PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE AIR QUALITY

atmosphere

provides necessary oxygen for humans and animals to breathe and carbon dioxide for plant respiration

natural ozone

blocks most of the sun’s incoming ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancers, cataracts, and genetic mutations.

Carbon dioxide and methane

help provide a warm protective shield against the cold of space.

Greenhouse effect

through the ___________________, the atmosphere holds in some of the sun’s ultraviolet rays after they reflect off the earth’s surface and thus keeps the world’s temperatures high enough to support life.

Hazy smog

reduces visibility and the enjoyment of scenic vistas; damages clothing , buildings, crops, and trees; and poses a threat to public health

100,000

Each year, air pollution in the U.S. accounts for more than _________ premature deaths

Dirty air

it can increase the frequency and effects of asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer, and circulatory problems

air pollution

primary source of climate change

industrial Revolution

was based on the burning of fossil fuels, coal to drive steam engines and oil to power internal combustion engines

sulfur, nitrogen, carbon

fossil fuels release _____, _____, _____

• Volcanoes

• Meteorites

• Forest and brush fires

• Natural disasters

NATURAL SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION

Volcanoes

can spew enormous amounts of fine gray ash that can travel thousands of miles and remain suspended in the atmosphere for months

Meteorites

have hit the earth with the force of atomic bomb

Forest and brush fires

touched off by lightning strikes can generate smoke that carries particulates and other pollutants hundreds of miles

Natural disasters

occur infrequently can also produce minor amounts of air pollution

• Mobile sources

• Stationary direct sources

• Indirect stationary sources

THREE MAIN SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION (HUMAN ACTIVITIES)

Mobile sources

include motor vehicles, airplanes, ships, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers.

Stationary direct sources

consist of factories, municipal and private incinerators, electric generating plants, fireplaces, woodburning stoves, home furnaces, gas stations, dry cleaners, sewage treatment plants, and landfills

Indirect stationary sources

are places that people travel to, such as shopping centers and sports stadiums

1. The amount and rate of pollutants released

2. The form of the pollutant

3. The prevailing wind direction and speed

4. Climate

5. Topography

6. Vegetative cover

HOW DOES THE CONCENTRATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS CHANGE?

thermal inversion

occurs when cooler air close to the ground is trapped under a ceiling of warmer air

• NITROGEN OXIDE

• SULFUR DIOXIDE

• LEAD

• CARBON MONOXIDE

• PARTICULATES

• OZONE

• TOXIC CHEMICALS

• CARBON DIOXIDE AND GREENHOUSE GASES

TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION

Nitrogen oxide (NOx)

a reddish-brown gas that comes mainly from the exhaust of cars, trucks, and buses and from the smokestacks of factories and power plants.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

main ingredient in smog, which can reduce visibility and cause lung damage, bronchitis, and asthma attacks.

SULFUR DIOXIDE

This toxic gas can harm lungs and reduce visibility as well as damage or kill plants by interrupting photosynthesis

Sulfuric acid

can erode stone buildings, metal, rubber, and plastic

Lead (Pb)

a heavy metal that, when airborne, can cause development disabilities in children, neurological problems, and cancer

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

a colorless, odorless gas that is poisonous to humans

Carbon Monoxide

a byproduct of burning gasoline and diesel fuel, and about 60 percent of carbon monoxide comes from motor vehicles.

Carbon Monoxide

reduces the ability of blood to deliver oxygen to the body’s cells, muscles, and tissues

PARTICULATES

are microscopic dust, soot, smoke, and tiny bits of minerals, such as asbestos, that combine with water droplets in the air.

Particulates

the primary cause of haze that reduces visibility

PM-2.5 particles

a major threat to human health because they are so small that the body’s defenses are unable to capture and expel these particles

Ozone (O3)

a poisonous form of oxygen created by sunlight and warm temperatures that interact with nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon compounds, also known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

escape into the air from car and truck tailpipes, factory smokestacks, paints, solvents, glues, fireplaces, and woodstoves

Smog

can cause serious lung ailments and damage to crops, trees, and other plants.

Toxic chemicals

present serious health threats to humans and other living organisms

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

the major greenhouse gas to which the recent worldwide rise in average temperature has been attributed

comprehensive plan

establishes the legal basis for zoning and subdivision regulations and guides public infrastructure investment that greatly influences land development and transportation patterns and hence local air quality

natural resources inventory section

a good place to put information on local and regional air quality, including weather and topography, any local air pollution problems, and both major and area (small) sources of air pollution.