Atmosphere Period 3 Nlyssa Bullard Tianyu Tang Charles

Atmosphere Period: 3 N’lyssa Bullard, Tianyu Tang, Charles Forman Kiana Hoskins, Katherine Fondeur

V. Ground level ozone derived from nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and sunlight.

Ground Level Ozone ➔ Ground level ozone is not released directly into the atmosphere, but is caused by chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and sunlight. ➔ Ozone in the stratosphere protects organisms from harmful UV radiation, but ozone in the troposphere has a negative impact on life. ➔ Ozone in the atmosphere can cause respiratory problems, lung cancer, and asthma.

Nitrogen Oxides ➔ NOx comes from the combination of nitrogen and oxygen gases in the air during high temperature combustions. ➔ Large cities with heavy vehicle pollution emit more nitrogen oxidesas combustion in car engines release NOx. ➔ Gases can react to become smog, acid rain, fine particles (PM), and ground level ozone.

Volatile Organic Compounds ➔ VOCs are more often found indoors than outdoors as they are emitted mostly by household products containing chemicals. ➔ Examples of products are paints, varnishes, cleaning detergents, and fuels. ➔ Harmful effects of VOCs include: - Eye, nose and throat irritation - Headaches and nausea - Liver and kidney damage ➔ Possible solutions: - Increase ventilation by opening windows using VOC products. - Meet the label requirements and follow the directions on label

Sunlight ➔Sunlight is one of the major sources of UV (ultra-violet) rays. UV rays can cause skin cancer and other skin problems. ➔Sunlight is necessary in producing ground level ozone. ➔It creates the heat required for NOx and VOCs to react.

VI. Noise derived primarily from traffic and industry.

What Is Noise Pollution? ➔ Noise pollution is excessive noise that is disrupting to the activities and behaviours of human and animal life. ➔ There are 4 types of noise pollution: - Continuous: A continuous noise is a noise that remains constant and stable over a given time period. Ex. boilers and engines. - Variable: Variable noise is a constantly present but changing noise. It tends to occur in manufacturing or construction environments, and changes depending on the different operations performed. - Impulse: An impulse noise is a noise that is instantaneous. Ex. explosions in building demolition, gunfire. - Intermittent: Are a mixture of periods of noise and silence that arrive at different times.

Sources of Noise Pollution ➔ Household devices - Refrigerators - Television - Washing machines ➔ Commercial and industrial - Large vehicles used in construction, like bulldozers, dump trucks and cement mixers. - Factory installations like motors, fans and compressors. ➔ Transportation: - Cars make noise through their motors and horns. - Service vehicles like firetrucks, ambulances and police cars cause more noise than regular cars

Effect ➔ Physical - Fatigue: some noises cause a lack of sleep to occur, leading to physical fatigue due to sleep deprivation. - Adrenalin excess in the bloodstream can occur, which increases blood pressure. -Temporary and permanent deafness can occur due to eardrum rupture caused by loud noises. ➔ Marine life - many communicate through sound waves, which can be disturbed by noise pollution ➔ Animals like bats, who navigate using echolocation may be adversely affected by

VII. Explain the patterns of urban pollution across the urban areas. A. Reference to studies in the UK and Sweden (1980 s), London, Athens, Beijing, and LA

Urban pollution across urban areas People living in the highly concentrated urbanised regions of eastern China and the Ganges Valley in India have modest consumption patterns compared to the oil and petrol-guzzling habits of those in the more sparsely populated regions of North America and the Middle East, where people have much higher income levels. Urban populations interact with their environment. Urban people change their environment through their consumption of food, energy, water, and land. And in turn, the polluted urban environment affects the health and quality of life of the urban population. Energy consumption for electricity, transportation, cooking, and heating is much higher in urban areas than in rural villages. For example, urban populations have many more cars than rural populations per capita. Almost all of the cars in the world in the 1930 s were in the United States. Today we have a car for every two people in the United States. If that became the norm, in 2050 there would be 5. 3 billion cars in the world, all using energy.

Cont. In these urban areas there are high amounts of soil pollution due to human activity. High concentration of toxic elements in soil can pose a high risk for human health and also to the ecosystem. A large number of organic and inorganic chemicals and waste from industries, farms, construction sites, automobiles and households can contribute to soil pollution. There is also indications of noise pollution. Living in noisy conditions may cause far reaching health hazards that many of us are aware of. Apart from the immediate consequences of noise, the disruption of peace, high levels of unwanted noise can also be annoying, causing headaches, insomnia, hearing loss, and may also disrupt the standard of living in the affected area. There is also water pollution. Natural water resources such as lakes, rivers, groundwater, and oceans are polluted through runoff from factories, farm lands, chemical spills, car exhaust, raw sewage, industrial waste, and household garbage being washed away by rain and mixed with water resources.

UK and Sweden Previous research attributed 4, 267 annual premature deaths in 2008, based on 2006 levels of the particulates. Subsequent falls in those particulates and a change in methodology that excludes natural sources of the pollutant sees that figure fall to 3, 537 for 2010 levels in the new study. In these areas, air pollution is both common but very dangerous to inhale. Besides moving to less carbon-intensive means of producing energy, efficiency has been a major focus in Sweden. By 2020 the government goal is to make en ergy use 20 per cent more effective com pared with 2008. As the years past by, the more willing society becomes to make a change.

London Nearly 9, 500 people die early each year in London due to long-term exposure to air pollution, more than twice as many as previously thought, according to new research. The gas is largely created by diesel cars, lorries and buses, and affects lung capacity and growth NO 2 pollution, which is produced largely by diesel vehicles, causes 5, 900 early deaths every year in London. Most air quality zones across the country break legal limits and the crisis was called a “public health emergency” by MPs in April. This week scientists said that one in 10 cases of Alzheimer’s in people living near busy roads could be linked to air pollution. London has breached its annual air pollution limits just five days into 2017, a “shameful reminder of the severity of London’s air pollution”, according to campaigners.

Athens In Athens, two types of air pollution are recognized: the first is characterized by high concentrations of particles. The second type - photochemical smog - is linked to an excess of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (primary pollutants), ozone, and organic nitrates (secondary pollutant) and results from a series of chemical reactions driven by sunlight. Several measures have been taken or are in the process of implementation, in an effort to improve the existing air quality conditions in the city.

Beijing In Beijing, people have been told to stay inside due to excessive and hazardous air pollution. on a bad day, Baoding’s pollution levels can rise beyond 300 on the air quality index, which is classed as hazardous for human health. On these days, the smog clings to the city like a thick grey shroud, and its residents are ghostlike shadows moving through the haze. Visibility for driving is reduced and headlights and traffic lights glow eerily, barely visible. Air is not something you can normally taste but, on high-pollution days, there is a metallic tang that catches in the back of your throat.

Los Angeles Eight out of 10 Californians — 32 million people — live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution some time during the year, says the report, using U. S. Environmental Protection Agency data for three years ending in 2014. Los Angeles remains the city with the worst ozone pollution, but the report said the nation's second-largest city also achieved its best overall air quality score of all those years.

Eight out of 10 Californians — 32 million people — live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution some time during the year, says the report, using U. S. Environmental Protection Agency data for three years ending in 2014. Los Angeles remains the city with the worst ozone pollution, but the report said the nation's second-largest city also achieved its best overall air quality score of all those years.