Air Pollution -We expect our air to be clean docx

Air Pollution Air Pollution We expect our air to be clean Donora Smog Disaster Donora is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 20 miles (32 km) south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela river In 1948, Donora suffered the worst air pollution disaster in the history of the U.S. Donora Smog Disaster Beginning on Tuesday, October 26, 1948, emissions from the town's factories, including fluoride, chloride, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and cadmium oxide, mixed with soot and ash, were trapped by an air temperature thermal inversion that shrouded Donora's 13,000 residents in a deadly smog for five days Donora Smog Disaster Donora at high noon Donora Smog Disaster By the time rain cleared the skies on Sunday, October 31st, 6000 people had been stricken by the polluted smog and 20 had died Hundred lived with severe lung disorders for the rest of their lives Donora Smog Disaster In the aftermath of the accident, US Steel conspired with U.S. Public Health Service officials to successfully cover up the roll that pollution played in the tragedy (it was blamed on the air inversion) US Steel settled quietly out of court It took nearly 7 long years, but the legacy of Donora was the first landmark federal clean-air act that passed in 1955 London & Coale Smoke The citizens of London suffered for four centuries under the pall of “coale smoke” London & Coale Smoke Some of Claude Monet’s (1840-1926) most famous paintings are views of smoke-ensnarled London in 1899-1901 London & Coale Smoke As bad as the smoke was during Victoria-era London, thanks to smog, the worst was yet to come Charring Cross Bridge in 1899 by Monet [...]... restricting air pollution Air Pollution In most cases, you cannot see the pollution in water, groundwater or soil But air pollution can be seen and smelled by everybody The smog in Los Angeles was hard to ignore or deny Air Pollution & $ Air pollution is costly, both in terms of money and health About $16 billion is spent each year on air pollution in the U.S A reduction of air pollution levels by 50% would... breathing asbestos was hazardous When inhaled into the lungs, the needle-like asbestos particles cannot be broken down in the lung and become a constant irritant Case Study 16-2: Mesothelioma The body’s reaction to 10 to 40 years of this irritation can produce a stiffening of lung tissue called “asbestosis” A far more deadly consequence is “mesothelioma” which is a lung cancer caused by the asbestos Case... It turns out that there were two major varieties of asbestos that were used commercially, one of which was very dangerous The dangerous variety, called “amphibole asbestos,” is very toxic and is believed to be the primarily agent of mesothelioma However, about 95% of the asbestos used commercially is the “chrysotile” variety, which is far less toxic ... (oxidation) and by combustion Carbon Dioxide Carbon dioxide has a complex cycle Types of Air Pollution There are two major classes of air pollutants Gases (primarily oxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur) Particulates (fine, solid particles, light enough in weight to be airborne) Types of Air Pollution Principal sources of U.S air pollutants Particulate Matter Particulate matter in the atmosphere includes soot,... Smog, also referred to as the Big Smoke, befell London starting on December 5th, 1952, and lasted until December 9th In the weeks that followed, the medical services compiled statistics and found that the smog had killed 4,000 people Another 8,500 died in the following months The Great London Smog of 1952 Deaths in most cases were due to respiratory tract infections from hypoxia, and due to mechanical obstruction... air passages by pus arising from lung infections caused by the smog Another 100,000 suffered chest pains, lung inflammation, diminished breathing ability, damaged respiratory cells, permanent lung damage and asthma The Great London Smog of 1952 Between 1952 and 1956, new regulations were put in place restricting the use of dirty fuels in industry, banning black smoke and restricting air pollution Air. .. into the atmosphere can linger for as long as several years Particulate Matter Since particulate matter can be highly visible, such as smoke and ash, these type of emission were among the first to be controlled Particulate Matter Fine particulates can penetrate deep into the bronchioles and alveoli where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged Particulate Matter These small particles cannot easily be. .. Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 became law, the proportion of miners with black lung disease has gone down by about 90% However, rates of black lung are again on the rise, and have almost doubled in the last 10 years From 2000 to 2004, over 4,000 miners died from black lung disease in the United States Case Study 16-2: Mesothelioma During the 1940s to the 1960s, asbestos was commonly used for fire proofing... from burning of vegetation (mainly slash & burn) Most of these are point sources Estimates of human contribution of particulate matter in atmosphere range from 35 million to 180 million tons per year Particulate Matter 90% of the particulate matter in the atmosphere comes from natural sources, including volcanic eruptions, dust storms and natural forest fires The remaining 10% is caused by human activity... lung, all are all dust diseases with the same symptoms.” - UMW website Black Lung “In 1969 40,000 miners in West Virginia walked out of the coal mines, and a large number of them marched on the state capitol in Charleston demanding passage of a compensation bill for black lung Three weeks later, after the Governor signed the bill, the miners went back to work This was one of the largest and longest . Air Pollution Air Pollution We expect our air to be clean Donora Smog Disaster Donora is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania,. worst air pollution disaster in the history of the U.S. Donora Smog Disaster Beginning on Tuesday, October 26, 1948, emissions from the town's factories,