...Air Pollution CaTina Massey Environmental Science November 12, 2011 Instructor: Professor Mahoney AIR POLLUTION Air pollution is the biggest problem we as Americans face today. The problem arose during the industrial revolution and has just gotten worse since then. However, the industrial revolution brought many great changes to the world; better transportation, cheaper merchandise, and has made our life better. In the beginning of the industrial revolution, the problem of pollution was not something that people paid attention too. As the science involved, people began to realize the problem with pollution. Many different sources cause air pollution. Automobiles that are burning gasoline produce very harmful gases and incineration of products. Factories produce millions of particles that are carried off into the air. Gaseous by-products produced by chemical plants release these toxic gases when their concentration is at a high enough level. As the world has become more industrialized, the increased amount of air pollution and new health hazards have developed. Air pollution can arise from different sources that we cannot control. For example, forest fires, dust storms, and volcanoes. One of the sources of air pollution is acid rain. Raindrops that are combined with polluted air create acid rain. Acid rain mainly causes the erosion of buildings, destruction of crops, and many other assets. Global warming is also caused by acid rain. Many scientists...
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...Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere. The atmosphere is a complex dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems. Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places report.[1] Pollutants Main articles: Pollutant and Greenhouse gas Before flue gas desulfurization was installed, the emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide. Schematic drawing, causes and effects of air pollution: (1) greenhouse effect, (2) particulate contamination, (3) increased UV radiation, (4) acid rain, (5) increased ground level ozone concentration, (6) increased levels of nitrogen oxides. A substance in the air that can cause harm to humans and the environment is known as an air pollutant. Pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. In addition, they may be natural or man-made.[2] Pollutants can be classified as primary or secondary. Usually, primary pollutants are directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic...
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...Air pollution There are many different types of air pollution that effect’s us on an everyday basis. I never realized how many different kinds of air pollution until I have read this chapter. Humans are the main cause of air pollution. The sad part is we continue to pollute. We poison the air every day by throwing out enormous piles of garbage, burning tons of fossil fuels, and driving. Primary pollutants are suspended particle matter, radon, lead, air toxics, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. The secondary pollutants are ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrates (Environmental Science 11e). These are mixed in with multiple air pollutions. Air pollution is caused by a brown cloud that hangs over the valleys, especially on hot days. That is caused by the ozone. The ozone is a colorless gas that is in the air. When the ozone gets closer to the earth’s surface it is called ground zero. At that point it is very harmful. It is very harmful to the plants, animals and is very highly reactive in the lungs and can cause respiratory disease too. The ozone can cause choking, coughing and stinging eyes. Ground zero chemicals are created by automobiles, trucks, and buses; large industry; utility companies; gas stations; print shops; paint stores; cleaners; and off-road equipment, such as aircraft, locomotives, construction equipment, and lawn and garden equipment (Environmental Science 11e). Also to reduce the risk of this is to reduce...
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...Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulates, biological materials, or other harmful materials into Earth's atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or to the natural or built environment. The atmosphere is a complex natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems. Indoor air pollution (see Airlog) and urban air quality are listed as two of the world’s worst toxic pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places report.[1] ------------------------------------------------- Pollutants[edit] An air pollutant is a substance in the air that can have adverse effects on humans and the ecosystem. They can be solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. A pollutant can be of natural origin, or man-made. Pollutants are classified as primary or secondary. Primary pollutants are usually produced from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption. Other examples include the carbon monoxide gas from motor vehicle exhaust or the sulfur dioxidereleased from factories. Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air when primary pollutants react or interact. Ground level ozone is a prominent example of a secondary pollutant. Some pollutants may be both primary and secondary: they are...
