Air%20Pollution

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Air Pollution

• London fog in the time of Dickens

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Air Pollution Resources

• Air Quality Index (AQI) http//airnow.gov
• Fleming and Kaplan, History of the Clean Air Act
  http//www.ametsoc.org/sloan/cleanair/

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Air Pollution

• Definition A concentration of substances in the
  atmosphere that may be detrimental to health,
  infrastructure, or environmental quality.
• Scales
• Personal, Indoor, Local, Regional, Global.
• Lungs, Buildings, Cities, Areas, the World
• Smoke, Toxins, Smog, Acids, O3 / CO2

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• Real air
• pollution
• from coal
• smoke

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Air is never 100 clean
90 Natural Sources Volcanoes, Sea Spray, Spores
and Pollen, Terpenes, Dust, Soot, Smoke from
Forest Fires 10 Anthropogenic Sources Agricultur
e, Industry, Transportation By accident or
design, every chemical species contributes to air
pollution.
But Anthropogenic Pollutants Are the most
toxic. Are emitted where people live, work, and
play. Typically have the highest
concentrations. Typically cause the greatest
health problems. Are mostly controllable.
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Pure food, fresh water, clean air
Freq. Amount Limit
Eating 3x 1 Kg 40 days
Drinking 6x 2 L 7 days
Breathing 24,000x 24,000 L 5 min.
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Multiplication of Adverse Effects
Toxicity x Concentration x Time x Biological
Vigor or Health Cumulative Adverse Effect on
Organism

• Since lungs are the smallest volume, toxic
  concentrations can be very high over a number of
  years, so habitual smoking or dangerous
  activities (such as coal mining) can have the
  greatest adverse health effects. This can also
  be exacerbated by respiratory infections and
  other health complications.

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• Smoking is the most hazardous pollutant to
  oneself and others.
• Smoking is a key factor in Mortality Statistics
  (Insurance Ratings).
• Nicotine is addictive, CO is toxic, and Tars are
  carcinogenic.
• Smoking is implicated in lung cancer, emphysema,
  and heart disease.
• Smoking also makes you vulnerable to other air
  pollutants (e.g. Radon).
• It makes your clothes stink, fouls your breath,
  and yellows your teeth.

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Indoor Air Pollution

• Indoor pollutants can be 10 to 1000 times more
  concentrated than the air outdoors.
• Your home can trap over 150 pollutants
• People spend about 90 of their time indoors.
• Colby came close to having sick building
  syndrome in Lovejoy in 1995 when it was painted
  and re-carpeted.

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Indoor Air Pollution
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Urban Pollution Bubble

• Factors that increase urban air pollution
• High concentration of sources vehicles,
  factories, homes.
• Lower wind speeds due to greater surface
  roughness.
• Basin drainage (many cities located in valleys).
• Temperature inversions common from heat island
  effect.

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• 1963 photo of a massive smog episode in New York
  City. (AP/Wide World Photo, EPA Journal Jan/Feb
  1990.)