Atmospheric Pollutants Flashcards
Air pollution
Chemicals, particulate matter, and microorganisms introduced into air hat harmful concentrations towards plants, animals, materials, buildings/alters ecosystems.
Clean Air Act of 1970
Identified six criteria air pollutants for EPA to use: SO2, NO2, CO, PM, tropospheric O3, and lead.
EPA required what in 2010
For there to be greenhouse gas limits, including carbon dioxide.
SO2 sources
Anth: Combustion of any fossil fuels, mainly coal burning power plants (electricity generation), oil, and diesel gasoline.
Natural: Volcanic eruptions.
SO2 impacts (Env.)
SO2 gas harms stomata plant tissue
Sulfuric acid is harmful to aquatic life and some vegetation (acid rain):
-Push outside pH tolerance
-mobilizes metals, leaching important nutrients leached while aluminum/mercury ions are toxic.
-damages fish eggs
SO2 impacts (human health)
Respiratory (lung) irritant, can exacerbate asthma and other repiratory ailments (like bronchitis), indirectly increasing mucus production.
-Acid deposition can damage statues, monuments, and buildings. (historically and religiously significant).
-Communities downwind of coal burning plants most affected
SO2 mitigation
Wet/Dry Scrubbers remove the sulfur dioxide waste from being emitted in industrial power plants/coal burning factories. (fluidized bed combustion, combines SO2 with calcium carbonate, making gypsum wallboard).
- Baghouse filters
-switch to cleaner coal
-Add limestone to soils/water
-Allowances from Cap and Trade program
CO sources
Anth: Incomplete combustion of any kind due to lower temp/not enough O2
-malfunctioning/poorly ventilated exhaust systems. EX: natural gas indoor heating
-Poorly ventilated cooking fires (stoves, furnaces)
-Common in developing countries using manure, charcoal, and kerosene (Combustion of subsistence fuels)
-Can be cars, trucks, engines, factories… mainly highway vehicles + other mobile sources
Nat: Volcanic eruptions, forest fires
Order of dirtiest to cleanest fuel burning
Coal - Oil - Natural Gas… all have some pollutants.
CO impacts (human health)
Carbon monoxide bonds to hemoglobin, interfering with oxygen transport in the blood.
-headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness.
-younger children are at risk with higher respiratory rate
CO impacts (environment)
Dangerous for organism to breath, possibly global warming.
PM sources
Anth: Combustion of fossil fuels and biomass - mainly stationary fuel Combustion from industrial and power plants.
Agriculture, road construction, mining, clear-cutting, dirt-kicking activities.
(Diesel is worse than gasoline).
Smoke (fires cigarettes, unvented heaters, cooking stoves that burn wood, charcoal, and animal dung -subsistence fuels)
Mold develops in wet, dark, damp places that aren’t ventilated.
Natural:forest fires, volcanoes, and dust storms.
-Pollen
-Plant/fungi spores
-bacteria
-Dust, dust mites
-airborne soil
PM Impacts (human Health)
-Eye irritants can exacerbate respiratory and (correlated to) cardiovascular disease such as asthma or emphysema, bronchitis (especially dust and black mold)
Reduce visibility and contribute to haze/smog: Reduce lung function, higher incidence of lung cancer.
Premature death.
PM2.5 vs PM10
-pm2.5 smaller = most dangerous, lower respiratory concern - more likely to travel deeper into lungs and heart. Associated with bronchitis and increased risk of lung cancer/heart failure. .
PM-10 (less (=)than 10 micrometers) upper respiratory concern. Too small to be filtered by nose hairs, irritate the respiratory tract and cause inflammation.
PM impacts (environment)
-part of smog
-Contributes to haze, reducing visibility. (due to scattering of sunlight)
PM Mitigation
Electrostatic precipitators
Wet and dry scrubbers
-baghouse filter
-Remove mold by fixing water leak or ventilation issue
Lead sources
Natural traces found in rock/soil. Burned in coal, oil, a gasoline additive (which was banned in 1970 under ACC)
-Old paint.
-rarely enters water source
.
Lead impacts (Human Health)
low concentrations - Impairs the central nervous system, impedes learning and concentration.
-behavioral disorders
-lowered IQ
(ADULTS) - hypertension/cardiovascular disease
-Children have smaller bodies and develop brain/nervous
Pb Mitigation
Stopped putting lead in paint and gasoline - phased out, and the amount of lead has plummeted.
-Concentrations have dropped dramatically since the 70s
-Copper vs. lead pipes
Mercury Sources
-Combustion of coal and (medical) waste incineration.
-Gold mining
-primarily mining and combustion of coal
Mercury Impacts AND mitigation (Human health + environment)
-bioaccumulates in food chains, becoming toxic at a high level
-Impairs central nervous system
-Impedes learning and ability to concentrate.
