Activity 1: Causes of Air Pollution
What
Imagine
is
more
Air
than
Pollution?
7,000 big empty soda bottles lined up.
The amount of air in those bottles is about how much air
each of us breathes every day. Now imagine that the bottles
contain not just air but also unhealthy gases and dirt particles.
Unfortunately, that is the air that we breathe most every day—
polluted air.
Air is polluted when it contains enough gases and particles
to harm living things—people, plants, animals. This pollution
comes from
many familiar sources:
• cars and trucks
and other vehicles
• gas-powered equipment, such as lawn mowers and
leaf blowers
• power plants and factories that burn fossil fuels
• fires, such as in wood stoves, fireplaces, campfires,
and barbeques
• dust and dirt from construction
sites, roads,
and fields
• household products, such as lighter fluid, paint,
cleaners, and bug sprays
In the San Joaquin Valley, the largest source of air pollution is
the exhaust from cars and other vehicles.
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problem. The San Joaquin Valley Air District covers eight
counties, which are divided into three regions:
Northern Region:
San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced counties
Central Region:
Madera, Fresno, Kings counties
Southern Region:
Kern, Tulare counties
The entire
area is 270 miles from north to south. In terms of the
area it covers, the Valley Air District is the largest air pollution
control
district in the nation.
The Valley has high levels of air pollution for three reasons:
•
Geography.
The Valley is shaped like a big pot or bathtub
with mountains forming
the sides. The air pollution settles
on the Valley floor and gets trapped.
•
Climate.
In the summer, hot temperatures cause pollutants
to combine to form
smog. In the winter
, very
little rainfall
and very little wind keep particulate matter in the air.
•
Growing Population.
More people in the Valley means
more cars on the road and more equipment, products,
and activities that cause air pollution.
San
Joaquin
Stanislaus
Merced
Madera
Fresno
Kings
Tulare
Kern
Northern Region
Central
Region
Southern Region
In your community, what
SIGNS
of air pollution do you see and smell?
What
SOURCES
of that air pollution can you find?
What are some
EFFECTS
of air pollution that you notice?
SIGNS of Air Pollution
Example:
Smoke in the air
SOURCES of Air Pollution
Example:
Exhaust from car’s tailpipe
EFFECTS of Air Pollution
Example:
People’s eyes watering
Activity 2: Air Pollution Log
Ozone
Ozone is an odorless, colorless gas. It doesn’t come out of a smokestack or tailpipe, but ozone is created by the
pollutants that do come out of tailpipes and smokestacks, as well as other sources.
Here’s how it works. In the air, combine...
Hot Sunshine
+
Nitrogen Oxide
+
Volatile Organic Compounds
=
(NOx)
(VOCs)
(emitted from
vehicles, equipment,
(from the vapors of gasoline, lighter
and buildings that burn fossil fuels)
fluid, paint, cleaners, and other chemicals)
When the sun is bright and hot, the pollutants combine to form ozone. The main ingredient in smog, ozone, can
become dangerous during the summer.
Activity 3: Major Pollutants
In the San Joaquin Valley, our air quality does
not meet standards set by both the federal or
state governments for two pollutants:
• particulate matter (PM)
• ozone (O3)
Particulate
Many small particles
Matter
of solid or liquid matter
are carried in our air. Some we can see; others
are so tiny that we can’t easily see them. Some
occur naturally; others are created by people.
Particulate
matter comes from:
• soot and smoke from chimneys and
smokestacks
• ash and gases from burning
wood
• exhaust from vehicles, especially diesel
engines
• dust from construction and mining
• dust from roads and fields
• rubber from tires
• emissions from factories and power plants
Particulate matter is more of a problem during the winter months when people like to use their fireplaces and
wood stoves. And when there is fog, the unhealthy particles can stay in the air at ground level long after the
fires go out.
The
Activity
illustration below
4:
shows
Pie
the major
in
sources
the
of air
Sky
pollution in the San Joaquin
Valley in the summer and in the winter. Color each portion in the air pollution pies
a different color and then answer the questions below.
