Download Air hygiene and management

Air hygiene and
management
Global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, outdoor and indoor air
pollution
Human ecology
• Human ecology is an interdisciplinary
science studying the two-way
relationship of humans and their
natural, social and built environment.
• It is interdisciplinary because it relies
on the use of the following sciences:
geography, sociology, psychology,
anthropology, zoology, epidemiology,
public health, home economics, and
natural ecology among others.
The two-way relationship
Global warming, climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, weather fronts
Global warming
• Global warming is a term used to describe the rise of mean global
temperature experienced in the past decades. This process is caused
by the increasing concentration of green house gases.
• The main effect of global warming is the changing patterns of the
climate.
• It also leads to major changes in the weather ( not only in
temperature but in precipitation, wind patterns as well).
Climate vs. weather
• Climate: the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a
region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation,
sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over
a series of years.
• Weather: the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind,
temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.
Climate zones
Greenhouse gases
• Gases that are able to trap heat in the atmosphere are called
greenhouse gases. Green house gases are not necessarily harmful.
Without them, the global mean temperature on the planet would be
below zero. Extreme levels on the other hand may have adversary
effects on human health.
• The most important green house gases are the following:
• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrous oxide
Source of greenhouse gases
• Carbon dioxide (CO2): from burning fossil fuels, solid waste and wood
products.
• Methane (CH4): from production and transport of coal, natural gas,
oil; and livestock and other agricultural practices.
• Nitrous oxide (N2O): from agricultural and industrial activities.
Carbon dioxide emmission
Methane and livestock
• There are both natural and
human sources of methane
emissions.
• The main natural sources include
wetlands, termites and the
oceans. Natural sources create
36% of methane emissions.
• Important human sources come
from landfills, livestock farming,
as well as the production,
transportation and use of fossil
fuels. Human-related sources
create the majority of methane
emissions, accounting for 64% of
the total
Effect of
greenhouse
gases
Environmental
impact of
climate change
Possible impact on human health
Questions
1. What impact will changed seasonality patterns and characteristics
have on the occurrence of certain infectious diseases?
2. What impact will climate change have on the occurrence of
malaria?
Answer to question No.1
• Increased incidence of GI infections
• Increased incidence of infectious diseases that are spread by certain
vectors (e.g. ticks)
• Decreased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections.
• Appearance of certain diseases not typical of the area.
Malaria and climate change
• In many temperate areas, such as western Europe and the United
States, economic development and public health measures have
succeeded in eliminating malaria. However, most of these areas have
Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit malaria, and reintroduction
of the disease is a constant risk.
• Malaria doesn’t spread:
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At very high altitudes
During colder seasons in some areas
In deserts (excluding the oases)
In some countries where transmission has been interrupted through
successful control/elimination programs.
Global
distribution
of
Anophales
species
Malaria and climate change
• Temperature is particularly critical. For example, at temperatures
below 20°C (68°F), Plasmodium falciparum (which causes severe
malaria) cannot complete its growth cycle in the Anopheles mosquito,
and thus cannot be transmitted.
• Colder temperature is crucial in this regard by stopping Plasmodium’s
growth cycle.
Risk of transmission in 2020 compared to
1990
Depletion of the ozone layer
• Ozone is a triatomic molecule
that consists of three oxygen
atoms.
• The ozone layer (a portion of the
stratosphere with a higher
concentration of ozone, from two
to eight ppm) is beneficial
because it prevents damaging
ultraviolet light from reaching the
Earth's surface, to the benefit of
both plants and animals.
Role of CFCs
• A chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) is an
organic compound that contains only
carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. It is
produced as a volatile derivative of
methane and ethane.
• Many CFCs have been widely used as
refrigerants, propellants, and
solvents.
• The manufacture of such compounds
has been phased out by the
Montreal Protocol because they
contribute to ozone depletion in the
upper atmosphere
Effects of the ozone
hole
Effect of the Montreal
Protocol on the
abundance of effective
stratospheric chlorine
Air pollution
Definitions , sources, effects, smog, pollen allergy, indoor pollution
Definition of air pollution
• Air pollution is the
introduction of chemicals,
particulates, or biological
materials into the atmosphere
that cause discomfort,
disease, or death to humans,
damage other living
organisms such as food crops,
or damage the natural
environment or built
environment.
