Lecture 7

Environmental Sciences and
Sustainability
WMES 6101B
Course Teacher:
Dr. Md. Mostafizur Rahman
Associate professor
Department of Environmental Science
Jahangirnagar University
Email: rahmanmm@juniv.edu
Google Scholar ID: https://scholar.google.com/citations?pli=1&user=nzljxJcAAAAJ
Research gate ID:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Md-Mostafizur-Rahman-9/research
Composition of the Atmosphere
Name of Gas Composition by Volume

Nitrogen (N2) 78.08%
Oxygen (O2) 20.95%
Argon (Ar) 0.93%
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 0.03%
Neon (Ne) 0.001%
Helium (He) 0.0005%
Krypton (Kr) 0.0001%
Xenon (Xe) 0.00009%
Hydrogen (H2) 0.00005%
Methane (CH4) 0.00002%
Nitrous oxide (N2O) 0.00005%
What is Air Pollution ?
An atmospheric condition in which substances
(natural or man-made chemical compounds
capable of being airborne) are present at
concentrations high enough above their normal
ambient level to produce a measurable effect on
man, animals, vegetation, or materials.
 Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals,

particulate matter, or biological materials in the
air.
3
What is Air Pollutants ?
“A Air pollutant is a waste material produced from
natural or anthropogenic processes that pollutes air and
may cause detrimental effects to the plants and animals
and to the humankind .”
 There are six major pollutants termed criteria pollutants in

the United States, namely PM10, PM2.5, CO, NOx, SO2, Pb
and O3.
 These pollutants can harm the environment human health,

and can cause property damage.
 In overall there are hundreds of air pollutants.
4
Air Pollutants Classification
In general, following types of air pollutants are common:
Air
Pollutants
Particulate Matter Gaseous Pollutants
Inorganic Organic Inorganic Organic
As, Al, Pb, Aliphatic, SOX, SO2, Volatile

Cd, Cu, Cr, Aromatic, NH3, NO2, Organic
Hg, S, Fe, Black O3, NOX, CO Carbons
Mn, Si, Zn, Carbon (VOCs)
etc.
Trace
element etc
5
Gaseous Oxides in the Atmosphere
• Oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen are important
constituents of the atmosphere and are pollutants at higher
levels.
• Carbon dioxide =the most abundant gaseous oxide .

•It is a natural atmospheric constituent, and it is required
for plant growth.
• level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, now at about

365 parts per million (ppm) by volume, is increasing by
about 1 ppm per year, which may well cause general
atmospheric warming, the “greenhouse effect,”
Nitrogen oxides
Nitrogen can react with oxygen to form nitrogen oxides
N2O (nitrous oxide) - not toxic but important for global

warming
NO (nitric oxide) - important precursor of ozone and smog
NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) - important primary pollutant
N2O3, N2O4, N2O5 - these are very rare in the atmosphere
NO and NO2 are together known as NOx (read as nox)
trogen dioxide - health effects

ng irritation
reases susceptibility to lung disease
Direct effect of sulfur dioxide
•Absorbed by moist respiratory tissue causing restriction of
airway
- especially severe in people with asthma
Acid deposition
Sulfur Dioxide can combine with water in the atmosphere to
form sulfuric acid:
2SO2 + O2 + 2H2O → H2SO4
Sulfuric acid can removed from the air by rain ("acid rain") or
by attaching to dust particles ("dry deposition")
Effects of acid deposition

Destruction of concrete and stone
structures
Acid rain damage on woodlands/forest
Give ozone some special attention, it has sort of
a positive and negative personality
(i) Ozone in the stratosphere (a layer of the atmosphere
between about 10 and 50 km altitude) is beneficial because it
absorbs dangerous high energy ultraviolet (UV) light coming
from the sun. Without the protection of the ozone layer, life
as we know it would not exist on the surface of the earth.
Chlorofluorocarbons are of concern in the atmosphere
because they destroy stratospheric ozone.
(ii) In the troposphere (the bottom 10 kilometers or so of the

atmosphere) ozone is a pollutant and is one of the main
ingredients in photochemical smog (Los Angeles-type smog).
(iii) Ozone is also a greenhouse gas.

Ozone – effects in the troposphere
Health Effects:
• lung problems
• eye irritation
Environmental Effects:
• damage to plants and trees
Ozone damage to plants. The top row shows normal plants, the bottom row
show plants exposed to ozone
Photochemical Smog
Photochemical smog refers to a chemical reaction
of sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and organic compounds in the
atmosphere. This smog is visible as a brown haze.
The formation of photochemical smog consists of three

main ingredients.
nitrogen oxides,
hydrocarbons, and
sunlight.
Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons are the by-products

