Air Pollution

London fog in the time of Dickens

Air Pollution Resources

• Air Quality Index (AQI) http://airnow.gov

• Fleming and Kaplan, History of the Clean Air Act http://www.ametsoc.org/sloan/cleanair/

Definition: A concentration of substances in the atmosphere that may be detrimental to health, infrastructure, or environmental quality.

Scales:

Personal, Indoor, Local, Regional, Global.

Lungs, Buildings, Cities, Areas, the World

Smoke, Toxins, Smog, Acids, O3 / CO2

Air Pollution

Real airpollution

from coal

smoke

Air is never 100% clean

But Anthropogenic Pollutants:Are the most toxic.Are emitted where people live, work, and play.Typically have the highest concentrations.Typically cause the greatest health problems.Are mostly controllable.

90% Natural Sources: Volcanoes, Sea Spray, Spores and Pollen, Terpenes, Dust, Soot, Smoke from Forest Fires10% Anthropogenic Sources:Agriculture, Industry, TransportationBy accident or design, every chemical species contributes to air pollution.

Pure food, fresh water, clean air

Freq. Amount Limit

Eating 3x 1 Kg 40 days

Drinking 6x 2 L 7 days

Breathing 24,000x 24,000 L 5 min.

Multiplication of Adverse Effects

Since lungs are the smallest volume, toxic concentrations can be very high over a number of years, so habitual smoking or dangerous activities (such as coal mining) can have the greatest adverse health effects. This can also be exacerbated by respiratory infections and other health complications.

Toxicity x Concentration x Time xBiological Vigor or Health = Cumulative

Adverse Effect on Organism

Smoking is the most hazardous pollutant to oneself and others.Smoking is a key factor in Mortality Statistics (Insurance Ratings).Nicotine is addictive, CO is toxic, and Tars are carcinogenic.Smoking is implicated in lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease.Smoking also makes you vulnerable to other air pollutants (e.g. Radon).It makes your clothes stink, fouls your breath, and yellows your teeth.

Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor pollutants can be 10 to 1000 times more concentrated than the air outdoors.

Your home can trap over 150 pollutantsPeople spend about 90% of their time indoors.

Colby came close to having “sick building” syndrome in Lovejoy in 1995 when it was painted and re-carpeted.

Indoor Air Pollution

Urban Pollution Bubble

Factors that increase urban air pollution:High concentration of sources: vehicles, factories, homes.Lower wind speeds due to greater surface roughness.Basin drainage (many cities located in valleys).Temperature inversions common from heat island effect.

1963 photo of a massive smog episode in New York City. (AP/Wide World Photo, EPA Journal Jan/Feb 1990.)