1. Chapter 12.2 Environmental Science
Air, Noise, and Light Pollution

2. Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Health
Many health problems associated with air pollution are short-term and can be reversed in air pollution exposure decreases.
Short-term effects are headache; nausea; irritation to the eyes, nose, throat; tightness in the chest; coughing; and upper respiratory infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.
Also individuals who have asthma and emphysema will have worse symptoms because of air pollution.

3. Long-Term Health Effects of Air Pollution
Long-term effects from air pollution are emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease.
Also long-term exposure may worsen medial conditions of older people and may damage the lungs of children.

4. Indoor Air Pollution
Sometimes air quality indoors is worse than outdoors.
Indoor air pollutants are chemicals that are used to make carpets, building materials, paints, and furniture.
Sick-building syndrome is when building have very poor air quality. This is most common in hot places where building are tightly sealed.
Example: In Florida in 1990 a courthouse had be abandoned. Half the people who worked there developed an allergic reaction to a fungi that was growing in the air- conditioning ducts, ceiling tiles, carpets, and furniture.
To insure good indoor air quality it is important to identify and remove sources of indoor air pollution. Ventilation (mixing outdoor air with indoor air) is also important.

5. Radon Gas
Radon is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas, that is also radioactive.
Radon is produced by the decay of uranium (which is found naturally in the Earth’s crust).
Radon can seep into cracks and holes in foundations in homes, offices, and schools. It can stick to dust particles. People inhale the dust particles and radon enters their lungs. This can eventually lead to cancer.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

6. Asbestos
Asbestos is made of several minerals that form in long, thin fibers that are important for their strength and resistance to heat.
Asbestos is important as an insulator and a fire retardant. It was used in building materials.
In the early 1970s asbestos was banned by the U.S. government. Exposure to asbestos in the air is dangerous.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled they can cut and scar the lungs which causes the disease called asbestosis.
This disease causes difficulty breathing and many who have it may die of heart failure.
Many schools have spent billions of dollars to remove asbestos.

7. Noise Pollution Noise pollution is unwanted sound.
Noise pollution is irritating and damages our hearing by destroying cells in our ears.
Hearing loss, in the U.S. has doubled since the 1970s. 14.9% of teens have permanent hearing loss mainly due to portable listening devices.
Scientists have also found that loud sounds also affect organisms. For example they have found that loud noises in the ocean can lead to whales and dolphins stranding themselves on beaches.
Sound intensity is measured using decibels (dB). An increase in 10dB can increase sound intensity 10x.
Noise pollution can be controlled by using mufflers and limiting sound on portable listening devices.

8. Light Pollution
Light pollution can cause headaches, fatigue, stress, and anxiety. It also does not allow us to fully view the night sky.
It can also affect the environment. For example – hatching baby sea turtles instinctively move toward light. They may move towards street lights and may not survive because they are moving the wrong way.
Light can also confuse birds that migrate at night.
Energy waste is an important environmental concern. One idea is to shield light so that it is directed downward. Or to use time controls on lights so they are only used when needed.