Mercedes Stover

Air Quality Monitoring Pre-lab

Pollutant
Ozone (O3)

Causes
Motor vehicle exhaust, industrial
emissions, gasoline vapors, and
chemical solvents
VOC + NOx + heat + sun = O3

Particulate Matter

Cars, trucks, buses, factories,

construction sites, tilled fields,
unpaved roads, stone crushing,
and burning of wood.

Nitrogen Oxides

Concerns
Health: Irritate lung airways and
cause inflammation like a
sunburn, wheezing, coughing,
pain when taking a deep
breathe, and breathing
difficulties during exercise,
pneumonia, bronchitis, and
permanent lung damage.
Plant & Ecosystem: interferes
with ability of plants to produce
and store food, making them
susceptible to disease, insects,
other pollutants, and harsh
weather. Also damages the
leaves of trees and other plants,
ruining scenery. Lastly, it reduces
crop and forest yields.

Health: aggravated asthma,

increases in respiratory
symptoms like coughing and
difficult or painful breathing,
chronic bronchitis, decreased
lung function, and premature
death.
It is also causes haze or reduced
visibility in many parts of the US
including parks.
Particles can also be carried and
settle causing acidification in
lakes and streams, changing
nutrient balance in coastal
waters and large river basins,
depleting the nutrients in soil,
damaging sensitive forests and
farm crops, and affecting
biodiversity.
Soot can also damage aesthetics.
Motor vehicles, electric utilities, Ground level smog leads to
and other industrial, commercial, damaged lungs and damaged
and residential sources that burn vegetation and reduced crop
fuels.
yields.
Causes acid rain which damages

Sulfur Dioxide

Electric utilities that burn coal,

petroleum refineries, cement
manufacturing, and metal
processing facilities, and nonroad diesel equipment.

Lead

Leaded gasoline, metal

processing, lead smelters, waste
incinerators, utilities, and leadacid battery manufacturers.

Carbon Monoxide

Motor vehicle exhaust, non-road

vehicles and engines, industrial
processes, residential wood
burning, forest fires,
woodstoves, gas stoves,
cigarette smoke, and unvented
gas, and kerosene space heaters.

and deteriorates cars, buildings,

and historical monuments, and
causes water sources to become
acidic.
Health effects include
respiratory diseases as well as
worsening and aggravating heart
disease.
Accelerates eutrophication
Global Warming
Biological mutations
Block transmission of light and
reduces visibility.
Respiratory problems and
aggravate existing heart disease.
Visibility Impairment
Acid Rain
Plant and Water Damage
Aesthetic Damage
Damages Organs: also can lead
to osteoporosis and reproductive
disorders
Affects the brain and nerves:
seizures, retardation, behavior
disorders
Affects the heart and blood: high
blood pressure and heart disease
like anemia
Affects animals and plants: slow
vegetation growth and similar
effects to humans
Affects fish: reproductive
damage and blood and
neurological changes
Cardiovascular effects
Central Nervous System effects
Poisonous and can cause death
Smog and serious respiratory
problems

2) The chemical reaction can occur in the process of sunlight and heat, therefore with the warmed
temperatures in the summer there are more chemical reactions occurring creating more ozone. The
ozone levels will not be able to reach their highest levels because there is not as much heat as in the
summer to make chemical reactions with.

3) Damages organs and can also can lead to osteoporosis and reproductive disorders, affects the brain
and nerves including seizures, retardation, behavior disorders, affects the heart and blood including high
blood pressure and heart disease like anemia, affects animals and plants including slow vegetation
growth and similar effects to humans, affects fish including reproductive damage and blood and
neurological changes.
4) According to http://www.epa.gov/clearskies/state/nc.html Catawba, Davidson, and Mecklenburg do
not comply with the standards of the Clean Air Act. But there are 15 counties that do not meet the
criteria for the fine particle standard.