Composition of air
Air pollution can be:
1. Natural: dust from natural sources, for example: smoke and carbon
monoxide from wildfires, volcanic activity, methane, and radon.
2. Anthropogenic: from households, industry, agriculture and
transport, mostly related to burning different kinds of fuel
Or
1. Outdoor
2. Indoor
Dynamics of air pollutants
• Emission: emission of pollutants from source (measured in
grams/hour).
• Transmission: physical and/or chemical transformation of emitted
pollutants in the environment.
• Immission: concentration of pollution that is present in human
environments at 2m height (measured in mg/m3 or µg/m3).
Sources of air pollution
• The three main
sources of outdoor
pollutants can be
grouped as follows:
• mobile sources
• point sources
• non-point source
Mobile sources
• Mobile sources: The most important mobile
sources are vehicles and off-road
equipment (such as boats, airplanes, lawn
mowers, leaf blowers, and other
agricultural and construction equipment).
• The gases usually contain the following:
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Carbon Monoxide (CO),
Particulate Matter (PM),
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),
Ozone (O3)
and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids
or liquids.
• VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and
long-term adverse health effects.
• Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten
times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products
numbering in the thousands.
• Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies,
pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as
copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics
and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and
photographic solutions.
Point and nonpoint source
• Point source of air pollution: Point sources are usually caused by
factories and industrial facilities like chemical plants, steel mills,
manufacturing plants, power plants, and hazardous waste
incinerators.
• Nonpoint source of air pollution: Nonpoint source air pollution is
smokestacks or car tailpipes. Although these pollutants originate from
a point source, the long-range transport ability and multiple sources
of the pollutant make them a nonpoint source of pollution. Nonpoint
sources contribute to over 50% of all particulate matter (PM)
emissions, which is higher than point or mobile sources. They also
emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
emissions, which contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone.
Particulate matter
• Particulate matter (PM) is an
umbrella-term used to describe
the very fine particles and
droplets found in the air. The
number after PM, e.g. PM10,
shows the diameter of the
particle given in micrometer.
• PM categories:
• PM-10
• PM 2.5-10
• PM <2.5
Size matters
• The larger particles are less dangerous because they are
too big to enter the airways.
• Inhalable coarse particles, such as those found near
roadways and dusty industries, are larger than 2.5
micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers in
diameter. Particles that are smaller than 10 micrometers
(PM 10) generally pass through the throat and nose and
enter the lungs
• Fine particles, such as those found in smoke and haze,
are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller. These
particles can be directly emitted from sources such as
forest fires, or they can form when gases emitted from
power plants, industries and automobiles react in the air
(VOC). These are the most dangerous particles because
they accumulate in the lungs.
Ultrafine particles (UFPs)
• UFPs are particulate matter of nanoscale size.
• Regulations do not exist for this size class of ambient air pollution
particles, which are far smaller than the regulated PM10 and PM2.5
particle classes and are believed to have several more aggressive
health implications.
• In the lungs they have the ability to penetrate tissue and undergo
interstitialization, or to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
• Exposure to UFPs, even if components are not very toxic, may cause
oxidative stress, inflammatory mediator release, and could induce
heart disease, lung disease, and other systemic effects n those classes
of larger particulates
Source of ozone
• Ground level ozone is not emitted
directly into the air, but is created by
chemical reactions between oxides of
nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic
compounds (VOC) in the presence of
sunlight.
• Emissions from industrial facilities and
electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust,
gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents
are some of the major sources of NOx
and VOC.
Source of nitrogen dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxide forms when fuel is burned
at high temperatures, and come principally
from motor vehicle exhaust and stationary
sources such as electric utilities and
industrial boilers.
• It is a strong oxidizing agent that reacts in
the air to form corrosive nitric acid, as well
as toxic organic nitrates.
• It also plays a major role in the atmospheric
reactions that produce ground-level ozone
(or smog).
