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* In 1948, Donora was an industrial town

of about 14,000 located 50 kilometers south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One large factory in town manufactured structural steel and wire and another produced zinc and sulfuric acid. dense fog settled over the town

* During the last week of October 1948,

* After four days, visibility became so poor


that people could not see well enough to drive, even at noon with their headlights on.

* On the morning on the fifth day, a

retired steel worker died of respiratory problems, and several other deaths followed in rapid succession. Within a week, 20 people died and about half of the town was seriously ill.

*Sixty people died in an air pollution


disaster in Belgium in 1930.

* In the years following World War II,

automobile exhaust and emissions from factories and oil refineries added to the quantity, complexity, and toxicity of air pollution in many cities.

*In 1952, a dense, polluted fog killed between


3500 and 4000 people in London.

* These incidents shocked people into realizing


Clean Air Act in 1963- This law has been amended and strengthened three times, in 1970, 1977, and 1990. - enacted by United States in response to the Air Pollution - This law addresses air pollution in two categories:

that air pollution can be harmful-even deadly.

Emission from individual sources


The Clean Air Act limits the quantities of air pollutants that may be emitted by any source.

Thus, it directs automobile manufacturers to meet the standards for auto emissions, and it regulates smokestack emission from factories and power plants. Executives of industries that violate the law are subject to a fine up to $25,000 per day and/or imprisonment for up to 1 year.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards


The Clean Air Act directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to monitor the purity of the air in general. Even if each factory, power plant, and automobile complies with the law, the EPA must set stricter control if the total pollution level exceeds National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

* As a result of the Clean Air Act, total


emissions of air pollutants have decreased and air quality across the country has improved. Donora-type incidents have not been repeated. Smog has decreased and rain has become less acidic.

Air Pollution
-is composed of airborne solid and liquid aerosols called particulates as well as gases that, when in high concentrations, seriously affect the lives of people and animals, harm plants, or threaten ecosystems. Pollutants can arise from human activities ( anthropogenic sources ) or from natural sources such as dust storms and volcanic eruption.

Air Pollutants- are airborne particles and gases that occur in concentrations that endanger the health and well-being of organisms or disrupt the orderly functioning of the environment. Categories of Air Pollutants:

o Primary Pollutants
-are emitted directly from identifiable sources. -They pollute the air immediately upon being emitted.

o Secondary Pollutants
-are not emitted directly into the air, but form in the atmosphere when reactions take place among primary pollutants.

Many reactions that produce secondary


One common example occurs when

pollutants are triggered by strong sunlight called photochemical reactions.

nitrogen oxides absorb solar radiation, initiating a chain of complex reactions. When certain volatile compounds are present, the result is the formation of a number of undesirable secondary products that are very reactive, irritating, and toxic.

Photochemical smog- noxious mixture of gases and particles

Carbon Monoxide ( CO )
- a colorless and odorless gas, is a prime example of harmful pollutant. - forms when fossil fuels are not completely burned during combustion. e.g. car engines or forest fires -also very dangerous in the home where it can be produced by heating devices that are not operating properly.

Lead
-a particulate released into the atmosphere

e.g. treated gasoline is burned in car engines.


-it settles out of the atmosphere and is easily absorbed into the human body -even a small amount can cause brain damage and lower IQs in infants.

Sulfur Oxides (Sulfur Dioxide SO2 and Sulfur Trioxide SO3) - are released into the atmosphere primarily through the burning of fossil fuels that contain sulfur. - Levels of Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfur Trioxide can become large when the activities concentrate the compounds over a small region that allows the pollutants to reach high levels, as in urban or industrial areas.

Sulfur Dioxide -a highly corrosive gas that irritates the human respiratory system. Sulfur Trioxide -an important pollutant as it readily combines with water vapor to form droplets of sulfuric acid ( H2S04 ), creating acid rain.

Nitrogen Oxides (Nitric Oxide and


Nitrogen Dioxide NO2) Nitrogen-common in living tissue and therefore is found in all fossil fuels.

This Nitrogen, together with

small amount of atmospheric nitrogen, reacts with coal or petroleum is burned.

Nitric Oxide

-a byproduct of high temperature combustion, such as in automobile engines and electric power generation. - is a very reactive gas and quickly forms Nitrogen Dioxide.
Nitrogen Dioxide

-a toxic gas that is also emitted by automobile engines. odor


-a reddish-brown gas with a strong

-in high concentrations, could cause pulmonary problems

Hydrocarbons
-are compounds made of hydrogen and carbon atoms.
Examples of Hydrocarbons: methane, can

butane ,
and Propane

occur as
either a gas or

particulate
- are also called volatile organic compounds ( VOCs )

Hydrocarbons - do not appear hazardous in themeselves, but during the day, they can combine with nitrogen oxides and oxygen to produce photochemical smog Ozone ( O3 ) - main component of smog -a chemically active molecule and is considered a corrosive gas - aggravates diseases such as asthma and bronchitis

Volatiles
is one that evaporates readily and therefore easily escapes into the atmosphere. e.g. when pesticides are sprayed onto fields and orchards, some of the spray is carried off by the wind when you paint your house, the volatile compounds are present in polluted air: Some are harmless and others are poisonous

Transportation 49%

Evaporation of Volatiles13% Miscellaneous7%

Solid Waste Disposal3% Fuel burned in factories and power plants28%

Carbon Monoxide 50% Sulfur Oxides 16% Nitrogen Oxides 14% Particulates 5% Volatiles 15%

The End
Thank You for Listening!

Prepared by: Cheryl P. Luardo


BSE IV- English

Carbon Monoxide ( CO )
- a colorless and odorless gas, is a prime example of harm pollutant. - forms when fossil fuels are not completely burned during combustion. e.g. car engines or forest fires -also very dangerous in the home where it can be produced by heating devices that are not operating properly.

Lead
-a particulate released into the atmosphere when, for example, treated gasoline is burned in car engines. -even a small amount can cause brain damage and lower IQs in infants.

Trioxide SO3) - are released into the atmosphere primarily through the burning of fossil fuels that contain sulfur. - Levels of Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfur Trioxide can become large when the activities concentrate the compounds over a small region that allows the pollutants to reach high levels, as in urban or industrial areas.

Sulfur Oxides (Sulfur Dioxide SO2 and Sulfur

Sulfur Dioxide -a highly corrosive gas that irritates the human respiratory system. Sulfur Trioxide -an important pollutant as it readily combines with water vapor to form droplets of sulfuric acid ( H2S04 ), creating acid rain.

Nitrogen Oxides (Nitric Oxide and Nitrogen Dioxide NO2)


Nitric Oxide

-a byproduct of high temperature combustion, such as in automobile engines and electric power generation.
- is a very reactive gas and quickly forms Nitrogen Dioxide. Nitrogen Dioxide - a toxic gas that is also emitted by automobile engines.

Hydrocarbons
-are compounds made of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

Examples of Hydrocarbons:
methane, butane, either a gas or can occur as

and Propane

particulate

Hydrocarbons - are also called Volatile Organic Compounds ( VOCs ). - do not appear hazardous in themselves, but during the day, they can combine with nitrogen Oxides and Oxygen to produce photochemical smog. Ozone ( O3 ) - main component of smog -a chemically active molecule and is considered a corrosive gas

Volatile compound -is one that evaporates readily and therefore easily escapes into the atmosphere.

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