Examining the Environmental
Compartments
Air, Water, & Soil (briefly)
Air Pollution
• The accumulation of substances in the
atmosphere that can cause harmful health
effects to living things or negatively affect
the public welfare
• Economic impact of property or crop
damage
Human Activity
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Transportation
Power and heat generation
Industrial processes
Burning of solid waste
Natural Processes
• Volcanic eruptions
• Natural forest fires
Air pollution laws
To control smoke emissions
• 1880’s – Chicago and Cincinnati
• 1890’s – Pittsburgh and New York City
Number of days in a 5-yr period characterized by poor air circulation, for at least a 48-hr period.
Killer Fogs
• Donora, Pennsylvania - 1948
• London, England – 1952
• Caused the death of thousands and the
illness of tens of thousands
• Oregon - 1952
• Became the first state to pass air pollution
control legislation and establish a state air
pollution control agency
Health problems brought on or
aggravated by air pollution
• Lung diseases, such as chronic bronchitis and
emphysema
• Cancer, particularly lung cancer
• Neural disorders, including brain damage
• Bronchial asthma and the common cold
• Eye irritation
• Those most sensitive:
– Young children whose respiratory systems are still
forming
– People who suffer from diseases of the heart and
respiratory system
Modern Smog
• No longer smoke and soot
• Photochemical reactions & electrical motors
produce ozone
• Very reactive, breaking down biological tissues
and cells
• Damages crops and vegetation, buildings and art
treasures
Precursors to this reaction
• Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC’s created in
the combustion, handling and processing of
petroleum products
• Nitrogen Oxides or NOx produced by combustion
• Levels are highest during summer daytime hours
California’s Distinctions
• Most severe air quality problem
• Most advanced air pollution controls
• ¾ of the country’s health problems from air
pollution are in So. California
Common Air Pollutants – Fig 5.5
Table of Pollutants & Health Concerns
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Carbon monoxide
Airborne particulates
Sulfur dioxide
Lead
Nitrogen oxides
Asbestos
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Beryllium
Vinyl chloride
Mercury
Arsenic
Benzene
Radionuclides
National Ambient Air Quality
Standards - NAAQS
• Enforced by the EPA under the authority of the
Clean Air Act to reduce outdoor pollution
• Identifies safe levels of CO, Pb, NOx, O3, SO2,
and particulates – the criteria pollutants
• Can pose sanctions on areas that are in
nonattainment
Smog and Crops
• California’s agricultural industry is losing $300
million each year to air pollution
• Also damages forests, range and pasture land
• California's geography and climate coupled with
population growth and dependence on cars
Harm to native plant groups
• Needles and debris from trees killed by smog
increases the risk of forest fires, reduces seed
germination and seedling survival
• At a reproductive disadvantage, these plants may
be replaced by new plant communities completely
altering the food chains within the ecosystem
Sources and fate of air pollutants
• Primary pollutants enter the air directly
– Oxides of carbon and nitrogen and
hydrocarbons from vehicle emissions
– Sulfur oxides and particulates from industry
• Secondary pollutants form from another
substance that was released into the air
– Ozone
Indoor air pollution
• The most people spend 90% of their time
indoors
• New buildings are tightly constructed to
save energy (ex. Radon)
• Up to 30% of new and remodeled buildings
may have air quality problems
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Eye, nose and throat irritation
Fatigue
Headache
Nausea
Irritability
Forgetfulness
Impairment of the nervous system
Cancer
Sources of indoor pollutants
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Tobacco smoke
Building materials
Furnishings
Space heaters
Gas ranges
Wood preservatives
Air fresheners
Solvents
Cleaning agents
New Section:
Water Pollution
• Over 17% of the nation’s waterways are
significantly polluted
• 10% of all medium and large sized public water
systems exceed health based limits for lead
• Wetlands are being destroyed at a rate of between
350,000 and 500,000 acres per year
Threats to clean water
• Applications of pesticides and fertilizers
• Uncontrolled hazardous waste disposal
• Leaking underground storage tanks
• Use of septic tanks and drainage wells
Global Perspective
• The average American uses 180 gallons of fresh
clean water a day
• Rural villagers in third world countries may spend
up to 6 hours a day obtaining a supply of tainted
water
• 10 million people die every year of intestinal
diseases
Four major categories
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Municipal (Class provide examples)
Industrial (Class provide examples)
Nonpoint
Dredge and fill activities
Nonpoint Sources
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Run off from farming
Urban areas
Forestry
Construction activities
• Contribute up to 75% of the contamination
in rivers and streams
Dredging
• Stirs up bottom sediments re-exposing
PCB’s and heavy metals
• Where sediment is piled on shore it may
harm sensitive wetlands
Groundwater
• Half of Americans and 95% of rural
Americans use groundwater
• From 1950-1960 groundwater use has
increased by 150%
Sources of Groundwater
Contamination
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Septic tanks
Underground storage tanks
Agricultural activities
On-site landfills
Surface impoundments
Municipal landfills
Abandoned waste sites
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Oil and gas brine pits
Saltwater intrusion
Road salting
Land application of sludge
Regulated waste sites
Mining activities
Underground injection wells
Construction activities
Key Terms
• Aquifer - water bearer, stores and transmits
water
• Aquitard - confining bed
• Vadose Zone - unsaturated zone
• Saturated Zone - phreatic zone
• Water Table – piezometric surface
• Porosity – the volume of space between particles
within a substance
• Permeability – how easily water can pass through
(hydraulic conductivity)
• Artesian aquifers – confined aquifer
• Groundwater gradient – drop in elevation of water
table, divided by the distance
Soils & Contaminants
• Soils is a connection between water
(groundwater) and the atmosphere
• Soil is created from weathered rock and is a
complex mixture of materials
• We’ll be covering these materials in detail
in lab