...Air pollution in Hong Kong is often so bad that it is impossible to see across Victoria Harbor due to all the haze and smog. The government did endeavor to modify the air quality but, sadly, it still deteriorates continually. Even worse, the Air Pollution Index recently hit a record high, which suggests that the air quality in Hong Kong is far lower than the international standard. It all shows that air pollution is just a growing problem and I’m writing to raise several concerns about air pollution and suggest various ways in which Hong Kong citizens can help reduce air pollution. Let us begin with the cause of the problems, which includes three main aspects: vehicle emissions, unplanned use of land, and cross-border pollution. The first aspect concerns the vehicle emissions. With the increasing number of private cars, and the slow introduction of environmentally friendly fuels, the amount of air pollutants released by vehicles keeps increasing, thereby tarnishing the air quality. Secondly, the unplanned use of land can also account for the problems. Due to the limited land supplied, Hong Kong tends to be densely populated while the buildings are usually designed to be as tall as possible. All the buildings therefore form a physical barrier to block the ventilation of air. Consequently, pollutants like suspended particles are trapped in air, causing the air to be polluted. Cross-border pollution is the third aspect. There are currently numerous factories built...
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...To start off with, Air Quality Index (AQI) is "a scale of numbers that represents the current or daily air quality levels in different areas. The AQI is based on local air quality standards and pollutants concentrations that each country decides upon”(Upout). One of the possible reasons these air quality variations exist on Manhattan can be because of factors such as Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), which are gases produced by fuel combustion. Next possible reason can be the Ozone (O3), which is a gas that is made up of three oxygen atoms that enter the air from the motor vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, and natural sources. Another possible reason can be the “high truck and traffic volume, industrial facilities and older heating systems can all contribute to the increased levels of air pollution in the impoverished neighborhoods”(Hinsdale)....
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...Air Quality Management Introduction: I am from Visakhapatnam. A few decades back it was considered to be the ideal getaway for people wanting to better their health. But now city has gained the dubious distinction of being one of the top 10 most polluted cities in the country. Swept away by the rapid development that hit the city's shores and catapulted it to the second fastest 'emerging city' in India, the City of Destiny is today staring at a very grimy future indeed. Already the fast clip of industrial growth in combination with the increasing number of vehicles on the road has turned the Port City into a polluted bowl filled to the brim with all kinds of pollutants. Reasons: Population has increased from a mere 1 lakh in 1940’s to 28 lakh lakh and the number of vehicles zooming from about 30,000 in the 1970s to over 5.5 lakh. Most of the major industries such as Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), HPCL, Coromandel Fertiliser and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant spew noxious fumes and chemicals into the city. The residents iron ore dust pollution from Steel Plant, now have to contend with even more pollution thanks to coal and sulphur handling at the GCB. Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) in the air has exceeded well over the permissible limit of 60 microns per metre cube in some areas. Industrial growth took off in a haphazard manner. There was no foresight...
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...University Calumet, Hammond, IN 46323, USA Using CFD to Study Air Quality in Urban Microenvironments Varun Khare Purdue University Calumet Hammond, IN, USA | Abstract The project is concentrated on the study of the plume height coming out of buildings, such as restaurants and cooling towers around the office buildings, in an urban microenvironment, along with the placement of air intakes and exhausts on buildings which can significantly affect the overall indoor air quality. Earlier studies on the effects of building air intakes have been limited to relatively simple situations, unable to treat the complex envelope of most buildings and building groups. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a tool that assists in modeling the airflow and dispersion of pollutants among complex urban geometries on the scale of a section of a building’s exterior up to several city blocks. This tool allows more accurate predictions of impacts over a range of meteorological scenarios and alternative building designs and placements relative to roadways and other pollutant sources. The steps in a CFD application are presented including geometry and mesh creation, simulation of meteorological conditions, handling of pollutant sources, and post-processing visualization. INTRODUCTION Design and placement of a building’s outside air intake is a very important building design concern, especially...
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...The Clean Air Act contains, NAAQS that stands for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, under which there are certain pollutants that are classified as criteria pollutants. Criteria pollutants are as follows: particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, and lead (1). These pollutants are under this classification because of their ability to harm the health of a population along with the environment, and also can cause property damage (1). Under the NAAQS there are primary and secondary standards, in which states and governments have to abide by to in compliance with the Act. Primary Standards are defined to “provide public health protection, including protecting the health of sensitive populations...
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...Poor Air Quality and Its Effects on Human Health. In this day and age, nature harming activities such as deforestation, clearcutting and illegal logging are at their peak to provide new plots of land to build skyscrapers and highways. While immense advancements in technology and industry have made life much easier, these man-made creations have also created a global problem – air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction and addition of harmful substances such as carbon monoxide and lead compounds into the atmosphere which causes harmful effects to the environment and human health. It is one of the main types of pollution which typically occurs in busy cities which resulted to poor air quality which has been known to be harmful to our bodies but people don’t seem to realize the severity of its effects. Although our poor air quality is inevitable with modern development, society is still not doing enough to improve it. For instance, there are a number inconsiderate parties that are still practicing harmful activities such as open burning which occurs when individuals burn any form of waste in open air while excessive smoke emissions from factories that’s often occur in industrial areas in major cities. Poor air quality has been a worldwide problem for some time now and yet we still take it for granted. Exposure to low quality air would cause health problems in the respiratory system. I have a mild respiratory problem due to poor quality of air where I was exposed to unhealthy...
