Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution (Moeller Chapter 5)

Geography 3432Environment and Health Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution(Moeller Chapter 5) • Context • Body’s response to air pollution • CACs • CAC health effects • CAC trends • CAC sources • Indoor air pollution • Control • Regulation Geog 3432

Context • acute and chronic effects • 1930 Belgium 60 died – zinc smelter, sulfuric acid factory + atmospheric inversion (cold, damp) • 1952 London 4000 died – coal • 8 % Americans suffer chronic bronchitis, emphysema or asthma caused or aggravated by air pollution • heart disease and air pollution (Global news) Divx version Geog 3432

Body’s Response • water soluble – typically removed quickly by body (via upper airway) – e.g., sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde • less soluble – penetrate lungs/alveoli – e.g., nitrogen dioxide, ozone Geog 3432

Removal of Toxins from Respiratory System Questions • Name some ways our bodies remove the pollutants we inhale? • What doesn’t get removed and why? pm 2.5 Source: NASA Geog 3432

Body’s Response to Particulates • particle size associated with “region” reached • interpret graph from Moeller below • slow deep breathing = more deposition than fast shallow deep vs shallow breathing Particles removed pm 2.5 (bronchiolar and alveolar regions) Geog 3432

Criteria Air Contaminants (CACs) • Total Particulate Matter (TPM), • PM10 • PM2.5 • Sulphur Oxides (SOx) • Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) • Carbon Monoxide (CO) Geog 3432

Health Effects of CACs • carbon monoxide – reduces O2 delivery, very serious to cardiovascular/lung disease sufferers • nitrogen oxides – lung irritant, affects immune system – increased susceptibility to infection • sulfur oxides – similar to ozone • VOCs - cancer as well as adverse neurological, reproductive, and developmental effects • particulates – repiratory function, very serious to cardiovascular/lung disease sufferers 30,000 excess deaths in US (ref: 26,000 die from flu) • ozone – at ground: damages lung tissue, reduces lung function, asthmatics particularly vulnerable – atmosphere = protective – re: skin cancer Geog 3432

Sources of Air Pollutants • Question – what are the major sources of air pollution – make a ranked list. See spreadsheet for details in following charts Geog 3432

Sources of CACs Geog 3432

Industrial vs Other Sources of CACsCanada Geog 3432

CACs and Non CACs from Industrial Sources Source: NPRI 2008 Geog 3432

PM2.5 source: http://www.airqualityontario.com/science/pollutants/particulates.cfm • residential wood burning accounts for large volumes of particulates • over 50% likely transboundary from the U.S. Geog 3432

CACs Over Time Geog 3432

Ground Level Ozone Formation Geog 3432

Ground-Level Ozone 24hr Pattern Geog 3432

Energy Consumption Increasing Geog 3432

Indoor Air Pollution • 80-90% of time spent indoors • may have largest pollution impact on human health • same as outdoor but longer exposure with addition: • moulds, and bacteria – e.g. legionnaires disease • asbestos • tobacco smoke • radon Geog 3432

Control of Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution • dilution – e.g. super stacks, not good long-term • substitution/elimination – e.g, nuclear vs coal power, electric vs gasoline vehicles • reduction – e.g., increase efficiency • air cleaning technology – e.g., stack scrubbers • design – re: indoor – plastic barriers, more air flow • ventilation – re: indoor • behavioural – reduce consumption (not just tobacco) Geog 3432

Efficiency from Technology? Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/canenv.html Geog 3432

Regulating Air Pollution • “controlled” by standards not legislation • guidelines set by provinces not binding • province/feds share responsibility • provinces ultimately implement • CCME pivotal • much provincial discretion ultimately Geog 3432

Regulating Indoor Air Pollution • Question: what special challenges do regulators face trying to reduce the impacts of indoor air pollution on health? Geog 3432

Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution (Moeller Chapter 5)