Ch. 18 APES: Air Pollution

radon gas

A chemically inert, radioactive gaseous element produced by the decay of radium

nitric acid

A colorless or pale yellow liquid acid that is corrosive and poisonous and has strong oxidizing properties

volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. -(methane)

ozone

A colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O2) in having three atoms in its molecule (O3). -gas that absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation, found in the stratosphere, a zone between 15 and 50 kilometers (9 to 30 miles) above Earth's surface.

sulfur dioxide

A colorless, nonflammable, water-soluble, suffocating gas, SO 2 , formed when sulfur burns.

acid deposition

*"acid rain": Combination of chemical and atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when gases containing sulfur (sulphur) dioxide and nitrogen oxides form acidic compounds. -caused mainly by coal-burning power plants and motor vehicle emissions -threatens human health, aquatic life and ecosystems, forests, and human-built structures in some regions -remains in the atmosphere 2-14 days

air pollution from natural sources:

-dust blown by wind -pollutants from wildfires and volcanoes -volatile organics released by plants

VOCs + NOx + Heat + Sunlight yields:

-ground level O3 and other photochemical oxidants -Aldehydes -Other secondary pollutants

acid deposition harmful effects:

-human health (respiratory disorders; toxins from fish) -release of toxic metals -aquatic ecosystems (lowers pH and kills organisms -leaching of soil nutrients -forest damage -damage to buildings

air pollution from human sources:

-mostly in industrialized and/or urban areas -stationary sources: power plants and industrial facilities -mobile sources: motor vehicles

Outdoor air pollution may be decreased by:

-settling of particles due to gravity -rain and snow -salty sea spray from the ocean -winds -chemical reactions -urban buildings -hills and mountains -high temperatures -emissions of VOCs from certain trees and plants -the grasshopper effect -temperature inversions (warm air above cool air prevents mixing)

major indoor air pollution problems:

-smoke and soot from the burning of wood and coal in cooking fires -cigarette smoke -chemicals used in building materials and cleaning products

we can reverse stratospheric ozone depletion by:

-stop producing ozone-depleting chemicals immediately -agreements with a prevention approach: (montreal protocol- cut emissions of CFCs) (Copenhagen Amendment- accelerated phase-out)

sulfuric acid

A highly corrosive, dense, oily liquid, H2SO4, colorless to dark brown depending on its purity and used to manufacture a wide variety ofchemicals and materials including fertilizers, paints, detergents, and explosives.

photochemical smog

Air pollution containing ozone and other reactive chemical compounds formed by the action of sunlight on nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, especially those in automobile exhaust. *sunlight plus cars = this*

primary pollutants

An air pollutant emitted directly from a source.

bunker fuel

Any of various fuel oils used especially on ships

hazardous air pollutants (HAPs)

Are those pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects

temperature inversion

Condition in which the temperature of the atmosphere increases with altitude in contrast to the normal decrease with altitude.

air pollution

Contamination of air by smoke and harmful gases, mainly oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen.

suspended particulate matter (SPM)

Finely divided solids or liquids that may be dispersed through the air from combustion processes,industrial activities of natural sources.

secondary pollutants

Form in the atmosphere through chemical and photochemical reactions from the primary pollutants

brown-air smog

VOCs + NOx + heat + sunlight --> groundlevel ozone + other photochemical oxidants + aldehydes + other secondary pollutants. NO is converted to reddish brown NO2.

Global Energy Transfer

Most of the energy from the sun is in the high energy wavelengths- UV and visible light. 50% of this energy is absorbed at the surface. Energy reflected from the surface is infrared (longer wavelengths)

nitrogen oxides

Oxides of Nitrogen are the direct result of combustion in the presence of atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen.

grasshopper effect

Persistent and volatile pollutants - including certain pesticides, industrial chemicals and heavy metals - evaporate out of the soil in warmer countries where they are still used, and travel in the atmosphere toward cooler areas, condensing out again when the temperature drops. The process, repeated in "hops", can carry them thousands of kilometres in a matter of days.

Copenhagen Amendment

Significantly accelerated the phaseout of ODSs and incorporated an HCFC phaseout for developed countries, beginning in 2004. Under this agreement, CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform were targeted for complete phaseout in 1996 in developed countries. In addition, methyl bromide consumption of methyl bromide was capped at 1991 levels.

industrial smog

Smog is the brown-colored haze which hangs in the air over industrial areas. -its formed when pollutants mix in the air -primarily as a result of *burning coal* and photochemical smog -caused by emissions from motor vehicles, industrial facilities, and power plants

particulates

Solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere, especially pollutants.

grey-air smog

Suspended particles of such salts and soot give the resulting smog a gray color

Clean Air Acts

The Clean Air Act is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and enforce regulations to protect the public from airborne contaminants known to be hazardous to human health.

Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was designed to reduce the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances in order to reduce their abundance in the atmosphere, and thereby protect the earth's fragile ozone Layer

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI Law)

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) was established in 1986 by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). In 1990, Congress passed the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), which required that facilities report additional data on waste management and source reduction activities under TRI.

ozone layer

The layer of the upper atmosphere where most atmospheric ozone is concentrated

troposphere

The lowest layer of the atmosphere, 6 miles (10 km) high in some areas and as much as 12 miles (20 km) high in others, within which there is a steady drop in temperature with increasing altitude and within which nearly all cloud formations occur and weather conditions manifest themselves.

atmospheric pressure

The pressure exerted by the earth's atmosphere at any given point, being the product of the mass of the atmospheric column of the unit area above the given point and of the gravitational acceleration at the given point.

stratosphere

The region of the upper atmosphere extending upward from the tropopause to about 30 miles (50 km) above the earth, characterized by little vertical change in temperature.

emissions trading

Tradeable-permit system in which a greenhouse gases emitter (firm or country under obligation to limit its total air pollution emissions to a specified level) can buy/sell permission to emit a certain amount of emissions from/to other emitters (who are below/above their limit)

carbon oxides

carbon monoxide, CO, & carbon dioxide, CO2.

Major Outdoor Air Pollutants

carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides and nitric acid, sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid, particulates, ozone, volatile organic compounds