Air pollutant

R K Patel
 A Brief History of Air Pollution
 Two events sparked research on air pollution and regulations
to control air quality.
 Donora fog in 1948
 London smog event in 1952
 Both cause by pollutants being trapped by weather events. Both
killed numerous people.
 Could happen again in cities like Beijing or Mexico City or else
where
Types and Sources of Air Pollution
 Air Pollution
 Chemicals added to the atmosphere by natural events or
human activities in high enough concentrations to be harmful
 Two categories
 Primary Air Pollutant
 Harmful substance that is emitted directly into the atmosphere
 Secondary Air Pollutant
 Harmful substance formed in the atmosphere when a primary air
pollutant reacts with substances normally found in the
atmosphere or with other air pollutants
Classification of sources of air pollutants

• Stationary sources
• Mobile sources

Sources
• Natural sources
• Anthropogenic sources
• Urban sources
Stationary Source of Air Pollution

 Stationary sources are those that have a relatively

fixed location.
 Point sources emit pollutants from one or more
controllable sites.
 Fugitive sources generate air pollutants from open
areas exposed to wind processes.
 Area sources are well defined areas within which are
several sources of air pollutants
Point source
Fugitive source
Mobile Source of Air Pollution

 Mobile source of air pollutants move from place to

place while emitting pollutants.
 Automobiles, trucks, buses, aircraft, ships, and trains.
 Air Pollutants

 200 air pollutants recognized and assessed by US EP

and listed in Clean Air Act
 Six called critical pollutants or major pollutant
Major or Critical Air Pollutants
Major Classes of Air Pollutants

 Particulate Material
 Nitrogen Oxides NOX
 Sulphur Oxides SOX
 Carbon Oxides
 Hydrocarbons
 Ozone
 Particulate Material

 Thousands of different solid or liquid particles

suspended in air
 Includes: soil particles, soot, lead, asbestos, sea salt,
and sulfuric acid droplets
 Dangerous for 2 reasons
 May contain materials with toxic or carcinogenic
effects
 Extremely small particles can become lodged in lungs
 Nitrogen and Sulphur Oxides

 Nitrogen Oxides
 Gases produced by the chemical interactions between atmospheric
nitrogen and oxygen at high temperature
 Problems
 Greenhouse gases
 Cause difficulty breathing
 Sulfur Oxides
 Gases produced by the chemical interactions between sulfur and
oxygen
 Causes acid precipitation
Carbon Oxides and Hydrocarbons

 Oxides of Carbon
 Gases carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2)
 Greenhouse gases
 Hydrocarbons
 Diverse group of organic compounds that contain only
hydrogen and carbon (ex: CH4- methane)
 Some are related to photochemical smog and
greenhouse gases
 Ozone

 Tropospheric Ozone
 Man- made pollutant in the lower atmosphere
 Secondary air pollutant
 Component of photochemical smog
 Stratospheric Ozone
 Essential component that screens out UV radiation in the upper
atmosphere
 Man- made pollutants (ex: CFCs) can destroy it
 Smog

 Term first used in 1905 as mixture of smoke and fog

that produced unhealthy air.
 Two major types
 Photochemical smog (Losangles type smog or brown
air)
 Sulfurous smog (London type smog, gray air, or
industrial smog)
Photochemical Smog (ex: Los Angeles Smog
 Brown-air smog : Brownish-orange haze formed by
chemical reactions involving sunlight, nitrogen oxide, and
hydrocarbons
Formation of Photochemical Smog
Gray-air smog or London Smog
General Effects of Air Pollution

 Affects many aspects of our environment

 Visual qualities
 Vegetation
 Animals
 Soil
 Water quality
 Natural and artificial structures
 Human health
Affect human health in several ways

 Toxic poisoning, cancer, birth defects, eye irritation,

and irritation of respiratory system.
 Increased susceptibility to viral infections, causing
pneumonia and bronchitis.
 Increased susceptibility to heart disease.
 Aggravation of chronic diseases, such as asthma and
emphysema.
Many air pollutants have synergistic effects
Do greater damage to the lungs than a combination
of the two pollutants would be expected to do based
on their separate effects.
 Sulfur Dioxide
 Colorless odorless gas
 Once emitted can be converted to sulfateSO4
 Removed from atmosphere by wet or dry deposition
 Major human sources; coal power plants, industrial processes
 Adverse effects depend on dose and concentration present
 Injury or death to animals and plants
 Corrosion of paint and metals
 Important precursor to acid rain
 Nitrogen Oxides

 Occur in many forms in the atmosphere but largely emitted

in two forms:
 Nitric oxide- NO
 Nitrogen dioxide- NO2
 A yellow-brown to reddish-brown gas
 May be converted to NO32-
 Both subject to emissions regulation and contribute to smog
 NO2 major contributor to acid rain
 Nitrogen Oxides

 Nearly all NO2 emitted from human sources

 Automobiles and power plants that burn fossil fuels
 Environmental effects
 Irritate eyes and mucous membranes
 Suppress plant growth
 However when convert to nitrate may promote plant
growth
 Carbon Monoxide

 CO is a colorless, odorless gas

 Even at low concentrations is extremely toxic to
humans
 Binds to hemoglobin in blood.
 90% of CO in atmosphere comes from natural sources
 10% comes from fires, cars, and incomplete burning of
organic compounds
 Ozone and Other Photochemical
Oxidants

 Photochemical oxidants result from atmospheric

interactions of nitrogen dioxide and sunlight.
 Most common is ozone- O3
 Colorless gas w/ slightly sweet odor
 Very active chemically, oxidizes or burns
 Beneficial in the upper atmosphere
 Ozone and Other Photochemical
Oxidants

 Because ozone is a secondary pollutant it is difficult

to regulate.
 Health standards often exceeded in urban areas
 Effects include
 Kills leaf tissue at high concentration
 Damage eyes and respiratory system
 Even young, healthy people may have breathing
difficulty on polluted days
 Particulate Matter

 PM10 is made up of particles less than 10μm in

diameter
 Present everywhere but high concentrations and/or
specific types dangerous
 Much particulate matter easily visible as smoke, soot,
or dust
 Includes airborne asbestos and heavy metals
 Particulate Matter

 Of particular concern are very fine pollutants

 PM 2.5- less than 2.5 μm in diameter
 Easily inhaled into the lungs, then absorbed into the
bloodstream
 Ultrafine particles- <0.18 μm released by automobiles.
 Related to heart disease
 Particulate Matter
 When measured often referred to as total suspended particles
(TSPs)
 Tend to be highest in large cities in developing countries
 Air Toxics
 Among pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer
or other serious health problems.
 Associated w/ long-term and short-term exposures
 Gases, metals, and organic chemicals that are emitted in relatively
small volumes
 Cause respiratory, neurological, reproductive, or immune diseases
Standards have been set for more than 150 air
toxics
E.g. hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen fluoride,
chlorine gases, benzene, methanol, ammonia
EPA estimates that the average risk for cancer
from exposure to air toxics is about 1 in
21,000
 Hydrogen sulfide

 Highly toxic corrosive gas easily identified by its

rotten egg odor.
 Produced from
 Natural sources such as geysers, swamps, and bogs
 Human sources such as industrial plants that produce
petroleum or that smelt metals.
 Effects of hydrogen sulfide include
 Functional damage to plants
 Health problems ranging from toxicity to death for
humans and other animals.
 Hydrogen Fluoride

 Extremely toxic gaseous pollutant

 Released by some industrial activities
 Such as production of aluminum, coal gasification, and
burning of coal in power plants.
 Even a small concentration (as low as 1 ppb) of HF
may cause problems for plants and animals.
 Potentially dangerous to grazing animals because
forage plants can become toxic when exposed to this
gas.
 Methyl Isocyanate

 An ingredient of a common pesticide

 known in the United States as Sevin.
 Colorless gas
 Causes severe irritation (burns on contact) to
eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.
 Breathing the gas in concentrations of only a few ppm
causes violent coughing, swelling of the lungs, bleeding,
and death.
 Less exposure can cause a variety of problems,
including loss of sight.
 Volatile Organic Compounds

 Variety of organic compounds used as solvents in

industrial processes
 Dry cleaning, degreasing, and graphic arts.
 Hydrocarbons
 Comprise one group of VOCs.
 Thousands of hydrocarbon compounds exist, including
natural gas, or methane (CH4); butane (C4H10); and
propane (C3H8).
 Volatile Organic Compounds

 Some VOCs react w/ sunlight to produce

photochemical smog
 Globally 15% of hydrocarbons emissions are
anthropogenic
 In the US 50%
 Primary human source automobiles
 Benzene

 Additive in gasoline and an important industrial

solvent.
 Produced when gasoline and coal undergo
incomplete combustion.
 Also component of cigarette smoke
 Major environmental source on and off road vehicles
 Arcolein

 A volatile hydrocarbon that is extremely irritating to

nose, eyes, and respiratory system.
 Produced from
 Manufacturing processes that involve combustion of
petroleum fuels
 Component of cigarette smoke
 National Air Quality Index
(How healthy is the air we breathe?)

AQI = 230; Poor

Responsible Pollutant: PM10
Pollutants Considered for AQI and Air Quality Standards
Development of Aggregate AQI
Sub-indices to AQI
AQI: Health Impacts
FLOW INFORMATION