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...I'm interested in the air pollution problem in Los Angeles, CA, because I used to live ther and they have a lot of problems caused by air pollution. Presently, there are many other environmental problems in the world, for example, global warming, desertification, ozone depletion, etc. Air pollution however, remains as one of the biggest environmental problems throughout the world. It can be the cause of disease like cancer or environmental problems like global warming. Actually, human products, from factories, vehicles and buildings, produce exhaust fumes and also produce microscopic particles which are known causes of diseases like cancer, heart disease, pneumonia and premature death (Danelski, 2006). We have to consider the air pollutants, and we need to improve the emission control systems of factories that emit the gas that produces air pollution to solve the problem. According to Gwen Williams, an exponent of Muskegon Family Care, patients who develop respiratory disease are really high around these factories, not only the people who live near the factories but also the people who live far from the factories (Prichard, 2005). This is proof that the gas of air pollutant is easily spread. Nowadays, our air has become polluted as we have developed our technologies to make our lives more convenient. Surely, living standards of our lives have improved and are much better than during the past. However, the environment has been certainly destroyed with these improvements. Therefore...
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...In the past few decades, people have come to recognize air pollution as a major environmental concern not just in the United States, but internationally as well. This however, is not a current issue. In fact, the importance of good air quality was reco ng or heart disease, the elderly, and very young children under the age of five (Buchdahl "Health Effects" 1). In a study taken, it was estimated that six of every ten Americans live in an area that fails to meet one or more federal air quality standards What therefore should the citizens of this country do to prevent such catastrophes? This paper aims to expose the different types of air pollutants, where they come from, their specific effects on the environment, and what we as human beings should do t Air Pollutants First, one must take a look at the different pollutants and air toxins. Ozone is a gas that can be both beneficial and very harmful. High in the upper atmosphere it may shield the earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation waves from the sun. Howeve Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that comes from the exhaust of motor vehicles after fossil fuels, mainly oil and gas, are burned or combusted incompletely (Buchdahl "Health Effects" 2). Cars, buses, and some industrial plants tend to gi The next major pollutants are hydrocarbons. These tend to be released by many man-made sources mainly fossil fuel combustion (Brownstein 1). Some hydrocarbons can directly create health hazards. Benzene...
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...Urban Air Pollution Analysis for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia An updated study report is now published as a journal article Particulate Pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Journal article in Air Quality, Atmosphere, & Health (2013) Download ************** This study "Urban Air Pollution Analysis for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia" was conducted in 2007 to discuss possible long-term strategies for reducing air pollution and related problems in the city. Given the exponentially changing demographics, industrialization, and motorization, the air pollution problems are escalating in the city and there is an immediate need to address this issue in an integrated manner. These trends have spurred an increase in the demand for energy (primarily met by coal combustion) in several sectors including transport, construction, heating, industrial production, and have resulted in challenges related to the secondary effects of growth such as pollution from transport, waste disposal, and natural resource mining among others. [pic][pic] left: Google map of Ulaanbaatar center with growing traffic right: total vehicule population statistics, as of 2006 What are the main air pollution sources in Ulaanbaatar? A summary of air pollution sources is presented here as a series of photos taken in May, 2007 as part of this study. The main sources of air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, in no particulate order, include - Gers, Improved stoves, coal and briquettes, household heating systems, industrial boilers, power plants...
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...Sharita Rogers Natural Science Cluster Dr. J. Kullman April 25, 2013 Air Pollution kills over 1 million in China I found this article titled “Air Pollution Linked to 1.2 Million Premature Deaths in China” in The New York Times on April 1, 2013. I found it interesting because prior to reading this article, I did not know air pollution was such a big problem, particularly in China. Edward Wong, journalist for The New York Times, wrote this article about premature deaths due to outdoor air pollution. According to Wong, air pollution is linked to 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010. This is nearly 40 percent of the global total. Ambient particulate matter pollution was the 4th leading risk factor for deaths in China. A study showed that the growth rate of disclosure of pollution information has slowed; meaning China is not disclosing this information to the public. China needs to figure out how to get a handle on their air pollution problem. China is no stranger to air pollution. According to the article, 350,000 to 400,000 people die prematurely each year because of outdoor air pollution. This is nearly 40 percent of the global total. In 1990, air pollution killed 800,000 people prematurely world wide. India also has densely populated cities that struggle with air population as well. India also had 620,000 premature deaths in 2010. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development stated that “urban air pollution is set to become the top environmental cause of morality worldwide...
