Lecture Topics Historical Background
¾ Introduction
¾ Historical Background
¾ Air Pollution Episode
¾ Air Pollution due to Terrorism • Wood burning
¾ Great Earth Sphere
¾ Air Pollution and Pollutants • Lead pollution from Roman smelters
What is Air Pollution
Sources of Air Pollution and their classification
Air Pollutants and Its types • Sewage pollution in Rome during 312 B.C –
Air Pollution –Indian Scenario
¾ Air Quality Monitoring
Pollution of river Tiber.
¾ Meteorology and Air Quality Modelling
¾ Effects of Air Pollution • Usage of Plastics and synthetic chemicals like
¾ Gaussian Dispersion Model
¾ Air Pollution Control DDT , Polychlorinated biphenyls etc during
Introduction ¾ Indoor Air Quality
¾ Global Air Pollution
World war – II
Acid Rain
Ozone Depletion
Global Worming
• 1272 - King Edward I of England bans use of “sea • 1784—Watt’s steam engine; boilers to burn
coal” fossil fuels (coal) to make steam to pump water • 1953 – Hooker chemical factory episode near
• 1377– 1399 - Richard II restricts use of coal and move machinery Niagara falls (chemical dump of 21000 tons )
• 14th century- Lack of planned disposal of food waste • Smoke and ash from fossil fuels by power • 1955 - First Federal Air Pollution Control Act -
caused plague epidemic in Europe plants, trains, ships: coal (and oil) burning = funds for research (USA)
• 1413 – 1422 - Henry V regulates/restricts use of smoke, ash • 1960 - Motor Vehicle Exhaust Act - funds for
coal • 1888- First urban sanitary act prohibiting research (USA)
• 1661 - By royal command of Charles II, John Evelyn
throwing of solid waste in UK
• 1963 - Clean Air Act (USA)
of the Royal Society publishes “Fumifugium”, or “the • 1907 - Formation of the Air & Waste
Management Association in USA – Three stage enforcement
inconvenience of the aer and smoke dissipated,
together with some remedies humbly proposed”. – Funds for state and local agencies
• 1965 - Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act Indian Scenario
(USA) • Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• 1967 - Air Quality Act (USA) • The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules,
– Criteria documents 1982.
– Control technique documents • Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
• 1970 - Clean Air Act Amendments (USA) • Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA). Major Episodes
– National Ambient Air Quality Standards
– New Source Performance Standards Presently, almost all the countries are having
• 1972 - Clean water act (USA) their own environmental pollution acts.
.
December,1930- Meuse Valley, Belgium Donora, PA—Oct. 1948 Dec. 1952 Great London Smog
Donora, Pennsylvania Main culprits:-
Meuse Valley:- ¾Monongahela River Valley ¾Cold front, Londoners burned soft
River valley, densely populated ¾Industrial town—steel mill, sulfuric acid
plant, freight yard, etc. coal in factories and power plants.
& Highly industrialized
¾Population—14,000 ¾Temperature inversion
High barometric pressure &
¾Steep hills surrounding the valley
Thermal inversion
¾Oct 26—temperature inversion Disaster:-
Culprit gases were:- Stable air, fog, lasted 4.5 days ¾5 days of worst smog city had ever
¾SO2, sulfur dioxide Culprits:- London Deaths seen.
¾SO4 sulfuric acid mist ¾Sulfur gases + particulates, sulfuric ¾public transportation stopped.
Disaster:- acid mist ¾Indoor concerts had to be
¾63 died due to sore throats, Disaster:- cancelled because no one could see
shortness of breath, cough, ¾6000 people became ill, 20 people the stage, etc.
phlegm, nausea, vomiting died
U.S. Public Health Service called in– first time air pollution officially recognized as potential
public health problem
Nov. 1954 Los Angeles Smog Bhopal, India Dec. 3, 1984
Main culprits:- Major Culprit:-
¾Vehicular Pollution Union Carbide pesticide plant
leaked Methyl isocyanate (MIC)—
¾ Temperature inversion used as an intermediary in
manufacture Carbaryl.
Disaster:- Health Effects:- Air Pollution due to
¾Brownish haze and painful eyes MIC—irritant to the lungs, edema, Terrorism
fluid (cause of deaths were
¾Powerful respiratory and eye bronchospasms, corneal opacity.
irritant Disaster:-
killed up to 2,000 with up to
¾Toxic as well as carcinogenic
350,000 injured and 100,000 with
permanent disabilities.
¾Higher concentrations lead to
extensive damage of vegetation
500 employees had to be retired
Taj Hotel , Mumbai, 2008
11th September, 2001,
early as a result of respiratory
New York City
disability or chronic breathing
problems caused by their
exposure to dense clouds of dust
In the 2 years since attack, 8,000 air samples collected a
thousands of New Yorkers have mile from the complex, found
contacted the World Trade Center high levels of very fine airborne
health registry, reporting cases of particles that could increase risk
persistent coughs, wheezing, of lung damage and heart
shortness of breath and sinus attacks.
inflammation.
Great Earth Spheres The Earth’s Great Spheres
• Introduction of Contaminants into the Atmosphere
Air
environment that causes
- Instability to the ecosystem Air Pollution and Pollutants
- Disorder to the ecosystem Ecosphere
- Discomfort to the ecosystem Soil/rock
Living things
Ecosystem: It refers to a physical system or living (Biosphere)
Water
Lithosphere
organisms of the environment. All living Hydrosphere
organisms and non-living organisms interact in a
defined physical area.
What is atmosphere?
It is a mixture of gases that forms a layer of about 250 miles What is Air Pollution? Air Pollution Definition Based on System
thick around the earth.
Transfer of harmful and/or natural/synthetic materials into the Approach
atmosphere as a direct/indirect consequence of human activity,
which can affect the health of living and /or non living things.
Sources of Meteorology &
Air pollution types Air Pollution Topography
-Personal air pollution
-Occupational air pollution
-Community air pollution
Air Quality
What are Air Pollutants?
Effects on
The substances causing air pollution are known as air pollutants. They Receptors Control
occur as a result of industrial discharge/emissions from motor
vehicles and /or from natural sources.
