5.1 Air Pollution, Indoor and Outdoor

Question 1

Air Pollution

Answer 1

Primary Pollutants
- Transportation
- Powerplants
- Industries using incinerators and coal burning stoves

Secondary Pollutants
- When primary pollutants react with sunlight and other atmospheric components to form new harmful compounds.
- Carbon Monoxide

Question 2

Regulation for Air Pollution

Answer 2

Clear Air Act (CAA) - 1963
- Based on Voluntary Compliance

Clear Air Act (CAA) - 1970
- Emission standards for automobiles, new industries, and urban areas.

• Standards were created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• These are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Question 3

EPA

Answer 3

• Responsible for enforcing standards to limit air pollution.
• They calculate air pollution with Air Quality Index (AQI)

Question 4

Air Quality Index

Answer 4

0-50 - Good - No Risk

51-100 - Acceptable - Moderate concern for those who are usually sensitive to air pollution

101-500 - Sensitive - General public not affected but sensitive groups experience health effects

151-200 - Unhealthy - Everyone may experience health effects and sensitive groups experience more severe effects

201-300 - Very Unhealthy - Health Alert (everyone experiences serious health effects)

300+ - Hazardous - Health warning of emergency conditions. Entire population is affected

Question 5

Air Quality Index

Answer 5

Measures
- Carbon monoxide
- Nitrogen dioxide
- Ground-level ozone
- Particulate matter
- Sulfur dioxide

Question 6

Indoor Air Pollutants

Answer 6

• Comes from cleaning products, radon, tobacco building material, etc.

Examples
- Mold (can cause allergic reactions and asthma) - Biogenic pollutant
- Radon (second leading cause of lung cancer) - seeps into home through soil, rocks and water. Homeowners should test for this.