Air Pollution

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 Contents
⚫ Resource value of atmosphere
⚫ Definition of air pollution
⚫ Category of sources and general effects
⚫ Pollutant classification, sources and effects
⚫ Mitigation measures
⚫ Indoor air pollution
Atmospheric constituents
⚫ Nitrogen ~ 78%
⚫ Oxygen ~ 21%
⚫ Argon ~ 0.95%
⚫ Carbon dioxide ~ 0.04%
 Functions
⚫ Shield against harmful
levels of UV radiation

⚫ Facilitates climate
moderation, evens out the
extremes i.e. temperature

⚫ Facilitation of water cycle

Definition
⚫ Addition of chemicals/ constituents in the
atmosphere
⚫ by natural or man-made activities resulting
in
⚫ rise of concentrations of those chemicals
⚫ high enough to be harmful
⚫ to the ecosystem and living beings.
 Category of Sources
⚫ Stationary
⚫ Point sources (controllable i.e. smokestacks)

⚫ Fugitive Sources (Pollution in open areas i.e. surface

mines, construction sites)

⚫ Area Sources (well defined areas with multiple

pollutants i.e. heavily industrialized zones)

⚫ Mobile (any source that moves i.e. bus, aircrafts, ships

etc.)
 Fugitive source

Area source

Point
source
Mobile Sources
 General effects

⚫ Loss in visual clarity

⚫ Damage to vegetation and animals
⚫ Damage to structures
⚫ Soil and water pollution through deposition
⚫ Danger to human health
⚫ Fastest traveling fluid, so problem not
localized but global
 Visual
Clarity

Structures Vegetation +
animals

Air Pollution
harms

Globalized
Soil + Water
effect
pollution

Human
health
Pollutant Classification
⚫ Primary pollutants
⚫ Directly emitted through man-made or natural
events i.e. sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides etc.

⚫ Secondary pollutants
⚫ Produced from interaction between primary air
pollutants and usual atmospherics i.e. acid rain
from interaction between moisture and sulfur
dioxide.
 Major air pollutants
⚫ Particulate matter (very tiny solid or liquid particles)
⚫ Gaseous forms
⚫ Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
⚫ Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
⚫ Carbon monoxide (CO)
⚫ Ozone (O3)
⚫ Volatile organic compounds (VOC)
⚫ Hydrocarbons
⚫ Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
⚫ Hydrogen Fluoride (HF)
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) - sources
⚫ Colorless and odorless gas
⚫ Frequent conversion into sulfate (SO4) and
consequent deposition in dry or wet form.
⚫ Anthropogenic sources
⚫ Coal based power plants
⚫ Petroleum refining
⚫ Production of paper, cement etc.
⚫ Natural sources may contribute i.e. volcanic
eruption.
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) - effects
⚫ Effect depends on concentration
⚫ Potential injury to animals and plants, may cause
death in high enough concentrations
⚫ Corrodes metallic surfaces i.e. steel structures and
painted surfaces.
⚫ Damage respiratory system in humans and other
animals
⚫ Acid rain formation upon reaction with
atmospheric moisture
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) - Mitigation
⚫ Technology to burn coal more cleanly

⚫ Removal of sulfur is expensive, but probably less expensive

than long term health consequences of the population

⚫ Coal gasification – conversion of coal into a gaseous fuel.

This is clean, free of sulfur and easy to transport but more
expensive than gas from other sources

⚫ Desulfurization – wet scrubber to deal with SO2 after coal

is burnt, wet sulfurized slurry is treated with a slurry of
lime or limestone to produce calcium sulfite.
⚫ Coal washing – finely grounded coal washed in water
causes sulfur to settle out as pyrite due to heavier
weight, but cannot remove organic sulfur bound to
carbonaceous matter this way
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) -
sources
⚫ Many different forms.
⚫ Most abundant forms – Nitric Oxide (NO)
and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
⚫ Production mostly anthropogenic
⚫ Automobiles
⚫ Fossil fuel based power plants
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) - effects
⚫ NO and NO2 both contribute to smog
⚫ NO2 contributes to acid rain
⚫ Nutrient enrichment and eutrophication of lakes,
ponds, rivers and other water bodies
⚫ Acid rain harms plants, but the nitrate form can
facilitate enhanced plant growth
⚫ Human health –
⚫ Irritation of eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
⚫ Decreased resistance against viral infections
Carbon Monoxide (CO) - Sources
⚫ Colorless and odorless gas
⚫ Major source – natural sources (90%)
⚫ But the 10% anthropogenic is much more
hazardous.
⚫ Incomplete combustion in engines, stoves etc.
⚫ Danger is posed due to localized build up of high
concentrations
Carbon Monoxide (CO) - effects
⚫ Extremely toxic
⚫ Toxicity results from hemoglobin's tendency to bind
with CO much faster than oxygen (around 250 times)
⚫ Dizziness, headaches, may lead to death
⚫ Colorless and odorless – quick buildup possible in
enclosures without notice – accidental deaths are
many
⚫ Specially harmful to people with existing respiratory
condition and heart disease
⚫ Fetal growth can be potentially hampered, with a risk
of mentally retarded newborns.
Nitrogen Oxide(NOx) and Carbon
monoxide (CO) - mitigation
⚫ Major anthropogenic contributors – automobiles
⚫ Recirculation of exhaust to reduce available oxygen for
combustion - less nitrogen oxides produced
⚫ But this also raises hydrocarbon emission
⚫ Catalytic converter used to deal with the issue
⚫ CO passed over platinum or palladium catalyst,
converted to CO2
⚫ Hydrocarbons converted to CO2 and water
Ozone (O3) - Source
⚫ Produced in the presence of nitrogen dioxide and
sunlight

