2. INTRODUCTION 3. INTRODUCTION Air pollution is defined as the
release ofharmful amounts of natural or syntheticmaterials into the
atmosphere as direct orindirect result of human activity 4. The
severity of air pollution in a given areadepends on several factors
includingi. climate,ii. topography,iii. population density andiv.
the number and type of industrial activities. 5. Air pollution may
be broken down into fourcategories:i. Ambient or outdoor air
pollutionii. Indoor air pollutioniii. Occupational air pollutioniv.
Personal air pollution 6. In this experiment we will use a high
volumeair sampler to measure TSP. The 24 hour airquality standard
established for TSP is260g/m3. The size range of particles
trappedon the filter is typically less than 25-50m butgreater than
10m. 7. Calculation TSP concentration = 10^6 (Wf - Wi ) g/m^3
Where;RD Wi = 2.63g Wf = 2.76 g R = average flow rate =
(0.85-0.57)/5 =0.056x4 =0.224CMM + 0.57 = 0.794CMM x 60 3 =47.64 m
/ hr 8. D = duration of exposure (hour) = 1530 hr until 0900 hr =
17.30 hr RD = total volume of air passing through TSP concentration
10 ( 2 . 76 2 . 63 ) g / m 6 3347 . 64 m / hr (17 . 30 hr ) 157 .
73 g 9. Question 1:How would your filter look like if it were
placedalongside a road? Next to the factory? Why is thelocation of
the filter important?The filter look same at the two areas as
theparticulate pollutants in these two area are almostthe same.
But, variation may occur due to presenceof chimney air filter,
automotive cabin air filters andothers. The location of the filter
is important becausethe amount of total particulate pollutants
(TSP) isvary from location to location as the TSP in rural arealess
than the urban area, TSP near factory morecompared to inside a
forest. 10. Question 2:Do you consider the air pollution in your
area to bedangerous? If so, what are the contributors to theair
pollution in your area? If air pollution is not aproblem now, do
you think it will be in the future ifnothing is done to protect air
quality?The air pollution in this new campus is still notconsider
to be dangerous, however there still havesome particulate
pollutants present in this area asthe contribution from vehicles
and buildingconstruction. Actually air pollution is consider as
aproblem now and it will become worse in the futureif nothing is
done to protect air quality. 11. Particulate pollutants" also known
as particulatematter or PM, is a complex mixture of extremelysmall
particles and liquid droplets. Particulatepollution is made up of a
number of components,including acids (such as nitrates and
sulfates),organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dustparticles. The
size of particles is directly linked to theirpotential for causing
health problems. Particlesthat are 10 micrometers in diameter or
smallerare the particles that generally pass through thethroat and
nose and enter the lungs. Onceinhaled, these particles can affect
the heart andlungs and cause serious health effects. 12.
Particulate pollutants can grouped into twocategories: "Inhalable
coarse particles" such as those foundnear roadways and dusty
industries, are largerthan 2.5 micrometers and smaller than
10micrometers in diameter. "Fine particles," such as those found in
smokeand haze, are 2.5 micrometers in diameter andsmaller. These
particles can be directly emittedfrom sources such as forest fires,
or they canform when gases emitted from power plants,industries and
automobiles react in the air. 13. Levels of Cautionary
StatementsEPA Air Quality Health PM2.5 PM10IndexConcern0 -
50GoodNoneNone 51 - 100Moderate NoneNoneUnhealthy for People with
respiratory or heart People with respiratory disease,101 - 150
Sensitive disease, the elderly, and children such as asthma, should
limit Groups should limit prolonged exertion. outdoor exertion.
People with respiratory disease,People with respiratory or heart
such as asthma, should avoiddisease, the elderly, and children
outdoor exertion; everyone else,151 - 200Unhealthyshould avoid
prolonged exertion;especially the elderly and children, everyone
else should limitshould limit prolonged outdoorprolonged exertion.
exertion.People with respiratory or heartPeople with respiratory
disease,disease, the elderly, and children such as asthma, should
avoid any Very201 - 300should avoid any outdoor activity; outdoor
activity; everyone else, Unhealthy everyone else should
avoidespecially the elderly and children,prolonged exertion.should
limit outdoor exertion.Everyone should avoid any outdoor Everyone
should avoid any outdoorexertion; people with respiratory or
exertion; people with respiratory301 - 500Hazardous heart disease,
the elderly, and disease, such as asthma, shouldchildren should
remain indoors.remain indoors. 14. What are the health effects of
particle pollution?Short-term increases (over hours to days)
inparticle pollution have been linked to: death from respiratory
and cardiovascular causes,including strokes increased numbers of
heart attacks, especially amongthe elderly and in people with heart
conditions inflammation of lung tissue in young, healthy adults
increased hospitalization for cardiovascular disease,including
strokes; hospitalization for asthma among children aggravated
asthma attacks in children. 15. Year-round exposure to particle
pollution has alsobeen linked to: increased hospitalization for
asthma attacks inchildren living near roads with heavy truck or
trailertrafficstunted lung function growth in children
andteenagerssignificant damage to the small airways of the
lungsincreased risk of heart attacks and strokes in
olderwomenincreased risk of dying from lung cancergreater risk of
death from cardiovascular disease 16. Who is at risk?Anyone may be
affected by particle pollution, butseveral groups are most at risk:
Children under 18 Adults 65 and older Anyone with chronic lung
disease, such as asthma,chronic bronchitis, or emphysema Anyone
with a cardiovascular disease, such as highblood pressure, coronary
artery disease, or congestive heart failure Anyone with diabetes.
17. CONCLUSIONAt the end of this experiment, we are ableto :
understand the significant of particulatepollutants. Become
familiar with air samplingtechnique for total suspended
particulates(TSP). Determine whether our environment isfree of air
pollutants.