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...Impact of Indoor Air Quality Towards Workers’ Health Performance on Safety Engineering Perspective Ahmad Shah Hizam bin Md Yasir (GS40361) andMohd Ruzaimi bin Mohd Ariffin (GS38824) | | | Abstract Deterioration of air quality in working environments has now become an increasing and critical in both developed and developing countries. The potential risks and problems related to indoor air pollution has been recognized, and there is a need to measure and establish air quality standards for those working in any confined environments. For health and safety reasons, the indoor air quality (IAQ) in an enclosed building, where a few people are working in it, was investigated. This study aimed to determine the association between indoor air quality and the workers’ health performance in XYZ Company. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 117 respondents. Assessments on IAQ perception level from staff were conducted through questionnaires, which consist of Indoor Air Quality and Health Performance Survey. The three IAQ variables tested in this study are ventilation, particles contaminant and thermal comfort. DOSH and STRIDE has also measured the IAQ level, which are the concentration of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), temperature as well as humidity. All data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics through SPSS Software. Based on the data analyzed, building occupants’ satisfaction level is identified. Findings show...
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...Supremacy Clause The case of Manufacturers Association v. South Coast Air Quality Management District involves the Clean Air Act, which implements national air pollution standards for fleet vehicles, such as trucks, taxicabs, and buses. In the same manner, the South Coast Air Quality Management District implements its own pollution standards for Los Angele, California. A political entity of California, South Coast implements fleet rules that prohibit the lease or purchase by private and public lease operators of vehicles that do not meet its pollution standards. However, their standards are stricter than those imposed by the federal Clean Air Act. In this regard, although the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the fleet rules imposed by South Coast, an appeal to the...
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...------------------------------------------------- AIR QUALITY INC CASE STUDY SCM880ZS February 18, 2015 OVERVIEW Air Quality Inc. was founded in 1984, and Patrick Wallace is the plant manager at Air Quality Inc. Their mission is to improve the quality of life by creating manufacturing and marketing innovative energy recovery products. Their management belief was based on 4 principal keys: assembly, design, steel fabrication and the manufacture of aluminium head recovery ventilators. Patrick believed that defective equipment had been shipped to customers and he had to react immediately. BACKGROUND AQS manufactured ventilation, air-cleaning and heating equipment for residential and commercial applications. They have a very high reputation for quality and technical innovations. Approximately 60% of 3400 parts used in manufacturing operations is procured from suppliers, while the remaining 40% remains in house. Most important products are singled sourced and less important one were usually purchased from other suppliers at low cost that met the expectation of quality, quantity, and delivery. They sold more than 300 different products under Air Purity brand to large distributors that sod the wholesalers, which in return sold them to independent contractors. These products were installed in homes and commercial properties. Their product prices for HRV varied between $550-750. QUALITY PROBLEM Wallace noticed that the foam insulation was peeling off the doors in...
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...Green Buildings: Better Quality of Life Design of buildings for sustainability – Case study presentation Prof. Bernard V. Lim JP Principal, AD+RG Architecture Design and Research Group Limited Professor, School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong The Hong Kong Community College The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Client: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Project Manager: Campus Development Office, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Project Architect: AD+RG Architecture Design and Research Group Ltd. Architectural Collaborators: AGC Design Ltd. Wang Weijen Architecture Acknowledgements Received - Green Building Award 2008 Merit Award in the New Construction Category. by Professional Green Building Council - Highest BEAM (Building Environmental Assessment Method) rating of Platinum by HKBEAM Society. (The first educational building in Hong Kong to achieve such rating) Acknowledgements Received - Finalist in “World Architecture Festival 2008” in Barcelona on October 2008 - one of the 12 Finalists in the Learning Category and is the only Hong Kong architectural practice in this Category. 0.0 Project Brief (I) Introduction The Project is a high-rise 19-storey institutional building for the Hong Kong Community College. It aims at providing a dynamic and interactive space for youth education while incorporating the sustainable design considerations and construction techniques into the building. 4...
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...In today’s society healthcare personnel need to be aware of the various chemical, environmental, food borne, water borne and airborne illnesses that abound. Being well versed in this area means understanding the epidemiology, being aware of the signs and symptoms, knowing what treatments or cures and knowing the notification process for outbreaks, should they arise. Severe acute respiratory syndrome also known as SARS is a type of viral Pneumonia that is very serious for those affected. It causes acute respiratory distress for the patient which can cause death. SARS is transmitted by contact. According to the U.S National Library of Medicine the coronavirus can live up to 6 hours on hands, tissues and some other surfaces and can stay active for up to three hours after the droplets have dried (A.D.A.M, 2013). The virus can live in feces for nearly four days and it is unknown exactly how long it can live in freezing temperatures but it is believed to live for months or maybe even years. The Coronavirus family is the same group that births the common cold, just as you can catch the cold over and over again, you can also become re-infected with SARS. Since this is a newer illness only manifesting in 2003 there are still unknowns regarding the illness. One of these things is how long before and after someone is contagious with the infection. It is clear that they are actively contagious while showing symptoms. Usually people who are infected will begin showing symptoms within...
