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Welfare Effects of Air Pollution

Welfare Effects of Air Pollution. Monday, February 11, 2008 ENV 4101/5105 Godish Chapter 6 For extra reference: EPA http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/. Introduction. Criteria Air Pollutants: Review: NAAQS from CAA Primary standards Secondary standards

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Welfare Effects of Air Pollution

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  1. Welfare Effects of Air Pollution Monday, February 11, 2008 ENV 4101/5105 Godish Chapter 6 For extra reference: EPA http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/

  2. Introduction • Criteria Air Pollutants: • Review: NAAQS from CAA • Primary standards • Secondary standards • Hazardous Air Pollutants: Hg, dioxins, etc • Regulated under 1990 CAA Amendments • Some other important welfare aspects • Bioaerosols, Fluorides • May not have specific regulations • What are welfare effects?

  3. Criteria Air Pollutants: Ozone • Cause: ______________________ • Source: ______________________ • “Good O3” vs. “Bad O3” • Primary component of photochemical smog • Sunlight and hot weather  Summertime pollutant Mostly local impact Los Angeles, Wikipeida, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_(CA)

  4. Criteria Air Pollutants: Ozone • Unpleasant appearance in urban cities  photochemical smog • Deterioration of synthetic rubber, textiles, paints US EPA in How Stuff Works Website, http://science.howstuffworks.com/ozone-pollution.htm Gates Corporation http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=2833&location_id=3369

  5. Criteria Air Pollutants: Ozone • Leaf damage • Chlorophyll damage: “flecks” • Discoloration • Reducing crop yields and forest growth • US damage to crops est. as 1 billion dollars annually (1985) • 25% reduction: +$1.7 billion • 40% reduction: +$2.5 billion • Loss of forest in US and Europe Tobacco leaf which has sustained ozone damage http://www.lambtonwildlife.com/nature_notes_98/tobac.fld/tobacp.htm Ponderosa Pine (left: undamaged; right: damaged) Image from Miller et al (1996) USFS PSW-GTR-155 http://www.cbesurvey.org/aplv/panek/research.htm Ozone damage on white pine (Photograph courtesy of A. Heagle) NC State, http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/Ornamental/odin19/od19.htm

  6. Criteria Air Pollutants: NOx • Cause: • Source: • Regional impacts • Acid precursor (covered later) • Ozone precursor • Absorbs blue-green  • Plant damage • Necrosis at 2-10 ppm • Growth retardation at 0.5 ppm • Ecosystem • Eutrophication • Nitrophilous Brown haze over Fort Collins, Photo by M. Osecky http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/~hail/cool/polution/pages/ftc_12-19-2003.htm

  7. Criteria Air Pollutants: SOx • Cause: • Source: • Regional impacts • Acid precursor (covered later) • Damage to plants • Chlorosis: • Necrosis: • Plasmolysis: • Damage to animals • Similar to health effects in humans • Paper: converted to H2SO4, brittling paper • Leather: initiates cracking Lettuce with discoloration due to chlorosis UC IPM, photo by Jack Kelly Clark http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/L/D-CC-LIYV-FS.006.html http://www.dias.kvl.dk/Plantvirology/esymptoms/symp-color.html

  8. Criteria Air Pollutants: NOx and SOx Original limestone sculpture in Krakow, Poland, severely damaged after years of exposure to acid rain • Acid precipitation • Non-localized pollution • Normal precip: pH ~ 5 to 5.6 • Acid precip: pH ~ 3 to 4.5 • HNO3 and H2SO4 • Form acids in atmosphere • Wet deposition • Dry deposition • 60%- sulfur based; 35%- nitrogen based • Corrosion and deterioration of structures Replicate made to replace original Photo: Sebastian Wypych; http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/Nr_6_Feb__2__6_acid_rain/C__Formation_of_acids_5i8.html

