ENSP 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Dust, Fossil Fuel, Volcanic Ash

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Environmental Science and Policy
• Course: ENSP 102
• Professor: Joanna Groger

Document Summary

Air pollution - causes: stationary sources, combustion of fossil fuels to generate power. Industrial and other processes: mobile sources, natural sources, windblown dust, volcanic eruptions. Air pollution - effects: serious impacts on human health, premature death, respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous system, cancer, cognitive and behavioral. Impacts on welfare: damage to trees and crops, reduced visibility, damage to lakes and other waters. Air quality and human health: particular matter, no2, so2, o3, co, pb. Particulate matter - health effects: size matters, pm10 can bypass respiratory defenses - lodges in lungs, smallest particles (pm2. 5) can penetrate lungs/ enter blood stream (foreign bodies, respiratory problems. Irritation, coughing, asthma trigger, chronic bronchitis, decreased lung function, increased incidence of lung/heart disease, premature death in people with lung/heart disease. Inhalation results in mucosal, labored breathing, coughing, sore throat: can cause permanent pulmonary damage, can exacerbate asthma, powerful eye / skin irritant causing redness and pain.