Air Hygiene and Management: Climate Vs Weather

Air hygiene and management
• Global warming is a term used to describe the rise of mean global

temperature experienced in the past decades. This process is caused
by the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases.
• The main effect of global warming is the changing patterns of the
climate.
• It also leads to major changes in the weather (not only in
temperature but in precipitation, wind patterns as well).
Climate vs weather
Climate: the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of
a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation,
sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over
a series of years.
• Weather: the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind,
temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.
Greenhouse gases:
• Gases that are able to trap heat in the atmosphere are called
greenhouse gases. Green house gases are not necessarily harmful.
Without them, the global mean temperature on the planet would be
below zero. Extreme levels on the other hand may have adversary
effects on human health.
• The most important green house gases are the following:• Carbon
dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrous oxide
Source of greenhouse gases:
Carbon dioxide (CO2): from burning fossil fuels, solid waste and
wood products.
• Methane (CH4): from production and transport of coal, natural gas,
oil; and livestock and other agricultural practices.
• Nitrous oxide (N2O): from agricultural and industrial activities.
Malaria and climate change:

In many temperate areas, such as western Europe and the United
States, economic development and public health measures have
succeeded in eliminating malaria. However, most of these areas have
Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit malaria, and reintroduction
of the disease is a constant risk.
• Malaria doesn’t spread:
At very high altitudes
During colder seasons in some areas
In deserts (excluding the oases)
• In some countries where transmission has been interrupted
through successful control/elimination programs.
Definition of air pollution:

• Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulates, or
biological materials into the atmosphere that cause discomfort,
disease, or death to humans, damage other living organisms such as
food crops, or damage the natural environment or built
environment.
1. Natural: dust from natural sources, for example: smoke and
carbon monoxide from wildfires, volcanic activity, methane, and
radon.
2. Anthropogenic: from households, industry, agriculture and
transport, mostly related to burning different kinds of fuel
Outdoor
Indoor
Dynamics of air pollutants:

• Emission: emission of pollutants from source (measured in
grams/hour).
• Transmission: physical and/or chemical transformation of emitted
pollutants in the environment.
• Immission: concentration of pollution that is present in human
environments at 2m height (measured in mg/m3 or μg/m3).
Sources of air pollution:

• The three main sources of outdoor pollutants can be grouped as
follows:
• mobile sources
• point sources
• non-point source
Mobile sources:
• Mobile sources: The most important mobile sources are vehicles
and off-road equipment (such as boats, airplanes, lawn mowers, leaf
blowers, and other agricultural and construction equipment).
• The gases usually contain the following:• Carbon Monoxide (CO),
• Particulate Matter (PM),
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),
• Ozone (O3)
• and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).
Source of nitrogen dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide forms when fuel is burned at high temperatures,
and come principally from motor vehicle exhaust and stationary
sources such as electric utilities and industrial boilers.
• It is a strong oxidizing agent that reacts in the air to form corrosive
nitric acid, as well as toxic organic nitrates.
• It also plays a major role in the atmospheric reactions that produce
ground-level ozone (or smog).
Source of sulfur dioxide and effect
• About 99% of the sulfur dioxide in air comes from human sources.
• The main source of sulfur dioxide in the air is industrial activity that
processes materials that contain sulfur, eg the generation of
electricity from coal, oil or gas that contains sulfur.
• Some mineral ores also contain sulfur, and sulfur dioxide is
released when they are processed. In addition, industrial activities
that burn fossil fuels containing sulfur can be important sources of
sulfur dioxide
• Sulfur dioxide affects human health when it is breathed in. It
irritates the nose, throat, and airways to cause coughing, wheezing,
shortness of breath, or a tight feeling around the chest. The effects
of sulfur dioxide are felt very quickly and most people would feel the
worst symptoms in 10 or 15 minutes after breathing it in.
Outdoor air pollution - caused deaths:
WHO reports that in 2012 around 7 million people died - one in eight
of total global deaths – as a result of air pollution exposure
• Main causes of death are:
• 40% ischaemic heart disease;
• 40% stroke;
• 11% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);• 6% lung
cancer; and
• 3% acute lower respiratory infections in children.

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Air hygiene and management

• Global warming is a term used to describe the rise of mean global

Malaria and climate change:

Definition of air pollution:

Dynamics of air pollutants:

Sources of air pollution:

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