What is the biggest air pollution problem in the summer?___________________________________
What is the biggest air pollution problem in the winter?____________________________________
How is ozone formed?_________________________________________________________________
What is responsible for most of the emissions that create ozone?_____________________________
Besides cars and trucks, what else burns gasoline?__________________________________________
Where do VOCs come from?____________________________________________________________
Why is particulate matter such a problem in the winter?____________________________________
Besides burning wood, where else does particulate matter come from?________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Back to top
Problem:
Summer
OZONE
(NOx + VOCs + Hot Sun)
Fireplaces
and Wood
Stoves
(20%)
Other Sources
(80%)
Back to top
Problem: PARTICULA
Winter
TE MATTER
NOx
PM
VEHICLES
FACTORIES/
GAS-POWERED
POWER PLANTS
EQUIPMENT
Other
Sources
(45%)
Motor
Vehicles
(55%)
WOOD
CAMP
STOVE
FIRE
BARBEQUE
PAINT AEROSOLS GASOLINE
CHARCOAL
LIGHTER FLUID
PM
PM
VOCs
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
FIRES
VAPORS
CONSTRUCTION ROADS
DUST
Activity 5: Effects of Air Pollution
It’s a bright sunny summer day,
and you’re outside playing—maybe
rollerblading, skate boarding,
riding your bike, shooting baskets,
or chasing your dog. But your eyes
are watering, and your chest feels
tight. Taking deep breaths is painful.
You are suffering from the effects
of air pollution.
The ozone that forms in the air in
the summer isn’t just irritating. It
is actually harmful to our health.
It damages our lungs and makes
diseases such as asthma and
bronchitis worse.
Particulate matter also causes
health problems, especially
during fall and winter months.
Large particles get trapped in
the mucous membranes in our
noses or throats or bronchial
tubes. We often sneeze or
cough them out. But tiny
particles get past our bodies’
filtering system. Particles
less than 10 microns—which is
about one-seventh the width of a
strand of human hair—are called
PM10. PM10 includes a harmful
mix of soot, chemicals, dust, salts,
dirt, metals, smoke, and toxins.
These particles, as well as even
smaller particles known as PM2.5,
enter our lungs, where they can do
permanent damage.
How
•
Affects
Causes
Air
Back to top
headaches
the
PollutionBody
and dizziness
• Makes eyes sting and water
• Causes coughing and sneezing
• Irritates and dries throat
• Can trigger heart attacks
• Causes chest tightness and
pain
• Causes shortness of breath
• Increases asthma, bronchitis,
and other respiratory
diseases
• Decreases lung function
• Causes nausea
Human Hair
Relative Size of Particulate Matter
PM
10
PM
2.5
Air pollution isn’t just harmful to
people. It also affects the health of our
pets and farm animals.
Air pollution creates other problems.
Too much particulate matter in the air
reduces visibility. And both ozone and
particulate matter affect non-living
things by:
• fading and peeling paint
• corroding plaster
• damaging fabrics
• cracking rubber
• rusting iron or steel
The quality of our air is monitored
every day. When the amount of
pollutants in the air is forecast to reach
a certain level, health notices are issued.
On these days, people are advised to
stay inside and to cut back on exercise
and activities, especially outdoors.
Activity 5: Effects of Air Pollution
101-199
UNHEALTHFUL
51-100
MODERATE
101-199
UNHEALTHFUL
51-100
MODERATE
101-199
UNHEALTHFUL
51-100
MODERATE
VERY UNHEALTHY
• Sensitive persons should
remain indoors.
• Everyone should
avoid outdoor exertion.
UNHEALTHY
• Sensitive persons
should avoid outdoor
exertion.
• Everyone should limit
prolonged outdoor
exertion.
UNHEALTHY FOR
SENSITIVE GROUPS
• Sensitive persons
should limit outdoor
exertion.
MODERATE
Extremely sensitive
persons–such as those
with respiratory diseases–
should limit outdoor
exertion.
GOOD
No health cautions
are issued.
240
200
150
100
50
0
A
I
R
Q
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A
L
I
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Y
I
N
D
E
X
(
A
Q
I
)
Ozone
What does it look like and smell like?
What causes it?
What problems does it cause?
Particulate Matter
What does it look like and smell like?
What causes it?
What problems does it cause?
Describe
Activity
the pollutants
6: Pollution
below and list their causes
Problems
and effects.
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Activity
C O U
7:
N T Y
Levels
Back to top
_____________________M
of Air
Back to top
O N T H
Pollution
____________
Date
AQI Level
Tempera-
ture
Weather Conditions
Health
Notice?
Other
(Spare the Air day?
Check Before You Burn issued?)
Sample
175
102
No clouds
No
Spare the Air day
