AIR POLLUTION

TINAMBUNAN, STIFFANY ROSE N.

BSED GENERAL SCIENCE 4A
 Air pollutants – airborne substances (solid,
liquid or gas).
A. Natural Sources
B. Human Activities
1. Fixed sources
2. Mobile sources
 Primary pollutants
 Secondary Pollutants
Figure 2. (a) Primary pollutants (b) Primary sources
• Particulate matter
- group of solid particles and liquid droplets that are small
enough to remain suspended in the air. (collectively known as
aerosols)
Lead – causes brain damage, convulsions and death.
• Particles greater than 0.01 mm – settle on the ground for a
day.
• Particles lesser than 0.01 mm – suspended in lower
atmosphere; greatest health risk, can penetrate to the lungs.
PM-2.5 - penetrates the lungs; carcinogenic.
Figure 4 (a) Denver, Colorado on a clear day (b) on a day when particulate matter and other
pollutants greatly reduce visibility.
Carbon Monoxide
- Major pollutant of city air
- Colorless, odorless, poisonous gas.
- 60 million metric tons
- Normally, cells obtain oxygen through hemoglobin. Unfortunately,
hemoglobin prefers carbon monoxide to oxygen.
- headache, fatigue, drowsiness, and even death.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
- Colorless gas from burning of sulfur containing fossil.
- Volcanic eruptions
- Readily oxidizes forming secondary pollutants sulfur trioxide (SO3) and
highly corrosive sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
- Respiratory problems: asthma, bronchitis and emphysema
- Reduce crop plant yields Ex. Lettuce and spinach bleach marks on
their leaves.
Volatile Organic Compounds
- Hydrocarbons
- Methane
- benzene, formaldehyde and chloroflourocarbons
- According to EPA, 18 million tons of VOC’s is emitted by the air over
US annually.
- Benzene and benzo-a-pyrene are carcinogenics
Nitrogen gases
Nitrogen dioxide
Nitric oxide
Sources: motor vehicles, power plants and waste disposal systems.
Ozone in troposphere
- Photochemical smog (Los Angeles-type smog)
- Sulfurous smoke and foggy air (London type smog)
- Ozone (O3) – main component of photochemical smog
- Stratospheric ozone – shield againsts sun’s harmful UV rays.
- Tropospheric zone – polluted air zone or ground level.
- High concentration when sunlight is intense.
 Ozone in the stratosphere

Figure 6 Average distribution of ozone above the earths surface in mid latitudes.
 Ozone
Forms in the stratosphere by the combining of atomic oxyen (O) with
molecular oxygen (O2) in the presence of another molecule.

Figure 7 Ozone molecule absorbing UV Figure8 Global average concentration of

radiation. atmospheric cholrine.
Montreal Protocol
Substitutes for Chlorofluorocarbons
• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC’s) – few chlorine per atoms, pose
less danger.
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC’s) – no chlorine
• Ozone hole – sharp drop in ozone.
Figure 9 Emission estimates of six pollutants in U.S from 1940 to 2003
Figure 10 The air quality index
Figure 11 The number of unhealthful days across U.S for any 5 pollutants
Figure 12 The number of days ozone exceeded the 8-hour federal standard and maximum 8-hour ozone
concentration of L.A and surrounding areas in south Coast air basin.
Factors that affect air pollution
• The role of the wind - Wind speed determines how quickly pollutants mix
with surrounding air and how fast they move away from the source.
• The role of stability and inversions – atmospheric stability determines
the extent to which the air will rise.
Unstable atmosphere – vertical air currents
Stable atmosphere – horizontal air currents
Stability of the atmosphere – lapse rate
Inversion – air temperature decrease as we ascend.
The role of topography -
Figure 13 (a) smoke puffs are closer together and more concentrated (b) the smoke puffs are father apart
and more diluted as turbulent eddies mix the smoke with the surrounding. (Inversion)
Figure 14 (a) unstable atmosphere (b) radiation inversion
Figure 15 Strong subsidence inversion along the coast of California.
Figure 16 Thick polluted air is trapped in the valley.
Air pollution and the Urban Environment
• Urban heat island – can influence concentration of air pollution.
• Heat island is strongest:
1. At night when compensating sunlight is absent.
2. during the winter when nights are longer and there is longer is
more generated in the city.
3. when the region is dominated by a high pressure area with light
winds, clear skies and less humid air.
Contrast of the Urban and Rural Environment (Average conditions)
On a clear relatively calm night, a weak country breeze carries pollutants from the outskirts into the city
where they concentrate and rise due to the warmth of the city’s urban heat island.
Acid deposition – encompasses both dry and
wet acidic substances.

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with

a value of 7 considered neutral.
The effects of acid fog in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee
Thank you!