Air pollution sources & effects

Environmental Pollution
An undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of environment (Or) Addition or excessive addition of certain materials to the physical environment (Air, water, & lands), making it less fit or unfit for life

Envelope of the earth

The atmosphere is the gaseous envelope that surrounds the earth and constitutes the transition between its surface and the vacuum of space. The atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2)

Envelope of the earth

1.Thermosphere

2.Stratosphere
3.Mesosphere 4.Troposphere

Troposphere
The first layer is called. People, plants, animals, and insects live in the troposphere. It is the layer where all weather occurs The troposphere begins at ground level and extends 12km (7.5 miles) up into the sky where it meets with the second layer called the stratosphere

Stratosphere
The stratosphere begins at the 12km (7.5 mile) point and reaches 50km (21.1 miles) into the sky. An important layer of atmosphere containing ozone is located inside the stratosphere. Ozone (O3) is a special form of oxygen, and the ozone layer is very important to all life on earth. Ozone blocks large amounts of solar ultraviolet radiation from entering the troposphere.

Mesosphere
The third layer is called the mesosphere. The mesosphere begins 50km (21.1miles) above the earth's surface. Temperatures are warmest at the lowest level of the mesosphere and coldest at its highest level.

Thermosphere
The thermosphere begins 80km (49.7 miles) above the earth. Temperatures in the thermosphere go up when moving farther away from ground level due to the sun's energy. The increase in temperature stops at this height, beyond which lies the exosphere. The exosphere is the highest layer of the atmosphere. The exosphere extends to 40,000 miles above the earth's surface. The thermosphere and the exosphere together make up the upper atmosphere.

Giant safety blanket

The troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere act together as a giant safety blanket They keep the temperature on the earth's surface from dipping to extreme icy cold that would freeze everything solid, or from soaring to blazing heat that would burn up all life. In the study of air pollution control the layers of the air that are most important are the troposphere and the stratosphere

Composition of air
Air is a complex mixture made up of many chemical components

The primary components of air are nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), and water vapor (H2O)
About 99 percent of air is nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) The remaining percent includes trace quantities of substances such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), hydrogen (H2), argon (Ar) and helium (He)

1.Primary pollutant : It is one that is emitted into the atmosphere directly from the source of the pollutant and retains the same chemical form

Types of pollutants

2.Secondary pollutant : It is one that is formed by atmospheric reactions of precursor or primary emissions
Secondary pollutants undergo a chemical change once they reach the atmosphere

Criteria Pollutants: Source of CO

Source of NOX

Source of Lead

Secondary Pollutants

Welfare Effects - Acid Rain

Acid rain" is a broad term used to describe several ways that acids fall out of the atmosphere A more precise term is acid deposition, which has two parts: wet and dry Acid deposition occurs when emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere react with water, oxygen, and oxidants to form acidic compounds These compounds fall to the earth in either dry form (gas and particles) or wet form (rain, snow, and fog)

Acid Rain Acidity is measured in terms of pH on a logarithmic scale from 1.0 to 14.0 A pH of 1.0 indicates high acidity, whereas a pH of 14.0 indicates high alkalinity; a pH of 7.0 indicates a neutral solution Precipitation falling through a "clean" atmosphere is normally somewhat acidic, with a pH of about 5.6. Acid rain, however, can have a pH values below 4.0.

Welfare Effects - Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse effect

The earth's climate is fueled by the sun Most of the sun's energy, called solar radiation, is absorbed by the earth, but some is reflected back into space Clouds and a natural layer of atmospheric gases absorb a portion of earth's heat and prevent it from escaping into space This keeps our planet warm enough for life and is known as the natural "greenhouse effect

Global warming
Scientific evidence shows that the greenhouse effect is being increased by the release of certain gases into the atmosphere that cause the earth's temperature to rise, This is called "global warming"

Carbon dioxide, methane, particulate matter (especially black carbon or soot), nitrous oxide, fluorinated compounds, and ozone are some of the compounds contributing to global warming

Effects of global warming

Continued emissions of greenhouse gases could cause a 2.5 to 10 Fahrenheit rise in temperature by the year 2100 This could lead to more extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, threaten coastal resources and wetlands by raising the sea level, and increase the risk of certain diseases by producing new breeding sites for pests and pathogens Agricultural regions and woodlands are also susceptible to changes in climate that could result in increased insect populations and plant disease This degradation of natural ecosystems could lead to reduced biological diversity

Welfare Effects - Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

The stratosphere, located about 6 to 31 miles above the earth, contains a layer of ozone gas that protects living organisms from harmful ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) from the Sun UV-B (280 to 315 nanometer wavelength) has been linked to many harmful effects including various types of skin cancer, cataracts, and harm to some crops, certain materials, and some forms of marine life