  9. Criteria Air Pollutants: NOx and SOx • Decrease water/soil pH • Episodic acidification • Water Body acidification • Release of aluminum • Reduce fish populations • Lakes becoming fishless • Affect biodiversity • Little Echo Pond, Franklin, NY pH = 4.2 • Harmful to Trees • Dissolves nutrients and minerals from soil • Necrosis • Growth abnormalities US EPA, http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/surface_water.html Effects of acid rain on forest in Jizera Mountains of Czech Republic; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain

  10. Let’s tie together different areas of env. eng… What are the components of the carbonate system? Carbonic Acid (H2CO3) Bicarbonate (HCO3-) Carbonate (CO32-) CO2 (aq) + H2O  H2CO3  HCO3- + H+  CO32- + H+ How is acid buffered? Alkalinity How is it defined? Alk (eq/m3) = [HCO3-] + 2[CO3-2] + [OH-] What water bodies/soils have natural buffering? What type does not? Natural buffering: limestone (CaCO3) Minimal natural buffering: granite (frequently silica/quartz based) Notes to be posted following lecture Criteria Air Pollutants: NOx and SOx

  11. Criteria Air Pollutants: NOx and SOx • 200+ now-fishless lakes in Adirondacks • Little Echo Pond, Franklin, NY pH = 4.2 • Thousands of lakes in Canada (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick) now-fishless http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/194acidraineffects.html

  12. Criteria Air Pollutants: Particulate Matter • Review from 1/24 lecture • Very small solids/liquids that remain suspended • Anthropogenic causes: materials handling, combustion processes, gas conversion reactions • Main sources: industrial processes, coal and oil burning, vehicles

  13. Criteria Air Pollutants: Particulate Matter • Visibility Reduction • PM2.5 haze (review from 1/28 lecture) • Eastern parks’ avg. visual range reduced from 90 to 15-25 mi. • Western parks’ avg. visual range reduced from 140 to 35-90 mi. • http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/Permits/ARIS/index.cfm for more national parks air quality info • Wildfires • Weather Patterns • Serve as condensation nuclei • Effect on fog and precipitation Great Smokey Mountains National Park, US EPA, http://www.epa.gov/visibility/

  14. Criteria Air Pollutants: Particulate Matter • PM derivatives of SO2 and NOx (sulfates and nitrates) • Intensifier • Refer to SOx and NOx section • Environmental Damage • Lake/stream acidification • Nutrient depletion in soils • Plant damage • Ecosystem diversity upset • Aesthetics Damage • Stain and damage stone structures New York City building façade after century of dirt (PM) accumulation http://www.nycjpg.com/2003/pages/0802.html

  15. Criteria Air Pollutants: Carbon Monoxide • Review… • Cause: incomplete combustion • Source: transportation sector, energy production, residential heating units, some industrial processes • Ambient concerns addressed by NAAQS • OSHA (50 ppm avg over 8-hour period) • CO contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone (refer to ozone section)  photochemical smog • Otherwise, largely inert to plants and materials

  16. Criteria Air Pollutants: Lead (Pb) • Health effects in animals • Domestic and wild • Similar to humans • What would these include? • Slow vegetation growth • Crop damage http://www.eaglevalleyraptorcenter.org/rehabilitation.asp http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/lead_poisoning.htm

  17. Other Heavy Metals • Source: metal smelters • Copper, zinc, nickel • Severe vegetation destruction • Including crops Rock left barren by Nickel smelter emissions in the Sudbury area; Natural Resrouces Canada http://ess.nrcan.gc.ca/2002_2006/sdki/mine/geospatial_e.php Area of forest where vegetation cover has colonized as a result of reduced emissions; Natural Resrouces Canada http://ess.nrcan.gc.ca/2002_2006/sdki/mine/geospatial_e.php

  18. HAPs: Mercury • Elemental Hg inhaled as a vapor, absorbed by lungs • Cause: vaporized mercury • Sources: coal combustion, accidental spill, mining • Deposition in lakes, streams, estuaries • Biologically turned into methylmercury • Accumulation in fatty tissue • Effects: • Progresses up food chain http://www.friendsforourriverfront.org/2005/02/information-for-press-and-media.html Some Florida Fish Advisories: Lake Alto (Alachua Co.): Children & Women of Childbearing Age should NOT eat Large Mouth Bass, Bowfin, or Gar Lake Disston (Flagler Co.): No one should eat Large Mouth Bass, Bowfin, or Gar From coastal waters: No one should eat: Shark larger than 43 in.; King mackerel larger than 31 in. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/floridafishadvice/Fish_consumption_guide.pdf

