Chapter Twelve: Air

Section One: What Causes Air Pollution When harmful substances build up in the air to unhealthy levels Primary and Secondary Pollutants Primary: pollutant put in the air directly from human activities Ex: Household products, vehicles, power plants Secondary: when primary pollutants react with each other or natural substances such as water vapor Ex: ground level ozone

Section One: What Causes Air Pollution Motor Vehicle Emissions 1/3 of air pollution comes from vehicles The Clean Air Act Gives the EPA authority to regulate vehicle emissions California Zero Emission Vehicle Program Created in 1990 Hybrid and Electric Cars

Section One: What Causes Air Pollution Industrial Air Pollution Burn fossil fuels Release sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and VOCs VOCs: chemical compounds that release toxic fumes Regulating Air Pollution from Industry Clean Air Act requires industries regulate air pollution

Section One: What Causes Air Pollution Smog and Temperature Inversions Smog: when air pollution hangs over urban areas and reduces visibility Temperature Inversions: happens when warm air does not rise and traps pollutants near the surface of the Earth

Section Two: Air, Noise, and Light Pollution Short-term Effects of Air Pollution on Health Headache, nausea, irritation to eyes, nose, and throat Long-term Effects of Air Pollution on Health Emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease May damage the lungs of children

Section Two: Air, Noise, and Light Pollution Indoor Air Pollution Chemical are used in paints, carpets, building material Radon gas: second leading cause of lung cancer Asbestos: was used in building materials but banned by U.S. in 1970s Fibers cut and scar the lungs and cause difficulty breathing Noise Pollution Unwanted noise and noise that causes hearing loss Light Pollution Diminishes view of the night sky and wastes energy

Section Three: Acid Precipitation What causes Acid Precipitation? Acid precipitation: precipitation that contains a high concentration of acids Comes from burning fossil fuels Can kill living things because of low pH pH: a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is Your blood has a pH of 7.2

Section Three: Acid Precipitation How Acid Precipitation Affects Soils and Plants Drops the pH and causes an increase in the acid concentration Causes some nutrients to dissolve or be washed away with rain water Causes toxic metals to be absorbed by plant roots and damages roots

Section Three: Acid Precipitation Aquatic Ecosystems Kills fish and other aquatic organisms Acid Shock: the influx of acidic water from melted snow that flows into bodies of water and causes a rapid change in pH Acid Precipitation and Humans Toxic metals in fish, crops, and water Damages forestry and fishing industry Can dissolve concrete, marble, and limestone Leads to destruction of building and monuments

Section Three: Acid Precipitation International Conflict and Cooperation Pollutants may be released in one area and carried away as precipitation in another area Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement Reduce emissions that flow across the Canada-U.S. border Europe has made similar efforts China does not participate