Exam 2 Flashcards
(133 cards)
Donora Pennsylvania
oct 1948 monongahela river valley industrail town- steel mill, sulfuric acid plant, population 14000 steep hills surround the valley temperature inversion 6000 people became ill 20 people died US public health service calle din- air pollution officially recognized as potential public health problem sulfur gas+particles sulfuric acid mist
NO2
main effect of breathing in raised levels of NO2 = increased likelihood of respiratory problems
NO2 inflames the lining of the lungs and can reduce immunity to lung infections which can cause problems like wheezing, coughing, colds, flu and bronchitis
comes from fuel combustion
exhaust gas recirculation
this recirculation system routes a metered amount of exhaust into the untake tract under particular operating conditions
so exhaust neither burns nor supports combustion so it dilutes the air/fuel charge to reduce peak combustion chamber temps which in turn reduces NO2 formation
catalytic converter
device in exhaust pipe that converts hydrocarbons, CO, into less harmful gases by using a combo of platinum, palladium and rhodium as catalysts
lead fouled the catalyst-needed unleaded gasoline
3 way converters-also reduced nitrogen oxides
atmospheric particulate matter
affects: human health -acute and chronic impacts human welfare -visability -material damage ecosystem impacts -nutrients -toxins climate change
TSP
Total suspended particulate matter
sum of all particles with diameter less than 50um
PM10
particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 10um
mechanically generated
soil debris, agricultural tiling, construction, road dust
PM2.5
particle with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 um
fine particle
combustion generated
secondary particles
ultrafine particles
particles with diameters less than 50nm
combustion generated
may result from nucleation of new particles
not much is known about them
primary particulate matter
particles directly emitted into the atmosphere from air pollution sources: motot vehicles, food cooking, wood burning
secondary particulate matter
particles that are formed in the atmosphere by gas-phase chemical reactions that form condensable productd: sulfate, nitrate, secondary organic compounds
natural particulate matter
from natural source that are not impacted by human activity: sea spray, wind blown dust, forest fires etc
anthropogenic particulate matter
resulting from human activity: motor vehicles, wood burning, agricultural tiling
health effects of CO exposure
the longer the exposure, and the more you are exposed, the deadlier it is
london smog disaster
high SO2 levels and smog lead to deaths
ecosystem impacts of particulates
ozone injury first appears on older leaves- affected leaves appear silvery/white
bleaching eventually kills leaves in seveere cases
control: no known cultural controls for ozone injury-grow crops away from heavily polluted areas
development and invstment in relation to air pollution
clean air attracts international investment
business services and international relocation agencies (Forbes) rank how toxic or clean cities are
these influence investment and location decisions by major firms
pathways for air pollution impacts: local and systematic
local inflammation: asthma, COPD, fibrosis, cancer
systemic inflammation: atherosclerosis, heart attack
stroke
inhalation exposure of particulates
low inhalation exposure can have significant impacts on health
-more sensitive to inhalation exposures than ingestion and dermal exposures
-not only a concerns for body burden
annual exposures to EPA particulate matter standard is 100 miligrams oer year
air pollution exposures to systemic effects that contribute to the burden of disease
health impacts of PM
exposure to atmospheric PM continue to increase:
resp disease
cardiovasc disease
cancer
auto-immune disorders
metabolic syndrome
reproductive impacts
neurological impacts
-the same components and sources do not impact all pathways the same way/injure the same way
oxidative stress is an important pathway for many impacts
indoor air pollution
significant health risks due to indoor air pollution-especially in 3rd world countries-africa, s. asia, indonesia
dealths from climate change
high in Africa and s. asia
human health effects of PM
epidemiological studies are a major driving force
-obs of increase mortality with increased fine particle concentrations in atmosphere
-obs of increased hospitalization and respiratory disease with increase fine particle concentrations
these studies are found to be sound
how to prioritize PM control
- control sites with the largest health impact
- control sources that lead to the higher exposures (proximity of emissions to population
- consider co-benefits of control measures on other air pollutants