AirSection 2 Air Pollution Can cause serious health problems –especially for very young, very old, those with heart or lung problems –adds to the effects of existing diseases: emphysema, heart disease, lung cancer –estimate Americans pay billions/year to treat respiratory diseases caused by air pollution

AirSection 2 Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Health Reversible if exposure to air pollution decreases. Include headache; nausea; irritation to the eyes, nose and throat; coughing; tightness in the chest; upper respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Can make asthma and emphysema worse

AirSection 2 Long-Term Health Effects of Air Pollution Include emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease May worsen medical conditions suffered by older people and may damage the lungs of children.

AirSection 2 Indoor Air Pollution Air inside a home or building is sometimes worse than outside. Sick-building syndrome: set of symptoms that may affect workers in modern, airtight office buildings. –most common in hot places where buildings are tightly sealed to keep out the heat Plastics and other industrial chemicals are major sources of pollution. –found in carpets, building materials, paints, and furniture, particularly when new

AirSection 2 Ventilation, or mixing outdoor air with indoor air necessary for good air quality –renovation and painting- ventilation should be increased.

AirSection 2 Radon Gas Colorless, tasteless, odorless, and radioactive Occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust, can seep through cracks and holes in foundations into homes, offices, and schools Inhale contaminated dust, radioactivity destroys genetic material in cells, lead to cancer –second-leading cause of lung cancer in US

AirSection 2 Asbestos Six silicate minerals that form bundles of minute fibers that are heat resistant, flexible, and durable –primarily used as an insulator, fire retardant, building material –use of most asbestos products banned in the early 1970s –can cut and scar the lungs: disease asbestosis difficulty breathing, may eventually die of heart failure

AirSection 2 Noise Pollution Noise: a sound of any kind Pollutant when too loud, or unecessay Health problems: loss of hearing, high blood pressure, and stress, loss of sleep –may lead decreased productivity at work and in the classroom.

AirSection 2 Decibel: unit (dB ) used to measure loudness The quietest sound that a human ear can hear is at 0 dB Each increase in 10 times higher than previous level –120 dB is at the threshold of pain. –permanent deafness can result from continuous exposure to sounds over 120 dB.

AirSection 2 Light Pollution Not a direct hazard to human health –inefficient lighting in urban areas is diminishing our view of the night sky –urban sky often much brighter than the natural sky Environmental concern: energy wasted when a light is directed upward and lost to space –Causes: billboards, poor-quality street lights, lighting of building exteriors –Solutions: shielding light so it is directed downward, time controls, energy-efficient low-pressure sodium sources