Effects of air
pollutants
Source of sulfur dioxide and effect
• About 99% of the sulfur dioxide in air comes from human sources.
• The main source of sulfur dioxide in the air is industrial activity that
processes materials that contain sulfur, eg the generation of electricity
from coal, oil or gas that contains sulfur.
• Some mineral ores also contain sulfur, and sulfur dioxide is released when
they are processed. In addition, industrial activities that burn fossil fuels
containing sulfur can be important sources of sulfur dioxide
• Sulfur dioxide affects human health when it is breathed in. It irritates the
nose, throat, and airways to cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of
breath, or a tight feeling around the chest. The effects of sulfur dioxide are
felt very quickly and most people would feel the worst symptoms in 10 or
15 minutes after breathing it in.
Outdoor air pollution - caused deaths
• WHO reports that in 2012 around 7 million people died - one in eight
of total global deaths – as a result of air pollution exposure
• Main causes of death are:
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40% ischaemic heart disease;
40% stroke;
11% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
6% lung cancer; and
3% acute lower respiratory infections in children.
Air quality guidelines
• PM2.5: 10 µg/m3 annual mean; 25 µg/m3 24-hour mean
• PM10: 20 µg/m3 annual mean 50 µg/m3 24-hour mean
• Ozone: 100 µg/m3 8-hour mean
• NO2: 40 µg/m3 annual mean; 200 µg/m3 1-hour mean
• SO2: 20 µg/m3 24-hour mean; 500 µg/m3 10-minute mean
Smoke and Fog= Smog
London-type smog
• London-type smog is relatively
rare nowadays with decreasing
reliance on coal as a source of
energy. London-smog has a
historical value.
• The 1952 severe smog episode in
London was directly linked to a
surplus of 4000 deaths and
100,000 illnesses. This proved to
the world that pollution has
hands on effects on human
health.
Los Angeles type smog
• Los Angeles (L.A.) type smog is a
significant public health problem in
specific regions of various developed
and developing countries.
• The most important factors
associated with the occurrence of
L.A. type smog are: heavy traffic,
high UV irradiation levels, high
temperatures and little air
movement or temperature inversion
(warm air is trapped at ground level
instead of rising as normal)
Questions
1. What would you do to decrease air pollution?
2. What should be advised to the general population when a smog
alert is called?
Answer to question No.1
• Prevention of the adversary effects of air pollution:
Emission and immission limits
Continuous monitoring
Regular prediction of pollutant levels and information of public
Smog-alert plans (coordinating efforts of public health authorities and local
municipal governments, decreasing traffic, informing the public to stay
indoors etc.)
• Reducing biological sources (ragweed etc.)
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Successful policies I.
• For industry: clean technologies that reduce industrial smokestack
emissions; improved management of urban and agricultural waste,
including capture of methane gas emitted from waste sites as an
alternative to incineration (for use as biogas);
• For transport: shifting to clean modes of power generation;
prioritizing rapid urban transit, walking and cycling networks in cities
as well as rail interurban freight and passenger travel; shifting to
cleaner heavy duty diesel vehicles and low-emissions vehicles and
fuels, including fuels with reduced sulfur content;
Successful policies II.
• For urban planning: improving the energy efficiency of buildings and
making cities more compact, and thus energy efficient;
• For power generation: increased use of low-emissions fuels and renewable
combustion-free power sources (like solar, wind or hydropower); cogeneration of heat and power; and distributed energy generation (e.g.
mini-grids and rooftop solar power generation);
• For municipal and agricultural waste management: strategies for waste
reduction, waste separation, recycling and reuse or waste reprocessing; as
well as improved methods of biological waste management such as
anaerobic waste digestion to produce biogas, are feasible, low cost
alternatives to the open incineration of solid waste. Where incineration is
unavoidable, then combustion technologies with strict emission controls
are critical.
Answer to question No.2
• People with respiratory or cardiac disorders should take their medication
and minimize strenuous outdoor activity on smog alert days.
• Avoid driving where possible. Consider public transport, cycling or walking.
• Do not burn off outdoors or light incinerators (most local councils have
restrictions on burning off).
