"If a man is a fool, you don't train him out of being a fool by sending him to university. You merely turn him into a trained fool, ten times more dangerous." -Desmond Bagley-

Eagles may soar in the clouds, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines. 

-Jason Hutchison-

AIR POLLUTIONANYTHING IN AIR THAT CAN HARM LIVING ORGANISMS.EXAMPLES – GROUND LEVEL OZONECARBON DIOXIDESULFUR DIOXIDEFINE PARTICULATESFREON

GROUND LEVEL OZONE IS NOT EMITTED DIRECTLY INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. IT IS THE RESULT OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS DRIVEN BY HEAT AND SUNLIGHT.

GROUND LEVEL OZONE IS A “SUMMERTIME” POLLUTANT SINCE HEAT AND SUNLIGHT ARE NEEDED TO FORM IT.

VOC+NOx+HEAT+Sunlight=Ozone THE VOC’S IN THE EQUATION ARE VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. THESE ARE UNBURNED OR PARTIALLY BURNED HYDROCARBONS AND ARE USUALLY THE RESULT OF AUTOMOBILE EMISSIONS.

THE NOX IN THE EQUATION REPRESENTS OXIDES OF NITROGEN - USUALLY NO OR NO2.

OXIDES OF NITROGEN ARE FORMED IN THE COMBUSTION OF FOSSIL FUELS AS ARE VOC’S.

WHY ARE WE WORRIED ABOUT IT?

LONG TERM EXPOSURE TO OZONE CAN PERMANENTLY DAMAGE LUNG TISSUE.

AT LOW LEVELS, IT CAN AGGRAVATE ASTHMA, INCREASE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES SUCH AS BRONCHITIS AND PNEUMONIA, AND REDUCE LUNG CAPACITY.

IT CAN ALSO DAMAGE FOLIAGE OF PLANTS.

GROUND LEVEL OZONE IS THOUGHT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOSS OF 1 TO 2 BILLION DOLLARS IN CROP YIELDS EACH YEAR.

HOW DO WE CONTROL IT?EPA’S STRATAGIES ARE:

Reducing NOx emissions from power plants and industrial combustion sources

Introducing low-emission cars and trucks

Burning gasoline reformulated to reduce VOC, NOx, and other emissions.

EPA’S PRIMARY STANDARD IS 0.075 ppm OVER AN 8 HOUR PERIOD.

htpp://www.epa.gov/airnow EPA RUNS A WEB SITE THAT GIVES UP TO DATE INFORMATION OF GROUND LEVEL OZONE CONCENTRATIONS.

VARIATION OF OZONE WITH TIME OF DAY

STRATOSPHERIC OZONE

THE STRATOSPHERIC OZONE LAYER IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT KEEPS 95-99% OF THE UV RADIATION FROM STRIKING THE EARTH’S SURFACE.

UV RADIATION COULD BE HARMFUL TO SURFACE LIFE BECAUSE:

1. COULD CAUSE EYE DAMAGE

2. COULD CAUSE GENETIC DAMAGE

3. COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO MARINE LIFE

OZONE FORMATION IN THE STRATOSPHERE

1. UV RADIATION BREAKS AN OXYGEN MOLECULE APART

2. THE OXYGEN ATOM REACTS WITH AN OXYGEN MOLECULE, BUT ANOTHER MOLECULE MUST ABSORB SOME OF THE ENERGY

OZONE DESTRUCTION BY SOLAR RADIATION – AN OZONE MOLECULE ABSORBS UV RADIATION AND IS SPLIT APART

SOLAR RADIATION IS STRONGEST IN THE TROPICS, SO MOST OF THE OZONE IS FORMED THERE AND MIGRATES TO THE POLES.

OZONE CAN ALSO BE DESTROYED BY ATOMIC CHLORINE AND BROMINE.

THESE CAN BE PRODUCED IN THE STRATOSPHERE BY PHODISSOCIATION OF FREONS.

1,1,1-TRICHLOROFLUOROMETHANE – FREON 11

IMAGE OF LARGEST OZONE HOLE OVER ANTARTICA – SEPTEMBER 2006

THE FACT THAT THE OZONE LAYER WAS BEING DEPLETED AND A HOLE WAS FORMING OVER ANTARCTICA WAS NOTICED IN 1974.

THE UN SPONSORED CONFRENCES, AND IN 1987 THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL WAS SIGNED.

A STRONGER AGREEMENT WAS REACHED IN 1992 IN COPENHAGEN WHERE 100 COUNTRIES REPRESENTING 95% OF THE WORLD’S FREON CONSUMPTION AGREED TO PHASE OUT THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF FREONS.

THE BAN HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO HALOCARBON SOLVENTS SUCH AS METHYL CHLORIDE AND CARBON TETRACHLORIDE.