In order to comprehend the definition on air quality one must first uncover the definition of air, as air is one of the biggest resources our planet has available we must study the conditions and impact that it has in our environment. Air is a precious resource that most take for granted, supplying us with oxygen; which is an essential for our bodies to live, without oxygen in our bodies all life on earth would be extinct in a matter of minutes. Pure air is a mixture of several gases that are invisible and odorless.It consists of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and less than 1% of argon, carbon dioxide, and other gases — as well as varying amounts of water vapors. The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surround the earth.
It is the air we breathe, the wind and rain, and the clouds in the sky. It is life giving, retaining heat and blocking out harmful rays (ultraviolet radiation) from the sun. ("Bcairquality", 2013) The term “air quality” means the state of the air around us. Good air quality refers to clean, clear, unpolluted air.Clean air is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of life on this planet — not just for humans, but wildlife, vegetation, water and soil. Poor air quality is a result of a number of factors, including emissions from various sources, both natural and “human-caused.
” Poor air quality occurs when pollutants reach high enough concentrations to endanger human health and/or the environment. ("Bcairquality", 2013) The Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 was the first federal legislation involving air pollution.This act provided funds for federal research in air pollution. The Clean Air Act of 1963 was the first federal legislation regarding air pollution control.
It established a program within the U. S. Public Health Service authorizing research into techniques for monitoring and controlling air pollution. Air quality is a measurement of the condition of air relative that requires one or more biotic species and/or to any human need or purpose.
Air shed is a part of the atmosphere that behaves in a coherent way with respect to the dispersion of emissions (Negley, 1998).Air quality is managed by the Air Quality section in El Paso County and is responsible for maintaining and collecting data from air monitoring sites located within the city limits of El Paso, Juarez, Mexico and for enforcing city and state air quality regulations. In El Paso County the person in charge is Al Melero the air quality supervisor (Watson & Emerson, 1993). Still air caused by area of high pressure, temperature condition, or lack of winds lets air pollution remain in a local area. The air pollutants mentioned below can determine good and bad air quality depending on the lack of strengths of air emissions by fresh air.
Particle pollution also known as (particulate matter) (PM10, PM 2. 5), ground level ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxides (NO2), and Sulfur dioxide (SO2), (Watson & Emerson, 1993). Six Major Air Pollutants: The six common pollutants are particle pollution, ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and lead. The Clean Air Act requires that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for the six common pollutants or criteria pollutants. The Clean Air Act established two types of national air quality standards, primary and secondary standards.Primary standards set limits to protect public health and secondary to protect public welfare.
Particle pollution or particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Dust, dirt, soot or smoke, are large enough to be seen with the naked eye yet others can only be detected with an electron microscope. The size of particles is linked to the potential for causing health problems, particles 10 micrometers is diameter or smaller can pass through the nose and enter the lungs PM 10. These inhaled particles can affect the heart and lungs causing serious health effects.Inhalable course particles are 2. 5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter found in roadways and dusty industries.
Fine particles found in smoke and haze are 2. 5 micrometers and smaller are emitted from forest fires or gases emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles react in the air PM 2. 5. Haze is the major cause of reduced visibility in the United States. Health effects include increased respiratory symptoms, decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, development of bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, nonfatal heart attack and premature death in people with history of lunch disease.By reducing emissions of pollutants from particle pollution, helps state and local government meet the Agency’s national air quality standards.
Ozone (O3) is a gas not emitted into the air but at ground-level created by a chemical reaction between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOC) presented in the sunlight. Ground-level ozone is considered “bad” in the earth’s lower atmosphere and “good” ozone occurs in the stratosphere approximately 10 to 30 miles above the earth’s surface forming a layer that protects life on earth from harmful rays.Motor vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents as well as natural sources emit NOx and VOC help from ozone. Smog is the ground-levels primary constituent.
A summertime air pollutant is a result of sunlight and hot weather causes ground-level ozone to form in harmful concentrations in the air. Urban areas tend to have high levels of “bad” ozone but rural areas are subject due to increases ozone levels because of wind that carries ozone and pollutants a hundred miles away.Carbon monoxide (CO2) is a colorless, odorless gas emitted from combustion processes particularly in urban areas coming from mobile sources. Carbon monoxide causes harmful heath effects that reduce oxygen delivery to body’s organs and extremely high levels can cause death. In 1971 EPA set the air quality standards for CO2, 8-hour primary standard at 9 parts per million (ppm) and a 1-hour primary standard at 35 ppm. Exposure can reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood reduce the capacity for pumping oxygenated blood to the heart for people with several types of heart disease.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of a group of highly reactive gasses known as oxides of nitrogen or nitrogen oxides (NOx). Evidence links short-term NO2 exposure ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hours with adverse respirator effects such as airway swelling in healthy people and increased respiratory symptoms in people with asthma. People that spend time on or near roadways can experience short-term exposures higher than measured at current network Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is one of a group of highly reactive gasses known as oxides of sulfur comes rom fossil fuel combustion of power plants (73%)and other industrial facilities (20%). Smaller sources of sulfur dioxide emissions include industrial processes such as extracting metal from ore, and the burning of high sulfur containing fuels by locomotives, large ships, and non-road equipment. Lead is a metal found naturally in the environment and in manufactured products historically been from fuels in on-road motor vehicles and industrial sources.
Exposure to lead in the air and other major exposure pathways include ingestion of lead in drinking water and lead-contaminated food as well as incidental ingestion of lead-contaminated soil and dust. Lead is persistent in the environment and accumulates in soils and sediments through deposition from air sources, direct discharge of waste streams to water bodies, mining, and erosion. To the blood stream and accumulated into the bones. Lead is taken into the body lead distributes throughout the body depending on the level of exposure lead can adversely affect the nervous system.
