AIR QUALITY AND POLLUTION

MBAH LINDA.TC


OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITION
POLLUTANTS
SOURCES
HEALTH EFFECTS
MONITORING
PREVENTION AND CONTROL


INTRODUCTION
The immediate environment of man
comprises of air on which depends all
forms of life.
Air is a mechanical mixture of gases.
The normal composition of external air by
volume is approximately as follows
NITROGEN 78.1%
OXYGEN 20.93%
CARBON DIOXIDE 0.03%.
The balance is made up of other gases which
occur in traces
Argon,neon, krypton,xenon and helium.
Water vapour,ammonia and suspended matter
such as dust, bacteria, spores and vegetable
debris
Air is rendered impure by
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition of organic matter
Trade ,traffic and manufacturing processes
Under ordinary conditions the composition
of outdoor air is kept constant by self
cleansing mechanisms of nature which are
Wind
Sunlight
Rain
plantlife

Apart from supplying the life giving oxygen, air
and atmospheric oxygen serve several functions
which are
Cooling of the human body by air contact

Air transmitted stimuli which serve the special
senses of hearing and smell function
DEFINITION
AIR POLLUTION is the presence in the ambient
atmosphere of substances generated by the
activities of man in concentrations that interfere
with human health, safety or comfort, or injurious
to vegetation and animals and other
environmental media resulting in chemicals
entering food chain or being present in drinking
water and thereby constituting additional source
of human exposure.
STATISTICS
Air pollution is usually concentrated in
densely populated metropolitan areas ,
Especially in developing countries where
environmental regulations are generally
relatively lax or nonexistent. However, even
populated areas in developed countries
attain unhealthy levels of pollution

Most Polluted Cities
Most Polluted World Cities by
PM[46]Particulate
matter,
g/m (2004)City169Cairo, Egypt150Delhi,
India128Kolkata, India (Calcutta)125Tianjin,
China123Chongqing, China109Kanpur,
India109Lucknow, India104Jakarta,
Indonesia101Shenyang, China
Carbon dioxide emissions
Total CO2 emissions
106 Tons of CO2 per year:[47]
United States: 2,795
China: 2,680
Russia: 661
India: 583
Japan: 415
Germany: 356
Australia: 300

SOURCES
Refers to various locations, activities or
factors which are responsible for releasing
pollutants in the atmosphere
Anthropogenic
Natural


ANTHROPOGENIC
Stationary sources: smoke stacks, power plant,
manufacturing facilities, municipal waste incinerator
Tobacco smoke
Mobile sources: motor vehicles, Air craft, marine
vessels,Military
Burning wood, stoves furnaces, incinerators
Oil refining and industrial activity
Chemicals, dust and controlled burning practices
Fumes from paint hair spray
Waste deposition in land fill
NATURAL SOURCES
Dust from areas of land with little or no vegetation
Methane emitted by digestion of food by animals :
cattle
Radon gas from radioactive decy within the earths
crust
Smoke and carbon monoxide from wild fires
Volcanic activity which produce sulfur, chlorine
and ash particulates
POLLUTANTS
There are many substances in the air which may impair the health of plants
and animals (including humans), or reduce visibility. These arise both from
natural processes and human activity. Substances not naturally found in
the air or at greater concentrations or in different locations from usual are
referred to as pollutants.
Pollutants can be classified as either primary or secondary. Usually,
primary pollutants are substances directly emitted from a process, such as
ash from a volcanic eruption, the carbon monoxide gas from a motor
vehicle exhaust or sulfur dioxide released from factories.
Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air
when primary pollutants react or interact. An important example of a
secondary pollutant is ground level ozone - one of the many secondary
pollutants that make up photochemical smog.
Note that some pollutants may be both primary and secondary: that is, they
are both emitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants
Pollutants may be in the form of
Solid
Liquids
Gases
Major primary pollutants produced by human activity include:
Sulfur oxides (SOx) especially sulfur dioxide are emitted from
burning of coal and oil.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) especially nitrogen dioxide are emitted from
high temperature combustion. Can be seen as the brown haze
dome above or plume downwind of cities.
Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless, non-irritating but very
poisonous gas. It is a product by incomplete combustion of fuel
such as natural gas, coal or wood. Vehicular exhaust is a major
source of carbon monoxide.
Carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas emitted from combustion.
Volatile organic compounds (VOC), such as hydrocarbon fuel
vapors and solvents.
Particulate matter (PM), measured as smoke and dust. PM10 is the
fraction of suspended particles 10 micrometers in diameter and
smaller that will enter the nasal cavity. PM2.5 has a maximum
particle size of 2.5 m and will enter the bronchies and lungs.
Toxic metals, such as lead, cadmium and copper.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), harmful to the ozone layer emitted
from products currently banned from use.
Ammonia (NH3) emitted from agricultural processes.
Odors, such as from garbage, sewage, and industrial processes
Radioactive pollutants produced by nuclear explosions, war
explosives, and natural processes such as the radioactive decay of
radon.
Secondary pollutants include:
Particulate matter formed from gaseous primary pollutants
and compounds in photochemical smog, such as nitrogen
dioxide.
Ground level ozone (O3) formed from NOx and VOCs.
Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) similarly formed from NOx and
VOCs.
Minor air pollutants include:
A large number of minor hazardous air pollutants. Some of
these are regulated in USA under the Clean Air Act and in
Europe under the Air Framework Directive.
A variety of persistent organic pollutants, which can attach to
particulate matter

