Air Pollution

By: April Cerillo &

Reva Evero
 What is air pollution?
 contamination of
the air by noxious
gases and minute
particles of solid
and liquid matter
(particulates) in
concentrations that
endanger health
 Air pollution only
occurs outdoors
 Sources of Outside Air
Pollution
 Combustion of gasoline
and other hydrocarbon
fuels in cars, trucks, and
airplanes
 Burning of fossil fuels (oil,
coal, and dinosaur bones)
 Insecticides
 Herbicides
 Everyday radioactive
fallouts
 Dust from fertilizers
 Mining operations
 Livestock feedlots
 What’s in smog
 particulates
(especially lead)
 nitrous oxides
 potassium
 Carbon monoxide
 Other toxic
chemicals
 Sources of Indoor pollution
 Efficient insulation
 Bacteria
 Molds and mildews
 Viruses
 animal dander and cat saliva
 plants
 house dust
 Mites
 Cockroaches
 pollen
 Effects on the environment
 Acid rain
 Ozone depletion
 Global warming
 In human
population-
respiratory
problems, allergies,
strengthens lugs,
and a risk for
cancer
 Acid rain
 contains high levels of
sulfuric or nitric acids
 contaminate drinking
water and vegetation
 damage aquatic life
 erode buildings
 Alters the chemical
equilibrium of some soils
We’re pretty well off, don’t you think?
 Laws
 President Bush’s: Clear Skies Initiative
 Cut power-plant emissions by 70%
 Air Pollution Control Act of 1955
 Did little to prevent air pollution but made the
government aware of the problem
 Clean Air Act of 1963
 Development of emission standards for automobiles and
also encouraged the reduction of sulfur in fumes
 Laws continued
 CAA of 1970
 gave the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) the authority to establish and enforce air

pollution standards and to set emission
standards for new factories and extremely
hazardous industrial pollutants.
 CAA of 1990
 Raised emission standards for automobiles

 Decreased amount of chlorofluorocarbons to

prevent ozone depletion

 Strategies
 Air Quality Management
Plan
 Development of new

technology- electric
cars, cleaner fuels,
low nitrogen oxide
boilers and water
healers, zero
polluting paints, less
polluting BBQ lighter
fluids
 Use of natural gas
 Carpooling
 Follow the laws enacted
 Recipe for Pollution

Success!
Please do not carpool– the more cars on the
roads, the better (who’d want to save gas and
money anyway?)
 Do not have regular smog checks for your car
 Message to factories: do not filter your smoke
stacks- we love the sight of smoke billowing in
the sky
 Do not recycle!
 Remember: this can be done anywhere. Pollution
is not limited to where you live…. Whatever you
do affects everything