1. Air Pollution 2

2. Smog: An Urban problem
Industrial smog – gray-air smog. Forms when coal or oil is burned. Mix of CO, CO2, SO2
Photochemical smog – brown-air smog. Forms through light driven chemical reactions of primary pollutants and normal atmospheric compounds. Ex. Ground level ozone.

3. Confined Animal Feeding Operations
More than 25 studies of CAFO workers show that 25-30% of them report serious respiratory problems
Iowans living within a two-mile radius of a 4,000-hog unit reported more respiratory and other symptoms than did people not living near a CAFO
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, University of Iowa.
A typical confinement holds 2500 hogs

4. Depletion of The Ozone Layer
High Altitude ozone absorbs UV radiation and allows life on our planet.
1970’s researchers discovered Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were depleting stratospheric ozone
View of South Pole from NASA Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

5. The destruction of ozone by CFCs
CCl3F + UV light CCl2F + Cl (CCl3F is a CFC) followed by:
Cl + O ClO + O2 followed by:
ClO + O Cl + O2 followed by:
Cl + O ClO + O2 (same as first step above) followed by:
ClO + O Cl + O2 (same as second step above)
(these reactions are repeated thousands of times to destroy thousands of ozone molecules)

6. Acid Rain
Forms as a result of reactions between Sulfur dioxide or Nitrogen oxides (from coal fired power plants) and water.
Droplets may travel 100s of miles before falling as precipitation.
Effects of Acid Rain
Leach nutrients such as Ca and Mg
Mobilizes toxic metals such as Al, Zn and Cu.
Al in lakes kills fish – damaging their gills, disrupting salt balance

7. Acid Precipitation
3NO2 + H2O HNO3 + NO (HNO3 is nitric acid and causes acid precipitation)
2SO2 + O SO3 followed by:
SO3 + H2O H2SO4

8. Indoor Air Quality
The quality of the air in our homes and school may be worse than the air outside!

9. Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
VOC levels are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.
Examples include:
paints and lacquers
paint strippers
cleaning supplies
pesticides
building materials and furnishings
Photocopiers and printers
correction fluids
carbonless copy paper
Glues and adhesives
permanent markers

10. Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
Furnaces and poorly ventilated space heaters contribute carbon monoxide
Pressed wood (shelving) may contribute formaldehyde especially when new.
Formaldehyde irritates mucous membranes and induces skin allergies
Mold – spores will always be present in air. Only become a problem where moisture allows mold to grow

12. Radon Radon is a radioactive gas.
It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils.
It moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation.
Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up.
Any home may have a radon problem.
Radon in indoor air is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.
EPA recommends all homes be tested for Radon

14. Asbestos
Sources include deteriorating, damaged, or disturbed insulation, fireproofing and floor tiles
The most dangerous asbestos fibers are too small to be visible. After they are inhaled, they can remain and accumulate in the lungs.
Asbestos can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer of the chest and abdominal linings), and asbestosis (irreversible lung scarring that can be fatal).
Symptoms of these diseases do not show up until many years after exposure began.

15. Air Quality at School
Twenty percent of the U.S. population spend their days in our elementary and secondary schools.
In the mid-1990s 1 in 5 of our nation's schools reported unsatisfactory indoor air quality
1 in 4 schools reported ventilation as unsatisfactory.
Students are at greater risk because of the hours spent in school facilities and because children are especially susceptible to pollutants.