Air Pollution
Atmosphere as a Resource
o Atmospheric
Composition
• Nitrogen 78.08%
• Oxygen 20.95%
• Argon 0.93%
• Carbon dioxide 0.04%
o Ecosystem services
• Blocks UV radiation
• Moderates the
climate
• Redistributes water in
the hydrologic cycle
Types and Sources of Air Pollution
o Air Pollution
• Chemicals added to the atmosphere by natural
events or human activities in high enough
concentrations to be harmful
o Two categories
• Primary Air Pollutant
• Harmful substance that is emitted directly into the
atmosphere
• Secondary Air Pollutant
• Harmful substance formed in the atmosphere when
a primary air pollutant reacts with substances
normally found in the atmosphere or with other air
pollutants
Major Air Pollutants
Major Classes of Air Pollutants
o Particulate Material
o Nitrogen Oxides
o Sulfur Oxides
o Carbon Oxides
o Hydrocarbons
o Ozone
Particulate Material
o Thousands of different solid or liquid
particles suspended in air
• Includes: soil particles, soot, lead, asbestos,
sea salt, and sulfuric acid droplets
o Dangerous for 2 reasons
• May contain materials with toxic or
carcinogenic effects
• Extremely small particles can become lodged in
lungs
Nitrogen and Sulfur Oxides
o Nitrogen Oxides
• Gases produced by the chemical interactions
between atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen at
high temperature
• Problems
• Greenhouse gases
• Cause difficulty breathing
o Sulfur Oxides
• Gases produced by the chemical interactions
between sulfur and oxygen
• Causes acid precipitation
Carbon Oxides and Hydrocarbons
o Carbon Oxides
• Gases carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon
dioxide (CO2)
• Greenhouse gases
o Hydrocarbons
• Diverse group of organic compounds that
contain only hydrogen and carbon (ex: CH4-
methane)
• Some are related to photochemical smog and
greenhouse gases
Ozone
o Tropospheric Ozone
• Man- made pollutant in the lower atmosphere
• Secondary air pollutant
• Component of photochemical smog
o Stratospheric Ozone
• Essential component that screens out UV
radiation in the upper atmosphere
• Man- made pollutants (ex: CFCs) can destroy it
Sources of Outdoor Air Pollution
o Two main sources
• Transportation
• Industry
o Intentional forest
fires is also high
Urban Air Pollution
o Photochemical Smog (ex: Los Angeles below)
• Brownish-orange haze formed by chemical reactions
involving sunlight, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons
Formation of Photochemical Smog
Sources of Smog in Los Angeles
Case-In-Point Air Pollution in Beijing
and Mexico City
o Beijing (left)
o Mexico City (above)
Effects of Air Pollution
o Low level exposure
• Irritates eyes
• Causes inflammation of respiratory tract
o Can develop into chronic respiratory
diseases
Health Effects of Air Pollution
o Sulfur Dioxide and Particulate material
• Irritate respiratory tract and impair ability of
lungs to exchange gases
o Nitrogen Dioxides
• Causes airway restriction
o Carbon monoxide
• Binds with iron in blood hemoglobin
• Causes headache, fatigue, drowsiness, death
o Ozone
• Causes burning eyes, coughing, and chest
discomfort
Children and Air Pollution
o Greater health threat to children than
adults
• Air pollution can restrict lung development
• Children breath more often than adults
o Children who live in high ozone areas are
more likely to develop asthma
Ozone Depletion in Stratosphere
o Ozone thinning/hole
• First identified in 1985
over Antarctica
o Caused by
• human-produced bromine
and chlorine containing
chemicals
• Ex: CFCs
Ozone Depletion in Stratosphere
o Hole over Antarctica requires two
conditions:
• Sunlight just returning to polar region
• Circumpolar vortex- a mass of cold air that
circulates around the southern polar region
• Isolates it from the warmer air in the rest of the
planet
o Polar stratospheric clouds form
• Enables Cl and Br to destroy ozone
Effects of Ozone Depletion
o Higher levels of UV-
radiation hitting the
earth
• Eye cataracts
• Skin cancer (right)
• Weakened immunity
o May disrupt
ecosystems
o May damage crops
and forests
Acid Deposition
o Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide
emissions react with water vapor in the
atmosphere and form acids that return to
the surface as either dry or wet deposition
o pH scale
How Acid Deposition Develops
Effects of Acid Deposition
o Declining Aquatic
Animal Populations
o Thin-shelled eggs
prevent bird
reproduction
• Because calcium is
unavailable in acidic soil
o Forest decline
• Ex: Black forest in
Germany (50% is
destroyed)
Acid Deposition and Forest Decline
Air Pollution Around the World
o Air quality is deteriorating
rapidly in developing countries
o Shenyang, China
• Residents only see sunlight a few
weeks each year
o Developing countries have older
cars
• Still use leaded gasoline
o 5 worst cities in world
• Beijing, China; Mexico City, Mexico;
Shanghai, China; Tehran, Iran; and
Calcutta, India
Long Distance Transport of Air
Pollutants
Indoor Air
Pollution
o Pollutants can be
5-100X greater
than outdoors
o Most common:
• Radon, cigarette
smoke, carbon
monoxide,
nitrogen dioxide,
formaldehyde
pesticides, lead,
cleaning solvents,
ozone, and
asbestos
Indoor Air Pollution - Radon
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Good: The AQI value for a community is between 0 and 50 then the air quality is considered
satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Moderate: The AQI is between 51 and 100 then the Air quality is acceptable; however, for
some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of
people.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: When AQI values are between 101 and 150, members of
sensitive groups may experience health effects. This means they are likely to be affected at
lower levels than the general public.
Unhealthy: Everyone may begin to experience health effects when AQI values are between
151 and 200. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Very Unhealthy: AQI values between 201 and 300 trigger a health alert, meaning everyone
may experience more serious health effects.
Hazardous: AQI values over 300 trigger health warnings of emergency conditions. The
entire population is more likely to be affected.
Air Quality Standards
Clean Air Act has developed National Ambient Air Quality Standards
to protect public health and environmental resources.
The air quality standards are classified into two types:
Primary standards: Protect public health, including the health of
"sensitive" populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly.
Secondary standards: Protect public welfare, including protection
against decreased visibility, damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and
buildings.
