F.3 Geog. notes/3.1 What are the effects of air pollution on us ?/P.1 of
2
Pui Ying College
F.3 Geography
Section 3.1
What are the effects of air
pollution on us ?
A.
What is air pollution ?
When gases, such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide, and dust particles are emitted
into the atmosphere, the air will become dirty. Above a certain level, this added waste
will harm our health. This is called air pollution. The waste gases and dust are known as
air
B.
.
How clean is our air ?
1.
Many countries use the
2.
The API has a range of
(API) to show air quality.
to
. It is a way to show how polluted our air is.
Similar indexes are used in places like the United States, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia.
3.
The API is based on the measurement of 6 air pollutants, namely,
a)
nitrogen dioxide,
d)
carbon monoxide,
b)
sulphur dioxide,
e)
respirable suspended particulates, and
c)
ozone,
f)
total suspended particulates.
4. Air pollution level can be divided into
(26-50),
levels, namely,
(51 – 100),
(0 – 25),
(101 – 200) and
5. We know the API from
,
(201 – 500).
,
and the
web page of the Environmental Protection Department.
C.
Ways to obtain the API in Hong Kong
1.
In Hong Kong, the API is measured by the
.
2.
They set up
in different districts
and on busy streets and roads. Altogether, there are
stations and 3
monitoring stations. The 3 roadside air quality monitoring
stations are in
3.
D.
general monitoring
,
There are 2 types of API, namely, the
and
.
API and
API.
Effects of air pollution on us
1.
Traffic
Air pollution casues traffic disruption since it lowers
traffic
2.
and
may increase.
Economic loss
a)
↓
Air pollution
foreign investment.
Some foreign investors may
move their business to other places and some professionals may refuse to work in
F.3 Geog. notes/3.1 What are the effects of air pollution on us ?/P.2 of
Hong Kong because of
.
may suffer great
b)
2
So, Hong Kong
loss.
↓ tourism
Air pollution discourages the development of
. Lower
gives the tourists an impression that Hong Kong is a polluted city. This will
affect our international
3.
.
Increased government
Government has to spend more money on curing
related to air
pollution and improving air quality.
4.
Environmental problems
d)
Global
i.
Burning of fossil fuels and deforestation lead to the rise of
ii.
These greenhouse gases
level.
more heat and cause the rise of
temperature in the world.
iii.
Global warming results in the
of ice caps and so, the rise of
. Finally, the risk of
in coastal areas increases.
e)
Ozone protects us from
radiation
ultraviolet radiation can cause
from
the
sun.
Too
much
in people and animals. Recently,
ozone layer is getting thinner as a result of the emission of
(CFCs) from sprays.
f)
rain
Pollutants, expecially sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides, lead to the formation
of acid rain, which pollutes our water sources and land. Acid rain also damages
farmland and
buildings.
Vocabulary
1. pollutants
12. visibility
21. melting of ice caps
2. Air Pollution Index
13. foreign investment
22. rise of sea level
3. general monitoring stations
14. economic loss
23. risk of flooding
4. roadside monitoring stations
15. health concerns
24. ozone depletion
5. Central
16. tourism
25. ultraviolet radiation
6. Causeway Bay
17. international image
26. cancer
7. Mongkok
18. government expenditure
27. Chlorofluorocarbons
8. traffic disruption
19. global warming
28. acid rain
9. traffic accidents
20. trap heat
29. corrodes buildings
10. Environmental Protection Department
11. air quality monitoring stations