Colorless, odorless, but…
Sulfur dioxide (SO) comes mostly from stationary – source coal and oil combustion, refineries, pulp/paper mills and smelters. Health hazards associated with SO: Impaired breathing, respiratory illness, lung and cardiovascular diseases.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is odorless, colorless and poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon in fuels. It enters the bloodstream and disrupts delivery of oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues.
Protect your lungs
Nitrogen oxides (NO) can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections. Many urban areas violate the EPA standards on occasional hot summer days when the sun cooks hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, thus producing smog.
Ozone (O3) is a colorless gas that affects people with impaired respiratory systems, such as asthmatics and can significantly reduce lung function.
And your kidneys too.
Lead (Pb) can affect us via air, diet, and ingestion of lead in soil and dust. It accumulates in the body in blood, bone and soft tissue. It is not easily excreted and affects the kidneys, nervous system and blood – forming organs. It can cause seizures, mental retardation and/or behavioral disorders. At low doses it is harmful to infants. Today more than 99.8 percent of the lead once added to gasoline in the US has been removed.
Watch the numbers
To measure air quality in urban areas EPA has developed an indicator called Air Quality Index (AQI), formerly the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI). The AQI integrates into a single number emission levels of five major pollutants: Particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone and nitrogen oxide.
AQI measure in numbers: 0-50, good air; 51 to 100, moderate air and over 100 is classified as unhealthy; 201 – 300, very unhealthy, and 301 – 500, hazardous. (Summary from the US Environmental Protection Agency)
No comments:
Post a Comment