• If an alternative source of heating is available, don’t use solid fuel heaters.
• Check the latest air quality readings and forecasts.
• It is also important to make sure that:
• vehicles are well maintained
• wood heaters are used correctly.
What is the air quality like now?
• http://www.idokep.hu/szmog
• http://www.kvvm.gov.hu/index.php?lang=2
• http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/health-sapping.html
Pollen allergy
• Pollen: a fine powdery substance produced by the
anthers of seed-bearing plants, consisting of numerous
fine grains containing the male gametes
• Data on the presence and prevalence of allergenic
airborne pollens, obtained from both aerobiological
studies and allergological investigations, make it possible
to design pollen calendars with the approximate
flowering period of the plants in the sampling area.
• Aerobiological and allergological studies show that the
pollen map of Europe is changing also as a result of
cultural factors (for example, importation of plants such
as birch and cypress for urban parklands), greater
international travel (e.g. colonization by ragweed in
France, northern Italy, Austria, Hungary etc.) and climate
change.
Pollen
calendar
Ragweed allergy
• Symptoms of ragweed allergy include runny or
stuffy nose, sneezing and itchy, watery swollen
eyes. Severe allergies can also cause
headaches, chronic sinusitis, asthma attacks
and impaired sleep. Sleep problems can lead to
fatigue, trouble concentrating, and even
depression.
• Ragweed allergy can also cause oral allergy
syndrome (OAS).
• Ragweed allergy is a seasonal allergy that
sometimes worsens after the sufferer
consumes fresh fruits (especially cantaloupe
and banana) or vegetables.
Questions
• A patient asks you what he should do in order to decrease his allergic
symptoms? What can he do if he must be outside?
Answer
• Close your windows and outside doors.
• Avoid using window and attic fans during pollen season. Use airconditioning to cool your home.
• Roll up your car windows when driving. Use the air-conditioning, if
you need it.
• Dry clothing and bedding in the dryer. Don't hang them outside.
• Remember that pets can bring in pollen on their fur, too. Don't allow
pets that spend time outdoors in your bedroom.
Answer
• Check pollen counts before planning outdoor activities.
• Avoid being outdoors in the early morning, when pollen is most
widespread.
• Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from pollen.
• Have someone else mow your grass. Don't rake leaves during pollen
season. If you must do yard work, wear a mask.
• Going on vacation? Look for a place where pollen is low, such as the
beach, or take your medications with you.
• Change your clothing when you come indoors. Shower and wash your
hair first.
Indoor air pollution
Source and effects
Indoor air pollution and key facts
• Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires
and simple stoves burning biomass (wood, animal dung and crop
waste) and coal.
• More than 50% of premature deaths among children under 5 are due
to pneumonia caused by particulate matter inhaled from household
air pollution.
• 3.8 million premature deaths annually from noncommunicable
diseases including stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are attributed
to exposure to household air pollution.
Most important indoor pollutants
• Asbestos containing insulation
• Radon gas from the globe’s crust.
• Toxic combustion products: ETS (Environmental Tobacco Smoke), CO,
CO2, NOX, SOX
• Lead (Pb): lead-based paint, water (plumbing), outdoor air, dust
• Volatile organic compounds (VOC): formaldehyde, paints, varnishes,
solvents, air-fresheners, wood-preservatives, etc.
• Biological, allergenic or infectious agents: mold, house-mites, pets
and farm animals, rodents, arthropods, pollen, Legionella, M.
tuberculosis, E. coli.
Impacts on health
• Over 4 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to the
household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels.
• Among these deaths:
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12% are due to pneumonia
34% from stroke
26% from ischaemic heart disease
22% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and
6% from lung cancer.
What can you do to decrease indoor
pollution?
• Ventilate home in the
morning and before
going to sleep by
simply opening the
windows or installing
a ventilating system.
• Ventilate your home
after cooking inside.
Sick building syndrome
• Term that refers to a set of
symptoms that affect a large
number of building occupants
during the time they spend in
the building and diminish or go
away during periods when they
leave the building.
• Cannot be traced to specific
pollutants or sources within the
building.
Thank you for your
attention!