NAME______________________________
DATE_______________
SR LESSON AIR 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT
AIR QUALITY AND ITS IMPACT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
What are Fossil Fuels? There are three major forms of fossil fuels:
coal, oil and natural gas. All three were formed many hundreds of
millions of years ago before the time of the dinosaurs - hence the name
fossil fuels. The age during which they were formed is called the
Carboniferous Period. As the trees and plants died, they sank to the
bottom of swamps and oceans. They formed layers of a spongy material
call peat. Over many hundreds of years, the peat was covered by sand
and clay and other minerals, which turned into a type of rock called sedimentary. More and more
rock piled on top of more rock, and it weighed more and more. It began to press down on the
peat. The peat was squeezed and squeezed until the water came out of it and it eventually, over
millions of years; it turned into coal, oil or petroleum, and natural gas.
What happens when you burn fossil fuels? One of the main uses of fossil fuels it to generate
electricity. Coal is the number one fuel source for electric generation and, accounts for more than
half of all resources used. Natural gas and petroleum also contribute their fair share. Fossil fuels
are overwhelmingly responsible for fueling our transportation system. Petroleum-based fuels are
the standard. The downside of fossil fuels is their environmental impact. The burning of fossil
fuels is blamed for emissions that contribute to global climate change, acid rain, and ozone
problems.
Why should you be concerned with air pollution? Air pollution can make us sick. It can cause
burning eyes and nose and an itchy, irritated throat, as well as trouble in breathing. Some
chemicals found in polluted air cause cancer, birth defects, brain and nerve damage, and longterm injury to the lungs and breathing passages. Some air pollutants are so dangerous that
accidental releases can cause serious injury or even death. Air pollution can damage the
environment. Trees, lakes, and animals have been harmed by air pollution. Air pollutants have
thinned the protective ozone layer above the Earth; this loss of ozone could cause changes in the
environment as well as increased incidence of skin cancer and cataracts.
What is the government doing to insure clean air? The 1990 Clean Air Act (revision of the
1970 law) is a federal law covering the entire country, in which the states do much of the work to
carry out the Act. For example, a state air pollution agency holds a hearing on a permit
application by a power or chemical plant or fines a company for violating air pollution limits.
Under this law, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits on how much of a
pollutant can be in the air anywhere in the United States. This ensures that all Americans have the
same basic health and environmental protections. The law allows individual states to have
stronger pollution controls, but states are not permitted to have weaker pollution controls than
those set for the whole country.
The following pollutants are monitored:

