1. Air is the invisible, tasteless, andI.odorless mixture of gases thatsurrounds us. The mass of air that surrounds theearth forms the atmosphere. Theavailability of quality air is critical toboth plants and animals.

2. Withoutanadequate amountof clean air, bothwould die. Air pollution isthe presence ofmaterials in the airthat damage airquality. 3. Much of the air pollution is a result of humanactivity , however, some results from naturalevents, such as volcanic action or the decayof organic materials. An air pollutant is any material that causesair pollution. Air can be divided into two basic categories. 4. A. Ambient air Ambient air is the air oratmosphere outside. This is the air that is mostimportant in air quality. The quality of ambient airis affected by thematerials released into itfrom various sources. 5. B. Inside air This category, asthe name suggests, includes the airfound inside buildings. The quality of air found inside ofbuildings is of great importance aswell since most people spend alarger portion of their day breathinginside air than ambient air. 6. II.The air contains arelatively consistent mix ofgases in all places. Some variation of this mixmay be found based on thelocal environment. The greatest concentrationof gases is near the surfaceof the earth. 7. Aselevation increases, the airdecreases in density or becomes thinner. About 95% of the total air mass iswithin 12 miles of the earth. Some of the major gases found inair are: 8. A. Nitrogen (N)78% B. Oxygen (O)21% C. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) .03% 9. D. Argonless than 1 % E. Other gases including hydrogen, helium, and neonless than 1 % 10. Much of the air pollution is a result ofhuman activity , however, some resultsfrom natural events, such as volcanicaction or the decay of organicmaterials. An air pollutant is any material thatcauses air pollution. 11. I. Once the air becomes polluted, it isoften very difficult to remove thesometimes dangerous materials fromthe air. There are two major types of airpollutants. They are gases andparticulate matter. 12. A. Gases- Gas pollutants are difficult toidentify because, like gases normallyfound in air, pollutants that are gases arecolorless and odorless. Also, gases remain in the atmosphere foryears. Unlike other types of pollutants,gases do not settle out of the air. There are several classifications of gaspollutants. Some of the major ones are: 13. 1. Carbon Forms- The most commoncarbon gases in the air arehydrocarbon, carbon monoxide(CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2). These pollutants are releasedthrough the process of combustion orburning of materials that containcarbon and the petroleum industry. 14. a. Hydrocarbons are classified asvolatile organic compounds (VOC). A volatile organic compound is anycompound containing carbon thatparticipates in photochemical reactionsin the atmosphere. 15. Photochemical reactions are reactionsthat are initiated by the sun. A common form of this reaction isphotochemical smog. Smog is a mixture of carbon dioxide andsulfur dioxide. 16. b. The use of engines that usegasoline or other fuels take oxygenfrom the air and release carbongases into it. One poisonous gas produced in thisprocess is carbon monoxide. This gasdamages the ability of the humanblood to carry oxygen. It is criticallyimportant that when operating anengine it is done in a well-ventilatedarea. 17. 2. Sulfur oxides-Sulfur that is found in theair is most often found in its oxide form. Common sulfur oxides that are found inthe air include sulfur dioxide(SO2) andsulfur trioxide(SO3). When the amount of sulfur reaches acertain level it can be detected by thepresents of a rotten egg type odor. Higher levels of sulfur can cause lungdamage. 18. a. Sulfur dioxide is produced when fuelscontaining sulfur are burned in thepresence of oxygen. Common fuels that contain sulfur arecoal and oil. 19. b. Sulfur trioxide is able to combine withwater vapor to form sulfuric acid(H2SO4). This is very strong acid that can quicklyreact with materials when contract ismade. Rain containing sulfuric acid is knownas acid rain. Acid rain can causedamage to plants and property. 20. 3.Nitrogen oxides- nitrogen oxidesare formed during combustionswhen nitrogen in fuel combines withoxygen. Common forms of nitrogen oxidesare nitrogen monoxide (NO) andnitrogen dioxide ( NO2). The effectsof nitrogen oxides are similar to thoseof of sulfur oxides. 21. 4. Photochemical oxidants areformed by the interaction of nitricacid, sunlight, and hydrocarbons. These materials are the primaryingredients in smog. A major produce to the reaction isozone (O3). Ozone provides a protective shieldaround the earth, but also can causeproblems for living organisms. 22. B. Particulate Matter- particulateincludes small particles similar to dustand droplets of liquid. Smoke from factories, burning trash, andforest fires, as well as dust from roads andmines, are sources of solid particles. 23. II.Air pollution canhave devastatingeffects on the qualityof life for humans andother organisms alike. 24. A. Human healthproblems- A variety ofhuman health problemsare related to airpollution. Most are respiratorydiseases. Some of the morecommon diseases thatcan be related to airpollution include: 25. LungCancer Emphysema Bronchitis Blacklung diseases 26. Thesediseases, as well as others, canoccur when pollutants are inhaled. When in the lungs, the pollutantsinterfere with with the exchange ofgases. The area inside of the lungs wherethe gases are exchanged is largeand contains may tiny alveoli. 