Air Pollution

1. By Andrew Kielar and BrannockFurey Air Pollution

2. Layers of the Atmosphere • Atmosphere • Divided into several layers • Troposphere • Stratosphere • Mesophere • Thermosphere • Many sharp differences occur across layers

3. Troposphere • Layer closest to the surface • Very thin • Majority of air mass located here • Recycles nutrients

4. Stratosphere • Second layer • About 2.5 times as big as the troposphere • Works as a “sunblock” for the Earth • Contains the O-zone layer and also has the highest concentration of O-zone(O3)

5. 2 Types of Pollution Sources • Air pollution • Air pollution comes from either natural or human sources • Natural Pollution • Human Pollution

6. History of Air Pollution • Industrial Revolution • London • United States • Health Effects

7. Hybrid Pollutants • 2 types of pollutants • Primary • Secondary • Effects of winds • Good News • Bad News • Indoor Air Pollution

8. Indoor Air Pollutants • Carbon Oxides • Nitrogen Oxides and Nitric Acid • Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfuric Acid • Patriculates • O-Zone • VOCs

9. Lead • Does not break down in the Environment • Fairly common negative effects America • Effect on Children is steadily decreasing

10. Burning Coal • Cities that commonly burned coal were subject to industrial smog • Coal is commonly used to produced electricity • Currently, risk of smog is cut down because of safer and more regulated burning practices

11. Photochemical Smog • Photochemical Reaction • Photochemical Smog • Influences of weather on Photochemical smog • Effect on modern cities

12. Variables of Air Pollution • Increase • Urban Buildings • Hills and Mountains • High Temperatures • Natural VOCs • Grasshopper Effect • Temperature Inversions • Decrease • Gravity • Precipitation • Salty Ocean Air • Winds • Chemical Reactions

13. Acid Deposition • Pollution from smokestacks • Pollutants • Acid deposition • Largest acid releases in Midwest • International Acid deposition

14. Harmful Effects • Human Respiratory diseases • Damages human-made structures • Pollute water • Harm aquatic ecosystems • Affect plant life and vegetation

15. Indoor Air Pollution • Developing countries: indoor burning of wood, charcoal, dung, crop residues, and coal exposes people to dangerous levels of air pollution • WHO and World Bank: indoor air pollution is, for poor people, the world’s most serious air pollution problem • Developed countries – Typical sources of indoor air pollution: asbestos, carbon monoxide, Radon-222, formaldehyde, etc. • EPA Studies: (1) levels of 11 common pollutants generally 2 – 5 times higher inside U.S. homes and commercial buildings than outside, (2) pollution levels inside cars in urban areas can be up to 18 times higher than outside levels, and (3) health risk from exposure to such chemicals magnified because people in developed countries spend most of their time indoors.

16. Indoor Air Pollution • Living organisms and their extrements – dust mites and cockroach droppings – important role in almost threefold increase of asthma in the U.S. • Airborne spores of molds and mildew • Sick-building syndrome => Almost 1 in 5 commercial building in the U.S. is considered “sick” • Four most dangerous indoor air pollutants: tobacco smoke, formaldehyde, radioactive radon-222 gas, and very small particles • Formaldehyde => people exposed have a 34% higher than normal risk of getting Lou Gehrig’s disease

17. Indoor Air Pollution – Radioactive Radon Gas • Radon-222: concentrated in underground mineral deposits. In buildings above these deposits, radon gas can seep in, build up to high levels, and decay into solid particles of other radioactive elements. • Inhalation of these over long period of time => lung cancer

18. Health Effects of Air Pollution • Body’s numerous defenses in respiratory system – nasal hairs, sneezing and coughing, cilia – can be overwhelmed by prolonged or acute exposure to air pollutants. • Can lead to: asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema • WHO: at least 3 million people worldwide die prematurely each year from the effects of air pollution • In the U.S., EPA estimates that 150,000 – 350,000 annual deaths are related to indoor and outdoor pollution • EPA: each year, more than 125,000 Americans get cancer from breathing soot-laden diesel fumes from buses and trucks • Proposed stricter emission standards • 2007 study: emissions from ocean-going ships are responsible for 60,000 premature deaths each year worldwide