Ozone Depletion In the mid-1970s, it was discovered that some human-produced gases could cause stratospheric ozone depletion Gases containing chlorine and bromine accumulate in the lower atmosphere, are eventually transported to the stratosphere and then converted to more reactive gases that participate in reactions that destroy ozone Several substances have been associated with the stratospheric ozone depletion, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halogens, carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide, and methyl chloroform

ozone depletion
One example of ozone depletion is the annual ozone "hole" over Antarctica that has occurred during the Antarctic spring since the early 1980s Rather than being a literal hole, the ozone hole is a large area of the stratosphere with extremely low amounts of ozone Ozone levels fall by over 60% during the worst years Even over the United States, ozone levels are about 3 percent below normal in the summer and 5 percent below normal in the winter

Welfare Effects Smog It is the mixing of smoke particles from industrial plumes with fog that produces a yellow-black color near ground level Under the right conditions, the smoke and sulfur dioxide produced from the burning of coal can combine with fog to create industrial smog The burning of fossil fuels like gasoline can create another atmospheric pollution problem known as photochemical smog

Photochemical smog Photochemical smog is a condition that develops when primary pollutants (oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds created from fossil fuel combustion) interact under the influence of sunlight to produce a mixture of hundreds of different and hazardous chemicals known as secondary pollutants Smog is the brownish haze that pollutes our air, particularly over cities in the summertime

Smog can make it difficult for some people to breathe and it greatly reduces how far we can see through the air.

Effects of smog
Smog is a mixture of pollutants with ground-level ozone being the main culprit
Increased levels of ground level-ozone are generally harmful to living systems because ozone reacts strongly to destroy or alter many other molecules Excessive ozone exposure reduces crop yield and forest growth It interferes with the ability of plants to produce and store food, reducing overall plant health and the ability to grow and reproduce The weakened plants are more susceptible to harsh weather, disease, and pests In addition, increases in tropospheric ozone lead to a warming of earth's surface.

Chemistry of pollutants
some equations and descriptions of the chemical reactions that are involved in the production of common primary and secondary air pollutants. Reactions producing: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nitrogen Oxide (NO) Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Ozone (O3) PAN gas (C2H3N2O5) Acid Rain (H2SO4)

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Carbon dioxide is mostly produced through the burning of organic compounds (hydrocarbons). If these reactions are complete, the products are carbon dioxide and water e.g. burning octane (petrol): 2C8H18 + 25O2 ==> 16CO2 + 18H2O

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon monoxide is mostly produced through the incomplete burning of organic compounds (hydrocarbons). This occurs when the amount of oxygen available is limited e.g. burning octane (petrol): C8H18 + O2 ==> aCO2 + bCO + cH2O + unburnt hydrocarbons Where a, b, & c depend on the amount of available oxygen.

Nitrogen Oxide (NO)

Nitrogen oxide is produced through the combination of oxygen and nitrogen from the air at very high temperatures. This can occur naturally as the result of lightning strikes but is more common in the hot cylinders of car engines as they burn fuel in air Reaction:
N2 + O2(+high temperature ~ 2000 C) ==> 2NO

 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Nitrogen dioxide is produced through the further reaction of nitrogen oxide with oxygen in the air.
This reaction is relatively fast and is increased further by the presence of heat and sunlight. Reaction: 2NO + O2 ==> 2NO2

Ozone (O3) Ozone in the troposphere (ground level) is produced from the combination of atmospheric oxygen. This reaction is catalyzed by nitrogen dioxide and sunlight, making ozone a secondary pollutant. Reaction: 3O2 ( + NO2 catalyst & sunlight) ==>2O3

 PAN gas (C2H3N2O5) PAN gas (peroxyacetalnitrate) is produced from the combination of hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the pressence of sunlight and heat. It has the following structure:
Acid Rain (H2SO4) Sulphuric acid is produced from the reaction of sulphur dioxide with ozone, the resulting sulphite ions then react with water vapour in the atmosphere to produce sulphuric acid. Reactions: SO2 + O3 ===> SO3 + O2 SO3 + H2O ===> H2SO4

Smoking is injurious to health

Which is dangerous to health, either indoor smoking or out door smoking? The concentration of pollutants in the self polluted air in a room of a smoker is higher than that of out doors What it contains? Tobacco smoke contains at least 7 polycyclic hydrocarbons and radioactive polonium-210, which are carcinogens

Smoking is injurious to health

What are the health effects? In smokers, the risk of developing and dying from lung cancer 10 times more than a non-smoker The risk of lung diseases is 6 times and that of heart diseases twice as compared to a non-smoker. Certain other diseases are also related to smoking

Smoking is Sweet poison

Who will be affected by smoking? There is a world wide campaign to prohibit smoking in public places as smokers affect the health of even non-smoker, called passive smoker( i.e. who inhale tobacco smoke passively)