ENCH 474 / ENCE 660 Air Pollution

Lecture 2
Air Pollution - Classification

NY Times, Jan. 30, 2013

CNN, 2011 Satellite Image: NASA

 Classification of Air Pollutants

Air pollutants classified in different ways:

Gases vs. Particles

Primary vs. Secondary

Indoor vs. Outdoor

Criteria pollutants vs. air toxics (regulatory)

 Gases vs. Particulate Pollutants

Properties of Gases:
- Composed of widely separated molecules
- Compressible
- Flow readily
- Occupy the entire volume of their container

Common gaseous pollutants: O3, SO2, NO, NH3, CH4,

NO2, CO, VOCs, CO2, CFCs
 What is Particulate Matter?
Aerosols (Particulate Matter, PM): Small particles suspended in air
Atmospheric Properties:
Ubiquitous Shape SEM image: biogenic SOA
Wide size range (~1-105 nm) Multi-phase
Complex Composition (sources)

SEM image: diesel soot particle aggregate

(Virtanen et al., Nature., 2010)

SEM image: ammonium sulfate aerosol

(Ebert et al., Atmos. Environ., 2004)

(Mustafi and Raine, Aerosol Sci. Technol., 2009)
Aerosols Smoke, Dust, and Haze

www.wikipedia.com

www.tuscon.com
Associated Press
 PM classifications
PM2.5 the sum of all particles with (aerodynamic) diameters
smaller than 2.5 m

PM10 the sum of all particles with diameters smaller than 10

m

Ultrafine PM: smaller than 0.1m

Fine PM: smaller than 2.5 m
Coarse PM: larger than 2.5 m but smaller than 10 m
Scale of Fine Particulate Matter
Why PM2.5 ?

(Oberdrster et al., EHP, 2005)

PM2.5 Chemical Composition - Pittsburgh

Elemental Crustals Metals Many (10s) of compounds

Carbon 4% 2%
3%

Sulfate
Organic Matter 43%
26% Aerosol Composition:
Complex!
Thousands of
compounds

Ammonium Nitrate
13% 8%
Adapted from Rees et al. [At. Env., 2004]
 Gases vs. PM

Differences in:
- Sources (sometimes)

- Atmospheric Lifetime

- Detrimental effects

- Control Technology
 Major Air Pollution Sources

Combustion (energy):
- Electricity generation
- Motor vehicles
- Fires
- Industrial processes (Zn smelter, cement kiln)

Evaporative Emissions (VOCs; NH3)

Natural Sources? volcanos (SO2, PM), trees (VOCs)

(Analogy: drinking water?)
 Criteria Pollutants vs. Air Toxics

Criteria Pollutants: Their emissions and ambient

concentrations are regulated. (The six)

Air Toxics: Their emissions only are regulated. (187

pollutants benzene, mercury, vinyl chloride)
 Criteria Pollutants vs. Air Toxics
Air Toxics:
 Marylands ambient monitoring network

Source: Maryland Department of the Environment

 NAAQS
Pollutant Averaging Time Level Form
Carbon monoxide 8 hr / 1 hr 9 ppm / 35 ppm Not to be exceeded more
than once per year

Lead Rolling 3-month avg. 0.15 g/m3 Not to be exceeded

Nitrogen Dioxide 1hr / annual 100 ppb / 53 ppb 98th % (3-yr avg.) / annual
mean

Ozone 8 hr 0.070 ppm Annual 4th highest daily

max. 8-hr conc., averaged
over 3 years

Particle pollution: Annual / 24 hr 12 g/m3 / 35 g/m3 Annual mean, averaged

over 3 yrs / 98th %,
PM2.5 averaged over 3 years

Particle pollution: 24 hr 150 g/m3 Not to be exceeded more

than once per year on
PM10 average over 3 years

Sulfur dioxide 1 hr 75 ppb 99th percentile of 1-hour

daily maximum
concentrations, averaged
over 3 years

Source: EPA
 NAAQS
Pollutant Averaging Time Level Form
Ozone 8 hr 0.070 ppm Annual 4th highest daily
max. 8-hr conc., averaged
over 3 years

Source: EPA

1. Highest 8-hr O3 concentration (continuous) = daily max (avg.)

2. Take the 4th highest daily max O3 concentration in each year
3. Average most recent 3 years
 Primary vs. Secondary Pollutants
Pollutant Averaging Time Level Form
Carbon monoxide 8 hr / 1 hr 9 ppm / 35 ppm Not to be exceeded more
than once per year

Lead Rolling 3-month avg. 0.15 g/m3 Not to be exceeded

Nitrogen Dioxide 1hr / annual 100 ppb / 53 ppb 98th % (3-yr avg.) / annual
mean

Ozone 8 hr 0.075 ppm Annual 4th highest daily

max. 8-hr conc., averaged
over 3 years

Particle pollution: Annual / 24 hr 12 g/m3 / 35 g/m3 Annual mean, averaged

over 3 yrs / 98th %,
PM2.5 averaged over 3 years

Particle pollution: 24 hr 150 g/m3 Not to be exceeded more

than once per year on
PM10 average over 3 years

Sulfur dioxide 1 hr 75 ppb Not to be exceeded more

than once per year

Source: EPA
 Primary vs. Secondary Pollutants
Oxidized
VOCs
Oxidation
- CO
- CO2 VOCs (g)
Primary :
- NOx
- SO2 Direct (tailpipe)
- Hg/Pb emissions into the OH
h
atmosphere O3
Oxidized
NO3
VOCs (p)

Secondary :
- O3 Formed in the
- PM atmosphere from the
- H2SO4/SO42-
- VOCs/OA
reaction of gas-phase
- HNO3/NO3- compounds
 Air Pollution Effects

Visibility Acid Rain

Climate Change Biogeochemical Cycles
Human Health Atmospheric Chemistry
Precipitation
 Origins of Air Pollution Legislation (1)
Donora, PA: 1948

Noon in Donora, PA
October, 1948

- 20 deaths - 7000 sickened

(Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; US EPA)
Origins of Air Pollution Legislation (2)

London Smog Event of 1952

(Bell and Davis, 2001)

Thousands of deaths
 Origins of Air January 27, 1967

Pollution Legislation
(3)
CNN, 2011 Satellite Image: NASA
 Clean Air Act - Results

(McDonald et al., 2013)

Clean Air Act - Results
Clean Air Act - Results
Clean Air Act - Results
(US EPA)
 NAAQS PM
Pollutant Averaging Time Level Form
Particle pollution: Annual / 24 hr 12 g/m3 / 35 g/m3 Annual mean, averaged
over 3 yrs / 98th %,
PM2.5 averaged over 3 years

Particle pollution: 24 hr 150 g/m3 Not to be exceeded more

than once per year on
PM10 average over 3 years

Source: EPA

What do these number mean?

 Concentration-Response Curves for PM
Mortality due to: Mortality due to:
All non-accidental causes Ischemic Heart Disease

(Crouse et al., Environ Health Perspect, 2012)