Transcript Chapter 19

Chapter 19:
Air Pollution and Noise
Living and Working in a Healthy
Environment
Sources of the
5 major pollutants in the U.S
Note: Historically, the 6th
Major Pollutant was lead.
Source and Composition of Particulates
meteoritic material
soot
sulfates, ash
Soot, sulfates, VOCs
soot
sea salt
Soot, NOx, VOCs
Minerals, clays
Soot, organic
methane,
ammonia
Texas Air Quality
Let’s consider those compounds that the Federal Government regulates  National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS)
POLLUTANT
STANDARD
VALUE *
STANDARD
TYPE
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
8-hour Average
9 ppm
(10 mg/m3)
Primary
1-hour Average
35 ppm
(40 mg/m3)
Primary
0.053
ppm
(100 µg/m3)
Primary & Secondary
0.12 ppm
(235 µg/m3)
Primary & Secondary
0.08 ppm
µg/m3)
Primary & Secondary
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
Annual Arithmetic Mean
Ozone (O3)
1-hour Average
8-hour Average **
(157
Lead (Pb)
1.5 µg/m3
Quarterly Average
Particulate (PM 10)
Particles with diameters of 10 micrometers or less
Annual Arithmetic Mean
24-hour Average
Particulate (PM 2.5)
Primary & Secondary
50 µg/m3
Primary & Secondary
µg/m3
Primary & Secondary
150
Particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less
Annual Arithmetic Mean **
15 µg/m3
Primary & Secondary
24-hour Average **
65 µg/m3
Primary & Secondary
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
Annual Arithmetic Mean
0.03 ppm
(80 µg/m3)
Primary
24-hour Average
0.14 ppm
(365 µg/m3)
Primary
3-hour Average
0.50 ppm
(1300
µg/m3)
Secondary
Lecture 32
Texas Air Quality
http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.national
U.S. Federal Regulation of Air
Pollution
 Air pollution Control Act of 1955
 Clean Air Act of 1963
 Amendment to CAA - Motor Vehicle Air
pollution Control Act of 1965
 1970 Clean Air Amendments and formation of
the EPA.
 1975 catalytic converter developed.
Signs that regulation works!
U.S. pollution
trends since 1977
Types of SMOG
1.Industrial London Smog – combination of
smoke and fog
- At the end of the 1800’s, 40% less sunlight in
London than surrounding towns
- Health effects
- Vitamin D deficiency, Rickets, Tubercolosis
2. Photochemical Smog
 Consists mainly of secondary pollutants:
Ozone (O3), NO2, VOCs
Forms when sunlight induces chemical changes
in gases and aerosols
Causes poor visibility, burning eyes, sore lungs,
worsen conditions of the heart and lungs,
possible mortality.
Photochemical and Industrial Smog
“London Smog or Industrial
Smog”
Gray-air in New York City
© Dean D. Fetterolf/ShutterStock, Inc.
“LA Smog”:
Brown-air smog in Los Angeles
© Chad Littlejohn/ShutterStock, Inc.
Photochemical Smog
Ozone (O3) in the Troposphere
Most problematic air pollutant in many areas of
the U.S.
Ozone is not directly emitted into the atmosphere,
but instead forms through a complex series of
reactions.
It is largely because of this complexity that ozone
is so difficult to control.
Ozone chemistry
(gas-phase only)
NO3
N2O5
hn
O3
NO2
NO
OH
HO2
RO2
HNO3
H2O
hn
HONO
H2O2
VOC
NOx and VOC sources in the Greater Houston Area
19.2 The Effects of Climate and
Topography on Air Pollution
 Air pollution levels in a region are affected by
a number of factors, among them:




Temperature
Sunlight
Wind
Other climate factors
 They are also affected by the topography.
FIGURE 05a: Temperature profiles: normal pattern
FIGURE 05b: Temperature profiles: temperature inversion
The Health Effects of Air Pollution
FIGURE 6: Urban air
pollution and incidence of
emphysema in Winnipeg
and St. Louis
Effects on Plants and Nonhuman Animals
FIGURE 7:
Trees killed by acid deposition in
Pisgah Nation Forest, North Carolina
© Jerry Whaley/age fotostock
19.5 Noise: The Forgotten Pollutant
 Sound is characterized by loudness (measured in
decibels) and pitch (how high or low it is).
www.warrencenter.org/howloud.html
How Loud is Too Loud?
Prolonged exposure to any noise above 85 decibels
(dB) can cause gradual hearing loss.
At higher decibel levels, hearing protection is strongly
recommended.
100 decibels - no more than 15 minutes prolonged
exposure recommended
110 decibels - regular exposure of more than one
minute risks permanent hearing loss without hearing
protection. www.warrencenter.org/howloud.html
Indoor Air Pollution
FIGURE 14: Radon protection