• X-rays
• Cosmic rays
• Without this atmospheric radiation shield, life as we know it would cease to exist
o Naturally occurring greenhouse gases absorb some reradiated heat
• Keeps surface temperature within habitable range for life to exist
o Atmosphere is modified and partially maintained by living organisms
• Photosynthesis contributes O2, cellular respiration CO2
The Atmosphere
This image of the atmosphere was taken

from space; the thin blue layer that
separates the planet from the blackness
of space is the atmosphere
Types and Sources of Air Pollution
• Air pollution
o Various chemicals (gases, liquids, solids) present in the atmosphere in harmful levels
o Can be from natural sources (smoke from forest fires; volcanic emissions), or
anthropogenic (combustion or industrial byproducts, amongst others)
• Two main categories of air pollutants
o Primary air pollutants
• Harmful chemicals that are released directly from a source into the atmosphere
o Secondary air pollutants
• Chemicals that form in the atmosphere when primary air pollutants react chemically with one
another or with natural components of the atmosphere
Types and Sources of Air Pollution
• Air pollution
o Primary air pollutants:
• Carbon oxides
• Nitrogen oxides
• Sulfur dioxide
• Particulate matter
• Hydrocarbons
o Secondary air pollutants:
• Ozone
• Sulfur trioxide
• Some acids
Major Classes of Air Pollutants
• Particulate matter
o Dusts and mists, solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere
o Includes soil particles, soot, lead, asbestos, microorganisms, and sulfuric acid
droplets
o Some particulate matter has toxic or carcinogenic effects
o Can corrode metals and erode buildings
o Scatters and absorbs sunlight
o Microscopic particles more dangerous than larger particles since they are inhale
more deeply into lungs
Pollutant Category Characteristics

Dust particles Primary Solid particles
Lead (Pb) Primary Solid particles
Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) Secondary Liquid droplets
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
o Gases produced when N and O interact Pollutant Category Characteristics
during combustion Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Primary Reddish-brown gas
o Aggravate asthma Nitric oxide (NO) Primary Colorless gas
o Involved in the production of photochemical
smog and acid deposition
o Associated with global warming and ozone
depletion in the stratosphere
o Corrode metals
• Sulfur oxides Sulfur dioxide (SO2) Primary Colorless gas with
o Result from chemical interaction of S and O strong odor
o Major role in acid deposition Sulfur trioxide (SO3) Secondary Reactive Colorless
gas
o Damage stone, corrode metals
o Respiratory tract irritant
• Carbon oxides
o Carbon monoxide (CO) poisonous Pollutant Category Characteristics
o Colorless, odorless, tasteless Carbon monoxide (CO) Primary Colorless, odorless
gas
o Reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen
Carbon dioxide (CO2) Primary Colorless, odorless
o Carbon dioxide (CO2) associated with climate gas
change
• Hydrocarbons
o Diverse group of organic compounds
o Variety of health effects, depending on the Pollutant Category Characteristics
individual chemical Methane (CH4) Primary Colorless, odorless
o Many are respiratory tract irritants and gas
carcinogenic Benzene (C6H6) Primary Liquid with sweet

smell
o Most contribute to photochemical smog
o Methane linked to global warming
• Ozone
o Stratospheric ozone essential to protect Pollutant Category Characteristics
Earth’s surface from high levels of UV Ozone (O3) Secondary Pale blue gas with irritating
radiation odor
o Ground-level (tropospheric) ozone considered
a pollutant
o Photochemical smog
o Respiratory irritant
o Contributes to plant and forest decline
• Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) (air toxics) Chlorine (Cl2) Primary Yellow-green gas
o Chlorine, formaldehyde, etc. Formaldehyde Primary Colorless gas with
pungent odor
o Health risks to people who live and work
around chemical factories and incinerators
Sources of Outdoor Air Pollution
• Air pollution can be naturally generated as well
as by humans
o Volcanoes
o Plants
• The two main human sources of primary air
pollutants are:
o Transportation (mobile sources)
• Cars, trucks, construction equipment
o Power plants (stationary sources)
• Burning coal responsible for most of these emissions
o Top three industrial sources are chemical, metal,
and paper industries
o Agricultural forest burning activities also
significant around the world
What A Scientist Sees
• 1991—eruption of volcano Mount
Pinatubo in the Philippines released
huge amounts of particulate matter
(natural source)
• Note the global average temperature
in the years that followed Mount
Pinatubo’s eruption
o This is considered a temporary
interruption to warming trends
Effects of Air Pollution
• Air pollution
o Injures organisms
o Reduces visibility
o Corrodes materials
• Metals, plastics, rubber, fabrics
o Harms the respiratory tract, and can worsen existing medical
conditions
o Reduces crop productivity
o Involved in acid deposition, global warming, and stratospheric ozone
depletion
Air Pollution and Human Health
• Air pollution
o Low level exposure leads to eye irritation and respiratory tract inflammation
o Suppresses the immune system
o May lead to development of chronic respiratory disease
• Emphysema
• Chronic Bronchitis
Health effects of several major air pollutants
Table 8.1
Pollutant Source Effects
Particulate matter Industries, motor vehicles Aggravates respiratory illnesses; long-term exposure may cause chronic
conditions such as bronchitis
Sulfur oxides Electric power plants, industries Irritate respiratory tract; same effects as particulates
Nitrogen oxides Motor vehicles, industries, heavily fertilized farmland Irritate respiratory tract; aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic
bronchitis
Carbon monoxide Motor vehicles, industries Reduces blood’s ability to transport oxygen; causes headache and fatigue at
low levels; causes mental impairment or death at high levels
Ozone Formed in atmosphere (secondary air pollutant) Irritates eyes; irritates respiratory tract; produces chest discomfort; aggravates
respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis
Urban Air Pollution
• Air pollution in an urban area is referred to as smog or industrial smog

