1/22/99
Public
Health
Tropical
Rain Forest--biodiversity--number of species
-clearing leads to floods, erosion, loss
of valuable top
soil
-being destroyed for political reasons
-found immediately north and south of
equator
Air
Pollutants
-smog=smoke+fog--poisonous
chemicals
-primary
pollutants
air + sunlight--H2SO4, HNO3
-temperature
inversion--associated w/air pollution--related to reversal of patterns of
release of pollutants into the air
-troposphere-closest
to us--7 miles what we breathe
-stratosphere--37
miles
-mesosphere--53
miles
-thermosphere--higher
-warm
air from neighborhood, air becomes stagnate over the area b/c can't go up into
atmosphere, creates bad conditions
-primary
pollutants--CO, CO2, SO2, NO, hydrocarbons, SPM(suspended particulating matter)
-secondary--NO2,
SO3, HNO3, H2SO4, H2O2, O3, PAN (peracetanitryls), NO3, SO4 SALTS--acid rain
Biological
Effects
-dizziness
-headaches
-eye
irritation
-nasal
discharge
-nausea
and vomiting
-coughing,
shortness of breath
CO--5th
most hazardous air pollution, but #1 in quantity
-binds hemoglobin
-lowers oxygen carrying capacity of blood
-80-100ppm of CO
SO2,
SO3--corrosive-destruction of the respiratory lining
Hydrocarbons
-4th
most hazardous
Acid Production
-H2SO4,
HNO3 (secondary pollutants)
-pH of
normal rain is 6.5
-pH of
areas which are heavily exposed to acid rain is 2-2.5
-Canada
is unhappy w/ utility companies in NE which burn coal that produces acid rain
in Canada--many lakes have become sterile do to fall in pH
-can be
dangerous for the people additionally
Ozone
Shield Destruction
-CFC,
CFBr
-layer
of O3 (ozone) upper in stratosphere (several miles above Earth)
-protects
us from UV light coming from sun
-magnetic
field on Earth stops some forms of light
-seasonal
affects
-cholorflorocarbons-air
conditioning, Styrofoam, refrigeration
-takes
10 years to reach stratosphere, then quickly changes O3 into O2 depleting O3
-why we
have seen increase in skin cancer
Finished
Air Pollutants
Water
Pollution--Miro text book p 743,746,747, table 26.1