Mitigate: Switch to cleaner coal - anthracite over lignite/bitumite.
O3 Source
Secondary pollutant (photochemical oxidants) formed from sunlight reacting on oxidants… Combination of sunlight, water, oxygen, VOCs, and NOX. Mainly anthropogenic
O3 Impacts (environment)
-Part of smog
-Decreases photosynthesis, decreasing primary productivity and collapsing ecosystems.
-Irritates the respiratory tract of animals.
-Enters plant through stomata and burns plant tissue, leading to leaf damage and reduced survival.
O3 Impacts (Human Health)
Reduces lung function (part of smog) + causes permanent damage to lung
-Worsens bronchitis and emphysema
-burning, itchy eyes, irritated nose, throat, coughing.
-can trigger asthma
–degrades rubber/plastic materials
O3 Mitigation
Reduce primary pollutants such as NOx and VOcs.
Regulatory care practices:
-Electric vehicles, motor vehicle restrictions
Technology:
-catalytic converters, wet/dry scrubbers, fluidized bed combustion, vapor recovery nozzles (on board), bag house filters.
Photochemical oxidants
Air pollutants formed when sunlight acts on chemical compounds such as nitrogen/sulfur dioxide.
Smog
Air pollutant -> mix of particulate matter and oxidants
CO2 sources/impacts
Nat: Forest fires (combustion of biomass),volcanic eruptions, Anaerobic/aerobic respiration and decomposition.
Anth: Combustion of fossil fuels, clearing of land
Impact: Excess CO2 warms temperatures (increases global climate change) and alters ecosystems.
VOC - Volatile Organic Compounds Sources
Nat: Terpenes released from plants (pine trees, firs, conifers. EX: Smoky mountains)
Anth: Evaporation of fuels, solvents, and paints.
-Adhesives/sealants: chemicals used to glue carpet down, hold materials together, seal panels. EX: formaldehyde as adhesive in building materials, treated wood, carpets, glues, and resins.
Cleaners: Common household cleaners and deodorizers.
Plastics/Fabrics: From adhesives used in production
Gas spillage/lawn mowers… gasoline, oil.
VOC - Volatile Organic Compounds Impacts
Environment - Part of 03 formation (Leads to photochemical smog formation)
Human - Headache, nausea, throat and eye irritations, fatigue.
VOC mitigation
catalytic converter
-pump gas at night
-vapor recovery nozzle, which vapors fumes from fuel tanks and return them to the tank underneath ground.
-onboard vapor recovery nozzle, refuses the gas.
-switch to natural over synthetic carpeting
-Water-based, instead of solvent based, paints and cleaners
Primary Pollutant
Comes directly from smokestack, exhaust pipe, or natural emission.
Secondary Pollutant
Primary Pollutant that transforms (chemical reaction) in the presence of water, sunlight, oxygen or other compounds
Examples of primary pollutants
NOx, SO2, CO, CO2, VOC and most PM
Examples of secondary pollutants
O3, sulferuic acid (SO4), and nitric acid (NO3)
All criteria air pollutants in the U.S. have decreased over time, with ____ decreasing the most
lead
Not all coal is equal… the more carbon it has,
The cleaner it is
Coal types, cleanest to dirtiest
-Anthracite (most carbon)
-Bituminous (more impurities like nitrogen, sulfer, mercury)
-Lignite (brown, most impurities)
New furniture and carpeting may release
formaldehyde, preservative and a wood and carpeting adhesive.
Sulfuous Smog
Dominated by sulfur dioxide, sulfate compounds,a ND particulate matter (london smog, gray smog, industrial smog)
Ozone levels are highest
Afternoon-evenings, when most sun can break the abundance of NO2 bonds into NO and O (O+O2 = O3)
Sublimate
converting from solid to gas/vapor
Photochemical Smog is caused by presence of
Sunlight. With more sunlight, more photochemical smog.
Natural Ozone Accumulation:
NO2 –> NO + O –> O2 + O = O3
Natural Ozone Destruction:
O3 + NO = NO2 + O2
Times of Ozone Destruction
Rush Hour in Evenings, more NO to recombine with O3
Mitigation of Photochemical smog
Decrease NO and VOCs sources, especially in urban areas with automobiles.
Thermal Inversion
Atmospheric condition in which relatively warm air covers a layer of cold, dens air below.
Inversion layer
Layer of warm air that traps emissions in thermal Inversion
Affects of thermal inversions
Leads to severe pollution events that cause respiratory issues (carbon monoxide poisoning case in China) since pollutants aren’t dispersed/diluted.
PANS are a
secondary pollutant found in photochemical smog - photochemical oxidans
Ozone and PANS come from
NO + VOCs
Ozone is higher in
warm, sunny conditions.
