This document discusses air pollution and air quality. It defines air pollution and lists various types of air pollutants including criteria pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, lead, ozone and particulates. It discusses the importance of monitoring air pollutants for public health and policy making purposes. It outlines national standards for criteria pollutants set by the EPA and describes trends seen in ambient concentrations of criteria pollutants over time. It also discusses the air quality index and different air quality categories from good to hazardous.

1. पर्यावरण एवंसंपोष्र् ववकयस संस्थयन
Institute of Environment and Sustainable
Development
AMBIENT CONCENTRATION OF AIR
POLLUTANTS AND TRACE GASES

2. AIR POLLUTION:
• introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or
other harmful materials into the Earth's atmosphere,
possibly causing disease, death to humans, damage to
other living organisms such as food crops, or the
natural or built environment.
Types:
• OUTDOOR
• INDOOR

3. AIR POLLUTANTS:
 substance in the air that can have adverse effects on humans and the ecosystem. The substance can be solid
particles, liquid droplets, or gases.

4. CRITERIA POLLUTANTS
NOx
CRITERIA
POLLUTANTS
SOx
CO
LEAD
OZONE
PARTICULATES
VOCs HAPS

5. WHY MONITOR POLLUTANTS?
Effect of Air on Public health
Policy Making
Legal purpose
SOME MONITORING AGENCIES

6. National Ambient Air Quality Standards:

7. STANDARDS FOR CRITERIA POLLUTANTS
SET BY US,EPA

9. METHODOLOGY:
Emissions Monitoring
Ambient Monitoring
Deposition Monitoring
Visibility Monitoring Upper Air Monitoring Health Monitoring

10. Trends in Ambient Concentration
Of Criterion Air Pollutants:
•Carbon monoxide (CO) = colorless, odorless gas from vehicle exhaust
and other sources; dangerous—prevents oxygen uptake
• First set in 1971 ; Standard retained 1994

11. SOx
 Sulfur dioxide (SO2) = colorless gas from coal burning for
electricity and industry; contributes to acid precipitation

12. NOx
 foul-smelling red gas from vehicle exhaust, industry, and electricity
generation; contributes to smog and acid precipitation
 Set in 1971; Reviewed in 1996
 EPA declined to set short-term standard

13. PARTICULATE POLLUTION
 any solid (or liquid) particles small enough to be carried aloft
in air; dust, soot, sulfates, nitrates; causes respiratory damage
• Larger particles (> PM10) deposit in the upper respiratory tract
• Smaller, inhalable particles (≤ PM10) penetrate into the lungs
• PM10-2.5 are thoracic coarse PM
• PM2.5 go deeper than PM10-2.5

14. OZONE
 colorless gas; secondary pollutant
from sunlight, heat, nitrogen
oxides (NOx), and C-containing
chemicals; contributes to smog;
harmful to living tissues
 high toxicity and involvement in
production of other pollutants -
very important atmospheric
pollutant
 Over 90% of photochemical smog
is ozone
LEAD
 metal in atmosphere as
particulate; from gasoline
additive, phased out in 1980s;
diverse health impacts
 Atmospheric lead normally a
chronic cumulative poison,
mostly affecting the central
nervous system, blood & kidney
 at highest concentrations in
particles of 0.2m or less, which
increases its access to animals
by allowing access to the deep
lung tissue
 First set in 1978
 Most recent Criteria Document
completed in 1986, supplemented
in 1990
 EPA started review in 2004

15. TRENDS:

16. Volatile organic compounds
 “VOCs” are regulated by many governments.
 Large group of potentially harmful carbon- containing chemicals used in
industrial processes.
 Hydrocarbons are one example.
 About half are human-made, half natural.
 VOCs contribute to smog, produce secondary pollutants.

18. HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS
 chemicals known to cause serious health or
environmental problems
 Include substances known to cause cancer and
reproductive defects, and substantial ecological harm
 Most produced by human activities

20. Air Quality Index
 AQI helps in understanding the
level at which air is polluted and
the associated health effects that
might concern.
 EPA calculates the AQI for five
major air pollutants : ground-level
ozone, particulate matter,
carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
and nitrogen dioxide.
 For each of these pollutants, EPA
has established national air
quality standards to protect
public health.
 The EPA has developed the
pollutant standard index (PSI) for
introducing consistency in
providing information regarding
the air quality throughout the US.
The system is based on a scale of
0-500.

21. AIR QUALITY INDEX
Good: The AQI value for a community is between 0 and 50
then the air quality is considered satisfactory, and air
pollution poses little or no risk.
Moderate: The AQI is between 51 and 100 then the Air quality
is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a
moderate health concern for a very small number of
people.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: When AQI values are
between 101 and 150, members of sensitive groups may
experience health effects. This means they are likely to be
affected at lower levels than the general public.
Unhealthy: Everyone may begin to experience health effects
when AQI values are between 151 and 200. Members of
sensitive groups may experience more serious health
effects.
Very Unhealthy: AQI values between 201 and 300 trigger a
health alert, meaning everyone may experience more
serious health effects.
Hazardous: AQI values over 300 trigger health warnings of
emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely
to be affected.

22. CONCLUSION
 Outdoor air pollution is a major environmental health problem
affecting everyone in developed and developing countries alike
 Ambient (outdoor air pollution) in both cities and rural areas was
estimated to cause 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide per year in
2012
 It should be our responsibility to preserve the quality and standard of
air not only for our future generation but also for all living beings on
this planet earth.

23. QUESTIONS