⚫ So production is highest in areas where large amount

of NO2 is produced from industrial processes in the
presence of sunlight.

⚫ Rather difficult to regulate

Ozone
⚫ Tropospheric Ozone
⚫ Man- made pollutant in the lower atmosphere
⚫ Secondary air pollutant
⚫ Component of photochemical smog
⚫ Stratospheric Ozone
⚫ Essential component that screens out UV radiation in
the upper atmosphere
⚫ Man- made pollutants (ex: CFCs) can destroy it
Ozone (O3) - effects
⚫ Of highly oxidative nature, readily releases the third
oxygen atom
⚫ Can be used for sterilizing i.e. bubbling through water
to purify water
⚫ Adverse effects depends on concentration
⚫ Can reduce plant growth at low conc.
⚫ Destroys leaf tissue and even whole plants at high
concentrations
Ozone (O3) - effects
⚫ Lungs and respiratory tract damage in humans, loss of
lungs plasticity and higher susceptibility to bacterial
infection.
⚫ Scar formation in lungs and airways
⚫ Too much ozone in troposphere is harmful, but too
little in the stratosphere is just as harmful
Ozone - mitigation
⚫ Ozone, a secondary pollutant, forms most in areas
where there is abundant nitrogen dioxide
⚫ So, mitigating the ozone issue would require
controlling the NO2 emissions from automobiles
Particulate Matter
(PM10, PM2.5, Ultrafine particulates)
⚫ Tiny solid or liquid particles
⚫ Smoke, soot, dust, asbestos
⚫ Small particles of heavy metals – arsenic, copper, zinc
⚫ Classified in three categories based on size –
⚫ PM10 (particle up to 10 µm)
⚫ PM2.5 (particles between 2.5 and 0.18 µm)
⚫ Ultrafine particles (smaller than 0.18 µm)
⚫ For comparison – average human hair is 60~150 µm in
diameter
⚫ Highest concentration in large cities specially in
developing countries
Particulate Matter - Sources
⚫ Burning fossil fuel
⚫ Smelters and other industrial facilities
⚫ Agricultural activities
⚫ Windstorms in areas without vegetative cover
⚫ Volcanic eruption
⚫ Ultrafine particles from motor vehicles
Particulate Matter - effects
⚫ High concentrations aggravate cardiovascular and
respiratory diseases
⚫ Smaller particles (PM2.5 and smaller) easily penetrates
deep into human respiratory system
⚫ May be absorbed in bloodstream, or stay lodged in
lungs for a long time
⚫ Ultrafine particles are almost impossible to filter out
⚫ Ultrafines have been blamed for inflammation
(oxidative stress and damage) of cells
⚫ Reduced quality of good cholesterol (HDL)
⚫ Blockage of arteries leading to heart attack and stroke
Preventative measures against
ultrafines
⚫ Highest risk to
⚫ children,
⚫ elderly,
⚫ people with houses near heavy traffic,
⚫ Exercising near heavy traffic
⚫ Spending a lot of time in traffic
⚫ Risk can be reduced by limiting exposure i.e. avoid
traffic exposure for extended periods of time
Particulate Matter - effects
⚫ Has been linked to lung cancer and bronchitis
⚫ Breathing difficulty for everyone
⚫ Deposition on leaves may hamper CO2 absorption and
evapo-transpiration
⚫ May cause death of plants, species, thereby altering
the food chain and affecting the whole ecosystem
⚫ Positive – Global dimming due to high conc. high up in
the atm. leading to reduced global warming.
Particulate
Matter -
Mitigation