______ ____ create the primary pollutants necessary to the formation of photochemical smog
Motor Vehicles
NO2 levels are highest in
morning from rush hour (vehicles)
Affects of formaldehyde
Burning eyes, throat, asthma difficulties
Abestos
Long, thin fiberous mineral with insulating properties. Causes cancer when inhaled.
Mitigation of abestos
Properly removed by professionals to avoid making air worse + with proper respiratory protection equipment, proper ventilation, and plastic to seal off the area from the rest of the house.
Abestos health affects
-lung cancer, chronic lung condition.
-respiratory disease, including mesothelioma, asbestosis.
(not dangerous until disturbed and enters the atmosphere.)
Developing countries main indoor air pollutant problems
Open stoves that burn coal, manure, and wood, with poor ventilation. Cases carbon dioxide. Entire area poor, so ventilation doesn’t help much.
Developed countries main indoor air pollutant problems
Tightly sealed buildings with little ventilation (offices). Exposes occupants to pollutants for long periods. More materials made of VOCs (with formaldehyde).
Developing countries experience the worst indoor air pollution, contributing to
deaths from pneumonia, heard disease, pulmonary disease.
Main three indoor air pollution particulates
Smoke, dust, mold,
Dust sources/effects
Particulate matter, dead skin cells, outdoor pollen, dirt, dust mites, outdoor bacteria. Asthma, skin/repository allergic reactions.
Smoke sources/effects
Fires/tobaccos.
Respiratory infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, cancer risk.
Mold sources/effects
(fingal growth that spreads on damp organic matter) Moist, dark environments - kitchens, bathrooms, basements. Cause allergies, lung inflammations, and asthma,
CO sources in developed countries
Exhaust air from malfunctioned (natural) gas heater
CO sources in developing countries
open-pit fires lacking proper fuel/air mix to complete combustion and/or ventilation
As temperature increases for smog…
VOCs evaporate more, and chemical reaction rate increases. Sunny areas with high temperatures have higher smog concentrations.
3.2 million deaths worldwide linked to
indoor air pollution, mainly in developing countries
NOx sources
Nat: Volcanic eruptions, lightning strikes, forest fires, microbial activity in soil
Anth: Combustion of fossil fuels and biomass - mainly motor vehicles (highway), some stationary combustion/combustion of subsistence fuels, and coal impurities.
NOx impacts (environmental)
Leads to production of ozone
(hence leads to formation of photochemical smog)
-converted to nitric acid in the atmosphere (acid rain), harmful to aquatic ecosystems and vegetation. Mobilizes metals, leaching nutrients + mercury/aluminum ions are toxic
-Changing pH impacting aquatic organisms:
Mucus in gills, harder to breathe
Cells don’t maintain balance
Eggs don’t hatch-damaged
NOx impact (human health)
Respiratory irritant, increases susceptibility to respiratory infection (like bronchitis,
NOx mitigation
-Catalytic converters
-Enforce emission testing and standards for vehicles
-For cars, increase fuel efficiency, use public transportation, bike/walk.
-higher running engines, higher fuel standards/cleaner coals.
-Add limestone to soils/water
-Lower temp with fluidized bed combustion
-Regulatory practice: motor vehicle restrictions
Noise pollution sources
Ocean: Sonar, mechanical systems/propellers on ships, underwater guns/vessels/machinery.
Land: Traffic, construction and domestic/industrial activities, trains, airplanes, industrial landfills, incinerators, and recycling centers
Noise pollution Impact (Environmental)
Wildlife may experience
stress, hearing damage, interfere with mating calls and communication. (bats/whales, dolphins, seals, marine animals use echolocation, can get lost and beach themselves or won’t be able to hunt)
-overall reduces health, reproduction, and communication
Masks sounds making it difficult for: Predators to find prey/prey to elude predators
Animals avoid migration route from machinery/transportation (no area to rest, eat)
Noise Pollution Impact (Human Health)
Anything above 85 is considered harmful:
-Hearing changed –> damaged
Stress-related illnesses (+ sleep disruption)
Hormonal disruption
High blood pressure
Difficulty concentrating
Noise Pollution mitigation
ships with quieter propellers
Radon (rn) sources
Nat: Natural radioactive gas produced decay of uranium found in some rocks and soils (granite, can’t see or smell)
Anth:
Infiltrates from soil below the house, enters homes via the basement cracks in the walls or foundation.
Dissolves into groundwater and enter homes through well water/drinking water..
Radon Impacts (Human Health)
Can cause lung cancer, (radioactive particles damage DNA in lung tissue)
radon-induced lung cancer is second leading cause of cancer
Radon Mitigation
Make sure to test, especially if in Ann Arbor
-ventilate beneath home and home/basement.
-Seal cracks and vent
-Test with radon monitor, perform tests
