Air Pollution
Overview
Atmosphere as a Resource
Types and Sources of Air Pollution
Major Classes of Air Pollutants
Sources of Outdoor Air Pollutants
Urban Air Pollution
Effects of Air Pollution
Controlling Air Pollution in the US
Atmosphere as a
Resource
Atmospheric Composition
Nitrogen 78.08%
Oxygen 20.95%
Argon 0.93%
Carbon dioxide 0.04%
Ecosystem services
Blocks UV radiation
Moderates the climate
Redistributes water in the
hydrologic cycle
Types and Sources of Air
Pollution
Air Pollution
Chemicals added to the atmosphere by natural events or
human activities in high enough concentrations to be harmful
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
Particulate Material
Nitrogen Oxides
Sulfur Oxides
Carbon Oxides
Hydrocarbons
Ozone
Particulate Material
Thousands of different solid or liquid particles
suspended in air
Includes: soil particles, soot, lead, asbestos, sea
salt, and sulfuric acid droplets
Dangerous for 2 reasons
May contain materials with toxic or carcinogenic
effects
Extremely small particles can become lodged in
lungs
Nitrogen and Sulfur
Oxides
Nitrogen Oxides
Gases produced by the chemical interactions between
atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen at high temperature
Problems
Greenhouse gases
Cause difficulty breathing
Sulfur Oxides
Gases produced by the chemical interactions between sulfur
and oxygen
Causes acid precipitation
Carbon Oxides and
Hydrocarbons
Carbon Oxides
Gases carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2)
Greenhouse gases
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
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
Sources of Outdoor Air
Pollution
Two main sources
Transportation
Industry
Intentional forest fires is
also high
Urban Air Pollution
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
Beijing (left)
Mexico City (above)
Effects of Air Pollution
Low level exposure
Irritates eyes
Causes inflammation of respiratory tract
Can develop into chronic respiratory diseases
Health Effects of Air
Pollution
Sulfur Dioxide and Particulate material
Irritate respiratory tract and impair ability of lungs to exchange
gases
Nitrogen Dioxides
Causes airway restriction
Carbon monoxide
Binds with iron in blood hemoglobin
Causes headache, fatigue, drowsiness, death
Ozone
Causes burning eyes, coughing, and chest discomfort
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
Controlling Air
Pollution in US
Smokestacks with electrostatic
precipitator (right)
Without
Electrostatic
precipitator
With Electrostatic
precipitator
Controlling Air
Pollution in the US
Smokestacks with scrubbers
(right)
Particulate material can also be
controlled by proper excavating
techniques
Controlling Air Pollution
inPhase
the US
I Vapor Recovery System for gasoline
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!
Other Ways to Improve Air
Quality
Reduce sulfur content in gasoline from its
current average of 330 ppm to 30 ppm
Sulfur clogs catalytic converters
Require federal emission standards for all
passenger vehicles
Including trucks and minivans
Require emission testing for all vehicles
Including diesel
Ozone Depletion in
Stratosphere
Ozone Protects earth from UV radiation
Part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths just
shorter than visible light
Ozone Depletion in
Stratosphere
Ozone thinning/hole
First identified in 1985 over
Antarctica
Caused by
human-produced bromine and
chlorine containing chemicals
Ex: CFCs
Ozone Depletion in
Stratosphere
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
Polar stratospheric clouds form
Enables Cl and Br to destroy ozone
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
Recovery of Ozone Layer
Montreal Protocol (1987)
Reduction of CFCs
Started using HCFCs (greenhouse gas)
Phase out of all ozone destroying chemicals is
underway globally
Satellite pictures in 2000 indicated that ozone
layer was recovering
Full recovery will not occur until 2050
Acid Deposition
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
pH scale
How Acid Deposition
Develops
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)
Acid Deposition and
Forest Decline
Air Pollution Around the
World Air quality is deteriorating
rapidly in developing
countries
Shenyang, China
Residents only see sunlight a
few weeks each year
Developing countries have
older cars
Still use leaded gasoline
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
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
Indoor Air Pollution -
Radon
Meteorological factors
responsible for air
polution
Wind profile
(forces interaction due to pressure, earth
rotation & friction)
Temperature
Super-adiabatic conditions-unstable
atmosphere, rapid dispursion
Subadiabatic conditions–accumulation
of highly dangerous pollutant
Topography (influence by local wind Ex.
Mountain valley breeze, sea breeze
