LOCAL SOLUTION!

Pennies for the Planet

• Collect pennies to donate
• With the pennies it goes to take care of animals, marine life, and the ecosystem, and the air.

To get these pennies I will put a box to collect them right outside the dinning hall of my highschool

Air Pollution:

Written Statement

Since the Industrial Revolution the world has struggled with the amount of air pollution that is released. There are three main types of air pollution: smog, acid rain, and greenhouse or global warming. These have all occurred and keep re occurring because of the amount of pollution we produce. Smog is one of the most occurring it is caused by combustion engines and burning fossil fuels. It is mostly produced from factories as a fog like admission. You may see this when you drive by a large factory and a black smoke is being released into the air from it, this is what contributes and or is smog. It is mostly composed of ozone gases, while they may be useful in blocking the UV light that the sun gives off. When it is in the atmosphere it is detrimental to human’s health cause asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease. Acid Rain which is another common type of pollution fossil fuels, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are released into the atmosphere. These combine with water in the clouds and oxygen to create this acid rain. It is extremely harmful to ecosystem. Mostly soil and forests and or plant life, some species can live tolerate it but the ones who are harmed in that same ecosystem affect the food chain. Greenhouse gases are then next pollutant and this is the leading cause of global warming. Greenhouse gases are gases are the increase levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions which are changing the climate causing global warming.

Smog can be easily resolved by limiting the amount of gases produced by factories and cars. Also find a different way to create energy other than burning fossil fuels. To solve the problem of acid rain there would need to be a reduction in the pollutants that cause it. This would be less fossil fuel burned and the need to clean industries smokestacks. Also finding a new way to create energy and also stop and or find an alternative to driving cars. Even if we do reduce and or stop acid rain the damage already done will take much longer to get back to normal. As many continue to work on ending air pollution it will stay as a never ending problem, mostly because natural elements add to this too such as radon which is from a rock in the ground that cause pollution inside. Fires also add to it, every time there is a bonfire or even a natural forest fire which can never be stopped. One major factor to this is deforestation, with the lack of trees and plant life there is nothing changing CO2 into oxygen and this has added to air pollution an efficient amount. Other things are adding to lowering the amount of air pollution. Many people have switched to hybrid cars and the use of solar panels. There are also many cleaning products that are eco friendly. This is all adding a helping hand to limiting the amount of air pollution but all these are very expensive to apply.

Case studies:

Title: Invasive Kudzu Is Major Factor in Surface Ozone Pollution, Study Shows

The Kudzu vine is found in Japan and Southeast China and has spread to the United States. This vine produces isoprene and nitric oxide, when this combines with nitrogen it causes a 50 percent increase the ozone level to be over the limit. It grows rapidly and causes erosion in the solid, through mild winters the vine has spread and is now growing and expanding on the East coast. Lerdau and his former graduate took fields studies in three states that are in Georgia to study the amount of gas produced by this vine. They joined two other men who are atmospheric scientists from Harvard University; they used atmospheric chemistry to see the effect the plant would have in 50 years. They exposed the effect of the vine; it will decrease agricultural production and increase health problems.

Title: Limiting Global Warming: Variety of Efforts Needed Ranging from 'Herculean' to the Readily Actionable, Scientists Say

Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and UC San Diego have uncovered three different ways to avoid climate change. This is very important because climate change will massively affect the world. Starting with CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, this needs to be kept the same and at a very lower level. Also they want to establish laws that control the amount of aerosols that cool the atmosphere. Along with reducing aerosols reductions in methane, hydro fluorocarbons and other greenhouse gases are also needed. For this to be effective this need to all be done at the same time and very quickly. The areoles need to be reduced but not by too much because the loss of them will cause many other problems. These efforts are enabled so we do not reach the two degree threshold; if we do there is no turning back or saving it. Global warming will come into effect and the arctics will be sure to melt even more. The only way we will avoid this threshold is if we reduce all these greenhouse gases and CO2.

