Air Pollution

Air Pollution

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Pollution: There are different types of pollution: 1. Air Pollution 2. Thermal Pollution 3. Land Pollution 4. Pesticide Pollution 5. Radiation Pollution 6. Noise Pollution 7. Water Pollution 2

Pollution: Today, We are going to see here about:

Air Pollution

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Air Pollution: It is the accumulation in the atmosphere of substances that endanger human health or produce other measured effects on living matter and other materials.

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Air Pollution: Among the major sources of pollution are power and heat generation, the burning of solid wastes, industrial processes, and, especially, transportation.

The six major types of pollutants are carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulates, sulfur dioxide, and photochemical oxidants. 5

Causes of Air pollution: (a) Smog  It can be loosely defined as a multisource of the

widespread air pollution that occurs in the air of cities. Smog, a contraction of the words smoke and fog, has been caused throughout recorded history by water condensing on smoke particles, usually from burning coal. The infamous London fogs--about 4,000 deaths were attributed to the severe fog of 1952--were smog of this type. Another type, ice fog, occurs only at high latitudes and extremely low temperatures and is a combination of smoke particles and ice crystals.

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Smog in

Smog which occurred in British Columbia, Cairo in Lower Frazer Valley

Smog which occurred in United states

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Local and Regional Air Pollution: As coal economy has been replaced by petroleum economy, photochemical smog has become predominant in many cities. Its horrible properties result from the irradiation by sunlight of hydrocarbons (unburned gasoline emitted by automobiles) and other pollutants in the air. Irradiation produces a long series of photochemical reactions. The products of the reactions include organic particles, ozone, aldehydes, ketones and other oxidants. Sulfur dioxide oxidizes and hydrates to form sulfuric acid and becomes part of the particulate matter. 8

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 Who was responsible for original plans?

– How did that work? Right set of people?  Was project well defined from beginning? – Was there an actual written plan? – How was project plan communicated? – How well did that work?

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Automobiles are polluters even in the absence of photochemical reactions. They emit carbon monoxide, one of the most toxic constituents of smog. All types of smog decrease visibility and, with the possible exception of ice fog, are irritating to the respiratory system. Smog is a contributor to malignancies of many types: Photochemical smog :eye irritation and acrimation and causes severe damage to many types of vegetation, including important crops. Acute effects include an increased death rate. 11

Anthropogenic causes of Air pollution: 1.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

"Stationary Sources" as smoke stacks of power plants, manufacturing facilities, municipal waste incinerators "Mobile Sources" as motor vehicles, aircraft etc. Combustion-fired power plants Controlled burn practices used in agriculture and forestry management Motor vehicles generating air pollution emissions. Marine vessels, such as container ships or cruise ships, and related port air pollution.

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Burning wood, fireplaces, stoves, furnaces and incinerators 12

Natural causes of Air pollution:

1. Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or no vegetation. 2. Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by animals, for example cattle. 3. Radon gas from radioactive decay within the Earth's crust. 4. Smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires. 5. Volcanic activity, which produce sulphur, chlorine, and ash particulates. 13

Damages caused to Art works: Air pollution also has a deleterious effect on works of art. Taj Mahal is one example. Air pollution on a regional scale is in part the result of local air pollution-including that produced by individual sources, such as automobiles--that has spread out to encompass areas of many thousands of square kilometers. Meteorological conditions and landforms can greatly influence air-pollution concentrations at any given place, especially locally and regionally. 14

Most Polluted World Cities by PM Particulate matter, μg/m³ (2004)

City

169

Cairo, Egypt

150

Delhi, India

128

Kolkata, India (Calcutta)

125

Taiyuan, China

123

Chongqing, China

109

Kanpur, India

109

Lucknow, India

104

Jakarta, Indonesia

101

Shenyang, China

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Greenhouse effect and ocean acidification The greenhouse effect is a phenomenon whereby greenhouse gases, create a condition in the upper atmosphere causing a trapping of heat and leading to increased surface and lower troposphere temperatures. The effect prevents the planet from severe cooling, and so benefits all living things. It shares this property with many other gases, the largest overall forcing on Earth coming from water vapour. Other greenhouse gases include methane, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, NOx, and ozone. Currently, scientists are studying the role of changes in composition of greenhouse gases from natural and anthropogenic sources for the effect on climate change. A number of studies have also investigated the potential for longterm rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide to cause slight increases in the acidity of ocean waters and the possible effects of this on marine ecosystems. However, carbonic acid is a very weak acid, and is utilized by marine organisms during photosynthesis. 16

Pollution Damage to plants With the destruction and burning of the rain forests more and more CO2 is being released into the atmosphere. Trees play an important role in producing oxygen from carbon dioxide. "A 115 year old Beech tree exposes about 200,000 leaves with a total surface to 1200 square meters. During the course of one sunny day such a tree inhales 9,400 liters of carbon dioxide to produce 12 kilograms of carbohydrate, thus liberating 9,400 liters of oxygen ". This process is called photosynthesis which all plants go though but some yield more and some less oxygen. As long as no more wood is burnt than is reproduced by the forests, no change in atmospheric CO2 concentration will result. Pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and peroxyacl nitrates (PANs), cause direct damage to leaves of crop plants and trees when they enter leaf pores. Chronic exposure of leaves and needles to air pollutants can also break down the waxy coating that helps prevent excessive water loss and damage from diseases, pests, drought and frost. "In the Midwestern United States crop losses of wheat, corn, soybeans, and peanuts from damage by ozone and acid deposition amount to about $5 billion a year". 17

Health effects The World Health Organization states that 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution. Worldwide more deaths per year are linked to air pollution than to automobile accidents. 310,000 Europeans die from air pollution annually. Direct causes of air pollution related deaths include aggravated asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies. The worst short term civilian pollution crisis in India was the 1984 Bhopal Disaster. Leaked industrial vapors from the Union Carbide factory, belonging to Union Carbide, Inc., U.S.A., killed more than 2,000 people outright and injured anywhere from 150,000 to 600,000 others, some 6,000 of whom would later die from their injuries. 18

The United Kingdom suffered its worst air pollution event when the December 4th Great Smog of 1952 formed over London. In six days more than 4,000 died, and 8,000 more died within the following months. The health effects caused by air pollutants may range from subtle biochemical and physiological changes to difficulty in breathing, wheezing, coughing and aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiac conditions. 19

Reducing pollution We can help to reduce global air pollution and climate change by driving a car that gets at least 35 miles a gallon, walking, bicycling, and using mass transit when possible. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, make your home more energy efficient, and buy only energy efficient appliances. Recycle newspapers, aluminium, and other materials. Plant trees and avoid purchasing products such as Styrofoam that contain CFCs. Support much stricter clean air laws and enforcement of international treaties to reduce ozone depletion and slow global warming.

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Earth is everybody's home and nobody likes living in a dirty home. Together, we can make the earth a cleaner, healthier and more pleasant place to live.

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The End 23