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Air Pollution

Air Pollution. WHAT IS AIR?. Air is the ocean we breathe S upplies us with oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live Air is 99.9%: Nitrogen O xygen W ater vapor Inert gases

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Air Pollution

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  1. Air Pollution

  2. WHAT IS AIR? • Air is the ocean we breathe • Supplies us with oxygenwhich is essential for our bodies to live • Air is 99.9%: • Nitrogen • Oxygen • Water vapor • Inert gases • Human activities can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

  3. WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION • Air pollution comes from many different sources: • Factories • Power Plants • Cars • Windblown Dust • Wildfires • Air pollution threatens the health of: • Humans • Trees • Lakes • Crops • Animals • Ozone Layer • Air pollution also causes: • Haze, reducing visibility

  4. How Pollution Is Formed Primary vs. Secondary • Primary Pollutants: emitted directly from a source • Secondary Pollutants: formed in the atmosphere as a result of interactions between 2 or more chemicals in the air

  5. Sources of Pollutants #1- Stationary Sources • Larger sources of pollution that are always in the same place • Oil/Chemical Refineries • Power Plants • Factories

  6. Sources of Pollutants #2- Area Sources • Smaller sources of pollution that are always in the same place • Dry Cleaners • Auto Body Shops • Volcanoes • Forest Fires

  7. Sources of Pollutants #3- Mobile Sources • Travel from one place to another • Cars • Buses • Trucks

  8. Physical Phases of Pollutants • Gaseous- chemicals in their low-density, elastic, aeriform state • Particulate: small solid fragments light enough to be suspended in the air

  9. Regulatory Categories Criteria Air Pollutants vs. Hazardous Air Pollutants • Criteria: US Government Top 6 Common Pollutants: • Carbon Monoxide • Lead • Nitrogen • Ozone • Particulate Matter • Sulfur Dioxide • Causes: • Premature Mortality • Asthma Attacks • Acid Rain

  10. Regulatory Categories Criteria Air Pollutants vs. Hazardous Air Pollutants • Hazardous: chemical which can cause adverse effects to human health or the environment, almost 200 of these chemicals have been identified • Causes: • Cancer • Birth Defects

  11. Risk and Health Effects of Air Pollutants • 130 million people live in countries with unhealthily air

  12. Possible Health Effects • Carcinogenic- can cause cancer, these compounds are found in indoor and polluted outdoor urban air • Respiratory- impacts lungs and breathing • Neurological- impacts the nerve and brain development • Immunological- affects the body's immune system • Reproductive: affects ability to have babies • Developmental: affects the proper physical/mental development • Circulatory: affects the circulation of blood/heart function

  13. Ecological Effects • Acid Rain- caused when fossil fuel emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides combines with water in the atmosphere • Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6 • Acid Rain Causes: • Decay of building materials • Paints • Statues • Sculptures • Death to plants • Death to aquatic life

  14. Ecological Effects • Global Warming- the increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere • Ozone Depletion: the ozone layer in the stratosphere protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, air pollution causes the layers of the ozone to deplete • Smog- smoke, fog, mixture of air pollutants which form a haze in the air

  15. Ways To Detect Air Pollution • Smell: some chemicals can be identified by their smell • Chlorine • Hydrogen Sulfide (smells like rotten eggs) • Sight: smog, haze, smoke • Taste: pollutants like sulfur can actually be detected with the tongue (tastes metallic)

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