Title: Study Links 'Smog' To Arctic Warming

Recent studies show that in past 100 years the ozone in the lowest part of the atmosphere has a huge effect on the temperature changes. Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) computers show how much a single pollutant and or green house gases can impact global warming. Ozone has been a great contributor in the past years in the arctic; it travels from industrialized countries in the North, and travels to the arctic. Ozone in the stratosphere blocks ultra violet light from the Sun to protect the earth from these harmful rays. In the troposphere it is detrimental to humans and their health; it also contributes to global warming because it is a greenhouse gas. Ozone is had to study the effects that it has on the earth because it does not last long and does not spread. In the summer the ozone amount decreases in the arctic because chemical reactions from the suns light destroy it. Many people have become aware of this danger of global warming and will start to take action to lower the chances of global warming especially in the arctic regions.

Title: Environmental Agency Tightens Smog Standards	Summary: The EPA is trying to lower the amount of concentration of the ozone from 84 parts per billion every eight hours to 75parts per billion. They call this the Clean Air Act. This goal will take decades to reach and with the number of cities that will not cooperate this will be a tough goal to reach. There are many cities that exceed the 84 parts per billion making this goal a very challenging one. Also it makes this hard for the country itself because This decreasion is needed because health risks are rising and also countries aren’t able to do this because it is very expensive.
Author: Mathew L. Wald
Date Published: March 13, 2008
Source: New York Times
Web Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/ washington/13enviro.html?_r=1

Title: Is Healthy Air Bad?	Summary: This article was written when Beijing was about to hold the 2009 Olympics. In order for them to be able to hold these athletic games they had to make their already “clean” air which was determined in Beijing to clean according to the United States. For them to accomplish this they had to close down factories and get people off the road and out of their cars. A man by the name of Veerabhadran Ramanathan was there keeping a close watch on the pollution. He conducted many unnamed experiments one being able to see if the pollution being produced here affected the rest of the world. Through this he evaluates the air and thinks it is unhealthy and the Chinese’s attempt to clean their air has a direct impact on global warming. Overall he thinks this is a good way of raising awareness about air pollution and its effects on Global Warming.
Author: Jamie Reno
Date Published: August 7, 2008
Source: News Week
Web Link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/151355

Title: How Air Pollution Can Damage the Heart	Summary: In this article they conducted many studies on the effect of traffic on your blood pressure. Traffic alone frustrates many people on the road; increasing ones blood pressure along with frustration the air pollution from cars also raises it. They conducted a study in a lab consisting of two healthy people from two different places and exposed them to the amount of ozone and particulates. When they breathed in the polluted air their blood pressure had risen and their blood vessels were impaired for the next day. It has been well known that particulates have caused heart problems, even more so than ozone. Particulates dig deep into the lungs causing them to inflame and or causing long term damage. Most healthy people will not see much of a difference but weaker people see vast changes in their health.
Author: Alice Park
Date Published: September 9, 2009
Source: Time Magazine
Web Link: http://www.time.com/time /health/article/0,8599,1921080,00.html

Title: Pollution: Dangerous to Joggers	Summary: Polluted air not only affects your lungs but is also detrimental to your heart. Dr. Nicholas Mills of the University of Edinburgh, conducted a study. He examined joggers who ran in heavily polluted areas such as urban areas and then he compared them to joggers in clean air. The polluted air caused damage to the blood vessels causing clots and or heart attacks. These patience help the damage on their blood vessels continued after. These effects are seen to anyone who is exposed to car exhaust whether it is someone sitting in traffic or someone running along the road.
Author: Alice Park
Date Published: September 7, 2007
Source: Times Magazine
Web Link: http://www.time.com/time/ health/article/0,8599,1661313,00.html

Title: EPA to set new limits for big polluters	Summary: The EPA has uncovered a new rule that they want to put on large factories, oil refienerios, and power plants. They need to update their technology because the EPA blames them for the high admission of carbon dioxcide. They aspire to lower they amout of carbondioxcide and other greenhouse gasses that they create. This rule will take effect in January for all the factories that have the Clean Air Act and then in July all plants that emit 75,000 tons of greenhouse gases will be under the rule.
Author: Associated Press
Date Published: May 14, 2010
Source: The Boston Globe
Web Link: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ washington/articles/2010/05/14/epa_to_set_ new_limits_for_big_polluters/

Multi Media Resource List

Indoor and Outdoor pollution:

http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html

This website easily lays out the basic information about air pollution. It explains outdoor and indoor pollution caused by gases and the effect on your health.