of fossil fuels-burning energy plants. Furthermore, they can
also come from natural processes. Above all, the main
source, of course, is automobiles.
Particulate Matter
Particles ranging from aggregates of a few molecules to
pieces of dust readily visible to the naked eye are
commonly remain suspended in the atmosphere.
Particulate matter can be divided into two size ranges: 10 -
2.5 μm (PM10) and < 2.5 μm (PM2.5).
Sources
• dust from construction, agriculture, and roads
• forest fires
• burning of solid and liquids -- especially from coal, wood,
and diesel fuel
• clearing of land for agriculture
What are the Harmful Effects of PM?
The small particles can get trapped in the lining of the
lung causing irritation, inflammation, or cancer
PM2.5 is much more dangerous as it gets deeper into
the lung.
Examples:
Inflammation
Silicosis (silica dust)
Black Lung disease (coal dust)
Cancer
Asbestos
Polynuclear aromatic
hydrocarbons(PAH) view of the human lung showing
where different size particulate matter
Tar from incomplete combustion and affects different areas
tobacco smoke
ICI boilers emit pollutants such as hazardous air
pollutants (HAPs), particle pollution, and volatile organic
compounds (VOC).
These pollutants can contribute to health problems
that may affect employees, residents, and the community.
Emissions from ICI boilers are a function of the type
and quantity of primary fuel burned in the boiler unit, the
type of boiler, and emissions controls.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx). Sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Particle pollution. Carbon monoxide (CO).
Lead Hydrogen Chloride (HCl).
Cadmium. Mercury.
Dioxin/furans. Formaldehyde.
Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs).
Asbestos
Asbestos is the name given to a group of
fibrous silicate minerals, the approximate
formula is Mg3P(Si2O5)(OH)4.
The tensile strength, flexibility, and
nonflammability of asbestos have led to many
uses in the past including structural materials,
brake linings, insulation, and pipe
manufacture.
Asbestos is of concern as an air pollutant because, when
inhaled, it can cause
•asbestosis (a pneumonia condition),
•mesothelioma (tumor of the mesothelial tissue lining the
chest cavity adjacent to the lungs), and
•bronchogenic carcinoma (cancer originating with the air
passages in the lungs).
What is Air Quality Index (AQI)
The AQI is a tool for reporting daily air quality of any city or
country. It tells how clean or polluted the air is, and what
associated health effects might be a concern for public.
The AQI focuses on health effects that one might
experience within a few hours or days after breathing
polluted air.
In Bangladesh the AQI is based on 5 criteria pollutants;
Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and
Ozone (O3).
Air Pollution in Dhaka
Source Contributions to PM2.5
(1997-2015)
Motor vehicle 3.94%
Brick kiln 20.8%
Sea salt 6.47%
Two Stroke/Zn 6.61%
Soil dust 13.7%
Road dust 9.96%
Fugitive Pb 9.39%
Wood burning 29.1%
Source: Begum and Hopke, 2018

Air Pollution in Dhaka
 Air pollution has been getting worse
 PM10 is the most significant pollutant. Other pollutants

are Pb, Cd, Ni, Hg HC, CO, NO, SO2, O3
 Transport sector is one of the largest contributors of

human exposure to air pollution
 Other contributors: industries, bio-mass and refuse

burning, domestic and commercial fuel burning, dust due
to construction.
 Transport sector is the main contributor (50%-60%)
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National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
for Bangladesh
Ambient air pollution: Health impacts
Pollutants with the strongest evidence for public health
concern, include particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3),
nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2).
PM (PM10 and PM2.5) is capable of penetrating deep into
lung passageways and entering the bloodstream causing
cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and respiratory impacts.
Worldwide ambient air pollution accounts for:
• 29% of all deaths and disease from lung cancer
• 17% of all deaths and disease from acute lower
respiratory infection
• 24% of all deaths from stroke
• 25% of all deaths and disease from ischaemic heart
disease
• 43% of all deaths and disease from chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease
Sources of Air Pollutants
 Sources of air pollution refer to the various locations,
activities or factors which are responsible for the
releasing of pollutants in the atmosphere.
 These sources can be classified into two major

categories which are:
1) Anthropogenic Sources
2) Natural Sources
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1. Anthropogenic Sources
Anthropogenic sources (human activity) mostly related to
burning different kinds of fuel:
 "Stationary Sources" include smoke stacks of power plants,
manufacturing facilities (factories) and waste incinerators,
as well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating
devices.
 "Mobile Sources" include motor vehicles, marine vessels,
aircraft and the effect of sound etc.
 Fumes from paint, hair spray, varnish, aerosol sprays and
other solvents
 Waste deposition in landfills, which generate methane.
 Military, such as nuclear weapons, toxic gases, germ
warfare and rocketry
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2. Natural Sources
 Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with
little or no vegetation.
 Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by animals, for
example cattle.
 Radon gas from radioactive decay within the Earth's crust.
 Smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires.
 Vegetation, in some regions, emits environmentally
significant amounts of VOCs on warmer days. These
VOCs react with primary anthropogenic pollutants
specifically, NOX, SO2, and anthropogenic organic carbon
compound to produce a seasonal haze of secondary
pollutants.
 Volcanic activity, which produce sulfur, chlorine, and ash
particulates.
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Thanks!
CT2
Time 30 mins
Q1. What is atmospheric pollution? Give some examples of
them. 2
Q2. Write down the health effects of air pollution. 2
Q3. Write a short note on the air pollution in Bangladesh. 6

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Environmental Sciences and

Name of Gas Composition by Volume

 Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals,

 There are six major pollutants termed criteria pollutants in

 These pollutants can harm the environment human health,

 In overall there are hundreds of air pollutants.

Particulate Matter Gaseous Pollutants

Inorganic Organic Inorganic Organic

As, Al, Pb, Aliphatic, SOX, SO2, Volatile

• Carbon dioxide =the most abundant gaseous oxide .

• level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, now at about

N2O (nitrous oxide) - not toxic but important for global

NO and NO2 are together known as NOx (read as nox)

trogen dioxide - health effects

Effects of acid deposition

(ii) In the troposphere (the bottom 10 kilometers or so of the

(iii) Ozone is also a greenhouse gas.

The formation of photochemical smog consists of three

Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons are the by-products

Nitrogen oxides (NOx). Sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Source: Begum and Hopke, 2018

 PM10 is the most significant pollutant. Other pollutants

 Transport sector is one of the largest contributors of

 Other contributors: industries, bio-mass and refuse

 Transport sector is the main contributor (50%-60%)

 These sources can be classified into two major

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