Dr. R. B. Schultz

“Natural” air pollutionPrimary pollutants Secondary pollutantsSmog Photochemical smogPhotochemical Acid PrecipitationReactions OzoneClean Air Act (1970) Mixing depth Surface inversion

 EPA uses six "criteria pollutants" as indicators of air quality  EPA established for each of them a maximum concentration above which adverse effects on human health may occur. 3

The Clean Air Act (CAA) identifies six common air pollutants, known as “Criteria Pollutants”: –Ozone –Particulate Matter –Carbon Monoxide –Sulfur Dioxide –Nitrogen Dioxide –Lead EPA uses these 5 criteria pollutants as indicators of air quality. –Air quality directly affects our quality of life. Local air quality affects how you live and breathe. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency What are Criteria Pollutants?

Health Effects of Criteria Pollutants PollutantDescriptionSourcesHealth EffectsWelfare Effects Carbon Monoxide (CO) Colorless, odorless gas Motor vehicle exhaust, indoor sources include kerosene or wood burning stoves. Headaches, reduced mental alertness, heart attack, cardiovascular diseases, impaired fetal development, death. Contribute to the formation of smog. Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) Colorless gas that dissolves in water vapor to form acid, and interact with other gases and particles in the air. Coal-fired power plants, petroleum refineries, manufacture of sulfuric acid and smelting of ores containing sulfur. Eye irritation, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, lung damage. Contribute to the formation of acid rain, visibility impairment, plant and water damage, aesthetic damage.

Health Effects of Criteria Pollutants PollutantDescriptionSourcesHealth EffectsWelfare Effects Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) Reddish brown, highly reactive gas. Motor vehicles, electric utilities, and other industrial, commercial, and residential sources that burn fuels. Susceptibility to respiratory infections, irritation of the lung and respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing). Contribute to the formation of smog, acid rain, water quality deterioration, global warming, and visibility impairment. Ozone (O 3 ) Gaseous pollutant when it is formed in the troposphere. Vehicle exhaust and certain other fumes. Formed from other air pollutants in the presence of sunlight. Eye and throat irritation, coughing, respiratory tract problems, asthma, lung damage. Plant and ecosystem damage.

Lead (Pb)Metallic element Metal refineries, lead smelters, battery manufacturers, iron and steel producers. Anemia, high blood pressure, brain and kidney damage, neurological disorders, cancer, lowered IQ. Affects animals and plants, affects aquatic ecosystems. Particulate Matter (PM) Very small particles of soot, dust, or other matter, including tiny droplets of liquids. Diesel engines, power plants, industries, windblown dust, wood stoves. Eye irritation, asthma, bronchitis, lung damage, cancer, heavy metal poisoning, cardiovascular effects. Visibility impairment, atmospheric deposition, aesthetic damage U.S. Environmental Protection Agency PollutantDescriptionSourcesHealth EffectsWelfare Effects Health Effects of Criteria Pollutants

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Five major goals for protecting and promoting human health and public welfare: Reducing potentially harmful human and ecosystem exposure to six criteria pollutants; Limiting the sources of and risks from exposure to air toxics; Protecting and improving visibility impairment in wilderness areas and national parks; Reducing the emissions of chemicals that cause acid rain, specifically SO 2 and NO x ; Reducing the use of chemicals that have the potential to deplete the ozone layer. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

How does EPA limit Criteria Air Pollution? National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS): Primary NAAQS: –Protect public health, including the health of sensitive populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly Secondary NAAQS: –Protect public welfare, including protection against decreased visibility and damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings

How does EPA limit Criteria Air Pollution? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency State Implementation Plan Permits Enforcement Grant Support Activities Voluntary Programs

 Economic activity, population growth, meteorological conditions, and regulatory efforts to control emissions, all influence the trends in air pollution.  The Clean Air Act of 1970 mandated the setting of standards for four of the primary pollutants— ◦ particulates, ◦ sulfur dioxide, ◦ carbon monoxide, and ◦ Nitrogen ◦ as well as the secondary pollutant ozone.

 In 1997, the emissions of the five major primary pollutants in the United States were about 31 percent lower than  In 1990, Congress passed the Clean Air Act Amendments, which further tightened controls on air quality.  Regulations and standards regarding the provisions of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 are periodically established and revised.

 Air pollution and weather are linked in two ways. One way concerns the influence that weather conditions have on the dilution and dispersal of air pollutants.  The second way is the reverse and deals with the effect that air pollution has on weather and climate.  Air is never perfectly clean.  Examples of “natural” air pollution include: ◦ Ash, ◦ salt particles, ◦ pollen and spores, ◦ smoke and ◦ windblown dust

 Although some types of air pollution are recent creations, others, such as London's infamous smoke pollution, have been around for centuries. One of the most tragic air pollution episodes ever occurred in London in December 1952 when more than four- thousand people died.  Air pollutants are airborne particles and gasses that occur in concentrations that endanger the heath and well-being of organisms or disrupt the orderly functioning of the environment.  Pollutants can be grouped into two categories: ◦ (1) primary pollutants (point source), which are emitted directly from identifiable sources, and ◦ (2) secondary pollutants (non-point source), which are produced in the atmosphere when certain chemical reactions take place among primary pollutants.

 The most obvious factor influencing air pollution is the quantity of contaminants emitted into the atmosphere.  However, when air pollution episodes take place, they are not generally the result of a drastic increase in the output of pollutants; instead, they occur because of changes in certain atmospheric conditions.  Two of the most important atmospheric conditions affecting the dispersion of pollutants are: ◦ (1) the strength of the wind ◦ (2) the stability of the air.

 In most areas within several hundred kilometers of large centers of human activity, the pH value is much lower than the usual value found in unpopulated areas.  This acidic rain or snow, formed when sulfur and nitrogen oxides produced as by- products of combustion and industrial activity are converted into acids during complex atmospheric reactions, is called acid precipitation.

 Beyond possible impacts on health, the damaging effects of acid precipitation on the environment include the lowering of pH in thousands of lakes in Scandinavia and eastern North America.  Besides producing water that is toxic to fish, acid precipitation has also detrimentally altered complex ecosystems by many interactions at many levels of organization.

Air Quality Index (AQI) - A Guide to Air Quality and Your Health EPA and local officials use the AQI to provide simple information about your local air quality, how unhealthy air may affect you, and how you can protect your health. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. To make it easier to understand, the AQI is divided into six categories. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Get Your Local AQI Forecast Log on to EPA’s AIRNow Web page at Sign up for EnviroFlash, an e- mail and cell phone notification service that alerts you when your local air quality reaches certain levels. You can specify preferences. Download Free AIRNow iPhone & Android Apps! If you have limited Internet access, you’ll find that many local television stations, radio stations and newspapers also carry local AQI forecasts. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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