1. AIR & AIR POLLUTION
Chapter 12, Section 2: Air, Noise & Light Pollution
Standards: SEV3a

2. WHO IS MOST AFFECTED BY AIR POLLUTION?
 Very young
 Very old
 People with heart or
lung problems
 People who have
asthma

3. WHAT ARE THE SHORT TERM EFFECTS OF AIR
POLLUTION ON HEALTH?
 Headache
 Nausea
 Irritation of eyes, nose,
throat
 Coughing
 Upper respiratory
infections- bronchitis,
pneumonia
 Worsen effects of
asthma & emphysema

4. WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF AIR
POLLUTION?
 Emphysema
 Lung cancer
 Heart disease

5. CASE STUDY: HEALTH EFFECTS OF GROUND
LEVEL OZONE (AKA- BAD OZONE)
 Good ozone is in the
stratosphere over Earth’s
atmosphere & protects us from
UV rays
 Ground Level (bad) Ozone =
VOC’s + NOx + sunlight
 Mostly from cars, gas vapors &
power plants
 Short term effects: irritation of
respiratory system, increased
asthma
 Long term effects: reduced
lung function (especially kids
who live in urban areas and are
outside often)

6. WHAT ARE SOME TYPES OF INDOOR AIR
POLLUTION?
 Sometimes indoor worse than
outdoor because more concentrated
& more exposure.
 Tobacco smoke
 Tetrachloroethylene- dry cleaning
fluid
 Paradichlorobenzene- moth balls &
air freshener
 Bleach, NaOH- cleaners
 NOx- unvented gas stoves, wood
stoves
 Fungi & bacteria- dirty air
conditioning ducts
 CO- faulty furnace, cars left running
 Formaldehyde- furniture, carpet,
particle board
 Radon- radioactive soil under
foundation

7. WHAT IS RADON?
 Odorless,colorless
 Radioactive
 When home is built, radon can
be “uprooted”
 If basement or floors develop
cracks, radon can seep in
 If you live in this environment
for many years can develop
lung cancer.
 2nd leading cause of lung
cancer in US
 How do you fix it?
 Establish ventilation system in
basement to release radon so
it doesn’t build up in house

8. WHAT IS ASBESTOS?
 Long, thin fibers that are
able to resist heat
 Insulator, fire retardant
 Brakes & building
materials
 Banned in school
buildings now.
 Inhaling asbestos can cut
& scar lungs
 Leads to type of lung
cancer called
mesothelioma
Cross section
of a lung
afflicted with
mesothelioma

9. WHAT IS SICK BUILDING SYNDROME?
 Common in well air
conditioned buildings that
are closed tight to keep in
cool air.
 Cause headaches, nausea
that are alleviated by going
outside
 Martin county, Florida- $11
million courthouse closed
down due to mold created
by air conditioning system
with no ventilation.
 LA Times- Florida's Plague:
Sick Building Syndrome

10. WHAT IS NOISE POLLUTION?
 Unwanted sounds
 Irritating to ears & damages
cells in ears
 Hearing loss has doubled in
US in last 30 yrs
 12% teens have permanent
hearing loss
 Measured in decibels (dB)
 See table
 120 dB is threshold of pain
 Europe MP3 players cannot
produce more than 100 dB of
noise
 National Institute of Health
sets safe threshold at 85dB
for 8 hours
 US does not regulate
personal listening devices.

11. WHAT IS LIGHT POLLUTION?
 Does not present direct
danger to human health.
 Problems with light
pollution:
 Aesthetic reasons- can’t
see stars at night
 Wasted energy when
shines upward
 Shield light so it is focused
downward
 Use timer controls
 Use low pressure sodium
light sources to save
energy

12. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO…
 Describe the long term and short term effects of air
pollution on health.
 Describe two ways in which indoor air pollution can
be prevented
 Describe some of the human health problems
caused by noise pollution
 Describe several solutions to the energy waste
associated with light pollution.