Clean Air: Is It Safe to Breathe? Flashcards
Air pollution events
Weather inversion in London, 1952 - more than 4,000 deaths
Donora, Pennsylvania in 1948 - similar weather inversion
Smog in Los Angeles in 1950s and 1960s
Clean Air Act of 1970
Clean Air Act of 1970
Set air quality standards, limited some major pollutants, and mandated emission reduction of autos and factories
What are the criteria air pollutants?
Particulate matter Sulfur dioxide Carbon monoxide Nitrogen oxides Ozone Lead
What is particulate matter?
- The most visible air pollution form
* Six cities study found that death rates were higher in the most polluted cities.
when did EPA set standards for PM10
1987
In 1997, 2006, and 2012 the EPA set more stringent standards for
PM2.5`
Sulfur dioxide
•Combustion of sulfur-containing fuel
-especially coal
Sulfur Dioxide causes
Irritation of respiratory tracts
Acid rain
Potential for causing respiratory damage
Carbon monoxide
especially harmful to?
causes what?
Highly toxic gas
Especially harmful to patients with cardiovascular disease
It causes headaches and impairs metal processes
responsible for yellowish-brown appearance of smog
Nitrogen Oxides
What does nitrogen oxides contribute to?
Respiratory tract irritation
Acid rain
Ozone formation
Ozone:
- Is a highly reactive variant of oxygen
* Is produced by sunlight acting on other air pollutants
Effects of Ozone
Irritates eyes and respiratory system
•Increases mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
Lead:
damages what?
poses special risks to?
when was lead gasoline banned
Damages nervous system, blood, and kidneys
•Poses special risk to the development of children’s intellectual abilities
1980s
Other Air Pollutants:
asbestos, mercury, beryllium, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, radionuclides, and coke oven emissions
Strategies for Motor Vehicles:
- Tailpipe emissions limits
- Vapor recovery systems on gasoline pumps
- Inspection and maintenance requirements
- Requirements that auto makers develop zero emission vehicles
- Public transportation development
- Encouraging carpooling
Strategies for Industrial Sources
•Scrubbers on smokestacks
•Less polluting fuels (limits on high-sulfur coal)
•Market approach: buy and sell pollution allowances
•New Source Review provision-Industry has flouted the rules
-Lawsuits have been pressed by states
-Bush Administration replaced this provision with the weaker Clear Skies Initiative
•Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
Good News about air pollution:
- Air pollution has decreased 54% since 1970
* California, with the worst pollution, has instituted many special regulations and incentives with some success.
Indoor Air Quality:
people tend to develop what syndrome? what is it?
what are sources of indoor air pollurion
-“Sick building syndrome”
- it is when people lose their sickness when they are already outside
•Sources of indoor air pollution are:
-Tobacco smoke
-Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces
-Gas ranges and furnaces
-Radon
Indoor Air Quality: Radon
is the danger clear?
where does it come from?
- Danger is unclear
* It seeps up from soil and rock
Indoor Air Quality: 1)Formaldehyde & 2)Consumer products
1)•Insulation, particleboard, plywood, some floor coverings, and textiles
•Regulated by Dept. of Housing and Urban Developme
2)•Pesticides, dry-cleaning solvents, paints and paint thinners, hair spray, and air fresheners
•Use with caution.
Indoor Air Quality: 1)Microbes & 2)Allergens
1)•Legionella
•Hantavirus
2)•Mold, house mites, and animal dander
Global Effects of Air Pollution
how does it affect the environment?
- Acid rain damages forests and crops, turns lakes and rivers acidic, and kills fish and plants
- Depletion of the ozone layer - due to CFCs but production is banned by Montreal Protocol in 1987
greenhouse effect and global warming
- carbon dioxide
OTHERU INITIATIVES IN URBAN ARES
in LA
in California
LA
- to not use charcoal lighter fluid
- use of electric mowers
California
- rather than in ports, deliveries should be done inland
- using newer, cleaner models of diesel trucks
