Ch 15 notes: Air Pollution
global commons
Criteria pollutants:
add: CO2 (2007), VOC, Hg
SOx from methionine in plants, coal, oil
see also VOG particles
NOX: high temp combustion (carnot cycle, efficiency)
also: microbes in soil
CO: incomplete combustion, poor ventilation (LDC) impacts hemoglobin (suicide)
Ozone (O3): close to surface bad, in ozone layer necessary to filter UVb
secondary pollutant-sunlight, water and VOCs, degrades lungs, plastic, rubber
photochemical oxidant (needs light for chemical reaction)
PM10, 2.5: smaller are more dangerous, diesels, biofuels, manure, causes cancer (PM2.5), strict regs in EU
Pb: gasoline additive (tetraethyl lead, improves octane rating cheaply), replaced by other worse chemicals
Hg: from coal mining, burning
VOCs; from gasoline (cars), paints, additives, aromatics
Primary pollutants: direct from smokestack. exhaust pipe
CO, CO2, SOx, NOx, VOC
Secondary pollutants: need a chemical reaction (often sunlight) to form
See PANs: Peroxyacyl nitrates: formed from VOCs, NOx
See thermal inversions: london fog, US
Donora, PA 1948 k.20, sick 7000
1952 London 4000-12,000 dead, three nights
Mexico city 1996 300 dead, 400K sick
acid rain: plants, fish, structures
SO2 + O2, water = H2SO4 (sulfuric acid)
NO3 + O2, water = HNO3 (nitric acid)
W. VA had rain more acidic than stomach acid
know how a scrubber works (just like the nuclear plant diagram)
stratospheric ozone: O3 blocks UVb
How formed (usually lightning)
How damaged: CFCs
Polar ozone hole: 1970
ice crystals, stable Cl2
IAP-indoor air pollution
Leading cause of death in LDC (women)
manure, open pit fires, CO, PM10
sick building syndrome: formaldehyde, CO2, VOC
the main culprits:
VOC, CO, Radon, Lead, formaldehyde, asbestos, PM10
asbestos-asbestosis, mesothelioma
Radon222-lung cancer (smoke demo-lungs)
Next: Froggie book Ch. 15
AIR QUALITY LABS
• Air Quality: Air quality can be assessed using various
methods.
• Particulates: Sticky paper can be used to collect
air particulates from various sources, and then the
paper can be examined under a microscope. It is
not possible to see the smallest particulates, but
they do color the white paper.
• Ozone: In this lab, an ecobadge or a homemade
potassium iodide gel sampler is hung or worn in
order to collect data on tropospheric ozone. The
badge or KI sample changes color in the presence
of ozone and becomes more intensely colored as
the amount of ozone increases.
• Carbon dioxide: In this lab, a commercial sampling
device is used to determine the amount of
carbon dioxide in an air sample. Car exhaust,
burning tobacco, or other pollutants can also be
sampled.
Pollution roundup:
Chapter 8 of Princeton Review for AP:
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