Chapter 12: Air

Section 2:

Air, Noise, and Light Pollution

Objectives• Describe three possible short-term effects

and long-term effects of air pollution on human health.

• Explain what causes indoor air pollution and how it can be prevented.

• Describe three human health problems caused by noise pollution.

• Describe solutions to energy waste caused by light pollution.

Air Pollution

• Air pollution can cause serious health problems, especially for people who are very ______, very ____, or who have heart or ______ problems.

Air Pollution

• Air pollution ____ to the effects of existing diseases such as ________, heart disease, and ______ ________.

Air Pollution• The __________ _________ ________

has estimated that Americans pay tens of billions of dollars a year in ______ _____ to treat _________ diseases caused by air pollution.

Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Health

• Many of the effects of air pollution on people’s _______ are short-term and ____________ if their exposure to air pollution decreases.

Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Health

• The _____ - _____ effects of air pollution on people’s health include headache, ________, irritation to the eyes, nose and _______; coughing; ______ in the _____ ______ and upper respiratory infections, such as ________ and pneumonia.

Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Health

• Pollution can also make the conditions of ________ and emphysema ________ for certain individuals.

Long-Term Health Effects of Air Pollution

• _____-_____ effects on health that have been linked to air pollution include emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease.

Long-Term Health Effects of Air Pollution

• Long-term exposure to air pollution may _______ medical conditions suffered by ______ ______ and may damage the lungs of _______.

Indoor Air Pollution

• The quality of air inside a ____ or ______ is sometimes ______ than the quality of air _____.

Indoor Air Pollution

• ________ and other industrial ________ are major sources of pollution.

• These compounds can be found in _____, building materials, _______, and furniture, particularly when these items are _____.

• See your textbook for a chart on indoor pollution.

Indoor Air Pollution• _____-______ syndrome is a set of

symptoms, such as _______, fatigue, eye irritation, and _________, that may affect workers in modern, _____ office buildings.

• Sick-building syndrome is believed to be caused by _____ ____ ______.

Indoor Air Pollution

• Sick-building syndrome is most common in ___ ______ where buildings are tightly sealed to keep out the _____.

Indoor Air Pollution

• Identifying and removing the sources of indoor air pollution is the most effective way to ________ good indoor quality.

• __________, or mixing outdoor air with indoor air, is also _______ for good air quality.

Indoor Air Pollution

• When activities such as _________ and ________, which cause indoor air pollution, are undertaken, _______ should be _______.

Radon Gas

• Radon gas is ______, tasteless, ______, and radioactive.

• _______ is one of the elements produced by the decay of __________, a radioactive element that occurs naturally in the Earth’s _______.

Radon Gas

• Radon can seep through _____ and _______ in foundations into homes, offices, and schools, where it adheres to ______ _______.

Radon Gas• When people inhale the ____, radon

enters their ____. In the lungs, radon can _______ the genetic material in cells that line the air passages.

• Such damage can lead to ________, especially among people who smoke.

• Radon is the ______-______ cause of lung cancer in the United States.

Asbestos

• ________ is any of six ________ minerals that form _______ of minute fibers that are heat resistant, _________, and durable.

• Asbestos is primarily used as an _______ and as a _____ ___________, and it was used extensively in building materials.

Asbestos

• However, for all of its uses, the government banned the use of most asbestos products in the early _____s.

• That was because exposure to _______ in the ___ is very dangerous.

Asbestos

• Asbestos _____ can ____ and ____ the lungs, causing the disease _________.

• _______ of the disease have more and more difficulty breathing and may eventually die of _____ _______.

Noise Pollution• A sound of any kind is called a _____.

However, some noises are _______ and can cause noise pollution.

• Health problems that can be caused by noise pollution include loss of hearing, ______ ______ _____, and ______.

Noise Pollution

• Noise can also cause loss of ___, which may lead to _____ productivity at work and in the classroom.

Noise Pollution

• A _______ is the most common unit used to _______ loudness, and is abbreviated ____.

Noise Pollution• The quietest sound

that a human ___ can hear is represented by __ ___. For each increase in decibel _______, the decibel level is ___ times ______ than the previous level.

Noise Pollution• A sound of ___ dB

is at the threshold of ____. Permanent _______ may come as a result of _____ exposure to sounds over 120 dB.

Noise Pollution

Light Pollution• Light pollution does not present a _____

hazard to human health, but it does _______ affect our ________.

Light Pollution• The use of _____ ______ in ____ areas is

diminishing our view of the _____ ____.

• In urban areas, the sky is often much ________ than the natural sky.

Light Pollution• A more important environmental concern

of inefficient lighting is ____ ____. Energy is wasted when a light is directed ______ into the night sky and ___ to space. Examples include lighting on billboards, _____-____ ________, and the lighting of building exteriors.

Light Pollution• Solutions to this problem include

shielding light so it is directed downward, using ____ _____ so that light is used only when ______, and using low-pressure sodium sources, which are the most _____-_____ sources of _____.

End of section 2