•Any visible or invisible particle or
gas found in the air that is not part
of the original, normal composition.
Natural: forest fires, pollen, dust
storm
Unnatural: man-made; coal,
wood and other fuels used in
cars, homes, and factories for
energy
AQI: Air Quality Index
•Indicates whether pollutant levels in air may
cause health concerns.
•Ranges from 0 (least concern) to 500 (greatest
concern)
Air Quality Air Quality Index Protect Your Health
Good 0-50 No health impacts are expected when
air quality is in this range.
Moderate 51-100 Unusually sensitive people should
consider limiting prolonged outdoor
exertion.
Unhealthy for 101-150 Active children and adults, and people
Sensitive Groups with respiratory disease, such as
asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor
exertion.
Unhealthy 151-200
Active children and adults, and people
with respiratory disease, such as
asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor
exertion, everyone else, especially
children should limit prolonged outdoor
excertion.
Very Unhealthy (Alert) 201-300 Active children and adults, and people
with respiratory disease, such as
asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor
exertion everyone else, especially
children, should limit outdoor exertion.
Carbon Monoxide
•colorless, odorless
•produced when carbon does not
burn in fossil fuels
•present in car exhaust
•deprives body of O2 causing
headaches, fatigue, and impaired
vision
Sulfur Dioxide
•produced when coal and fuel oil
are burned
•present in power plant exhaust
•narrows the airway, causing
wheezing and shortness of breath,
especially in those with asthma
Nitrogen Dioxide
•reddish, brown gas
•produced when nitric oxide
combines with oxygen in the
atmosphere
•present in car exhaust and
power plants
•affects lungs and causes
wheezing; increases chance
of respiratory infection
Particulate Matter
•particles of different sizes and
structures that are released into the
atmosphere
•present in many sources including
fossil fuels, dust, smoke, fog, etc.
•can build up in respiratory system
•aggravates heart and lung disease;
increases risk of respiratory infection
Ground Level Ozone
•at upper level, ozone shields Earth from
sun’s harmful UV rays
•at ground level, ozone is harmful pollutants
•formed from car, power and chemical plant
exhaust
•irritate respiratory system and asthma;
reduces lung function by inflaming and
damaging lining of lungs
•Combination of gases with water vapor and
dust
•Combination of words smoke and fog
•Forms when heat and sunlight react
gases (photochemical smog)
•Occurs often with heavy traffic, high
temperatures, and calm winds
•1st smog related deaths were in
London in 1873; death toll 500
people; can you imagine how much
worse the atmosphere is now?!
•Limits visibility
•Decreases UV radiation
•Yellow/black color over cities
•Causes respiratory problems and
bronchial related deaths
•Ride your bike
•Tell your friends and family about pollution
•Make sure your parents get pollution checks
on their cars
•Ride the school bus
•Learn more; stay up to date
•Join a group to stop pollution
•Encourage your parents to carpool to work
•Switch off lights, fan, heat, etc. when you leave
the room
•Insel, Paul M. and Roth, Walton T. Core Concepts in
Health: 9th edition. McGraw Hill: Boston, 2002.
•http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/air/monops/lessoms/mat
hlesson.html
