Air Pollution Control: Mod. 1
In the United States -> mainly a combination of the air quality standard and the emission standard strategies, but ________and _______ are also used.
incentives and cost-benefit analysis
What are the regulatory guidelines for VOCs under the CAA?
requires manufacturers, importers, and distributors to limit the VOC content of their products inlcuding emissions from architectural coatings
By the late 1980s "environmentalism" evolves into the concept of ______________.
"sustainability"
Major influences that shaped the development of air quality management programs in the United States:
1) Air Pollution Episodes 2) Improvements in Science 3) Changes in Society and Economy 4) Public Awareness and Environmental Activism
Summary of Demonstrated Effects of Criteria Pollutants (C.P.) Pb 1) Health Effects 2) Welfare Effects
1) Damage to nervous system and organs: "Neurocognitive and neuromotor impairment" 2) No known effect on vegetation or materials.
Clean Air Act Specific provisions to address: (4)
1) Hazardous or Toxic Air Pollutants 2) Acid Rain (SO2, NO2) 3) Regional Haze (NO2 and Volatile Organic Carbon Compounds (VOCs)) 4) Depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer (Chlorofluorocarbon Compounds (CFCs))
EPA Summary of Demonstrated Effects of Criteria Pollutants (C.P.) CO: 1) Health Effects 2) Welfare Effects
1) Interferes with O2 transport in blood. Causes cardiovascular disease & central nervous system disorders 2) Effects on plants or materials are not evident.
Summary of Demonstrated Effects of Criteria Pollutants (C.P.) O3 1) Health Effects 2) Welfare Effects
1) Respiratory: "Decrease in pulmonary function. Coughing and chest discomfort Increased asthma attacks" 2) Corrodes rubber, paint, weakens fabrics, rubber, and produces leaf damage and retardation of plant growth.
Summary of Demonstrated Effects of Criteria Pollutants (C.P.) NO2 1) Health Effects 2) Welfare Effects
1) Respiratory: "Increased susceptibility to respiratory pathogens" 2) Reduces visibility, Causes leaves to yellow. Precursor to acid deposition and O3
Summary of Demonstrated Effects of Criteria Pollutants (C.P.) SO2 1) Health Effects 2) Welfare Effects
1) Respiratory;" Increased prevalence of chronic respiratory disease Increased risk of acute respiratory disease" 2) Causes corrosion and deterioration of metals,brittleness of paper, Paint discoloration, damages textiles andleaves of plants, and is a precursor to acid deposition.
Ozone (O3) from airinfonow.gov
1)- attacks the cells that line your airways (like getting a sunburn inside your lungs) - for asthmatic people or those with repiratory illnesses, greater attacks and irritation
Summary of Demonstrated Effects of Criteria Pollutants (C.P.) PM 1) Health Effects 2) Welfare Effects
1)Cardio-Respiratory 2)Reduces visibility. Causes soiling of materials. Effect on Global Climate
Criteria pollutant:
A pollutant determined to be hazardous to human health and regulated under EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Evolution of USA Clean Air Legislation (8)
1947: FIFRA 1955: Air Pollution Control Act -> "An Act to provide research and technical assistance relating to air pollution control" 1963: Clean Air Act -> "An Act to improve, strengthen, and accelerate programs for the prevention and abatement of air pollution" 1965: Amendments to 1963 legislation, Motor Vehicle Emissions Control Act 1967: Air Quality Act (Air Quality Control Regions (AQCRs) as a means of monitoring ambient air) 1970: Clean Air Act -> "An Act to amend the Clean Air Act to provide for a more effective program to improve the quality of the Nation's air" 1977: Amendments to 1970 legislation ->Prevention of Significant Deterioration" (PSD) and "Nonattainment" Provisions were added. 1990: "An Act to amend the Clean Air Act to provide for attainment and maintenance of health protective national ambient air quality standards, and for other purposes."
What Improvements in Science shaped the development of air quality management programs in the United States? (3)
1950s: disovery of smog, Prof. Haagen-Smith...1955 President Eisenhower responded 1960s: creation of environmental health science 1980s: air pollution meteorology and monitoring systems
When was the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USA-EPA) created?
1970
What: 3.) Changes in Society and Economy and 4.) Public Awareness and Environmental Activism shaped the development of air quality management programs in the United States?
3.) Population growth, industrialization Increased wealth, and changing social attitudes 4.) 1960's social revolution in the United States: Issues that were on the public agenda: civil rights, consumer protection, safety and health, concern about the environment. Spark: Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring, which revealed the problems of increased and unrestricted pesticide usage.
What is the composition of air in percentage of constituents?
78% N2 21% O2 MWair = 28.96g/mol 1% Ar
What is an air pollution episode?
A period of time (hours to days) during which the ambient concentration of "marker" (criteria) pollutants is equal to or greater than the established standards.
BACT
Best Available Control Technology
What are the products and reactants of a typical combustion reaction?
Carbon Material + Air (N2+O2) --> CO2 + NOx (CNO+NO2) + SOx (SO2) + VOCs + SVOCs + PAHs + PM
National Ambient Air Quality standards (NAAQS) for six "criteria pollutants": Also list which are Primary (P) and/or Secondary (S)
Carbon monoxide (CO) - (P) Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) - (P) Sulfur dioxide (SO2) - (P) Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) - (P & S?) Lead (Pb) - (P) Ozone (O3) - (S)
What are the three air quality management strategies?