o Smog is composed of sulfur oxides and particulate matter
o Industrial smog worse in winter
o Industrial smog significant problem in developing countries due to the lack of
pollution-control laws that developed countries have in place
Urban Air Pollution
• Photochemical smog is a brown-orange haze formed by chemical
reactions involving sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons
o Photochemical smog was first noted in Los Angeles in the 1940s
o Photochemical smog development requires solar energy
• Worse in the summer months
o Ozone is a principal component of photochemical smog
• Ozone reacts with other pollutants to form more than 100 different
secondary air pollutants
o Results in eye irritation, aggravates respiratory illness, and harms
plant tissue
o Sources include car exhaust, dry cleaners, and bakeries
Urban Air Pollution
Formation and composition of photochemical smog
How Weather and Topography Affect Air Pollution
• Changes in temperature throughout the day produce air circulation patterns
that help disperse air pollution
• However, during a temperature inversion, pollutants get trapped in a layer of
cold air near the ground
o Usually only lasts for hours
o Can last for days when stalled high pressure air is present
• This causes atmospheric stagnation
o Certain topographies increase the likelihood of an inversion
• Cities in valleys, coastal areas
• Los Angeles Basin topography encourages inversions
• Cool air blows inland from the ocean, but mountains around LA block its movement. This allows
warm, dry air to overlay the cooler ocean air at the surface, causing an inversion
What A Scientist Sees
• 1991—eruption of volcano Mount
Pinatubo in the Philippines released
huge amounts of particulate matter
(natural source)
• Note the global average temperature
in the years that followed Mount
Pinatubo’s eruption
o This is considered a temporary
interruption to warming trends
Effects of Air Pollution
• Air pollution
o Injures organisms
o Reduces visibility
o Corrodes materials
• Metals, plastics, rubber, fabrics
o Harms the respiratory tract, and can worsen existing medical
conditions
o Reduces crop productivity
o Involved in acid deposition, global warming, and stratospheric ozone
depletion
Air Pollution and Human Health
• Air pollution
o Low level exposure leads to eye irritation and respiratory tract inflammation
o Suppresses the immune system
o May lead to development of chronic respiratory disease
• Emphysema
• Chronic Bronchitis
Health effects of several major air pollutants
Table 8.1
Pollutant Source Effects
Particulate matter Industries, motor vehicles Aggravates respiratory illnesses; long-term exposure may cause chronic
conditions such as bronchitis
Sulfur oxides Electric power plants, industries Irritate respiratory tract; same effects as particulates
Nitrogen oxides Motor vehicles, industries, heavily fertilized farmland Irritate respiratory tract; aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic
bronchitis
Carbon monoxide Motor vehicles, industries Reduces blood’s ability to transport oxygen; causes headache and fatigue at
low levels; causes mental impairment or death at high levels
Ozone Formed in atmosphere (secondary air pollutant) Irritates eyes; irritates respiratory tract; produces chest discomfort; aggravates
respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis
Urban Air Pollution
• Air pollution in an urban area is referred to as smog or industrial smog

