What Causes Air Pollution 12-1

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What Causes Air Pollution 12-1

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Air

• 78 Nitrogen
• 20 Oxygen
• Carbon Dioxide, Argon and water vapor

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Primary Pollutant

• Put directly into the air by human activity
• Example Particulates from smoke

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Secondary Pollutants

• Form when primary pollutants react with naturally
  occurring substances such as water vapor

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• Example Ground level ozone forms when
  Ultraviolet light causes emissions from cars to
  react with Oxygen from the atmosphere

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Primary Pollutants
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• Carbon Monoxide
• Incomplete burning of fossil fuels
• Lowers blood oxygen levels

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Nitrogen Oxides

• Combustion temperatures above 538 C.
• From fuels in autos and power plants
• Causes Lung disease and cancer

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Sulfur Dioxide

• Comes from burning fossil fuels and Volcanoes
• Forms sulfuric acid and acid precipitation
• Harmful to plant and animal life

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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

• Vaporize readily
• Vehicles a major source
• Smog formation, cancer, harmful to plants

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Particulate Matter (PM)

• Many sources in valley agriculture and autos
• Respiratory problems, cancer. Corrosion of metal
  and cement.

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Motor Vehicle Emissions

• Almost one third of our air pollution comes from
  vehicle emissions
• Clean Air Act 1970 and 1990 gives Us ability to
  regulate
• Lead in gasoline gone

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California

• Wants standards stricter than US but can not
• ZEV Zero Emission Vehicle program
• Electric cars and fuel cell cars

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Industrial Air Pollution

• Burning of Fossil fuels in many industries
• Also, some give off VOCs
• Locally PM are monitored at farms and gravel mines

Air scrubber for VOC
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Smog

• From chemical reactions that involve sunlight,
  air, auto exhaust and ozone

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Temperature Inversion

• High Pressure can trap air under it forming an
  inversion

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