Cleaner Factories, Cleaner Fuel, Cleaner Engines
How often are NAAQS reviewed?
Every 5 years
HAZE OR PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG
Pollutants directly emitted from sources, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) may undergo intricate chemical transformation producing a complex aerosol mixture of ozone and partially oxidized compounds that can degrade visibility and air quality.
Clean Air Act Emerging Pollution Problems:
Greenhouse gases (climate change)
Ambient air standards are .....
HEALTH-BASED, that is, "based on contaminant concentrations in environmental media or exposure doses that are likely to be without an appreciable risk of adverse health effects in humans."
ACID PRECIPITATION
Pollutants directly emitted from sources, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), may react with atmospheric water returning to earth as acid rain, fog, or snow
Which one of the six "criteria pollutant" has steadily declined in importance of as a result of mandated changes in the composition of gasoline?
Lead (Pb)
MACT
Maximum Available Control Technology
What sciences have contributed to the advancement of the environmental heath of the atmosphere?
Meteorology Toxicology Epidemiology Mathematics Computer Science Statistics
What's the difference b/w NAAQS vs NESHP
National Ambient Air Quality Standards National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Pollutants
NSPS
New Sources Performance Standards ............. for certain new industrial plants
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC): 2) EPA definition:
Organic compounds that vaporize (become a gas) at room temperature. They are the leading cause of ground-level ozone (air pollution, also known as "smog"). 2) ...."broadly to include in effect "any volatile compound of carbon" that is not specifically exempted. See 40 C.F.R.51.100 (s).
PM10 from airinfonow.gov
Particulate Matter up to 10 microns across - made of pieces of dirt and dust, mold, spores, pollen, etc. -particles build up in airways and oxygen flow becomes less efficient - lungs produce mucuous which is eventually coughed out
Receptor population:
People, animals, plants and materials who could come into contact with pollutants
What is the difference between a primary and secondary pollutant?
Primary: emitted directly Secondary: formed in the lower atmosphere by chemical reactions among primary pollutants
Carbon Monoxide from airinfonow.gov
Produced when things burn (Cars, industry, etc) - flows with O2 into alveoli (tiny air sacs in lungs) - absorbed into blood stream attached to O2 delivering CO instead to the receptors causing side effects and even suffocation
RACT
Reasonably available control technology
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set __________ for major sources of "hazardous air pollutants"
TECHNOLOGY-BASED emissions standards
What is SMOG? (not photochemical SMOG)
Smoke (SO2 + PM) + fog + no wind
Define Air Pollution/Air Quality Management
The ability to control air pollution in a coordinated manner. A collection of strategies used to reduce air pollution and protect the public health and welfare.
Define Air Pollution as per the Florida Administrative Code
The presence in the outdoor atmosphere of the state of any one or more substances or pollutants in quantities which are or may be harmful or injurious to human health or welfare, animal or plant life, or property, or unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or property, including outdoor recreation.
Define Emissions and their source
The release or discharge of a pollutant into the air. Source: Any place or object from which pollutants are released.
Define Epidemiology
The study of the distribution and determinants of disease or health status in a population; the study of the occurrence and causes of health effects in humans.
Define Toxicology:
The study of the harmful effects of substances on humans or animals.
PM2.5 from airinfonow.gov
Very very small particulate matter less that 2.5 micros across - made of heavy metals or other toxic chemicals - come from automobiles, brush fires, and metal purifying / processing
Epidemiology seeks to answer the question: Toxicology, on the other hand.....
What is causing this person (or these people) to experience this particular harmful effects? In essence, adverse health effects are observed and a cause for them is sought. Begins with a known suspected cause of health effects and seeks to discover the relationship between the amount of the toxic taken in (dose) and the degree of effect (response); that is, the driving question of toxicology is: How much of this substance is needed to cause a harmful effect.
Can individual states have their own VOC definitions?
Yes, Individual states have their own VOC definitions, including their own list of exemptions. Although state definitions (including exemptions) are generally the same as the EPA definition, a solvent user should be aware of the precise definition that applies in his or her state.
What is fog?
a ground based cloud
Define air pollutant What CFR gives it its legal definition?
any air pollution agent or combination of such agents, including any physical, chemical, biological, radioactive (including source material, special nuclear material, and byproduct material) substance or matter which is emitted into or otherwise enters the ambient air 23 U.S. Code 7602
What are known as "nonattainment areas"?
areas of the country that were already in violation of one or more of the NAAQS prior to the 1977 CAA amendments
What are the key ingredients to an air pollution episode?
calm winds, fog, smoke from coal burning + radiation
Modern air pollution/air quality management strategies include:
o Emissions standards o Economic incentives o Cost-benefit analysis o Air quality standards
Toxic air pollutants (TAPs), also known as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs): are.....
those pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, or adverse environmental effects.
How many federal air quality continous monitoring stations are in the USA?
~ 4,000
Photochemical smog oxidant:
•Mainly O3 •Also: PAN, Aldehydes, Ketones...