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Air Pollution

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Title: 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
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