What is sustainability?GEOL 108Lg 1st Edition Lecture 18Outline of Last Lecture- PaleoclimatologyOutline of Current Lecture-Environmental geology issues -Air pollution -Waste managementCurrent LectureAir Pollution and WasteEnvironmental Geology and SocietyOverall Challenges-How to balance between economic development and healthy environmental sustainability. -Ultimate goal for the future: creating a harmonious state between the general environment and human societyDisease: An imbalance from poor adjustment of an individual to the environment•Toxicology: Study of poisons/toxins and potential effects on people and ecosystems, as well as associated clinical, economic, industrial, and legal problems•Carcinogen: Toxin that causes cancer•Disastrous effects from minute amount of toxin measured in ppm, ppb, mg/l or pCi/l (radioactive toxin)Led sse emissions are down significantly since we switched to UNLEADED gasoline. They used a lot of led in Roman times in order to make ceramic devices used for cooking, eating, drinking and consuming in all varieties. Some may assume that the toxins in led lead to the demise of the Roman Empire through widespread madness and eventual death. Geologic Factors of Environmental Health1. Soil: Foundation for agriculture, homes, and industries2. Water: used for drinking, agriculture, and industries3. Air: indispensable for life4. “Natural, virgin, or pure” environment is not necessarily good as many may perceive. 5. Human activities: Detrimental or beneficial processes for the environmental qualityChronic Disease and the Geologic Environment•Geologic processes: Operating at geologic time scale•Diseases: Occurred and measured at biologic time scale•Fact: Some regional and local variations in chronic diseases•Challenges: Cause-and-effect hypothesis not specific enough, difficulties in obtaining reliable and comparable data, hard to differentiate environmental causes versus genetic factors•Know much less about geologic influences on Chronic DiseaseGeologic processes are operating @ a geologic time scaleDiseases occurred and measured at biologic time scaleFact some regional and local variations in chronic diseasesChallenges: cause and effect hypothesis not specific enough, difficulties in obtainingreliable and comparable data- environment vs. genetics. JapanMap of relatively soft/hard water in country. People exposed to Soft water, higher risk of strokeHeart Attacks in Eastern US in relation to Hard/Soft WaterAvg. Deaths from Heart attack per. 100,000 is 389Low-High risk scaleHeart Disease and the Geologic EnvironmentSoft Water is more acidic, corrosion of pipes releasing into water the trace elements that cause heart diseaseSome other characteristics of soft water may contribute directly to heart diseaseSome substances dissolved in hard water may help prevent heart diseaseCorrelation does not imply causality, more research is needed. Cancer and the Geochemical EnvironmentStanley Watras (1984)Worker at Nuclear Power Plant - they have these checks (for radiation, smuggling stuff out)Exposed to huge levels of radiation - his house was basically filled with radon gas - this was big news because people weren’t concerned about radon exposure.How radon can enter homesThrough soil, if porous. Radon risk of you’ve never smokedSimilar to asbestos - certain levels may cause cancerAir pollution Geologic PerspectiveGeology of Radon Gas•The actual amount of radon that reaches the surface of the Earth is related to the concentrationof uranium in the rock and soil•Some regions of the United States contain bedrock with an above-average natural concentration of uranium, PA, NJ, and NY etc.•Geologic structures, such as shear zones, fracture zones, and faults, commonly enriched with uranium•The amount of radon gas, escaping from bedrock and soil particles, influenced by water content.•Movement of radon gas from fractures in rock and pore spaces in soil facilitated by relatively low moisture contentRadon Gas•Colorless, odorless, and tasteless•Released from uranium-bearing rocks•Exposure to radon gas of elevated concentration leading to higher risk of lung cancer, EPA estimated lung cancers death related to exposure to radon gas•Exposed to both radon gas and tobacco 10 times as hazardous as exposed to either one•No definitive conclusion on cause-and-effect relationship between lung cancer and radon gasReducing Concentrations of Radon•Improve the home ventilation•Locate and stop the entry point of radon gas to homes•Construct a venting system•Recognizing the whole picture and knowing that the problem solvableParticulate MatterAir Pollution: Geologic Perspective•Pollutants in the atmosphere  pollutants in the hydrologic and geochemical cycles•Air pollution: Serious health hazard in many large cities•Effects on human artifacts: Effects of air pollution on buildings and monuments •Aesthetic effects: Reducing visual range and atmospheric clarityOne type of air pollution is the release of particles into the air from burning fuel for energy. Diesel smoke is a good example of this particulate matter . The particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns or about .0001 inches. This type of pollution is sometimes referred to as "black carbon" pollution. The exhaust from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air. Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and charcoal in fireplaces and barbeques can release significant quanitites of soot into the air.Another type of pollution is the release of noxious gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and chemical vapors. These can take part in further chemical reactions once they are in the atmosphere, forming smog and acid rain.Pollution also needs to be considered inside our homes, offices, and schools. Some of these pollutants can be created by indoor activities such as smoking and cooking. In the United States, we spend about 80-90% of our time inside buildings, and so our exposure to harmful indoor pollutants can be serious. It is therefore important to consider both indoor and outdoor air pollution.Waste Management•The United States and the rest of the world face a tremendous solid waste disposal problem•Urban waste disposal running out of space, half the cities in the United States•Cost for landfill disposal skyrocketed, $20 billion plus industry•Too much and too