PROB 2.1

Industrial reps claim that the ambient air quality standard for SO2 is so low that one exceeds it if one strikes a simple wooden match in a modest sized room. Is this true?

a-      Calculate the concentration expected for striking such a match in a room that is 15 foot x 15 ft x 8 ft. A typical 2 inch wooden match contains 2.5mg of sulfur

b-    Compare the resulting concentration to the annual average so2 ambient air quality standard.

PROB 2.2

The national ambient standard for particulate matter ( pm 10 , annual average is 50 micro grams per meter 3. every time you breathe you take in about 1 liter ( = 1 quart ) of air.

a.      Assuming that the air contains 50 micro gram / m 3 of |PM, how many grams of particulate matter do you take in with every breath?

b.     Assuming that all the particles are spheres with a diameter of 0.5 micron , how many particles do you take in with every breath?

c.      If you are an industry representative , which of these numbers will you cite? If you represent an environmental organization ,which will you cite?

PROB 2.3

The NAAQS for sulfur dioxide ( annual average ) is 80 micro grams per meter 3. Every time you breathe you take in about 1 litre of air .Assume the air is exactly at the NAAQS for so2,

a.     With every breath how many grams of so2 do you take in?

b.     How many molecules of so2 do you take in? A gram of so2 =9.4 x 1021 molecules.