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...1. Calculate WGBT and make recommendations on work – rest schedule: Q: On a sunny warm day (27 degrees C wet bulb, 30 degrees C globe and 29 degrees C air temp) how would work load affect required controls for heat stress? A: WBGTout = 0.7(WB) + 0.2(g) + 0.1(d) = (0.7 x 27) + (0.2 x 30) + (0.1 x 29) = 27.8 There for: At 27.8 WBGTout the dose of work would equal * Light work @ 100 % * Moderate work @ 100 % * High work @ 25 – 50 % work rest 2. In measuring noise exposure, you have identified several different sources of noise. They produce the following sound pressure levels: 92dB, 90dB, 85dB and 87dB. What is the combined sound pressure level of the four sources of noise? A: ** Start from highest to lowest ** 92dB – 90dB = 2 therefor 92 + 2 = 94 therefor 94 – 87 = 7 therefor 94 + 1 = 95 there for 95 – 85 = 10 therefor 95 + 0 ** because all values have been used the answer is 95. NOTE: numbers in bold and italicised writing are found on adding decibel chart 3. An employee had the following exposures in an 8 hour shift. Are they over exposed? 1hr @ 80dBA 4hrs @ 85dBA 2hrs @ 88dBA 1hr @ 91dBA A: ** First of all 80dBA does not have an exposure level so do not use it ** Dose = (4hrs/ 8hrs + 2hrs/ 4hrs + 1hr/ 2hrs) X 100 = 150% therefor YES the worker is over exposed these numbers are found from OHS code schedule 3 Noise if under 100 % the worker is not exposed, if over 100 % the worker is exposed 4. a) Local...
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...1. Explain the bubble concept as applied to air quality permitting. What is “cap and trade” and how does this differ from the bubble concept? The bubble concept allows for the enforcement of emission standards that cover a facility or facilities under a single umbrella instead of enforcing each one separately. (Robinson, 1991, p.173) The bubble concept allows a facility or facilities to increase one emission standard and decrease another as long as the overall net amount of standards being created does not exceed the set limit. (EPA's Widening Embrace of the "Bubble" Concept: The Legality and Availability of Intra-Source Trade-Offs, 1979) The cap and trade sets a maximum amount of pollutions allowed from a facility. All major sources of pollution fall under the cap and trade rule. A facility will be distributed permits that have a certain number of allowances, one allowance allows a facility to release a ton of carbon...
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... | |haque.nymul@gmail.com |jinia_lima@hotmail.com | Abstract Natural ventilation is most desirable for cooling and providing fresh air in residential buildings for better indoor air quality and thermal comfort. The natural ventilation performance is affected by a combination of internal and external factors. External factors include the location, the orientation, the prevailing wind speeds and the building forms of the residential development, which are subject to constraints beyond the control of site planners and architects. Whilst for internal factors like the openings configurations and window types, site planners and architects are always given free hand for a proper design. Dhaka, a city in the Tropics, has become such a city where with rapid urbanization users are moving towards mechanically ventilated buildings putting ever increasing demand on the dwindling energy resources. This paper focuses on the influences of window types on the natural ventilation of residential units in Dhaka in order to improve quality of indoor living environment. Primary objective of the study is an attempt to investigate the performance of different types of windows which is commonly used in residential buildings of Dhaka city. It is expected that the findings will immensely help design professionals practicing all climatic contexts...
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...ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 2 INTEGRATED DESIGN MUHAMAD NAZMI FITRI BIN ABD AZIZ 2014406812 INTEGRATED DESIGN Integrated design is a collaborative method for designing buildings which emphasizes the development of a holistic design. INTEGRATED DESIGN IMPROVES THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS. The conventional definition of integrated design is that project team members from all disciplines work together early and often throughout the project design process. ORIGINS OF MODERN-DAY INTEGRATED DESIGN Integrated design has become a buzzword in the green building world. Everyone claims to do it, although not everyone understands it in the same way, and not everyone is successful at it. DESIGN FEATURES THAT BENEFIT FROM INTEGRATION * DAYLIGHTING * GREEN ROOFS * EXPOSED THERMAL MASS Conventional building design usually involves a series of hand-offs from owner to architect, from builder to occupant. This path does not invite all affected parties into the planning process, and therefore does not take into account their needs, areas of expertise or insights To a growing number of building owners and designers, this linear process needs to change. The process they prefer is called integrated design. It’s built around better communication and more planning. Through the use of integrated design, owners and designers are able to build better, less expensive buildings. The problem is that even though integrated design has been around for nearly a decade...
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