Tropospheric Air

Quality
Smog, PM, Acid Deposition
 Air Quality Problems

 Question
 What are the air quality problems caused by pollution?

Degradation  For Pollutants

Major Chemical each problem, state theSource
Major pollutantActivities
being emitted and the activity
that results in the emission.
acid rain SO2, NOx (ie, NO+NO2) burning fossil fuels (esp coal-burning power plants)
photochemical reactive VOCs, NOx (produces O3, transportation in motorized vehicles
smog PAN, organic PM, nitrate PM)
particulate matter SO2, NOx, soot, PAHs, fly ash, combustion (fossil fuels, biofuel, waste incineration, etc)
production of smog, others
air toxics CO, Pb, Hg, PAHs, many others many sources
Air Quality Problems

 Regulation of Air Quality

 Clean Air Act of 1970
 Established six criteria pollutants
 Initially PM, SO2, O3, NOx, CO and hydrocarbons
 Later, lead (Pb) replaced hydrocarbons (redundant, as it is an ozone precursor)
 Later, PM was redefined as PM10
 Still later, PM2.5 was added
 The criteria pollutants are regulated by their ambient concentrations
 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
 There are also many (currently 189) other regulated pollutants
 The hazardous air pollutants, HAPS
 examples: mercury, benzene

 Regulated by emission standards (NESHAPS)

 Emission of Criteria Pollutants by Source Category
70000

Fuel Combustion
65000 Industrial
25000
Transportation
Emission Rate, x 10 ton/yr

20000
3

Note: Pb emission rates are in ton/yr, not 103 ton/yr

15000

10000

5000

0
CO Pb NOx VOCs SO2
U.S. Air Pollutant Trends
(The Good News)
GDP

VMT

Energy
Consumption

US
Population

Aggregate
Emissions

Source: EPA, Latest Findings on National Air Quality, “2001 Status and Trends” summary report.
 Air Quality Problems (The Bad
News)
• Estimated 50,000 people in the US

per year die from air pollution.
Lecture Question
• These are mostly the susceptible
 What two criteria pollutants are
portion of the population: the currently considered the
elderly, children, and those biggest health risks in the US?
suffering from pre-existing
respiratory or CV problems.
• The number of annual deaths is
roughly comparable to those who
die in car accidents.
2001 US population: 285 Million;
• Globally about 3 million people die 46.7% live in counties exposed
each year due to air pollution to levels above NAAQS
• 5% of all annual global deaths.
• Range of estimates: 1.6 – 6
million people.
• Source: WHO
• Air pollution also associated with
increased risk of developing asthma,
COPD disease, decreased lung
capacity, etc.

Three Major Problems
Photochemical smog (`ground-level ozone’)
 Primary pollutants: VOCs, NO x

 Secondary pollutants: O3, PAN, organic aerosol, nitrate aerosol, etc

 Primary pollutants are what are discharged directly into the air
 Secondary pollutants are formed from primary pollutants, and are generally the ones that impact human
and ecosystem health and welfare.
 Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)
 Primary pollutants
 Direct emissions of PM (crustal material, soot)
 SO2; NOx; VOCs
 Secondary pollutants
 nitrate, sulfate, and organic component of aerosol
 Acid deposition
 Primary pollutants
 SO2; NOx
 Secondary pollutants
 H2SO4(aq), HNO3(aq)
 Problems are all related
 For example, production of smog also produces PM and acid deposition
 A common factor: photochemical oxidation in the atmosphere
 But First…Carbon Monoxide
 Seasonal Trend
 Highest in winter months due to greater vehicular emissions and more frequent
local inversions
 Home heating also contributes in winter
Killer Smog Episodes

 1930: 63 die in Meuse Valley, Belgium

 prophetic: “Proportionally the public services of London, e.g., might be faced with the
responsibility of 3200 sudden deaths if such a phenomenon occurred there.”
 1948: 20 die in Donora, PA
 one-third residents ill; see http://www.westol.com/~shawley/dhs/smog.pdf
 1952: 4000 die in London
 leads to UK’s first Clean Air Act
 1962: 700 die in London
 meteorological conditions similar to those in 1952 episode but with far fewer deaths
 Sulfurous Smogs
 The above severe smog episodes are all examples of “London smog,” or sulfurous smogs.
 Distinguished from current smog problems, called photochemical or
“LA” smog.