Pollution, Health and Environment

Dr. Md. Sirajul Islam

Sources of Air Pollution

Stationary sources are those that have a relatively

fixed location. These includes point sources, fugitive
sources, and area sources.

Point sources, are sources that emit air pollutants from one
or more controllable sites, such as smokestacks of power
plants at industrial sites.
Fugitive sources are types of stationary sources that
generate air pollutants from open areas exposed to wind
processes, for example, sewerage system, oil pipe
leakage,etc.
Area sources, are locations from which air pollutants are
emitted from a well-defined area within which are several
sources, for example, small urban communities or agricultural
areas or forest fire.

Mobile sources are emitters of air pollutants that move

from place to place while yielding emissions. These
include automobiles, trucks, buses, aircraft, ships, and
trains.

Air Pollution
Major Kinds of Pollutants
Primary Pollutants from the original source
volcanoes, motor vehicles, factory combustion,
dust, open burning,
Secondary Pollutants form from chemical
reactions between primary pollutants or other
element of atmosphere like water vapor.
Chemical reactions may include photochemical
reactions (triggered by sunlight), acid rain,etc.

 Conventional pollutants Typical sources as Sulfur dioxide,

carbon monoxide, particulates, volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), nitrogen oxides, ozone, and lead.
Unconventional pollutants less volume, greater toxicity than
conventional pollutants, e.g., asbestos, benzene, mercury, PCBs,
and Dioxin, etc.

Sources and Problems of Major Pollutants

Nitrogen oxides Various nitrogen oxide gases are referred to as NOx
gases. They are greenhouse gases. Through photochemical
reactions can create urban smog.
Sulfur dioxide by-products of fuel combustion. with water forms
sulfurous acid. When oxidized to form sulfur trioxide with water
turns to sulfuric acid. Affect Respiratory system as well.
Hydrogen sulfide Highly toxic in larger amounts, produces rotten
egg odor. Produce from sewers, also known as sewer gas. Other
sources are some oil wells and refineries. When combined with
oxygen, also produces sulfuric acid.

Carbon monoxide product of incomplete

combustion, combines with hemoglobin in
blood, prevents absorption of oxygen. May be a
precursor of ground-level ozone.
Particulate material dust, ash, soot, lint, smoke,
pollen, spores, algal cells, aerosols (minute
droplets), asbestos.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) organic
gases, e.g., isoprenes (C5H8), terpenes (C10H15),
and methane (CH4), oxidize to carbon monoxide
and carbon dioxide.

22.4 Acid Rain

Acid rain encompasses both wet (rain, snow,
fog) and dry (particulate) acidic depositions that
occur near and downwind of areas where major
emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen
oxides (NOx) result from burning fossil fuels.
Pure rainfall has a PH of about 5.6 where 1 is
highly acid and 7 is neutral. Acid rain is defined
as precipitation in which the PH is below 5.6

Human Society

Acid rain damages not only forests and lakes but

also many building materials, including steel, paint,
plastics, cement, masonry, galvanized steel, and
several types of rock, especially limestone ,
sandstone, and marble.

The problem has grown to such an extent that

buildings require restoration, and statues and other
monuments need to have protective coatings
replaced quite frequently, resulting in costs that
reach billions of dollars.

Aspects of acid rain

Smog

There are two major types of smog photochemical

smog which is sometimes called L.A. type smog, or
brown air; and sulfurous smog which is sometime
referred to as London-type smog, gray air or industrial
smog.

Solar radiation is particularly important in the formation of

photochemical smog. It involve both NO and
hydrocarbons. The development of photochemical smog
is directly related to automobile use.

Sulfurous smog is produced primarily by burning coal or

oil at large power plants. Sulfur oxides and particulates
combined under certain meteorological conditions to
produce a concentrated sulfurous smog.

Urban Climates Inversions usually triggered by rapid nighttime

cooling in valleys or basins where air movement is restricted. Overlying
warm layer w/out convection traps pollutants

Brown air smog combination of primary and secondary

pollutants
Gray air smog results from burning of heavy, sulfur-rich
fuel oil and coal. Formerly a problem in US cities, now
more of a problem in some Eastern European and
Asian cities. Asian Brown cloud covers a wide rage
from China to India.
Metals May be present in emissions from smelters, coalburning power plants.
Indoor air pollution issues outgassing from synthetic
materials (formaldehyde, chloroform, benzene,
styrene), re-breathing of cigarette smoke, Kitchen
smoke, dust mites, carpet fibers, mold, spores,
detergent, aerosols, paint and varnishes, insecticides,
etc. Because of continuous exposure, more effective

 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Not a hole,

but rather a thinning. Worst during Antarctic
spring, recovers during Antarctic summer.
O3 <=>O2+[O]
CFC=> Cl2=> +[O] => ClO=> loss of one
molecule of Ozone
UV ray: cancer causing, affect crops and
ecosystem.
Thinned Ozone layer means not as effective
screener of UV ray.

 Heat Island Effect Concentration of heat

within cities due to vehicles, factories,
paving and building materials that absorb
solar energy, lack of tree cover, buildup of
dust, other particulates, concentration of
ground-level ozone precursors.
Asphalt, concrete, brick, etc. absorb solar
energy reradiate energy as infrared (heat).
Trees provide cooling effect through
evapotranspiration emitting water vapor
from their leaves.

Urban Heat Island

Temperature