AIR LECTURES HANDOUT 3 P Rhines 21 Feb 03 AIR: THE SMALL (AIR POLLUTION) SMOG – cold London fog – coal smoke in winter (home heating) with clear air, radiational cooling stratifies air SMOG- warm :Formed as a result of the action of sunlight on the hydrocarbon emissions from motor cars and other sources in areas of low dispersion. The production of smog ceases at night…often on windless hot sunny days. October 26, 1948, a thermal inversion occurred at Donora, 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania. In a town of 12,000 people, 43% became ill -5910 people, and 20 people died within only 5 days. Mega cities Roughly 50% of world population lives in cities, 25% along coasts Asia: 2000 population: Tokyo 28 Million Shanghai 17 Bombay 18 Seoul 13 Beijing 14 Calcutta 13 Jakarta 13 Bankok 10 Bankok: motor vehicles 600,000 in 1980 increased to 4M in 1997 90% are 2 stroke engines…high pollution Table 18: Bangkok air quality information on 08-Dec-1999. Source: Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Science Technology and Environment ( www.pcd.go.th ). Site Location SO2 SO2 * NO2NO2 * CO (1hr)CO (1hr) * CO (8hr)CO (8hr) * Ozone Ozone * PM-10 Bang Khunthien General 28.5 42.33 34.1 58.62 22.4 58.6452.1 Din Daeng Roadside 2.8 5.06 3.0 3.56 6.0 12.0977.0 Huai Khwang General 3.0 5.28 21.0 32.59 1.4 2.51 1.4 1.96 18.5 53.3979.6 Lad Phrao Roadside 0.8 3.28 37.8 56.12 0.5 1.16 0.5 0.86 10.7 30.8677.2 National Housing Authority General 2.9 4.03 0.7 1.06 0.7 0.81 24.4 56.3942.2 Ramkhamhaeng General 4.8 8.78 26.3 38.6 1.2 2.12 1.3 1.46 1.2 2.1160.0 Yannawa General 2.0 4.03 33.6 56.62 0.6 1.11 0.6 0.81 20.7 61.6545.8 Standard 300 170 30 9 100 120General sites are those within 50-100 meters from the main road, Roadside are those within 2-5 meters from the main road. Pollutants are 1 hour averages except noted, and PM-10 is 24 hour average. *Quantity of pollutant at 95th percentile not more than this value. SO2 units ppb (1/1,000,000,000) NO2 units ppb (1/1,000,000,000) CO units ppm (1/1,000,000) Ozone units ppb (1/1,000,000,000) Particulate Matter <10 microns, units ug/m3 (PM-10 = dust)Note here the ‘pulmonary region’ refers to the deeper lung passages. The clearing of soot from the lung is carried out by viscous fluid which slowly flows; yet the narrow passages where much of the oxygen transfer occurs are too small for this fluid cleaning mechanism to work. It is the smallest particles that can reach these regions, where they can remain and destroy lung function. From Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere, Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts, Academic Press, 2000Seattle air quality monitoring stations….www.ecy.wa.gov Washington Dept. of EcologyPM2.5 air particle pollution: Puyallup, Beacon Hill, Seattle, Port Townsend, 20 Feb 03Development of urban air pollutants during two days…oxides of nitrogen from vehicle exhaust are followed by ozone (O3 not O2); note timing with respect to rush-hour.Vertical profile of an atmospheric inversion layer (big density difference) with ozone collecting at that level.Above is a profile of the ‘good’ ozone which sits in the stratosphere (here about 15 to 20 km above ground) and shields the Earth from destructive ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation. Here, over Antarctica, in winter the sun is away in the north and ozone decays with time (ozone is generated by the sunshine). Note October is springtime in the Southern Hemisphere. This late winter/early spring low ozone ‘hole’ has become much deeper (lower ozone) over recent decades (see figure below, from , owing to CFC pollution from our refrigerants and spray cans…especially the chlorine atoms that are part of CFC-11 and CFC-12 . Figures above from Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change, Brasseur, Orlando and Tyndall Eds., Oxford Univ. Press 1999.From Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts et al., 2000, (op.cit.) From RCA radiation handbook.State Dept of Ecology: www.ecy.wa.govAir quality measuring station (Blue Heron Middle School, Port Townsend) Health Effects from Automobile Emissions The emissions from millions of vehicles add up. These emissions are byproducts from the engine combustion process and from the evaporation of fuel. Despite the ever-growing number of vehicles on the road, studies show that ten to thirty percent of vehicles cause the majority of vehicle-related air pollution. This fact sheet lists some of the air pollutants associated with vehicle emissions. Because exposure to these pollutants can cause serious health problems, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established air quality standards to protect our health. Carbon Monoxide Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas emitted from the vehicle's exhaust as a result of incomplete combustion. It interferes with the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the brain, heart, and other tissues. Unborn or newborn children and people with heart disease are in greatest danger from this pollutant, but even healthy people can experience headaches, fatigue and reduced reflexes due to CO exposure.Exposure to CO near the levels of the ambient air quality standards can lead to fatigue, headaches, confusion, and dizziness. CO interferes with the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Exposure to CO is especially harmful to those with heart disease, because the heart has to pump harder to get enough oxygen to the body. CO exposure has been associated with aggravation of angina pectoris and other aspects of coronary heart disease, decreased exercise tolerance in people with peripheral vascular disease and lung disease, impairment of central nervous system functions, and possible increased risk to fetuses. At high altitudes (such as in the Lake Tahoe Air Basin), these effects are worsened. • In 1955, the Los Angeles County Air Pollution Control District established an air pollution alert system to prevent disasters. The first alert level for CO was 100 ppm. • In 1959, the California Department of Public Health adopted air quality standards for CO at the "serious" level. These were 30 ppm for an 8-hour exposure and 120 ppm for a 1-hour exposure.• In 1969, the ARB adopted a standard for CO at 20 ppm for an 8-hour averaging period. • In 1970, the ARB revised the CO standards to 10 ppm for 12 hours, and 40 ppm for 1 hour. • In 1976, the ARB adopted a CO standard of 6 ppm for 8 hours, for the Lake Tahoe Air Basin only. • In 1982, the ARB