Air Pollution Flashcards
Composition of unpolluted air
- Nitrogen (N2) – 78.1%
- Oxygen (O2) – 20.9%
- Argon (Ar) – 0.9%
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – 0.03%
- Neon (Ne) – 0.002%
- Helium (He) – 0.00052%
Man-made and natural emissions of air pollution
-Man-made industrial emissions from manufacturing
and power generating stations (reactant chemicals, air
toxins, fine particles).
-Natural emissions from forest fires, volcanic eruptions,
massive dust storms (toxic gases, fine particles).
-Combinations, such as meteorological and geological
conditions (inversions) along with industrial pollution.
Criteria air pollutants and National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Most common “criteria air pollutants” are regulated (limits set) according to health-based criteria: National Ambient Air Quality Standards:
- Ozone (O3)
- Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
- Sulfur Oxides (SOx)
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Particulate Matter (PM10, PM2.5)
- Lead
Primary vs. secondary standards/limits (i.e., what/who are they meant to protect)
-Primary standard limits protect human health.
-Secondary standard limits work to prevent
environmental and property damage.
Definition of inversions and how inversions can lead to increased air pollution in Utah
-Occur during the winter months when normal atmospheric conditions (cool air above, warm air below) become inverted.
-Inversions trap a dense layer of cold air under a layer
of warm air. The warm layer acts much like a lid,
trapping pollutants in the cold air near the valley floor.
-The Wasatch Front valleys and their surrounding
mountains act like a bowl, keeping this cold air in the
valleys. The snow-covered valley floors reflect rather
than absorb the heat from the sun, preventing the
normal vertical mixing of warm and cold air.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommendations for young children, pregnant women, and women of child-bearing age for consuming fish (mercury)
-Don’t eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish
(high levels of mercury).
-Eat up to 12 oz (2 average meals) a week of a variety
of fish & shellfish that are low in mercury - shrimp,
canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish. Albacore
tuna may have more mercury than canned “light”
tuna, so no more than 6 oz of albacore tuna per week.
-Check local advisories for safety of fish caught by
family & friends in your area; or eat up to 6 oz (1
average meal) per week of local fish, & consume no
other fish during that week.
Vehicle idling and how to reduce its frequency
-Vehicle exhaust = leading source of air pollution in
Utah
-Driver/passengers exposed to more pollutants than
vehicle in motion because exhaust enters cabin
-Unlike driving, idling is unnecessary
-Costs of idling
-Idling for 10 seconds uses same amount of gas as
restarting
-Increasing the number of vehicle starts by 6-10/day
does not increase operating costs
-Use common sense
-Don’t turn vehicle off if constantly needing to restart
it
-Park car and walk in rather than sitting in drive-thrus
-Never turn vehicle off in traffic unless long delay
and safe to do so
-Best way to warm up car is to drive it
-Don’t turn vehicle on before ready to leave
Ways to reduce car emissions (low cost)
-Do not let your car idle more than about ten seconds
-Combine car trips
-Avoid drive-up windows
-Reduce your car use
-Buy only cleaner Tier 3 (low sulfur) gasoline for your
car when it becomes available in your area
-Beware of red, orange, and yellow air-quality days
Ways to reduce house emissions (low cost)
-Avoid burning wood or coal indoors or out if at all
possible
-Adjust your house thermostat down a bit in the winter,
up in the summer
-Lower your water heater thermostat to reduce
emissions
-Close drapes and blinds at night in the winter to
reduce heat loss. Close them in the day during
summer
-Turn off computers, modems, and TVs at night
Ways to improve air quality (if you can buy some things)
-Replace your car with one that pollutes less
-Replace your gas-powered landscaping tools with
electric ones
-Replace your water heater with an ultra-low-NOx water
heater
-Improve your home insulation
-Install insulating blinds or drapes
-Replace your furnace with a high-efficiency one
-Replace a wood-burning stove or fireplace with natural
gas burners
-Install solar panels
-Plant trees on the south and west side of your house
to reduce air-conditioning use in the summer
-Replace your gas can (if you still have one) with a new
can that reduces leakage and spills
Be able to draw the figure of the human respiratory system and label its parts and regions
- Nasopharyngeal Region: <100 micrometers
- Nasal passage
- Nose hairs
- 90 degree turn
- Particle impaction
- throat
- sticky throat
- Nasal passage
- Tracheo-bronchial region: 5-10 micromemeters
- Trachea
- Cilia
- Mucous
- Bronchi
- Bronchioles
- Trachea
- Pulmonary Region: <5 micrometers
- Lung
- Alveoli
The body’s defense mechanisms for particulate matter air pollution
- Size of nostrils
- Nose hairs
- Sneezing
- Hydroscopic particle enlargement
- Inertial impaction
- Sticky throat
- Mucociliary escalator
- Immune cells (e.g., macrophages)
Sizes and sources of particles and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 24-hour and annual standards (i.e., limits) for particulate matter air pollution
PM10
- Fires (e.g., soot)
- 24-hour standard
- Primary: 150 μg/m3
- Secondary: 150 μg/m3
- Annual Standard
- None
PM2.5-PM10 (course fraction)
- Crustal sources (e.g., dirt, plant parts, etc.)
- 24-hour standard
- None
- Annual Standard
- None
PM2.5
- Combustion sources (e.g., fires, traffic)
- 24-hour standard
- 35 μg/m3
- Annual Standard
- Primary: 12 μg/m3
- Secondary: 15 μg/m3
Health effects of particles
-Respiratory
-Acute
• Asthma attacks
• Increased symptoms (e.g., if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
-Long-term
• Incidence of asthma
• Impaired lung development
• Diminished lung function
-Cardiovascular
-Acute
• Myocardial infarction
-Long-term
• Atherosclerosis
-Cancer
-Long-term
• Lung cancer
-Mortality
-Acute
• Respiratory causes
• Cardiovascular causes
-Long-term
• Shorter life-expectancy
• Respiratory causes
• Cardiovascular causes
-Other
-Acute
• Migraines/headaches
• Suicide
• Infectious diseases
-Long-term
• Autism
• Depression
• Birth Outcomes
N95 respirator/mask
95% efficient at blocking particles 0.3 µm in size.
