Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution

Name:

Topics: I. Introduction to Air Pollution (46) V. Indoor Air Pollutants (50) II. Photochemical Smog (47) VI. Reduction of Air Pollutants (48) III. Thermal Inversion (47) VII. Acid Rain (47) IV. Atmospheric CO2 and Particulates (46) VIII. Noise Pollution (44)

Vocabulary  Combustion  Primary/Secondary pollutant  Asbestos  Photochemical smog  Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)  Radon  Photochemical oxidant  PANs  Vapor recovery nozzle  Acid rain  Thermal inversion Smog  Catalytic converter  Ozone  Brown smog  Wet/Dry scrubbers  Air quality  Industrial smog  Electrostatic precipitators  Diesel fuel  Gray smog  Acid deposition  Clean Air Act  Sick building syndrome  Sulfur dioxide  Environmental Protection  Particulates  Limestone Agency (EPA)  Carbon monoxide  Corrosion  Lead  Asphyxiant  Noise pollution  Criteria pollutants I. Introduction to Air Pollution (Module 46)

Objectives:  Identify the sources and effects of air pollutants.  Discuss the emissions from fossil fuel combustion.  Discuss the effects of pollution on air quality.  Explain the provisions of the Clean Air Act.  Define primary and secondary pollutants.

Air pollution is a ______ Introduction of ______into the atmosphere at concentrations high enough to harm plants, animals, and materials such as buildings, or to alter ecosystems

List the four major sources of emissions from the graphic:

Major Air Pollution legislation = ______ Requires the EPA to develop and enforce regulations to protect the general public from exposure to airborne contaminants that are known to be hazardous to human health  Federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level  Regulated the use of lead; decreased amount of lead in atmosphere  Estimate of yearly deaths prevented: ______

Get your NOSCLPs! Six Criteria Pollutants identified by Clean Air Act that threaten humans and the environment

1.  Motor vehicle and fossil fuel combustion  Natural: forest fires, lightning, soil microbes  Respiratory irritant, acid rain, smog 2.

 Secondary pollutant formed by sunlight and water reacting with VOCs, NOx, and O2  Respiratory irritant, damages plants

Type of Molecule Location Formation Issues Consequences Ozone:

“Good”

“Bad”

3.  From combustion of coal and oil (naturally from volcanoes and forest fires)  Respiratory irritant, affects plant tissues 4. formed during ______of most matter  Vehicle exhaust, other combustion  Especially dangerous indoors with poor ventilation—manure, charcoal, kerosene 

5. ______: from gasoline (phased out by 1996), paint in older buildings, pipes (Flint!)  Toxic to the CNS of living organisms 6.  Combustion of fossil fuels and biomass  Diesel much worse than gasoline  Road dust, rock-crushing, volcanoes, fires, dust storms  Can block sunlight, preventing ______

Other major air pollutants (not criteria):  ______o Hydrocarbons from building supplies and household products o Examples: benzene, toluene, formaldehyde  ______o Coal, oil, gold mining o Concentrations have increased in fish (______) o Toxic to CNS (Central Nervous Systems)  ______: Fossil Fuel Combustion o Part of carbon cycle—at normal levels, not a problem o GHG (______)—affects climate and alters ecosystems

Primary Pollutants: Secondary Pollutants:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/12/whites-are-mainly-blame-air-pollution-blacks- hispanics-bear-burden-says-new-study/ Washington Post

1. What is the “pollution advantage” and the “pollution burden”?

2. Can you summarize how this occurs?

3. What are the solutions the article offers?

II. Photochemical Smog (Module 47)

Objective:  Describe the two categories of smog and their formation.  Discuss the environmental factors that impact photochemical smog formation.  Discuss harmful effects of photochemical oxidants and smog.  Discuss ways to reduce formation of smog.

https://timeline.com/la-smog-pollution-4ca4bc0cc95d

*** 2 Main Categories of Smog ***

What are ______(VOCs)?

 Diverse group—ethanol, benzene, hexane, chloroform, acetone, ethers, many more  May be natural (______) or anthropogenic Ex.

 Almost every ______you SMELL is some sort of VOC  Range from harmless to VERY TOXIC (like formaldehyde)

5 Formation of Photochemical Smog:

 NOx and VOCs react with heat and sunlight  Ozone and other photochemical oxidants (such as PANs) are formed  Photochemical oxidants can enhance formation of particulates which scatter light

______: Reactive compounds that remove electrons from other substances  ______(peroxyacetyl nitrates), ______, aldehydes, other stuff  Negative effects:

o Harmful to plant tissues o Respiratory and eye problems o Damage to construction materials

How does ______affect formation of photochemical smog?

