YSU Institute of Learning In Retirement
YSU Metro College
Air Quality--
Dont Hold Your Breath
Alan M. Jacobs, Ph.D., P.G.
Professor and Chair
Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
What did I do?
l Environmental
projects for State of Illinois
l Engineering
projects around the world
l Abandoned mine
inspections (down-hole TV) in the Appalachian region
l Superfund site
assessments and cleanups
l Academia-
Indiana, Carnegie-Mellon, and YSU
Air Quality--
Dont Hold Your Breath
Alan M. Jacobs, Ph.D., P.G.
Professor and Chair
Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Food, water, air
l We can do
without:
Food for a few weeks
Water for a few days
l But we can not
do without:
Air for only a few minutes
If we were to hold our
breath
l 1 second
l 2 seconds
l 3 seconds
l 4 seconds
l 5 seconds
l 6 seconds
l 7 seconds
l 8 seconds
l 9 seconds
l 10 seconds
l 11 seconds
l 12 seconds
l 13 seconds
l 14 seconds
l 15 seconds
l 16 seconds
Oxygen Needs
l Even though you
can breath, the gases you breath in should have sufficient oxygen.
l OSHA defines
oxygen deficiency as less than 19.5%.
l Too much
oxygen, >23.5% and there is a greater risk of fire.
Oxygen Deficiency
l Oxygen need:
OSHA: 19.5-23.5%
Adverse health effects <16%; not detectable until it is too
late
Impaired judgment, lack of coordination, increased breathing and
heart rate
Severe deficiency can cause nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness,
brain damage, and death
Cause of O2 Deficiency
l Displaced by
other gases
Heavier than air in low-lying places
l Consumed by
chemical or biological processes
Consumption by chemical processes (fire, slow oxidation,
biological decay)
Origin of Oxygen?
l Plants
(photosynthetic organisms) produce oxygen and carbohydrates from water and
carbon dioxide with energy from sunshine and the help of chloroplasts (green
cells).
Carbon dioxide + Water
Carbohydrates + Oxygen
l Respiration
reverses the process and releases energy stored in carbohydrates.
Oxygen Pollution
l >3.5
billions years B.P. no photosynthesis
l at 3.5 billion
first record of oxidized iron
l 3.5 to 2.0
billion- rocks absorbed all excess oxygen (red beds, oxide ores)
l 0.5 billion
years B.P. oxygen accumulates in the atmosphere, ozone increases, and life
proliferates.
NATURAL SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION
l Volcanoes - Ash
and acidic components
l Natural Fires -
Smoke
l Sea Spray -
Sulfur
l Vegetation -
Volatile organic compounds
l Bacterial
Metabolism - Methane
l Dust
Pollen
l Viruses and
Bacteria
Conventional Pollutants
l Clean Air Act (1970) designated seven major
(conventional) pollutants for which maximum ambient air levels are mandated.
Particulate Matter
Metals and Halogens
Nitrogen Oxides
Carbon Oxides
Volatile Organic Compounds
Sulfur Dioxide
Photochemical oxidants
Conventional Pollutants
l Particulate
Matter
Atmospheric aerosols (solid or liquid)
l Respirable
particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers are among most dangerous.
Anthropogenic particulate emissions amount to about 362 million
metric tons annually.
Conventional Pollutants
l Metals
Many toxic metals occur as trace elements in fuel.
l Lead Emissions:
2 million metric tons.
Mercury
l Bioaccumulation
in aquatic ecosystems.
Nickel, beryllium, cadmium, arsenic
l Halogens
(Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine)
CFCs
Conventional Pollutants
l Nitrogen
Compounds
Nitrogen oxides are reactive gases formed when nitrogen is heated
above 650o C in the presence of oxygen, or when nitrogen compounds
are oxidized.
l Annual
Emissions: 230 million metric tons
Conventional Pollutants
l Carbon
Oxides
Predominant form of carbon in the air is carbon dioxide.
l Increasing
levels due to human activities.
l Annual
Emissions: 7-8 billion metric tons
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas produced by
incomplete fuel combustion.
l Annual
Emissions: 1 billion metric tons
Conventional Pollutants
l Volatile
Organic Compounds
Organic chemicals that are easily vaporized
Natural- methane
Anthropogenic - vinyl chloride (used for plastics), industrial
solvents, dry-cleaning fluids, liquid fuels, formaldehyde, chloroform.
Conventional Pollutants
l Sulfur
Compounds
Natural sources of sulfur in the atmosphere include evaporation
from sea spray, volcanic fumes, and organic compounds.