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

A lack of ventilation indoors concentrates air pollution where people
often spend the majority of their time. Radon (Rn) gas, a
carcinogen, is exuded from the Earth in certain locations and
trapped inside houses. Building materials including carpeting and
plywood emit formaldehyde (H2CO) gas. Paint and solvents give off
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as they dry. Lead paint can
degenerate into dust and be inhaled. Intentional air pollution is
introduced with the use of air fresheners, incense, and other
scented items. Controlled wood fires in stoves and fireplaces can
add significant amounts of smoke particulates into the air, inside
and out. Indoor pollution fatalities may be caused by using
pesticides and other chemical sprays indoors without proper
ventilation
MONITORING
Air Quality Index
The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you
how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health
effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on
health effects you may experience within a few hours or days
after breathing polluted air. EPA calculates the AQI for five
major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-
level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate
matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen
dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established
national air quality standards to protect public health.Ground-
level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that
pose the greatest threat to human health in this country
Smoke or soiling index
Coefficient of haze
Grit and dust measurement
Atmospheric dispersion

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION
Air pollution can affect by three ways
Health aspects
Environmental aspects
Social and economic
HEALTH EFFECTS
Immediate
Delayed
Individual reactions to air pollutants depend
on the type of pollutant a person is exposed
to, the degree of exposure, the individual's
health status and genetics.
Air pollution can affect
Respiratory
Cardiovascular
Neurological
Reproductive
Immune
Endocrine
In extreme cases, death
RESPIRATORY
ASTHMA
COPD
CANCER
ALLERGIES
CYSTIC FIBROSIS
LRTI especially in children
CARDIOVASCULAR
Coronary artery disease
Heart failure
Heart-rhythm problems
OTHERS
Impaired neuropsychological development
Mental retardation
The health effects of air pollution can
be seen as a pyramid, with the mildest
but not common effects at the bottom
of the pyramid, and the least common
but more severe at the top of the
pyramid. The pyramid demonstrates
that as severity decreases the number
of people affected increase

POPULATION AT RISK
Although everyone is at risk from the health effects of air
pollution, certain sub-populations are more
susceptible. Individual reactions to air contaminants depend
on several factors such as the type of pollutant, the degree of
exposure and how much of the pollutant is present. Age and
health are also important factors.
The elderly and people suffering from cardio-respiratory
problems such as asthma appear to be the most susceptible
groups.
Children and newborns are also sensitive to the health effects
of air pollution since they take in more air than adults for their
body weight and consequently, a higher level of
pollutants. People who exercise outdoors on hot and smoggy
days are also at greater risk due to their increased exposure to
pollutants in the air.
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ACID RAIN
GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
SMOG/HAZE VISIBILITY
OZONE DEPLETION
CLIMATE CHANGE
GLOBAL WARMING
GLOBAL DIMMING
AIR STAGNATION
The greenhouse effect is a phenomenon whereby
greenhouse gases create a condition in the upper
atmosphere causing a trapping of heat and leading to
increased surface and lower tropospheric temperatures. It
shares this property with many other gases, the largest
overall forcing on Earth coming from water vapour. Other
greenhouse gases include methane, hydrofluorocarbons,
perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, NOx, and ozone.
Many greenhouse gases, contain carbon, and some of that
from fossil fuels.
This effect has been understood by scientists for about a
century, and technological advancements during this period
have helped increase the breadth and depth of data relating
to the the phenomenom
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
Destruction of plant and animal life
Corrosion of metals, damage to buildings
Cost of cleaning and maintanance/ repairs
health care costs for the treatment of these effects
may come from any of the following: hospital
admissions, visits to the emergency room or
doctor's office, homecare service, medication
such as inhalers for asthma
lost productivity in the workplace, lost wages due
to sick time, out of pocket expenses incurred
while ill (e.g., additional child care costs), and,
finally lost quality of life or life itself
CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Reductions in air pollution can be achieved by a variety of
methods including pollution prevention, control technologies,
and control measures, and may be implemented through
regulatory, market-based or voluntary programs. A control
strategy may include a combination of different voluntary
measures or mandatory controls, may focus on one or
several pollutants or sources of air pollution, and can be
implemented on a local, regional, national, or international
scale. Energy efficiency, process changes,, and solventless
coatings are examples of pollution prevention strategies.
Many of the air quality improvements to date have been
achieved through technological developments
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
The control of air pollution is ultimately an
engineering problem
WHO has recommended the following procedures
CONTAINMENT (arresters)
REPLACEMENT
DILUTION (green belts)
LEGISLATION (clean air acts)
INTERNATIONAL ACTION
In recent years
DISINFECTON OF AIR:
Mechanical ventilation
Ultraviolet radiation
Chemical mists
Dust control
CONCLUSION
The average adult breathes over 3,000
gallons of air every day
As a society, we pay for the effects of air
pollution in many ways
Prevention is better than cure