Air Pollution

1
Air Pollution

• Theres more than you think

2
Facts about air pollution

• Air is a mixture of a number of gases 78
  nitrogen 21 Oxygen small amounts of carbon
  dioxide and other inert gases
• We breathe an estimated 8000 to 9000 liters of
  air everyday. More if we are exercising
• Citizens in major cities are exposed to harmful
  levels of ozone
• 60 of the TX population live in areas that do
  not meet national clear air standards.

3
Sources of Air Pollution

• Burning Wood CO NO2 SO2 HCl CH2COOH
• Small Gasoline engines Lawn Mowers, Leaf Blowers
• Old and poorly maintained vehicles 28 times as
  much as well maintained vehicles
• Electricity Generation Coal Burning Power
  Plants More than 159 million Americans live in
  communities with unhealthy air. Air pollution
  from power plants alone contributes to an
  estimated 30,000 premature deaths, hundreds of
  thousands of asthma attacks, and tens of
  thousands of hospitalizations for respiratory and
  cardiovascular illnesses each year. Everyone
  deserves air that is safe to breathe.

4
Types of Pollution Ozone

• Ozone (O3) is a gas that can form and react under
  the action of light and that is present in two
  layers of the atmosphere. High up in the
  atmosphere, ozone forms a layer that shields the
  Earth from ultraviolet rays. However, at ground
  level, ozone is considered a major air pollutant.
  
• Ground-level ozoneis formed from other
  pollutants and can react with other substances,
  in both cases under the action of light.
  Concentrations are often low in busy urban
  centres and higher in suburban and adjacent rural
  areas, particularly on sunny days in summer.
  However, ozone can be transported through air
  over long distances and across borders.

5
Effects of Ground Level Ozone

• What the Warnings Mean
• LEVEL ORANGE considered unhealthy for sensitive
  groups.
• Active children and adults as well as people with
  respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit
  prolonged outdoor exertion.
• LEVEL RED considered unhealthy.
• Everyone, especially children, should limit
  prolonged outdoor exertion.
• People with respiratory disease, such as asthma,
  should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion.
• LEVEL PURPLE considered very unhealthy.
• Everyone, especially children, should limit
  outdoor exertion.
• People with respiratory disease, such as asthma,
  should avoid all outdoor exertion and limit
  exposure by staying inside (air conditioned
  spaces are best).

• Short-term exposure to ozone peaks can
  temporarily affect the lungs, the respiratory
  tract, and the eyes.
• It can also increase the susceptibility to
  inhaled allergens.
• Long-term exposure to relatively low
  concentrations of ozone can reduce lung function.
• Ozone essentially attacks lung tissue by reacting
  chemically with it. It also damages crops and
  trees

6
Nitrogen Dioxide

• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is a reddish-brown, highly
  reactive gas formed when another pollutant
  (nitric oxide) combines with oxygen in the
  atmosphere. Once it has formed, NO2 reacts with
  other pollutants, such as volatile organic
  compounds.
• Eventually these reactions result in the
  formation of ground level ozone.
• Major sources of NO2 include vehicles, waste
  disposal systems, and power plants.
• In children and adults with respiratory disease,
  such as asthma, NO2 can cause respiratory
  symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and
  shortness of breath. Even short exposures to NO2
  affect the lung function.

7
Carbon Monoxide CO

• Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless
  gas.
• It forms during the incomplete combustion of
  fuels that contain carbon. Vehicle exhaust makes
  up more than 60 of all CO emissions nationwide,
  and is one of the most dominant pollutants in
  cities.
• CO can also come from forest fires, and its
  concentrations are the highest during cold
  weather. This is because cold temperatures make
  combustion less complete and cause temperature
  inversions which trap pollutants low to the
  ground.

• What are the health effects from Carbon
  Monoxide?CO enters the bloodstream when you
  inhale air. Usually your cells get oxygen through
  your hemoglobin (blood pigment), which carry it
  from your lungs throughout your body.
  Unfortunately, human hemoglobin prefer CO to
  oxygen, so if there is too much CO in the air
  your brain will become oxygen starved -- thus
  death may result

8
Particle Pollution, or Particulate Matter (PM)

• What is Particle Pollution? The term Particle
  Pollution or Particulate Matter (PM) includes
  both solid particles and liquid droplets found in
  air.
• Many man-made and natural sources emit PM
  directly or emit other pollutants that react in
  the atmosphere to form PM.
• Particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter
  tend to pose the greatest health concern because
  they can be inhaled into and accumulate in the
  respiratory system.

• On any given day, scientists estimate that about
  10 MILLION tons of solid particles are suspended
  in our atmosphere. In a polluted environment, a
  volume the size of a sugar cube can contain as
  many as 200,000 particles!

• What are the health effects from Particle
  Pollution?When exposed to even small levels of
  PM, people with existing heart or lung
  diseases-such as asthma, chronic obstructive
  pulmonary disease, congestive heart disease, or
  ischemic heart disease-are at increased risk of
  premature death and or admission to hospitals or
  emergency rooms.

9
Sulfur Dioxide Pollution

• What is Sulfur Dioxide?
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) is a colorless, reactive
  gas. It is produced when sulfur-containing fuels
  such as coal and oil are burned, during the
  smelting of metal, and by other industrial
  processes.
• It can also enter the atmosphere naturally when
  volcanoes erupt, and as sulfate particles from
  ocean spray.
• What are the health effects from Sulfur Dioxide?
• At very high concentrations, SO2 may cause
  wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of
  breath in people who do not have asthma.
• Long-term exposure to both SO2 and fine particles
  can cause respiratory illness, alter the lung's
  defense mechanisms, and aggravate existing
  cardiovascular disease.

10
Lead

• Sources of Lead
• Airborne lead enters the body when an individual
  breathes or swallows lead particles or dust once
  it has settled
• Lead-based paint, contaminated soil, dust, and
  drinking water.
• Lead Health Effects
• Lead affects practically all systems within the
  body. Lead at high levels (lead levels at or
  above 80 micrograms per deciliter of blood) can
  cause convulsions, coma, and even death. Lower
  levels of lead can cause adverse health effects
  on the central nervous system, kidney, and blood
  cells
• The effects of lead exposure on fetuses and young
  children can be severe. They include delays in
  physical and mental development, lower IQ levels,
  shortened attention spans, and increased
  behavioral problems. Fetuses, infants, and
  children are more vulnerable to lead exposure
  than adults since lead is more easily absorbed
  into growing bodies, and the tissues of small
  children are more sensitive to the damaging
  effects of lead