  19. HAPs: Dioxins • Generic term for several chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment • chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDDs) • chlorinated dibenzofurans (CDFs) • certain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) • Cause: burning chlorine-based compounds with hydrocarbons • Sources: waste incinerator 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzofuran 3,3',4,4',5,5'-Hexachlorobiphenyl

  20. HAPs: Dioxins Fish Consumption Advisory for Dioxins in Florida: Do NOT Eat Checker Puffer Fish or Striped Mojarra from Wagner Creek in Miami-Dade County http://www.doh.state.fl.us/floridafishadvice/Fish_consumption_guide.pdf • Airborne dioxins deposit in environment • Slowly decompose • Taken up by animals (domestic or wild) • Accumulate in fat • 95% of human dioxin exposure through dietary intake of animal fats http://www.southfloridasportfishing.com/species2.cfm?c=v&n=91&ct=5&l=S

  21. Fluoride • Source: metal and stone processing, fertilizer manufacturing • Livestock damage • Used to cause most domestic animal damage of all air pollutants • Still a concern in developing countries • Intake from contaminated forage • Fluorosis • Chronic: dental and skeletal changes • Plant damage • Uptake of gaseous HF through leaves • Uptake of soluble particulates through leaves/roots • Accumulate in leaf margins and tips  Tip necrosis • Glass etching Fluorine damage in Dracina leaf; http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/PDDCEducation/MasterGardener/General/Slide57.htm

  22. Other Aerosols: Bioaerosols • Aerosols with organic origin • Non-viable: pollen, dander, insect excreta, sea salt • Viable: microorganisms • Cause: aerosolization of organic material • Sources: • Human: sneezing, coughing, agriculture • Non-human: wind, waves, WWTP • Welfare Effects: crop, livestock damage, GEM, tourism Mechanical aeration in oxidation ditch at UF WWTP

  23. Other Aerosols: Bioaerosols • Crop Damage • Fungi • Irish Potato Famine • Fungi phytophthora infestans • 500,000-1,000,000 people killed between 1849-1846 • 2,000,000 refugees to England, US, etc • Livestock Damage • Close quarters • Bovine Respiratory Disease • 1999 Deaths: ~60% • 1991 BRD deaths: $624 million • Genetically Engineered Crops • Cross-pollination w/ non-GE crops • Reduction of genetic diversity  allows for susceptibility http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Potato_Famine_%281845%E2%80%931849%29

  24. Other Aerosols: Bioaerosols • Red tide • Dinoflagellate produces toxin • Broken in waves • Toxin released • Irritating Tourism  Woods Hole Oceanological Institution http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/page.do?pid=9257 Image courtesy of P. Schmidt, Charlotte (FL) Sun

  25. Odors • Largely nuisance • Common sources: WWTP, pulp and paper mills, feedlots/livestock, rendering plants • Amines, sulfur gasses (H2S, mercaptans), phenol, NH3, aldehydes, fatty acids Photo by Kurt Hegre, the Fresno Bee, 2000

  26. Ecosystem Destruction • Effects rarely isolated • Everything connected • Forest destruction • Habitat • Animal death or bioaccumulation • Food chain USGS South Florida Information Access http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/fs/166-96/fig1.html

  27. Economic Losses • In light of the many welfare effects, in what ways could these have an economic impact? • Crop damage • Livestock damage • Property value • Odors, visibility, vegetation damage • Structural and metal damage • Increased maintenance • Cultural importance • Tourism • National parks • Cultural monuments • Losses due to illnesses (welfare effects from health effects) • No work • Medical visit • And likely many more! • Note: slide posted following lecture

