Air Quality Flashcards
Who determines air quality and regulates activities as a federal agency?
Environmental Protection Agency EPA
Who determines air quality and regulates activities on state level?
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality ADEQ
At what level does the EPA dictate activities?
101 or above
“Unhealthy for sensitive groups”
What does Ozone do
Protects us from Suns harmful rays
What happens when Ozone occurs at ground level?
Mixes with air we breathe and causes health risks
Levels of air
Ground up
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
How is Ozone created?
Fossil fuels + sunlight
When light is involved in reactions
Photochemical Reactions
Particulate Matter (PM)
Small airborne solids
Can be solid or liquid
PM pollution consists of materials including…
Dust, smoke, soot
Particles come from…
Natural sources and human activities
Determinants of PM
Weather Patterns Wind Inversion Turbulence Precipitation Topography
Does size matter?
Larger particles stay trapped in nose/throat
Small particles reach the lungs
What is an inversion
An inversion is an extremely stable layer of the ground level atmosphere that forms over areas. Temperature inversions trap pollutants close to the ground.
Main sources and categories of all the pollutants
Stationary Sources
Mobile sources
Natural sources
Primary Pollutants
CO CO2 SO2 NO NO2
The 5 main Air Quality types
Ozone Particulate matter CO NOx SOx
Secondary Pollutants
SO3
HNO3
H3SO4
O3
Problems with bad air
Asthma
Premature death
Lung cancer
Heart attack
What can we do to help air quality?
Drive less Tires inflated Carpool Refuel after 6pm Use alternative fuel vehicles
Other Gaseous pollutants…
SO2
NO2
CO