When are NOx compound concentrations highest? (early/mid/late day) Why?

When are ozone (oxidant) concentrations highest? (early/mid/late day) Why?

What are some harmful physiological effects of toxic smog on humans?

How can we reduce photochemical smog? o o ______to improve gas mileage and reduce emissions o Fuel up during the ______of the day o Avoid products that release high levels of ______o Avoid ______yard equipment, like lawn mowers--use electric instead (or hand!)

Ted-Ed The Science of Smog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdbBwIgq4rs (5:43)

III. Thermal Inversion (Module 47)

Objective:  Describe thermal inversion and its relationship with pollution.

Remember the normal temperature gradient in the atmosphere 

What does temperature do in the troposphere? Why?

An inversion means there will be a layer of warm air above a layer of cooler air.

8  layer of warm air traps cool air beneath it Draw:  ______get trapped  especially in ______

What situations lead to thermal inversions? • • • Areas of ______(Cali) • When radiation from the earth exceeds radiation received from the sun (like during ______) o At poles during the winter, nearly always present (over land) • ______in general, as the ocean retains heat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7i7N-je-aM 2:58 The Inversion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_U3TXHBt-0 2:24 Temperature Inversions

 Complete Smog City Computer Interactive

IV. Atmospheric CO2 and Particulates (Module 46)

Objective:  Describe natural sources of CO2 and particulates.

CO2 Particulate Matter

9 V. Indoor Air Pollutants (Module 50)

Objective:  Identify indoor air pollutants.

 In a year, a 6-room house accumulates ______lbs of dust with 45 toxic chemicals  ______is the leading chronic disease in children  People spend ______of their time indoors  Pollutant levels are ______inside compared to outside

Sources of Indoor Pollutants Examples

Natural Anthropogenic Combustion

Radon   

How does Radon infiltrate homes? • ______and enters homes via the basement or cracks in the walls or foundation • ______that enters homes through a well Unit of measurement = ______EPA recommended action level = ______This is the equivalent of ______chest x-rays The most radon in our homes comes from the ______(70%) Radon is the ______cause of lung cancer

Developing countries: Developed countries:

Unidentified illnesses with unspecified causes, often affecting office workers may be a result of ______

VI. Reduction of Air Pollutants (Module 48)

Objective:  Explain how air pollutants can be reduced at the source.

Methods to reduce air 2. pollutants

113.

______: prevents fumes from escaping into the atmosphere when fueling a motor vehicle

______: device for internal combustion engines that converts pollutants in exhaust into less harmful molecules

______: remove particulates and/or gases from industrial exhaust streams 1. ______scrubbers • Introduces the dirty gas stream with a scrubbing liquid – typically water • Particulate or gases are collected in the scrubbing liquid • generally the most appropriate device for collecting both particulate and gas in a single system 2. ______scrubbers  dry reagents are sprayed into an exhaust stream  Pollutants are neutralized, or  react and turn into a different substance  That substance then falls out of the gas stream or is caught in a particle screen Coal-burning power plants use scrubbers, including  ______dirt particles gain an negative charge from one wire or plate before being attracted to a second wire or plate with a positive electric charge for collection and disposal Would this be a wet or dry scrubber? Also in Coal Power Plants:  ______: • Reduce SO2 (sulfur dioxide) emissions • Burn coal near CaCO3 (calcium carbonate)—produces CaSO4 (sheetrock)

12 Solutions

Local control measures may place all sorts of regulations, incentives, fees or fines. Examples:

VII. Acid Deposition (Module 47)

Objective:  Describe acid deposition.  Describe the effects of acid deposition on the environment.

Wet Deposition

Dry Deposition

Sources of Acid Deposition

Nitrogen Oxides Sulfur Oxides

Natural

Anthropogenic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIXZGJ4QF9E What does acid rain do to your body? (5:12)

Harmful Impacts  Communities that are ______from power plants are at the most risk  Soil and water ______ ______of human-made structures (buildings, bridges, statues)

Regional differences in soils and bedrock affect degree of harmful impact  ______bedrock (______) can neutralize acid rain (______ability!)

VIII. Noise Pollution (Module 44)

Objective:  Describe human activities that result in noise pollution and its effects.

 sound at levels high enough to cause ______

14 Sources of Noise

Effects on Children and other Humans

Effects on other Organisms