Transcript S5. Air Quality-Air Quality Slide Deckx

Air Quality Inquiry
Week 1
In the News:
Air Quality Inquiry
Air Pollution:
Gases and particulate matter
in the air that can cause harm
to living organisms or the
physical environment.
Air Quality Inquiry
Primary air pollutants which pose health
risks:
• Carbon monoxide
• Volatile organic compounds
• Particulate matter
• Sulfur dioxide
• Nitrogen oxides
Air Quality Inquiry
Secondary air pollutants mix together
and react with sunlight to form new
compounds
• Example: Ozone
Air Quality Inquiry
Criteria pollutants monitored by the U.S. EPA:
• Ozone
• Lead
• Sulfur dioxide
• Carbon monoxide
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Particulate Matter
Air Quality Inquiry
Particulate Matter:
• Complex mixture of extremely small
particles and liquid droplets
• Primary particles: emitted directly from a
source
• Secondary particles: form from reactions
in the atmosphere
Air Quality Inquiry
• Particulate Matter
• Particles 10µm in diameter or smaller
are particularly harmful; can enter the
lungs
• PM 10: Inhalable coarse particles near
roadways, dusty industries
• PM 2.5: Fine particles (smoke and haze)
AQI: Air Quality Index
Monitored at more than 1,000 locations across the U.S.
Air Quality Index
(AQI) Values
When the AQI is in
this range:
0-50
51-100
101-150
151 to 200
201 to 300
301 to 500
Levels of Health
Concern
..air quality
conditions are:
Good
Moderate
Unhealthy for
Sensitive Groups
Unhealthy
Very Unhealthy
Hazardous
Colors
...as symbolized by
this color:
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red
Purple
Maroon
Think & Discuss
For the month of July 2012, Los Angeles,
California reported an average daily Air
Quality Index (AQI) of 158.
For this same month, Chicago, Illinois
reported an average daily AQI of 142.
Which city appears to have the greater
amount of air pollution? What do you think
might be the cause of this difference?
Think & Discuss
How is air quality linked to health?
What effect do you think air quality has on
quality of life in affected areas?
Air Quality Inquiry
Examples of health impacts of air pollution:
• Cardiovascular problems
• Cancer
• Slow growth
• Changes in fertility & pregnancy outcomes
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Respiratory ailments
Air Quality Inquiry
What do we mean by Health Disparities?
• Inequalities in health status connected to
social or economic factors
• Negative health outcomes
disproportionately affecting certain groups
which have historically experienced
discrimination or exclusion
- From Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Air Quality Inquiry
How might Air Quality be related to
Health Disparities?
• Locations of factories relative to lowincome housing
• Traffic patterns & public transportation
• Sources of indoor air pollution in housing
or workplaces
Think & Discuss
How should researchers investigate
discrepancies in air quality across racial
or socioeconomic lines?
Health Disparities in the Twin Cities
Life Expectancy by county:
Link to MPR News story
Data Map: Wilder Research
Link to Star Tribune story
Minneapolis: The Phillips Neighborhood
• High concentration of low income &
minority children in MN
• Site of a foundry, asphalt plant, roofing
hot tar storage & asphalt hot-mix
storage facility
• A new wood-burning power plant
proposed: would add PM, VOCs to
already existing air pollution in the
neighborhood.
Think & Discuss
What was the response to the proposed
power plant development?
Do you think the legislation regarding the
Phillips Neighborhood in Minneapolis is
justified?
Should current air quality be taken into
account when choosing where to locate
new sources of pollution?
In groups:
Discuss your assigned issue as outlined in the article about East St. Louis.
How do these issues contribute to poor air quality and related health
problems? Where do you see disparities?
Group 1: Asthma: suspected causes
Group 4: Housing
Group 2: Industry
Group 5: Poverty
Group 3: Pollutants emitted in
East St. Louis area
Group 6: Asthma: prevalence
& disparities
Jigsaw Reading Activity
Instructions:
As a group, compile a document with 5 – 10 take-home
messages from your section of the reading.
You’ll return to your group to share what you have learned.
Jigsaw Reading Activity
Group 1: Early Toxicology and its Impact on Public
Sentiment Toward Air Pollution
Group 2: Sections on Particulate Matter
Group 3: Toxicology Establishes Biological Plausibility for
Epidemiologic Findings; Cardiovascular Effects; Potential
Systemic Effects Revealed by Toxicological Research
Group 4: Ozone
Discussion: What have we learned?
What are some known health effects of
air pollution?
What may be some yet unknown
consequences of air pollution?
How does air pollution affect different
groups in disproportionate ways?
Discussion: What have we learned?
Where do we know health disparities
exist related to air pollution?
• In Minnesota?
• Other places in the United States?
• Other places in the world?
Air Quality Inquiry:
Getting Started
• Mining EPA AirData
• Big data set: delete unnecessary fields
• Complete today:
The Phillips Neighborhood Example
Brainstorm your own research questions
Air Quality Inquiry:
Getting Started
• EPA AirData Website
Air Quality Inquiry
Week 2
Air Quality: Review
The Phillips Neighborhood Example:
• What are the air quality issues in this part
of Minneapolis?
• Based on your research, has air quality
changed over time?
Air Quality: Using EPA AirData
Mining AirData for your own research
Potentially useful data fields:
Parameter Name
Date
Units of Measure & Arithmetic Mean
Duration Description & Observation
Count
First Maximum Value
AQI
Air Quality: Using EPA AirData
Tips:
• Identify the data fields that will help you
investigate your question
• Sort data, hide or delete unnecessary
fields
• Consider which data set will give you the
information you need: Annual or Daily?
Air Quality Homework
Report: Individual Assignment
• Rubric posted on course website
• Cite any outside sources used
• Due Friday, May 2