Air Pollution
Chapter 13

• Historical Perspective
  • London Air Pollution
    • 1200's 
  • Some Historic Episodes
    • Meuse Valley, Belgium, 1930 - 60 deaths, several thousand illnesses.
    • Donora, PA, 1948 (20 deaths, several thousand illnesses)
    • London, 1952 (graph) (details)
    • New York City
      • 1963 - Air pollution inversion in New York leads to 405 deaths.
      • 1966 - Air pollution inversion in New York leads to 168 deaths.
  • U.S. Clean Air Acts of
    • 1955, An Act to provide research and technical assistance relating to air pollution control.
    • 1963, An Act to improve, strengthen, and accelerate programs for the prevention and abatement of air pollution.
    • 1970, The amendments in 1970 were an entirely rewritten version of the original Clean Air Act.
      • In principle, it was a law that would show excellent results; however, in the midst of environmental enthusiasm throughout the country, the Clean Air Act proved to be a highly ambitious piece of air pollution abatement legislation.
      • It set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), to protect public health and welfare, and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), that strictly regulated emissions of a new source entering an area.
      • Standards were also set for hazardous emissions and emissions from motor vehicles.
      •  Funds of $30 million went toward research on the growing problem of noise pollution in larger cities.
      • Also, as a new principle, this Clean Air Act allowed citizens the right to take legal action against anyone or any organization, including the government, who is in violation of the emissions standards.
    • 1990, After a decade of virtual dormancy, Congress finally drastically amended the Clean Air Act again to attempt to solve problems of the past as well as deal with new issues.
      • As in the past, the federal government designated states as being responsible for non-attainment areas, but it allowed them to establish deadlines for each source considering the severity of its pollution.
      • It also raised automobile emissions standards and set a definite timetable for reductions in order to tighten control in this area.
      • Through this legislation, the government encouraged the use of low-sulfur fuels as well as alternative fuels as a means of reducing sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere which is a main component of acid precipitation, one of the new problems needing to be dealt with.
      • Also, it mandated the installment of the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) to reduce the amount of air toxics.
      • The government also called for a reduction in the amount of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) being used as a way of preventing ozone depletion, a new issue needing to be addressed.

• Sources & Types of Air Pollution

  • Primary Pollutants (ex. dust storm, smoke stack pollution)

    • Particulate Matter

    • Sulfur Dioxide

    • Nitrogen Oxides

    • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

    • Carbon Monoxide

    • Lead

    • Primary Pollutant Sources and Percentages

  • Secondary pollutants

    • Smog

    • Photo-Chemical

  • Indoor Air Pollution

• Meteorological Factors Affecting Air pollution

  • Wind

  • Temperature Inversions (radiation inversion, high-pressure inversion)

• Acid Precipitation (pH scale,)

  • Extent

  • Effects