-air is contaminated everywhere to some degree with smoke,
haze, dust, odors, corrosive _______ and toxic compounds.
-air pollution is the most widespread environmental damage.
-147 million metric tons of air pollution released each year by the _____.
-the world releases about 2 __________ metric tons a year.
-air quality has __________ over the past 20 years in developed
countries.
- developing countries however have higher air pollution sometimes
______ times higher than the pollution levels considered safe for
human health.
Natural Air pollution:
-Natural _______-smoke
-Volcanoes emit ash, acid ________, hydrogen ________ and toxic gases.
-Sea spray and decaying organics release _________ compounds
-Trees and bushes- emit volatile __________ compounds
-Pollen, spores, viruses, bacteria are also air pollution
- the effects of natural contamination and human contamination
can be similiar
Human caused Air pollution
-Primary pollutants- released ________ from the source into the
air in a harmful form.
-Secondary pollutants- substance is released
into air and THEN later modified into a ____________ form by subsequent chemical reactions. ex. _________________
-Fugitive emissions- do not go through a smoke stack (most commonly
dust from _______ erosion, strip mining, rock crushing, and __________
construction)
-US Clean Air Act of 1970- ___________ major pollutants for which
maximum ambient air (air around us) levels are mandated - ________ _________, ___________
oxides, carbon __________, particulates, hydrocarbons, photochemical oxidants and ________. They represent the biggest threat to human health- that are regulated anyway!
SULFUR OXIDES or SOX
-Sulfur Compounds: about 114 million metric tons a year released
from all sources. Humans release about _____% of the sulfur in the
air in urban areas.
Natural sources: sea spray, erosion of sulfate containing dust,
fumes from __________.
Anthropogenic sources: burning fuel (_______ and oil) containing sulfur China and US release the most sulfur
because of their great amount of coal and oil burning.
Sulfur dioxide- directly damaging to plants, animals and our _______. Once
in the air it can turn into sulfur trioxide and react to water
vapor contributing to acid rain. ______ % acid rain from SOX.
Sulfate particles reduce visibility in US 80%
Formula:
Reduction of SOX can be achieved with ____________ and burning low ________ coal.
NITROGEN OXIDES or NOX:
Nitrogen oxides- Total emissions about 230 million tons a year. Humans release about ________% of the nitrogen.
Natural sources: lightening, fires and _______ in soil.
Anthropogenic sources: formed from _______ exhaust and electrical power generation.
NOX irritiates the lungs, makes smog, is a potent greenhouse gas and makes acid rain. ______% acid rain from NOX.
Formula:
Reduction of NOX can be achieved with _________ converter.
Carbon Oxides:
Carbon _________ is causing global warming: about 3 billion tons
accumulate in the atmosphere a year.
Carbon __________: colorless, highly toxic gas. Produced by incomplete
combustion of _________. 1 billon metric tons released into atmosphere
each year, half of that by humans (internal combustion engines)
Metals and Halogens:
Lead emissions are about 2 millions tons a year, ____ of all metallic
air pollution. Most of the lead is from leaded gasoline. About
_____% of inner city children suffer from some kind of mental retardation
because of lead poisoning from peeling lead paint.
Mercury: sources: _______ burning power plants and waste __________.
-______________ in aquatic ecosystems- making it dangerous
to eat fish high on the food chain
More toxic metals: nickel, beryllium, cadium, thallium, uranium,
cesium, plutonium, arsenic.
__________ Material:
Aerosol- any system of ________ particles or liquid droplets suspended
in a gaseous medium.
Particulate material: dust, ash, _____, etc.
Can be natural: dust, volcanic ash can also be suspended in the
air.
These seem to be the most apparent pollution because they reduce
visibility.
Volatile __________ Compounds: (VOC's)
-Organic chemicals that exist as gases in air
-__________ are the largest source
- They are oxidized into CO and CO2 in the atmosphere.
- Benzene, toluene, formaldehyde and other chemicals are released
into the air by human activities through mainly unburned or partially
burned hydrocarbons from transportation.
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION:
- It has been found that indoor concentration of toxic pollutants
are often higher than outdoors.
- ___________ is the most severe air pollutant. 400,000 people die
each year from Emphysema, heart attacks, lung cancer, strokes,
and other diseases caused by smoking. (20% of all mortality in
US)
- Leading cause of death for women since of advertising campaigns began in the '50's
- These deaths cause us $100 billion a year; eliminating smoking
would save more lives than _____ ________ pollution control.
Concentration of _________, carbon tetrachloride, _______________,
and strene has been found to be 70 times higher in indoor air than
outdoor air. Yikes!
- Less developed countries burn wood and coal for ________ and heat- because
of poor ventilation and cooking fires there is a large amount
of indoor air pollution. __________ and children are most effected.
- Levels of carbon monoxide, particulates, aldehydes and toxic
chemicals can be ________ times greater than the safe outdoor concentrations
in US
Photochemical oxidents- from _________ atmospheric reactions driven by the ______. Creates smog and ozone which damages buildings, vegetation, eyes and lungs.
Sick Building: a building in which a number of people experience adverse health effects related to the ________ spent in the building. These symptoms disappear when they go outside.
Climate:
Temperature inversions: occur when a stable layer of _________ air
overlays _________ air, reversing the normal temperature decline
with increasing height and preventing convection currents from
dispersing pollutants.
Can occur when:
-a ______ from slides under an adjacent warmer
air mass -or-
-______ air subsides down a mountain slope to displace warmer
air in the valley below.
Long range transport:
Many pollutants can be carried long distances by the _______ currents.
-Some of the most toxic and corrosive materials brought by long
range transport are ___________ pollutants.
-areas considered the cleanest in the world still have pollutants
in the air. :(
Stratospheric Ozone:
- it was discovered in 1985 that the ozone levels in the __________
over the South Pole were dropping during September and October
as the sun comes out after the polar winter has been happening
since the 1960s.
- this hole was the largest ever found and is now spreading to
other parts of the world. About ____% of ozone disappears
during the ________.
- This is dangerous because ozone filters out _______ light and without
it organisms would be exposed to life threatening radiation.
- ________'s (Chlorofluorocarbons) are suspected to be the major cause of ozone loss.
known as Freon. When discovered they were regarded as nontoxic,
nonflammable and cheaply produced. But because they are so stable
they remain in atmosphere for __________. When they are diffused
into the stratosphere they release chlorine atoms which destroy
the ozone.
- CFC's have been banned and minimized
Effects of air pollution:
-50,000 Americans die prematurely because of illnesses related to
air pollution. (A ____-____ year decrease in life span!)
____________: persistent inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles
that causes mucus build up, painful cough, and involuntary muscle
spasms that constrict airways.
- Bronchitis can lead to ___________- an irreversible obstructive
lung disease in which airways become permanently constricted and
alveoli are damaged or even destroyed.
- _________ is the leading cause of both these diseases.
Acid Rain- normal pH of rain is about ___.6
Aquatic effects: acid in water effects fish- to protect their
________ fish produce a mucus lining over their _______ and eventually
suffocate themselves.
Kills all life in lakes and other aquatic ecosystems at a pH of ______. New Paltz rain is a pH of _____
-Forest damage:- seedling production, tree density, and viability
of _______-fir trees at high elevations have declined about ________%
because of air pollution
__________ has been reduced greatly. Even National Parks
are effected by air pollution.
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