Predominant form of anthropogenic sulfur is sulfur-dioxide from
fossil-fuel combustion.
l Annual
Emissions: 114 million metric tons
Conventional Pollutants
l Photochemical
Oxidants
Products of secondary atmospheric reactions driven by solar
energy.
l Ozone
formed by splitting nitrogen dioxide.
l Gases from sulfur
and nitrogen oxides that produce acid rain
Hazardous Air Pollutants
l asbestos
l mercury
l beryllium
l benzene
l VCM (vinyl
chloride monomer)
l arsenic
l radionuclides
l coke oven
discharges
Air Pollution
Sources of Air Pollution
Mini-Workshop 1
Sources of Air
Pollution-- Answers
Most to Least
l Autos and
trucks
l Fossil fuel
generating stations
l Steel mills,
smelters, refineries, paper mills
l Gone are
concerns from home heating and refuse burning
What do we do?
l Particulate
removal
l Sulfur removal
l Stack scrubbing
l Control the
combustion process
Particulate Removal
l Bag House
- Remove particles physically by trapping them in a porous mesh which allows
air to pass through but holds back solids.
l Electrostatic
Precipitators - Fly ash particles pick up electrostatic charge as they pass
between large electrodes in waste stream, and accumulate on collecting plate.
Sulfur Removal
l Pretreatment of
fuels
l Switch from
soft coal (with a high sulfur content) to low sulfur coal.
l Change to
another fuel (natural gas).
Stack Scrubbing
l Converting
those gases that contain unwanted pollutants going through the stack to a
residue of liquid paste or powder.
l Then the
residue must be managed as a solid waste.
Combustion Control
l In industry,
control combustion temperatures and catalysts to avoid unwanted products
discharged up the stacks.
l For highway
vehicles, control the combustion temperature and catalysts to avoid unwanted
products discharge out the tailpipe.
Mini-Workshop 2
l How does the
proper use of catalytic converters on automobiles improve the health of the
public?
Catalytic Converter- Answers
l Run the engine
hot at peak efficiency you minimize carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons
however,
l This produces
the maximum amount of nitrogen oxides.
l The catalyst
(platinum, rhodium, or palladium) combines the CO with the NOx and produces
nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide.
Health Effects
l Overload of body defenses, fibrosis, irritation,
inflammation or destruction of tissue, ulceration, pulmonary edema,
hypersensitivity reactions, paralysis of the mucociliary escalator (SOx and
NOx), mucous buildup, difficulty breathing, bacterial buildup, acute
bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, cancer, displace or inhibit oxygen usage,
depress the central nervous system.
Particulates- Inhalation
l Bodies reaction
to irritation of respiratory tissues is to sneeze or cough (expelling the
particulates)
l Nearly all
particles >10 microns are removed by nasal hairs and mucous secretions; most
> 3 microns are removed by mucociliary escalator
l Some <3
suspended in lung cells and some deposited and difficult to remove.
Gases and Vapors - Inhalation
l Some of the
water-soluble gases and vapors will dissolve on mucous membranes;
l Diluted and
insoluble gases and vapors will enter the lung cells and then proceed to the
bloodstream;
l Hot or cold
gases can damage respiratory tissues throughout respiratory tract.
Air Quality Hot Topics
l Indoor Air
Quality- Sick Building Syndrome
l Acid Rain
l Global Warming
Indoor Air Quality
l Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) vs. Building Related
Illness (BRI)
l Sealed windows and inadequate ventilation
l Synthetic fabrics
l Combustion and cooking
l Household chemicals
l Outdoor sources entering through ventilators
l Mold spores, pollen, bacteria, pet dander
l Dry cleaning chemicals
l Smoking- Vote NO on Issue 4; YES on Issue 5!
Indoor Air Pollution
l EPA found indoor concentrations of toxic air
pollutants are often higher than outdoor.
l Less developed countries
also suffer from indoor air
pollution.
Acid Deposition
l What is pH? A
measure of acidity or alkalinity. Either condition causes a substance to be
corrosive.
pH scale ranges from 0-14.
l 7 = Neutral;
l <7 = Acidic;
l >7 = Basic
(alkaline)
Acid Rain
l Sulfuric acid from sulfur dioxide [SOx]
l Nitric acid from NOx
l From liquid rain or particulates
l From lightning, vegetation, volcanoes, coal burning,
autos
l High stacks distribute pollutants
l Unpolluted pH=5.6
l Corrosive effects, leach heavy metals from sediments
l Buffered by calcareous terrain
Acid Precipitation
Acid Deposition
l Aquatic Effects
l In lakes,
reproduction is the most sensitive stage in fish life cycles.
l Acidic lake
water makes metals in the lake sediment dissolve and be more likely to be
absorbed into the bodies of aquatic life.
Acid Deposition
l Forest Damage
Air pollution and depositions of atmospheric acids are believed
to be important causes of forest destruction in many areas.
l Buildings and
Monuments
Limestone and marble are destroyed by air pollution at an
alarming rate.
Corroding steel in reinforced concrete weakens buildings, roads,
and bridges.
Mini-Workshop 3
l Why do
unpolluted waters (unaffected by acid rain) have a pH of 5.6, and not 7.0? 7.0
is neutral.
Unpolluted at 5.6- Answer
l Carbon dioxide
in the air (at 0.035 %)
l Combines with
water vapor to produce carbonic acid (club soda)
l Equilibrium
between water vapor in the air and surface waters.
l This is not
acid rain, which must have a pH of less than 4.6.
Global Warming
l Balance of CO2 and other heat-trapping (greenhouse) gases (methane,
nitrous oxides, CFCs, water vapor) is disturbed by human activity
l Is this enough to change climates?
l Earth history has seen global warming and cooling with
the ice ages
l For additional discussion please see my website: