Ch. 1Sec. 4 Air Quality

• harmful substance in air, water or soil

pollutant

1.coal

2.oil

3.gasoline

4.diesel fuel

fossil fuels:

most air pollution caused by burning of:

MOST AIR POLLUTION PRODUCED BY

BURNING ___________FOSSIL FUELS

SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION

1. ½ = motor vehicles (cars, trucks, etc.)

2. ¼ = factories & power plants

Particles in air come from:

• 1. natural sources– ocean salt – mold– plant pollen– forest fires– volcanoes

2. human activities

• burning of fossil fuels

• farming

• construction

PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG• brown haze that forms in cities

• formed when nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, & other pollutants react in sunlight

• irritates breathing passages, harm plants, damage rubber, paint & some plastics

acid rain

• rain that contains more acid than normal

• forms when nitrogen oxides & sulfur oxides combine with water in air to form nitric acid & sulfuric acid

EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN•can damage surfaces of buildings

& statues & kill forests

Sandstone statue from 1702 photographed in 1908 (left) and 1969 (right).

ACID RAIN FORMATION

AIR POLLUTERS

I am Pesky Particulate, a small particle of smoke or

dust in the air.

• I may be so small that you cannot see me unless I am traveling on the wind with many other particles. I can soil clothes, buildings, and the air. I can also carry harmful chemicals into the lungs of people and animals.

I am Lumpy Lead, a metallic element found in some

gasoline and in the soil and air around smelters and battery

factories.

• If there is enough of me, I can cause brain damage, cramping, and anemia, especially in young children.

My name is Nasty Nitrogen Oxide.

• You can tell who I am because of my yellow-brown color. I am caused by fuels burned by cars, electric power plants, and other large industrial plants. If enough of me escapes into the air, I can cause a stinking brown haze that shuts out the sunlight. I also can damage plants and metals or harm people's lungs.

I am known as Odious Ozone.

• Although I am invisible by myself, when I get together with other pollutants, we can form smog. I am caused by a combination of sunlight and chemicals. In cities, these chemicals come mainly from automobile exhausts and industrial and power plants. If there is enough of me, I can hurt plants or make it hard for people to breathe.

My name is Cranky Carbon Monoxide.

• You can't see or smell me, but I can be a dangerous pollutant. I am present wherever fuels are burned and come mainly from automobile exhausts. If there is enough of me in one place, I can make people tired or dizzy or give them headaches.

I am Smelly Sulfur Dioxide.

• Your nose can alert you that I am around because of my strong smell. I come out of the smokestacks of power plants and factories and where coal and fuel oil are burned. If there is enough of me, I can irritate eyes, nose, and lungs, eat away iron and steel, turn leaves of plants yellow, and make air hazy.

My name is Terrible Toxics.

• I am hard to identify because I represent so many different toxic airborne chemicals. I might be arsenic, asbestos, benzene, beryllium, mercury, or vinyl chloride. I may mix with other chemicals to cause air pollution problems. Sometimes if there is a lot of exposure to me, people may have to take special precautions to be sure they are safe.

1. Before the industrial revolution, there was no air pollution.TRUE ---------- FALSE

2. Air pollution is a problem only in big cities.TRUE ---------- FALSE

3. Dirty air costs each American about $100 per year.TRUE ---------- FALSE

4. All smokestack emissions pollute the air.TRUE ---------- FALSE

5. When the air is polluted, you can always see and smelt it.TRUE ---------- FALSE

6. Clean air is the responsibility of industry alone.TRUE ---------- FALSE

7. Burning leaves or trash at home contributes to air pollution.TRUE ---------- FALSE

8. The only way air pollution affects the human body is by causing lung disorders.TRUE ---------- FALSE

9. Cars and buses contribute little to the air pollution problem.TRUE ---------- FALSE

10. We have a limitless amount of air to breathe.TRUE ---------- FALSE

11. Air pollution now is under control and will not be a problem in the future.TRUE ---------- FALSE

1. What are harmful substances in the air,

water, or soil? _______________

2. Most air pollution is the result of burning

______________________.

3. Half of the air pollution from human

activities comes from ______________.

4. Name 2 natural sources of pollution? _____

5. What are the pictures examples of? _____

6. What substances combine to form acid rain? _______________

QUIZ

motor vehicles

pollutants

fossil fuels

4. forest fires, volcanoes, mold,

pollen, ocean salt

photochemical smog

nitrogen oxide & sulfur oxide combine with water

CORRECT

INCORRECT