Outdoor Air Pollution Miller 17-1/17-2

Air Pollution One or more chemicals in concentrations high enough in the atmosphere to cause harm to life forms Air pollution is not new to the human race

Classes of Air Pollutants May be natural or anthropogenic Carbon Oxides – CO and CO 2 Sulfur Oxides – SO 2 and SO 3 Nitrogen Oxides - NO x Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – Methane CH 4 – Propane – Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Classes continued Photochemical oxidants - Ozone O 3 Radioactive substances – Radon-222 Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) which cause cancer, birth defects and nervous system problems – Chloroform – formaldehyde – Ethylene dibromide

Mobile and Stationary sources Stationary – burning of fossil fuels in power plants and factories Mobile – motor vehicles

Primary Pollutants Emitted directly into the troposphere in a potentially harmful form Example – Particulate matter

Secondary Pollutants When primary pollutants react with each other and often sunlight to form new compounds Example – photochemical smog

Ozone Is Ozone good or bad?

The Ozone Layer Protects living things from Ultraviolet Radiation The Ozone layer was disappearing in the 1990’s This was mainly due to CFCs entering the upper atmosphere

Ground level ozone Ozone is very corrosive This is not good if it is corroding your lungs

The Greenhouse Effect Is the greenhouse effect good or bad?

Greenhouse good Goldilocks was right? The Earth is the only place that we know of where water exists in all three phases Solid – Liquid – Gas This is essential for life to exist

Greenhouse bad Gases and water vapor in the atmosphere cause the greenhouse effect We increase levels of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels Methane is also a powerful greenhouse gas

Our atmosphere is warming at an ever increasing rate due to human actions

What is the most pressing ecological problem facing your generation? Human population growth Industrialization