  28. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley • San Joaquin Valley… • Nation’s “Salad Bowl” • Major transportation sector • Western border: Coastal Range • Eastern border: southern Sierra Nevadas • Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Seqouia National Parks • Winds enter through Bay Area • Hot summers • A few large cities: Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton, Modesto, Visalia • All cities <500,000 population • Population growth: +20% from ’90 to ’00 • Daily VMT: +25% from ’90 to ‘00

  29. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley American Lung Association 2006 State of the Air Best and Worst Cities http://lungaction.org/reports/sota06_cities.html

  30. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley • Some of the nation’s most polluted air • Non-attainment for state or federal ozone and PM2.5 • 35-40 days exceeding federal ozone • >100 days over CA ozone • ~5 days exceeding federal PM2.5 • 90-100 days exceeding CA PM2.5 • Largely rural • ~3.5 million in entire valley (250 miles long by ~75 miles wide) • Compared to Miami-Dade/Broward/Palm Beach Counties: 5.4 million in area 110 miles long by 5-20 miles wide • Why the San Joaquin Valley?

  31. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley • Group Activity… • What are the likely sources of pollutants in this valley? • Why is it so bad in this area? • What are the likely health effects of these pollutants? • What are the likely welfare effects of these pollutants?

  32. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley Oil Rigs near Bakersfield; http://www.ems.psu.edu/~elsworth/courses/ cause2000/SemesterReports/NWmacrofinal/ff_petroleum.htm • What are the likely sources of pollutants in this valley? • Agriculture • Fields - PM • Burning – PM, NOx (O3), SOx, • Airborne pesticide – PM, VOC • Transportation sector – PM, NOx (O3), SOx • Interstate 5 and Highway 99 • Increased commutes from Bay Area • Energy production/petroleum • Note: slide posted following lecture Far Top: www.thealpacastore.com/grapevinecam/ Top and Right: Photos by Tom Myers http://www.tommyersphotography.com/detail.asp?PhotoID=2361 http://www.tommyersphotography.com/detail.asp?PhotoID=2245 http://www.tommyersphotography.com/detail.asp?PhotoID=2365&CtgryID=33&Child=

  33. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley • Why is it so bad in this area? • Geography • Winds • Mountains • Bay Area and Sacramento sources • 27% in north SJ Valley • 7% in South SJ Valley • Hot, stagnant summers • Normal high >95oF in July/Aug • Ozone formation • Note: slide posted following lecture USDA 1972 at http://www.cbesurvey.org/aplv/panek/ozone.htm

  34. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley • What are the likely health effects of these pollutants? • San Joaquin County: 23.1% of children had lifetime asthma prevalence • Fresno County: highest childhood asthma rate in state • No. 1 reason for missing school • 2006 Summer: 23 Spare the Air Days • Health Advisories common in Valley • 2002: 11+ • 1998: 14 • Note: slide posted following lecture Courtesy NASA

  35. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley • What are the likely welfare effects of these pollutants? • Decreased visibility • National parks • Sequoia one of worst polluted parks • Decline of CA pines from O3 • Pesticides • Water acidification/eutrophication • Crop and livestock damage • CARB estimates 10-20% crop reduction for grapes, cotton, tomatoes, oranges, alfalfa • CARB estimates by reducing avg O3 to 0.025 ppm from current avg. of ~0.05 ppm, increase in up to 70% of yield for some crops with $1.5 billion in direct benefits • Note: Slide posted following lecture Visibility Impairment at El Capitan in Yosemite with Half Dome in the background; http://epa.gov/air/visibility/parks/yosemite.html

  36. Case Study: San Joaquin Valley • What are the likely welfare effects of these pollutants? • Medical care • Missed work • Less enjoyable lifestyle • Note: slide posted following lecture

  37. Review of Lecture • Welfare Effects • Criteria pollutants • Purpose of primary standards • Wide range of welfare effects • Crop/vegetation damage • Livestock damage • Building and material damage • HAPs • Other aerosols • Trickle effect of welfare effects • Ecosystem destruction • Economic associations • Connections: Air is pervasive • Effects are felt throughout world

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