Healthy Air Outdoors:

http://www.lungusa.org/healthy-air/outdoor/

This has all the effects that pollution has on your health and the damage tit causes to your lungs. Also give you the option to get involved and how to do so.

The Environment a Global Challenge:

http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/air_pollution_-_effects.html

This website also summarizes the effects, causes, and solutions in order to control air pollution and give you an understanding on how it is caused and the damage it may cause.

Air Pollution:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/airpollution.html

Car, Trucks, Air Pollution and Health

http://www.nutramed.com/environment/cars.htm

Air pollution, Air quality, Water pollution, Water contamination; Land pollution Food quality Dioxins in water, air + food:

Pollution:

http://www.keepbanderabeautiful.org/keepearthpollution.html?gclid=CLigxezT0aECFQEbswodP1fgKg

Air:

http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/air.html

Air Pollution:

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/asthma/triggers/085.html

Indoor Air Pollution and Health

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/index.html

Smog Information:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm

What is Acid Rain?:

http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html

Acid Rain

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/acid_rain.htm

A Breath of Air: What Pollution is doing to Our Kids

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2117014148897138889#

This video is particularly striking to parents and even children. Air pollution is detrimental to kids but also adults as well but this clearly shows how much it effects us.

Air Pollution:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcWpkWBX04E

This video shows dramatic picture of the world’s pollution. Along with these pictures are devastating facts about the world’s pollution and past pollutions.

Air Quality 101: The Basics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx_yWFQvJT4&feature=related

This is about the effect on earth from the pollution. Also how it actually affects the world.

Ozone: Good Up High, Bad Nearby

http://www.policyalmanac.org/environment/archive/ozone.shtml

Hole in the Ozone Layer:

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/air/ozonlayr.htm

Green House Effect and Global Warming:

http://www.clean-air-kids.org.uk/globalwarming.html

The Science Behind Air Pollution

Air is a necessity for all living creatures on planet Earth. Without it planet Earth would be a lifeless mass containing dirty waters and dry rocky ground. Air is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and inert gases.

There are several different types known as smog, acid rain, greenhouse effect, and finally holes in the ozone layer. Smog is one of the most common types, it is the chemical reaction of chemicals in the pollution given off by industrial factories and car exhausts. This effect of smog varies depending on the city it happens in. This is because winds, temperatures and location can and will affect the smog and or disperse it. If this dispersal does not occur then temperature inversions occur which is very bad and the seasons change the outcome of the pollution. In the winter it cause carbon monoxide pollution and the summer causes smog. Photochemical smog started appearing in the tropics and subtropics and this is causing the savanna grasses to burn. Smog's properties cause irradiation by sunlight of hydrocarbons, this happens because of unburned gasoline from automobiles. The outcomes of photochemical reactions are organic particles, ozone, aldehydes, ketones, peroxyacetyl nitrate, organic acids, and other oxidants. Ozone is a gas made by nitrogen dioxide or nitric oxide is exposed to the sun. Ozone may cause eye irritation, impaired lung function, and damage to trees and crops. Acid rain is another type and this is when sulfuric acid combines with water precipitation. This makes the water acidified, this then destroys plant leaves and it poisons soil and changes the chemistry of bodies of water. Next, Greenhouse effect and or global warming are another type. This is the buildup of carbon dioxide in the air. Even though plants turn it into oxygen, the amount being produced by humans is uncontrollable for plants to reuse. This is made even worse by the destruction of forests and deforestation. The carbon monoxide then build up and traps heat close to the earth changing the temperature only by a few degrees but this change vastly affects us. This is because the change will soon cause the polar ice caps to melt because it will not be cold enough to keep it frozen. These will create a loss in animal life there and also even flooding.

We are even faced with air pollution inside buildings and homes. This is caused by tobacco smoke, cooking appliances, vapor from building materials, and heating appliances along with many more causes. In many basements there is a radioactive gas called Radon. Radon is released from the earth and is found in all rocks. It is the decay of radium which is in soils, and radium is from the decay of uranium found in rocks. This is extremely detrimental to your health.