19. Laws and Regulations for Air Pollution • Congress passed Clean Air Acts in 1970, 1977, 1990: established air pollution regulations • EPA directed to establish “national ambient air quality standards” for six outdoor “criteria pollutants”: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, suspended particulate matter, ozone, and lead. • EPA has established national emission standards for more than 188 “hazardous air pollutants” • “Toxic Release Inventory” (TRI) requires 21,500 refineries, power plants, mines, and factories to report their releases and waste management for 667 toxic chemicals. • 2007 EPA report: combined emmissions of the six major air pollutants decreased 49% between 1980 and 2006. • Arrival of low-sulfur diesel fuel => push for new generation of diesel engines

20. U.S. Air Pollution Laws Can be Improved • Environmental scientists point to the following deficiencies of U.S. air pollution laws: • The U.S. continues to rely mostly on pollution cleanup rather than prevention • For decades, the US. Congress failed to increase fuel-efficiency standards for cars, SUVS, and light trucks. • Regulation of emissions from motorcycles and two-cycle gasoline engines remains inadequate. • There is little or no regulation of air pollution from oceangoing ships in American ports. • Airports are exempt from many air pollution regulations. • The laws do not regulate emissions of the greenhouse gas CO2 • Ultrafine particles are not regulated. • Urban ozone levels are still too high in many areas. • The laws have failed to deal seriously with indoor air pollution. • There is no need for better enforcement of the Clean Air Acts.

21. The Marketplace Can Help Reduce Outdoor Air Pollution • Clean Air Act of 1990: for SO2 – an “emissions trading”, or “cap-and-trade program” which enables the 110 most pollution power plants • Proponents: Cheaper and more efficient than government-run program • Critics: Allows dirtier, older plants to keep polluting • Between 1990 and 2006, the emissions trading system helped to reduce SO2 emissions from electric power plants in the United States by 53% at a cost of less than 1/10 the cost projected by industry.

22. Ways to Reduce Outdoor Pollution • Stationary Source Air Pollution: • Prevention: Burn low-sulfur coal, Remove sulfur from coal, Convert coal to a liquid or gaseous fuel, Shift to less polluting energy source • Dispersion or Cleanup: Disperse emissions above thermal inversion layer with tall smokestacks, Remove pollutants after combustion, Tax each unit of pollution produced • Motor Vehicle Air Pollution • Prevention: Use mass transit, Walk or bike, Use less pollution fuels, Improve fuel efficiency, Get older, polluting cars off the road, Give large tax write-offs or rebates for buying low-polluting, energy-efficient vehicles • Cleanup: Require emission control devices, Inspect car exhaust systems twice a year, Set strict emission standards

23. Reducing Indoor Air Pollution • Prevention • Clean ceiling tiles and line AC ducts to prevent release of mineral fibers • Ban smoking or limit it to well-ventilated areas • Set stricter formaldehyde emissions standards • Prevent radon infiltration • Use office machines in well ventilated areas • Use less polluting substitutes for harmful cleaning angents, paints, and other products • Cleanup or Dispersion: • Use adjustable air vents for work spaces • Increase intake of outside air • Change air more frequently • Circulate a building’s air through rooftop greehouses • Use efficient venting systems for wood-burning stoves • Use exhaust hoods for stoves and appliances burning natural gas

24. Reducing Air Pollution • Outdoor • Improve energy efficiency to reduce fossil fuel use • Rely more on lower-polluting natural gas • Rely more on renewable energy • Transfer energy efficiency, renewable energy, and pollution prevention technologies to developing countries • Indoor • Reduce poverty • Distribute cheap and efficient cook stoves or solar cookers to poor families in developing countries • Reduce or ban indoor smoking • Develop simple and cheap tests for indoor pollutants such as particulates, radon, and formaldehyde