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...With the great concern surrounding the destruction of the earth’s atmosphere due to air pollution, the immediate and direct harm caused to the human body is often over shadowed. While many are aware that our careless use of hazardous chemicals and fossil fuels may leave the planet uninhabitable in the future, most over look the fact that they are also cause real damage to our bodies at this moment. Such pollutants cause damage to our respiratory system, leading to the fluctuation of the life span of an individual depending on a number of conditions. Amongst these conditions are the individuals specific geographic location, age, and life style. This paper is structured as a series of relevant questions and answers to report on the description of these pollutants there affects on our bodies. What are the pollutants? And how do they affect our bodies? In order to understand how air pollution affects our body, you must under stand exactly what this pollution is. The pollutants that harm our respiratory system are known as particulates. Particulates are the small solid particles that you can see through a ray of sunlight. They are products of incomplete combustion in engines (example: automobile engines), road dust, and wood smoke. Billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels burn they produce smoke and other by-products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles...
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...Air and Water Pollutions Andrew Binder ENV/100 March 17th, 2014 Barbara Plourde Air and Water Pollutions Skin rashes, eye and throat irritation, emphysema, typhoid fever, and cancer are a few health issues that have been connected to water and air pollution. Pollution is defined as the releasing of harmful products or substances into the environment (Webster Dictionary, 2013). Pollution causes negative changes in the environment that effect plant and animal life, sources of water, and the ozone layer. Nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide are two types of air pollutants. Pesticides and waste run- off from factories, refineries, and waste treatment facilities are two types of water pollutants. Primary and Secondary Air Pollutants There are two types of air pollutants primary and secondary. Gas and other hydrocarbon fuels in combustible engines produce primary pollutants like nitrogen oxide (Pearson- Education, 2014). When there is sunlight, nitrogen oxide combines with hydrocarbons. When they combine they form secondary pollutants, (Pearson- Education, 2014). Nitrogen oxide also reacts to oxygen to form a secondary pollutant called nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide colors the air and blends with other chemicals and atmospheric water vapors to create smog. Primary air pollutants enter the atmosphere directly through natural processes or human activities (Berg & Hager, 2009). Nitrogen oxide enters directly into the atmosphere from combustible engines it is considered...
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...Beijing Air Pollution Beijing has suffered from serious air pollution for many years. The Chinese Capital has issued its first pollution red alert as the capital became notoriously polluted and enveloped by a wave of acrid smog for the second time in December 2015. Much of the blame for Beijing’s air pollution will be its burgeoning automobile industry producing 24 million vehicles every year (Jack, 2016). Although this served as a capital booming development, the increase in vehicle population has also led to practical problems like traffic congestions. It causes a decrease in average car speed, which in tend increase the total emission from the vehicle exhaust (Tao Yang, 2009). PM2.5, which was said to be the smallest and deadliest smog particles emitted from vehicles’ exhaust, can rise to as high as 500 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of Beijing. This is 20 times the level that is considered safe by the World Health Organisation. The rising use of automobiles has become an issue of environmental sustainability as the pollutants given off by the vehicles’ exhaust affects the cleanliness of the air in Beijing. This in turns cause the quality of the environment that the people are living in to deteriorate. It has put public health at risk everyday because of the presence of PM 2.5 particles in the air (Katrina, 2016). When inhaled, it can contribute to a myriad health issues like respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and even increase the risk of cancer especially...