27. Alveoli are air-containing cells found inthe lungs. It is the thin membranes between thealveoli and blood vessels where gasexchange occurs. Some pollutants increase the liquid in thelungs and impair the exchange of gases. The human body does have a fewnatural defense against air pollutants. The first point where air is cleansedbefore reaching the lungs is the nostrils. 28. Nostrils - They have small hairsand moist membranes thatfilter dust and some gases. Materials that get past thesmall hairs may be absorbedby the mucous membranes. They become trapped andare then either blown orswallowed. 29. Other animals- pollution may injurefarm animals, pets, wildlife, and otheranimals in ways similar to that ofhumans. Additionally, animals that have feedproduced in areas near high airpollution may be poisoned by whatthey eat. Acid rain can also destroy wild fishpopulation in lakes and streams if in astrong enough concentration. 30. Plantsand other organisms - Air pollution may cause damage to fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, lawn grasses, and other plants. Several pollutants can destroy leaftissue in plants. This results in the plant not beingable to manufacture the neededchlorophyll. 31. I. An air quality standard is themaximum level of atmospheric pollutionallowed at one time in a geographicalarea. These standards, which are called theNational Ambient Air Quality Standards(NAAQS), are set by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency. These are designed to set limits on theamount of pollution allowed in the airand to force those who pollute the air tostop. 32. A. The standards found within theNAAQS are grouped into two sets. These are called primary and secondarystandards. 1. Primary standards deal with safe limitsof pollution from the standpoint ofhuman health. 2. Air pollution standards that deal withlimits on non-health effects, such asdamage to crops, property, and wildlifeare called secondary standards. 33. II. Most forms of air pollution are notvisible to the human eye. Therefore, special equipment is neededto detect the presence of pollutants inthe air. In addition to proper equipment,technicians must receive specialtraining in order to operate theequipment and evaluate the resultscorrectly. 34. Samples of ambient air aresometimes collected with an airpollution sampling pump. This pump collects and measuresthe quantity of air being sampled. The sample is passed into specialabsorbing solution. 35. Thesolution is then chemically analyzed to detect any pollutant that is present.Different solutions are needed to test for various pollutants. 36. B. Point source air pollution is a specificplace where air pollution originates. Point sources are identifiable anddiscrete (separate and distinct). These sites produce emissions that areusually required to be monitored tomeasure the amount of pollutantsreleased. 37. An emission is gas-bornepollutant that is released intothe air. Monitoring point source airpollution involves usingcomplex sampling techniquesto get information. The EPA sets specific methodsthat must be followed tomonitor point air pollution. 38. III. Air pollutants can be measured inthree different ways. They are: A. Volume per volume - Volume per volumemeasurement is the number of parts of apollutant in the air. Often parts are expressed as parts per millionor ppm. 39. B. Weight per volume-Weight per volumemeasurement is the weightof pollutant in a cubicmeter. It is used to measure theconcentration of apollutant in the air and isstated as micrograms percubic meter (ug/m3). 40. C. Dimension measurement- Dimensionsare used to measure solid particles in theair. These small particles are known asparticulate. These particles are measured in micronsor micrometers (um), or one-millionth of ameter. Fine particulate of less than 2.5 um ismore dangerous to human health thanlarger particulate. 41. III.As discussed earlier in this lesson,air pollution can cause severedamage to living organisms. Although we can never completelyeliminate air pollution, there areseveral things that people can doto reduce the amount of pollutionfound in the atmosphere. 42. A. Controlling emissions - There areseveral ways that people can work toreduce the amount of emissions placedin the air supply. Scrubbers can be used on factory stacksto remove gases and particulate. Peoplecould use fuels that produce less sulfur. Also by maintaining engines in goodworking order, less fuel is burned andfewer pollutants are place in theenvironment. 43. B. Reusing and Recycling - Byreusing an recycling products, thepollutants that would have beenreleased in the manufacturing ofnew products is avoided. Recycling a product requires moreactivity than reusing a product. However, the recycling processdoes not create as much pollutionas initial manufacturing. 44. C. Practicing Safety - By followingbasic safety guidelines with handlingproducts, fewer accidents will occur. This can reduce the amount ofpollutants that are released into theair. Also, when working in areas of highair pollution , people should wearproper safety equipment to avoidhealth related problems.