o Smog is composed of sulfur oxides and particulate matter
o Industrial smog worse in winter
o Industrial smog significant problem in developing countries due to the lack of
pollution-control laws that developed countries have in place
Urban Air Pollution
• Photochemical smog is a brown-orange haze formed by chemical
reactions involving sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons
o Photochemical smog was first noted in Los Angeles in the 1940s
o Photochemical smog development requires solar energy
• Worse in the summer months
o Ozone is a principal component of photochemical smog
• Ozone reacts with other pollutants to form more than 100 different
secondary air pollutants
o Results in eye irritation, aggravates respiratory illness, and harms
plant tissue
o Sources include car exhaust, dry cleaners, and bakeries
Urban Air Pollution
Formation and composition of photochemical smog
How Weather and Topography Affect Air Pollution
• Changes in temperature throughout the day produce air circulation patterns
that help disperse air pollution
• However, during a temperature inversion, pollutants get trapped in a layer of
cold air near the ground
o Usually only lasts for hours
o Can last for days when stalled high pressure air is present
• This causes atmospheric stagnation
o Certain topographies increase the likelihood of an inversion
• Cities in valleys, coastal areas
• Los Angeles Basin topography encourages inversions
• Cool air blows inland from the ocean, but mountains around LA block its movement. This allows
warm, dry air to overlay the cooler ocean air at the surface, causing an inversion
Radon
• Radon
o Colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas
o Result of the naturally occurring radioactive decay of uranium in the Earth’s crust
• Important indoor air pollutant in U.S.
• Only inhaled or ingested radon harms the body
• Radon seeps up through the ground into buildings, where it can accumulate to
dangerous levels
• Causes 12% of lung cancers; cigarette smoke increases the risk of developing cancer
from radon exposure
• EPA estimates 6% of U.S. homes have too much radon
• Highest levels in the U.S. are in southeastern PA, northern NJ and NY
• Unfortunately, well sealed and energy efficient homes are more likely to have higher
levels of radon, due to reduced fresh air entering from outside
Radon
• How radon infiltrates a house
o Cracks in basement walls or
floors, openings around pipes,
and pores in concrete blocks
provide some of the entries
for radon.
Case Study: Curbing Air Pollution in Chattanooga
• Chattanooga, Tennessee was determined to have the worst air pollution in the
U.S. in 1960s
o So polluted, car headlights were necessary during the day
o Surrounding mountains kept the pollutants produced within the city from
dispersing
• After the CAA of 1970, the city established an air pollution control board to
enforce regulations, and today the air is clean
• Chattanooga now has lower than federal standard required levels for all seven
EPA-regulated air pollutants
• In early 2000s, Chattanooga continued to move toward sustainability
• By 2015, it earned a top rating by the Tennessee Valley Authority's
"Sustainable Communities“ program and recognition as a "Bicycle Friendly
Community”
The Clean Air Act
• Clean Air Act (CAA)
o First passed in 1970 and since amended in 1977 and 1990
o Enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• The EPA focuses on six air pollutants
o Lead,
o Particulate matter
o Sulfur dioxide
o Carbon monoxide
o Nitrogen oxides
o Ozone
The Clean Air Act
• Overall air quality has shown improvement, however, still many
unacceptably high levels of multiple pollutants
o 98% decrease in lead in atmosphere between 1970 and 2000 because of
switch to unleaded gasoline
o Sulfur dioxide emissions declined by 83% between 1980 and 2010, while
US gross domestic product, energy consumption, and vehicle miles
increased
• Progressively stricter controls on vehicle emissions and industrial toxic
chemical emissions
• EPA also must regulate CO2 emissions, as per US Supreme Court ruling
in 2008
The Clean Air Act (3 of 3)
Emissions in the United States, 1970 and 2011
Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,

volatile organic compounds (many of
which are hydrocarbons), and
nitrogen oxides showed decreases;
only particulate matter did not
decline. “PM = 10” applies to
particles less than or equal to 10 µm
(10 micrometers). Since 1990 the EPA
has also monitored PM = 2.5, which
are very small particles less than or
equal to 2.5 µm.
Air Pollution Around the Globe
• Developing nations produce more air pollution as they become more
industrialized
o Environmental quality is a low priority in their race for economic development
o Air pollution laws are non-existent or not enforced
• Low-quality coal burned for heat and industry in China causes so much air
pollution that the sun is only visible for a few weeks of the year
• Growing number of cars in urban areas that are mostly old and have no
pollution-control devices
• Lead pollution occurs due to use of leaded gasoline
• Respiratory disease leading cause of global death for children, mostly under 5
• According to WHO, the top five polluted cities in 2014 are Delhi, India; Patna,
India; Gwalior, India; Raipur, India; and Karachi, Pakistan.
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted in Section 117 of the 1976 United
States Act without the express written permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Request for further information
should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The purchaser may make back-up copies
for his/her own use only and not for distribution or resale. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions,
or damages, caused by the use of these programs or from the use of the information contained herein.

Air & Air Pollution

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Air & Air Pollution

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Air & Air Pollution

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Air & Air Pollution

Prof. Gilbert L. Fabila

• The atmosphere is composed of four concentric layers

This image of the atmosphere was taken

Pollutant Category Characteristics

carcinogenic Benzene (C6H6) Primary Liquid with sweet

• Air pollution in an urban area is referred to as smog or industrial smog

• Air pollution in an urban area is referred to as smog or industrial smog

Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,

You might also like