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1.
Air quality (pollution)
Definition:
The contaminating of the atmosphere by toxins to the point that
may cause injury to health, property, plant, or animal life, or
prevent the use and enjoyment of the outdoors. The Weather
Channel
What are some of the problems related to this issue?
Air pollution costs the US as much as $40 billion annually in health
care and lost economic productivity. Worldwatch State
of the World Report
Toxic air pollutants, also known as hazardous air pollutants, 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. EPA is working with state,
local, and tribal governments to reduce air toxics releases of 188
pollutants to the environment. Examples of toxic air pollutants
include benzene, which is found in gasoline; perchlorethlyene, which
is emitted from some dry cleaning facilities; and methylene chloride,
which is used as a solvent and paint stripper by a number of industries.
Examples of other listed air toxics include dioxin, asbestos, toluene,
and metals such as cadmium, mercury, chromium, and lead compounds.
Environmental Protection Agency
New York gets 99% of its transportation energy--and half its air
pollution--from petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel.
Clean powered Cars of Future on Display Today, by Corydon Ireland--Rochester
Democrat and Chronicle
The EPA informs us that people are exposed to toxic air
pollutants in many ways that can pose health risks, such as by:
Breathing contaminated air.
Eating contaminated food products, such as fish from contaminated
waters; meat, milk, or eggs from animals that fed on contaminated
plants; and fruits and vegetables grown in contaminated soil on
which air toxics have been deposited.
Drinking water contaminated by toxic air pollutants.
Ingesting contaminated soil. Young children are especially vulnerable
because they often ingest soil from their hands or from objects
they place in their mouths.
Touching (making skin contact with) contaminated soil, dust, or
water (for example, during recreational use of contaminated water
bodies
Once toxic air pollutants enter the body, some persistent toxic
air pollutants accumulate in body tissues. Predators typically accumulate
even greater pollutant concentrations than their contaminated prey.
As a result, people and other animals at the top of the food chain
who eat contaminated fish or meat are exposed to concentrations
that are much higher than the concentrations in the water, air,
or soil.
Most air toxics originate from human-made sources, including mobile
sources (e.g., cars, trucks, buses) and stationary sources (e.g.,
factories, refineries, power plants), as well as indoor sources
(e.g., some building materials and cleaning solvents). Some air
toxics are also released from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions
and forest fires.
Environmental Protection Agency
Major air pollutants and their sources:
Carbon monoxide (CO)is a colourless, odourless gas that is produced
by the incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels including petrol,
diesel, and wood. It is also produced from the combustion of natural
and synthetic products such as cigarettes. It lowers the amount
of oxygen that enters our blood . It can slow our reflexes and make
us confused and sleepy. Producers: Unvented kerosene and gas space
heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces,
gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators
and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached
garages; and tobacco smoke. Environmental Protection Agency
Carbon dioxide (CO2)is the principle greenhouse gas emitted as a
result of human activities such as the burning of coal, oil, and
natural gases. Environmental Protection Agency
Chloroflorocarbons (CFC) are gases that are released mainly from
air-conditioning systems and refrigeration. When released into the
air, CFCs rise to the stratosphere, where they come in contact with
few other gases, which leads to a reduction of the ozone layer that
protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Environmental Protection Agency
Nitrogen oxides (Nox) is the generic term for a group of highly
reactive gases, all of which contain nitrogen and oxygen in varying
amounts. Many of the nitrogen oxides are colorless and odorless.
However, one common pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) along with
particles in the air can often be seen as a reddish-brown layer
over many urban areas. Nitrogen oxides form when fuel is burned
at high temperatures, as in a combustion process. The primary sources
of NOx are motor vehicles, electric utilities, and other industrial,
commercial, and residential sources that burn fuels. Nox causes
acid rain. Nitrogen oxides can make children susceptible to
respiratory diseases in winters. Environmental Protection
Agency
Lead is present in petrol, diesel, lead batteries, paints, hair
dye products, etc. Lead affects children in particular. It can cause
nervous system damage and digestive problems and, in some cases,
cause cancer. Environmental Protection Agency
Ozone occur naturally in the upper layers of the atmosphere. This
important gas shields the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays
of the sun. However, at the ground level, it is a pollutant with
highly toxic effects. Vehicles and industries are the major source
of ground-level ozone emissions. Ozone makes our eyes itch, burn,
and water. It lowers our resistance to colds and pneumonia. Environmental
Protection Agency
Suspended particulate matter (SPM) consists of solids in the air
in the form of smoke, dust, and vapour that can remain suspended
for extended periods and is also the main source of haze which reduces
visibility. The finer of these particles, when breathed in can lodge
in our lungs and cause lung damage and respiratory problems. Environmental
Protection Agency
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is a gas produced from burning coal, mainly
in thermal power plants. Some industrial processes, such as production
of paper and smelting of metals, produce sulphur dioxide. It is
a major contributor to smog and acid rain. Sulfur dioxide can lead
to lung diseases. Environmental Protection Agency
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