Transcript Chp 22 Air Pollution

Chapter 22 RAD Guide
June 2, 2016
What is air composed of?
•Mixture of gases
•Nitrogen = 78% Oxygen = 21%
•Small amounts of argon, CO2, and
water vapor
What are pollutants & where do they come
from?
•Harmful materials
that enter
environment
•Comes from
natural sources
(sand storm,
volcanoes, forest
fires) & human
activity
Briefly discuss the history of air pollution.
•Air pollution documented as far
back as Ancient Rome
•Increased since the Industrial
Revolution
Describe the 4 types of outdoor air
pollutants.
1. Particulates: tiny solids suspended in the air (ex. ash,
dust, soot, pollen)
• Get inhaled and trapped in lungs
2. Oxides: compounds of oxygen
• Most commonly released by burning fossil fuels
3. Photochemical smog: yellow-brown haze formed
when sunlight reacts with car pollution
• Ozone is corrosive and poisonous to plants and
animals
• Can cause bronchitis, emphysema, & asthma
4. CFC’s: carbon, chlorine, and fluorine
• Causes holes in the ozone
Smog-”Smokey Fog” (includes sulfur dioxides, nitrogen
dioxides, CO, & ozone) was first described in the 1950s. It is
the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides, etc. which
leaves airborne particles and ground-level ozone (O3).
Smog video clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSyc72cE32Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1JGGjAm42c
What factors are responsible for high levels of
indoor pollutants?
•Home products give off fumes
•Air circulation is poor in most
buildings
Describe 3 types of indoor air pollutants.
1. Cigarette smoke: smoke can lead to
cancer of the tongue, throat, and/or lung
• Particulates get trapped in lungs
2. Microorganisms: bacteria & fungi can
cause serious health problems
3. Radon: through basement of home
• Atoms stick to particles in air & enter
lungs
• Can lead to lung cancer
Radon Test
What are effects of CO (Carbon Monoxide) on
the human body?
•Binds to hemoglobin (carries O2 in red
blood cells)
•Blood can no longer carry O2
•Stress on heart, headaches, dizziness,
and eventually death
Describe the effects of ozone (O3) & oxides on
human body.
•Irritate eyes and respiratory tract
•Cause discomfort and trouble
breathing
•Lead to emphysema (air sacs
breakdown) and bronchitis
What is cancer? How have particulates
contributed?
•Cancer: a disease in which cells
grow abnormally and without
restraint
•Most lung cancers caused by
cigarette smoke (particulate) in the
air
How does air pollution affect plants and
animals?
•Ozone and sulfur oxide cause plant
stems to be brittle and leaves become
spotted
•Damage agriculture crops
•Animals suffer because of loss of food
•Plus they suffer same effects on
health as humans (i.e. bronchitis and
cancer)
•Grazing animals eat poison grass and
often suffer from lameness and weight
loss
Ozone Pollution effects
What is acid precipitation? What is pH of
normal rain?
•Acid precipitation: rain or snow
that’s more acidic than normal
precipitation (low pH number)
•Normal pH = 5.6
N
E
U
T
R
A
L
The pH Scale
ACID
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
BASE
8
Acid and Base strength is measured on
a scale that ranges from 0 to 14.
*TO BE NEUTRAL THE SUBSTANCE
MUST HAVE EQUAL AMOUNTS OF
H3O+ AND OH- IONS!!
9 10 11 12 13 14
Let’s get
pHunky!
Explain how normal rain becomes acid rain.
•Water in the atmosphere reacts
with CO2 to form carbonic acid
•Or water reacts with sulfur or
nitrogen oxides to form sulfuric
acid and nitric acid
Describe some effects of acid rain.
•Lower pH of water = kill species
•Forests are dying off
•Crops being destroyed
•Damage in U.S. = $5 billion/year
What is the purpose of the ozone in our
atmosphere?
•Absorbs harmful UV radiation
given off by the sun and traps in
some heat to warm the Earth
When did we notice the hole in ozone? What
problems occur?
•Early 1980’s
•Increases amount of radiation hitting the US
 increased cancer rates, destroy crops, and
kill microorganisms
What’s main cause of ozone depletion?
• CFC Pollution
UV
CFC
Cl + CF
Cl + O3
ClO + O2
ClO + O
Cl + O2
• Volatile because inert (do not react with other
compounds) which means they stay in atmosphere
longer
What is the greenhouse effect? Is this
essential for life?
•Trapping of radiated heat by gases
in the atmosphere
•YES!
Name some common greenhouse gases.
•CO2, Methane, sulfur/nitrogen
oxides, ozone, CFC’s, water
vapor
•Methane traps 20x more heat
•Nitrogen dioxide traps 200x
more heat
What is causing the rise in greenhouse gases?
•Pollution caused by human activities
•burning of fossil fuels
•Before 1750 = 280ppm 21% increase
•Today = 335 ppm
What do we use to test carbon dioxide levels?
•Study ice cores (long cylinders of ice that are
drilled and removed from deep within sheet
of polar ice that measure trapped CO2 bubbles
or air )
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjTsj-fip0
Describe the effects of greenhouse gas
pollution.
•Global Warming
•Polar ice caps melting
•Coral reefs dying
•Sea levels rise
•Flooding in coastal areas or below
sea level areas
•Permafrost melting
•Salt water entering groundwater
Describe 3 ways of naturally controlling air
pollution.
1. Precipitation: particles stick to
water droplets and carried to
ground
2. Plants absorb CO2 (if buried, it
becomes fossil fuel)
3. Water in ocean removes CO2
In what ways has the automobile industry
tried to control air pollution?
•Equip cars with converter to
remove pollutants
•Improving gas mileage
How have law makers in California taken
steps to end air pollution?
•A percentage of cars sold in CA
must produce zero emission
•So sell electric cars or use
cleaning burning fuel
In what ways has industry made efforts to
reduce air pollution?
•Device called a scrubber uses water to remove
pollutants from coal smoke
• wet scrubber is used to clean air, fuel gas or
other gases ofvarious pollutants and dust particles
•Several different filters are used too
•Debate over whether or not to use pollution
controls
How a scrubber works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGj778FU5n0
What problems can arise with noise
pollution?
•Can cause annoyance, stress, and
hearing damage
How do we measure sound intensity?
•Measure using decibel (dB)
•70-80 dB = annoying and lead to
hearing loss
•115 dB = rock concert
•120-130 dB = serious damage to
hearing
How can noise pollution lead to health
problems?
•Stress can lead to chronic problems
like constricted blood vessels, vision
problems, digestive disorders, &
increased blood pressure and heart
rate
•Emotional and psychological
problems
What legislation has been put in place to limit
the amount of noise pollution?
•Noise Control Act (1972) set
standards for maximum noise levels
•Industries attempted to reduce
noise level in the workplace
•State and local levels enacted laws
• Bill Nye Video: Pollution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGj778FU5n0