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...levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. Air quality in developed countries has been generally improved over the last three decades. However, many recent epidemiological studies have consistently shown positive associations between low-level exposure to air pollution and health outcomes. Thus, adverse health effects of air pollution, even at relatively low levels, remain a public concern. This paper aims to provide an overview of recent research development and contemporary methodological challenges in this field and to identify future research directions for air pollution epidemiological studies. Introduction It is well known that exposure to high levels of air pollution can adversely affect human health. A number of air pollution catastrophes occurred in industrial countries between 1950s and 1970s, such as the London smog of 1952 [1]. Air quality in western countries has significantly improved since the 1970s. However, adverse health effects of exposure to relatively low level of air pollution remain a public concern, motivated largely by a number of recent epidemiological studies that have shown the positive associations between air pollution and health outcomes using sophisticated time-series and other designs [2]. This review highlights the key findings from major epidemiological study designs (including time-series, case-crossover, panel, cohort, and birth outcome studies) in estimating the associations of exposure to ambient air pollution with...
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...Carbon dioxide is one the main pollutants present in the air. This is because, although living beings do exhale carbon dioxide, this gas is harmful when emitted from other sources, which are caused due to human activities. An additional release of carbon dioxide happens due to various such activities. Carbon dioxide gas is used in various industries, such as the oil industries and the chemical industries. The manufacturing process of most products would require the use of this gas. There are various human activities that add to the increased proportions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The combustion of fossil fuels and the harmful effects of deforestation have all contributed towards the same gas. This show that among the various gases emitted during a volcanic eruption, carbon dioxide remains to be at least 40% of the emission. Scientists have now therefore identified carbon dioxide as one of those elements that have contributed to global warming. Causes of air pollution are not limited to this. The combustion of fuels in automobiles, jet planes, etc., all cause the release of several primary pollutants into the air. The burning of fossil fuels in big cities which is seen at most factories, offices and even a large number of homes, it is no wonder that air pollution is increasing at an alarming rate. The release of other harmful gases all adds to the state that we see today. Although carbon dioxide plays an important role in various other processes like photosynthesis...
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...For many years air pollution has been a problem in some of the world’s most populated cities. Lately, Beijing’s smog has been a concerning topic throughout China. On March 3rd, 2014 Richard Silk, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal reported in his article titled “Beijing’s Smog Ain’t Going Nowhere” problems that are arising due to the quality of the severely polluted air. Usually, when an individual thinks of air pollution the first thing that comes to mind is cars. However, in Beijing’s case that is not the big issue in 2014. The article entitled “Beijing’s Smog Ain’t Going Nowhere”, discusses the problems and causes of the heavy air pollution in Beijing. Chinese officials have been troubled due to China’s unhealthy air quality. It is a major problem because it contributes to health problems, and poses health threats to all kinds of people, including Americans. With all of the problems that the smog is causing, Chinese officials and citizens are trying to come up with ways to clean up the smog. However, cleaning up the smog sounds impossible because Beijing is the home of some of the heaviest manufacturing industries in the world. The city houses many factories such as steel, coal, cement, and brick factories. According to the article, the smog is a result of the heavy industrial production. In recent years, the amount of pollution in the air has increased significantly. This article is relevant because air pollution is a serious issue that people do not take serious...
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...fifteen years has turned it into the world’s major manufacturing base, making it one of the world’s four largest economies.1 During this period, China’s average annual real Gross Domestic Product (‘GDP’) grew by 9.7 per cent peaking at 11.9 per cent up to the second quarter in 2007, the highest growth rate over that period of time.2 At the same time the negative environmental externalities of economic growth have escalated and are causing concern not only within China itself but also globally. China has suffered severe ecological destruction and serious environmental problems which threaten both its economy and the health of its people. Apart from air and water pollution, unprecedented growth in household and industrial waste, loss of biodiversity, felling of rain rainforests and overfishing has occurred. On a global level, China’s air pollution levels have contributed substantially to the negative effects of climate change. China’s rapid growth has been accelerated through its membership of the World Trade Organization (‘WTO’)3 and policies of trade liberalisation. Foreign investment has escalated due to preferential tax treatment and the relaxation of bureaucratic obstacles which in the past had slowed down the process of getting projects up and running. Special Economic Zones (‘SEZs’) set up in coastal provinces in order to encourage foreign investment because of easy access to port facilities have proven to be highly attractive to foreign investors. SEZs offer special incentives...
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