⚫ Settling chambers/
collectors to control
coarse particles
Volatile organic Compounds
⚫ Various organic compounds
⚫ A major subcategory is hydrocarbons – compounds
consisting of only hydrogen and carbons.
⚫ Potentially largest contributor – automobiles
⚫ Natural sources might be responsible for producing
hydrocarbons as well i.e. in Atlanta, large amount is
produced from trees
Volatile organic Compounds - effects
⚫ Some hydrocarbons are toxic
⚫ Others go through reaction to produce secondary pollutants.
⚫ Component of photochemical smog

Figure: Photochemical smog formation

Photochemical smog
Children and Air Pollution
⚫ Greater health threat to children than adults
⚫ Air pollution can restrict lung development
⚫ Children breath more often than adults
⚫ Children who live in high ozone areas are more likely
to develop asthma
 The Clean Air Act
⚫ Authorizes EPA to set limits
on amount of specific air
pollutants permitted
⚫ Focuses on 6 pollutants:
⚫ lead, particulate matter,
sulfur dioxide, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides,
and ozone
⚫ Act has led to decreases!
Effects of Acid Deposition
⚫ Declining Aquatic Animal Populations
⚫ Thin-shelled eggs prevent bird reproduction
⚫ Because calcium is unavailable in acidic soil
⚫ Forest decline
⚫ Ex: Black forest in Germany (50% is destroyed)
Stratospheric Ozone depletion
⚫ While tropospheric ozone is harmful to living beings,
stratospheric ozone is essential for our survival
⚫ Stratospheric Ozone is responsible for blocking
harmful UV radiation
⚫ UV rays
⚫ UVA
⚫ UVB
⚫ UVC
⚫ UVC – shortest wavelength, highest energy, mostly
absorbed in the atmosphere, amount reaching the earth is
insignificant

⚫ UVA – longest wavelength, lowest energy, not blocked by

stratospheric ozone, capable of causing some damage to
living cells

⚫ UVB – energy level and wavelength between the other two.

Strongly absorbed by ozone only. Hole in ozone layer
means unblocked ozone easily reaches earth surface at full
intensity and extremely hazardous for living beings
Effects of Ozone Depletion
⚫ Higher levels of
UV-radiation hitting the
earth
⚫ Eye cataracts
⚫ Skin cancer (right)
⚫ Weakened immunity
⚫ May disrupt ecosystems
⚫ May damage crops and
forests
Chlorofluorocarbons and Ozone
depletion
⚫ CFCs are extremely stable
⚫ No known sinks other than soil
⚫ CFCs in lower atmosphere eventually travels to
stratosphere, where high energy UV ray breaks down
CFC molecules and chlorine is released
⚫ These chlorine molecules react with ozone
(O3) moleules, as shown below:

⚫ Cl + O3 🡪 ClO + O2
⚫ ClO + O 🡪 Cl + O2

⚫ A catalytic chain reaction where a single CFC molecule

might end up destroying upward of 100,000 molecules
of ozone, before finally being removed from the
atmosphere
Indoor Air
Pollution
Pollutants can be
5-100X greater than
outdoors
Most common:
⚫ Radon, cigarette
smoke, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen
dioxide,
formaldehyde
pesticides, lead,
cleaning solvents,
ozone, and
asbestos
This image has been use as an implementation
of fair use act and is not covered under the
creative commons license
Indoor Air Pollution - Radon

This image has been use as an

implementation of fair use act and is
not covered under the creative
commons license
Air Quality Index (AQI)
⚫ The AQI is a tool for reporting daily air quality of any city or country. It
tells how clean or polluted the air is, and what associated health effects
might be a concern for public.
⚫ The AQI focuses on health effects that one might experience within a
few hours or days after breathing polluted air.
⚫ In Bangladesh, AQI is presented on a scale from 1 – 500
⚫ The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the
greater the health concern

Purpose of AQI
o Daily release of air quality conditions to the public
o Convey the health implications of air quality
o Protect public interest and take actions to reduce emissions
o Forecast air pollution level
Criteria of AQI in Bangladesh
⚫ AQI is based on 5 criteria pollutants; Particulate Matter (PM10
and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone (O3).
⚫ DoE has also set national ambient air quality standards for these
pollutants.
⚫ These standards aim to protect against adverse human health
impacts.
 th
AQI index Dhaka January 4 , 2020
Acknowledgement
⚫ This presentation was prepared with the help of
Professor Dr. Afzal Ahmed

⚫ The lecture material is based on “Environmental

Science – Earth as a living planet – 8th edition” by
Daniel B. Botkin and Edward A. Keller.