Activity 3.3.1 Air Pollution Core Activity

 (1) Air Pollution Basics,

Sulfur Pollutant  

Sulfur Dioxide is a colorless but nasty smelly gas. Its chemical symbol is (SO2). Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is another Sulphur gas that smells like rotten eggs. When either SO2 or H2S gets oxidized they both become sulfate. Volcanoes are a natural source of Sulphur gasses. Humans, after the industrial revolution, have also been releasing lots of sulfur gas into the atmosphere.

Nitrogen Pollutants

The most important Nitrogen gasses are Nitric Acid, Nitrogen Oxide, Nitrous Oxide, and Ammonia. Nitric Oxide (NO) and Nitrogen Dioxide 9NO2) are commonly referred to as NOx. Luckily, it is rare for concentrations of Nitrogen to ruin or otherwise harm vegetation. Also, it is very unlikely to harm humans at all.

Hydrocarbon and Volatile Organic Compound Pollutants

There are a very large amount of Hydrocarbons chemicals. They are a mix of Hydrogen and Carbon atoms. The simplest form is Methane (CH4). Forest fires, burping, termites and fossil fuels all release some Methane. There are two different OZONE-related issues. The first is (O3) in the stratosphere and the second is in the troposphere (O3). The Troposphere is ground level. Ground-Level ozone (O3) is the most damaging of all the photochemical air pollutants.

(2) Comparison of Current AQI, 

AQI stands for Air Quality Index. The air quality index is used to measure air pollution. It is also used to explain the severity in the air pollution of an area to the people. There are six severity levels on the index as well.

Comparison of Current AQI

	Time of Day	AQI Current	AQI Forecast	PM2.5	O3
San Diego, CA	7:48 pm	36	Good	25	74
San Antonio, TX (Where I Live)	9:50 pm	35	Good	34	35
Los Angeles, CA (Highest)	10:53 am	39	Good	32	38

 San Antonio has the lowest AQI of all of my choices but only by a margin. Surprisingly, San Antonio also has the highest PM2.5 which means it has the highest particulate matter concentration of any of my other choices but still has the lowest overall AQI. This is because it has the lowest O3 concentration by a long shot. San Diego California on the other hand has the largest O3 concentration and the lowest Pm2.5 at the same time. Saginaw Michigan has the highest AQI, a middling PM2.5 and, a middling O3 concentration.

Despite the drastic number changes of San Antonio, San Diego and, Saginaw all have good forecasts. This is because the number scale can go all the way up to 500 from 0. There are six different options on the scale that get progressively worse. The first means that it is completely safe to breathe the air outside and mostly nobody has anything to worry about. The sixth only ever appears if there is an emergency situation because it is typically caused by a disaster like a volcanic eruption or forest fire.

Resources for Data: EPA and Partners Michigan Department of Environment

https://www.airnow.gov/city=Saginaw&state=MI&country=USA 

(3) Comparison of Current PM2.5/03.

PM2.5 is particulate matter. This is matter that is extremely small, smaller than the width of a stand of hair.  The unit of measurement used is µg/m3 which stands for one-millionth of a gram. O3 is ozone and it's a great problem creating air pollution. "Ozone can damage the tissues of the respiratory tract, causing inflammation and irritation, and result in symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness and worsening of asthma symptoms." (California Air Resource Board). 

Comparison of Current PM2.5 and O3 to EPA Standards

National Standard	San Antonio Current measured over 1 hour	Time of Day
PM2.5 Average measured over 24 hours - 35 μg/m3	7.0 µg/m3	11:34 pm
O3 Average measured over 8 hours - 70 ppb (137 µg/m3)	34 ppb	11:34 pm

Resources for Data: 

California Air Resource Board, Ozone Effects, Created November 3, 2016 https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/ozone-effects#:~:text=Ozone%20can%20damage%20the%20tissues,crops%2C%20forests%20and%20native%20plants.

Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, Current Ozone, Monday, March 20th

Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, Latest Hourly PM2.5 Levels, Monday, March 20th