SCI218 Audio Lecture 2 with Instructor Wasim

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Topic Selection

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Air Pollution

Upcoming Discussion 2-1

In the United States, the Clean Air Act sets national ambient air quality standards for six common air pollutants: particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), ground-level ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and lead (Pb). Read about each of these, their common sources, and the Air Quality Index (AQI) at this Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) site: Six Common Air Pollutants. Expand your understanding of the health effects of the different types of air pollutants, specifically the issues associated with indoor air pollution, by reading Section IV of the Encyclopedia of Energy. Compare the differences in indoor air pollution and how it differs between industrialized and developing nations.

Select a city or region in any country in the world and research the typical air quality and possible sources of pollutants for that area. Then note what area you selected and describe why it particularly interested you. Describe what the sources of emissions are in this area. How has this changed over time?

Discussion 2-1 continued

NOTE: Make sure you read through your classmates’ posts so that you are not covering a city or region that someone else has already researched. Use web searches such as “air quality in (insert city or region that you are interested in learning more about).”

Then, research the air quality where you currently live. Note the region you are in and summarize your findings, including main sources of emissions for your region. How has this changed over time?

In response to your classmates, discuss how air quality where you live compares to the cities and regions presented by your classmates. Are you surprised or concerned about any of the information? Finally, determine and discuss what choices an individual can make—globally and locally—to reduce emissions that lead to air pollution.

Why Should You CareAbout Air Pollution?

Air pollution

- Presence of chemicals

- Human, organism, ecosystem or object harm

- Caused by pollutants

- Natural

- Man-caused

- Indoor and outdoor

- US 150K-300K deaths/y

What Do You Need to Know?

The Nature of the Atmosphere

Mixture of gases that surround earth

- Made up of layers

- Troposphere near surface

- Stratosphere highest

- Ozone layer between

- Absorbs harmful UV

Major Air Pollutants

Major air pollutants

- Sulfur dioxide

- Sulfuric acid and sulfate salts

- Nitrogen compounds

- Carbon oxides

- Ozone

- Volatile organic compounds

- Particulates

- Primary and secondary pollutants

What Are the Problems?Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor air pollution most serious health problem

- Greater problem in less-developed countries

- Open fires for heating and cooking

- Kills more people than outdoor

- Tobacco smoke

- Chemicals from manufacturing

- Radon gas

Acid Deposition

Acidic particles droplets falling from the air

- Sulfur dioxide

- Coal burning

- Motor vehicles

- Droplets of sulfuric acid

- Nitric acid vapor

- Particles of sulfate and nitrate

- Damages soil and structures

Natural Atmospheric Warming

Greenhouse effect

- Atmosphere stores heat

- Greenhouse gases

- Water vapor

- CO2

- Methane

- Nitrous oxide

- Solar energy passes through atmosphere

- Changed

- Reflected back by troposphere

Climate Change

Earth’s atmosphere has been warming

- Very rapid recently

- Strong link to burning fossil fuels

- Glaciers shrinking in many places

- Sea ice reductions in arctic

- Many potential impacts

- Flooding

- Storm intensity

- Changes in ecosystems

Reducing Indoor Air Pollution

Two largest threats

- Tobacco smoke

- Often banned in public places

- Education programs

- Indoor fires

- Replace leaky stoves

- Use no-combustion cooking

- Low-emission building materials

Reducing Outdoor Air Pollution

Variety of methods, most technological

- Low emission cars

- Reduce factory emissions

- Avoid producing emissions in first place

- Clear Air Act of 1970, 1977 and 1990

- Limits on six key pollutants