Ground-level ozone, Volatile organic compounds, Nitrogen dioxide, Carbon monoxide,
Particulate matter, Sulfur dioxide, Lead
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NAME______________________________
DATE_______________
SR LESSON AIR 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT
OBJECTIVES
Students will
 evaluate the impact fossil fuels have on health
 identify the source of pollution
… by interpreting graphs and tables.
MATERIALS
Coffee stirrers
PROCEDURE
1. Make a prediction about where you believe air pollution is worse, city (urban), suburbs
(suburban), or farmland (rural).
2. Read about the criteria air pollutants and predict what type of area (urban, suburban, or
rural) would have the greatest concentration of each pollutant.
3. View each of the air pollution graphs and answer the corresponding questions.
4. Answer the Extensions questions.
ANALYSIS
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NAME______________________________
DATE
SR LESSON AIR 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT
PART I
Nitrogen
Dioxide
VOCs
Ozone
Criteria Air Pollutants
Source of pollutant
Health Effects
Environmental
Effects
chemical reaction of
pollutants; VOCs and
NOx
breathing problems, asthma, irritates
eyes, stuffy nose, reduced resistance to
colds and other infections, may speed up
aging of lung tissue
In addition to ozone (smog) effects,
many VOCs can cause serious health
problems such as cancer and other
effects.
ozone can damage
plants and trees; smog
can cause reduced
visibility
In addition to ozone
(smog) effects, some
VOCs, such as
formaldehyde and
ethylene, may harm
plants.
lung damage, illnesses of breathing
passages and lungs
Nitrogen dioxide is an
ingredient of acid rain
(acid aerosols), which
can damage trees and
lakes. Acid aerosols
can reduce visibility.
VOCs are released from
burning fuel (gasoline,
oil, wood coal, natural
gas, etc.), solvents, paints
glues, and other products
used at work or at home.
Cars are an important
source of VOCs.
Burning of gasoline,
natural gas, coal, oil etc.
Cars are an important
source of NO².
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Area with Greatest
Concentration
(Urban, Suburban,
Rural)
NAME______________________________
DATE
Health Effects
Environmental
Effects
Carbon Monoxide
burning of gasoline,
natural gas, coal, oil etc.
Harms other organisms
besides humans in the
same manner
burning of wood, diesel
and other fuels; industrial
plants; agriculture
(plowing, burning off
fields); unpaved roads
burning of coal and oil,
especially high-sulfur
coal from the Eastern
United States; industrial
processes (paper, metals)
Reduces ability of blood to bring
oxygen to body cells and tissues; cells
and tissues need oxygen to work.
Carbon monoxide may be particularly
hazardous to people who have heart or
circulatory (blood vessel) problems and
people who have damaged lungs or
breathing passages
nose and throat irritation, lung damage,
bronchitis, early death
Lead
Sulfur
Dioxide
Source of pollutant
Particulate
Matter
SR LESSON AIR 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT
leaded gasoline (being
phased out), paint
(houses, cars), smelters
(metal refineries);
manufacture of lead
storage batteries
Breathing problems, may cause
permanent damage to lungs
particulates are the
main source of haze
that reduces visibility
SO² is an ingredient in
acid rain (acid
aerosols), which can
damage trees and lakes.
Acid aerosols can also
reduce visibility.
Brain and other nervous system damage; Lead can harm wildlife.
children are at special risk. Some leadcontaining chemicals cause cancer in
animals. Lead causes digestive and other
health problems.
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Area with Greatest
Concentration
(Urban, Suburban,
Rural)
NAME______________________________
DATE
SR LESSON AIR 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT
PART II- View each of the air pollution graphs and answer the corresponding questions. The
following key applies to all of the graphs.
Rural
Suburban
Urban
Graph 1: Ozone levels 1990-2000
Time

Based on the results, ____________________ has the highest amounts of ozone.

The overall trend of this graph is (increasing, staying the same, decreasing).
Graph 2: Nitrogen Dioxide levels 1989-1999

Time
Based on the results, ____________________ has the highest amounts of nitrogen
dioxide.

The overall trend of this graph is (increasing, staying the same, decreasing).
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NAME______________________________
DATE
SR LESSON AIR 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT
Graph 3: Carbon Monoxide levels 1989-1999
Time

Based on the results, ____________________ has the highest amounts of carbon
monoxide.

The overall trend of this graph is (increasing, staying the same, decreasing).
Graph 4: Particulate Matter levels 1989-1999
Time

Based on the results, ____________________ and ___________________have the
highest amounts of particulate matter.

The overall trend of this graph is (increasing, staying the same, decreasing).
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NAME______________________________
DATE
SR LESSON AIR 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT
Graph 5: Sulfur Dioxide levels 1989-1999
Time

Based on the results, ____________________ and ___________________have the
highest amounts of sulfur dioxide.

The overall trend of this graph is (increasing, staying the same, decreasing).
Graph 6: Lead levels 1989-1999

Based on the results, ____________________ and ___________________have the
highest amounts of lead.

The overall trend of this graph is (increasing, staying the same, decreasing).
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NAME______________________________
DATE
SR LESSON AIR 3
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EXTENSION
1. The Clean Air Act was enacted in 1990. Based on the graphs, what impact has
the Clean Air Act had on air pollutants?
2. Based on your answers to the graph questions, what area is the worst to live in?
3. The average number of deaths from asthma per year in
Baltimore City is 23.2 (based on data from 1998-2002).
Compare this to a death rate of 12.4 in Baltimore County.
 Explain why there is such a difference between these
two jurisdictions.
 What air pollutants would be to blame for the cause of asthma?
 What are the potential sources of these air pollutants? Base your answer on
the area (urban, suburban, rural).
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