The air we breathe

1. The air we breathe Pgs. 20 - 25

2. Air Quality • Even clean air is not perfectly clean. • It includes things like dust, salt, volcanic gasses, ash, smoke, pollen and others. • Pollutants mentioned in the news are caused by humans, even though nature pollutes air as well. • The pollution caused by humans can be solid, liquid or gas and cause damage to our atmosphere.

3. Types of Air Pollution • Pollution is either Primary or Secondary pollutants. • Primary pollutants are put directly into the air by human or natural activity. • Car exhaust, volcanic eruption, forest fires. • Secondary pollutants come from chemical reactions that occur when primary pollutants come in contact with other primary pollutants or naturally occurring substances like water vapor. • Ozone and smog are produced when car exhaust reacts with sunlight.

4. Sources of Human-caused Air Pollution • The major source of air pollution today is transportation. • Cars are responsible for 60% of the human-caused pollution. • Nitrogen oxide coming from cars contribute to smog and acid rain.

5. Industrial Air Pollution • Industrial power plants burn fossil fuels to produce energy, but they also cause large amounts of oxides to be released into the air. • Power plants are responsible for 96% of the sulfur oxides released in the atmosphere. • Industrial chemical plants produce poisonous fumes that are released into the atmosphere. • Chemical manufacturers, auto-body shops, dry-cleaners, and furniture refinishers all contribute.

6. Indoor Air Pollution • Sometimes air inside our homes and workplaces is polluted too. • Items such as household cleaners and cooking smoke can pollute the inside air. • Paint and new carpets can add to the pollution as well. • If the windows and doors are shut tightly, the air will remain polluted.

7. The Air Pollution Problem • Air pollution is a local and global problem. • Local pollution can spread as the wind blows and so it becomes a global problem. • If air is polluted, it can move and pick up water vapor making acid rain. • In fact, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Youngstown produce pollution that contributes to acid rain in New England.

8. Acid Precipitation • Precipitation containing acids from air pollution is acid precipitation. • When fossil fuels are burned, they release oxides of sulfur and nitrogen into the air. • When oxides combine with water vapor they form sulfuric and nitric acid. • These acids have negative effects on the environment and drinking water.

9. The Ozone Hole • One major concern of air pollution is the hole in the ozone layer. • Some of the chemicals released into the atmosphere react with ozone to break it down into other substances. • The loss of ozone allows more UV rays through to the Earth, which can be harmful to the environment.

10. Effects on Human Health • People are vulnerable to air pollution. • Children, elderly people and those with allergies are more vulnerable than others. • The effects of air pollution include: dizziness, headaches, burning eyes, runny nose, coughing trouble breathing, sore throat, lung cancer, lung disease, chest pains, allergies, increased colds.

11. Cleaning Up Our Act • In 1970, the U.S. passed the Clean Air Act. • It gave the EPA (environmental protection agency) the authority to control the amount of air pollutants that can be released from any source. • The EPA checks air quality and set stricter standards when necessary.

12. Controlling Air Pollution from Vehicles • The EPA requires car manufacturers to meet a certain standard for exhaust that comes out of the tail pipe. • New cars now have devices that remove most of the pollutants from the air. • Car manufacturers are now producing cars that run on alternate fuels that won’t pollute the air.

13. Controlling Air Pollution from Industry • The Clean Air Act forces industries to use scrubbers. • Scrubbers are devices that attach to smokestacks to remove some of the more harmful pollutants before they are released into the air. • They prevent 22 million metric tons of ash from being released into the air each year.