Ozone effects on people such as: irritation of nose and throat:
- increased mucus production and tendency to cough
- eye irritation and headaches for some
- during severe conc. Chest pain and difficulty taking a deep breath without coughing
- ozone affects the sensitive tissue in deep lining
According to US Environmental protection Agency (EPA) has recommended that ozone should not exceed 0.08ppm averaged over an 8-hour period. When ozone exceeds this level, active children and adults, those with respiratory disease such as asthma, and other people with unusual susceptibility to ozone should limit prolonged outdoor exposure. Incidentally, personal tobacco smoking during periods of high ozone exposure doubled the risk of asthmatic individual needing to go to emergency room for treatment of asthma symptoms.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
CO is a colourless, odourless gas, is a by-product of combustion, when there is not enough oxygen present in the air. When CO is breathed in, it reacts rapidly with haemoglobin in the blood, preventing uptake and transport of oxygen. CO firmly attaches to haemoglobin and stays in the blood for relatively long time.
Generally, of the health effects directly associated with CO2 are most, likely due to decreases in oxygen delivery to vital organs such as the heart and brain.
The air quality standards for CO based on the results of epidemiological and laboratory findings. Ambient levels of CO should not exceed 9ppm, when averaged over 8-hour intervals and should not exceed 20ppm in any one-hour period. (The USA EPA has a slightly higher t-hour standard of 35ppm).
If look at the epidemiological studies which revels that significant association between several health effects and Co, although as mentioned earlier it is difficult to completely isolate Co, effects from those of other air pollutants. Co also causes effects to pregnant women who were exposed to high levels of ambient Co (5 PP m to 6PPm) were increased risk of having low birth- weight babies.
Air borne particles
Air particles mean nitrate, sulphates carbon and acid aerosols, which are complex pollutants. Further more gaseous pollutants includes, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide often are present in that atmosphere at same time as particles. Particles samples are collected on filters that are then weighed. Particle concentrations are reported in terms of micrograms of particles per cubic metre.
After a great deal of scientific consideration it was decided that particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than or equal to 10 microns should be collected. Ambient air quality standards were developed for this material, which is called PM10.
Nitrogen Oxides.
Nitrogen oxides are produced during most combustion process, due to aeroplanes other mobile sources and power plant. About 80 percent of immediately released nitrogen oxide is in the form of nitric oxide (No). N20
Is a green house gas that is suspected of playing an important role in global warming.
Effect of air pollutants on wildlife depends on different factors such as animals exposed to air pollutants via three ways: 1. inhalation of gases or small particles 2.Ingestion of particles suspended in food or water or 3.Absorption of gases through skin. In general, only self-bodied invertebrates (eg. Earthworms), or animals with in moist skin (e.g. amphibians as affected by the absorption of pollutants. Other factors included are depends on type of pollutants, duration and time of exposure and the amount taken up by the animal.
Furthermore, individual’s age, sex, health and reproductive condition also play an important role. The pollutants of concern have been divided into three broad categories as under such as ozone, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
Gaseous pollutants
There are three pollutants which cause irritation on the lining of the lungs and also increase respiratory stress, to animals. Birds are even more suspectible to gaseous pollutant injury than mammals due to their higher respiratory rates.
Non-acidic particulates
Includes lead, arsenic and cadmium are emitted by smelters, fluoride is emitted in both gaseous and particulate form from aluminium reduction plants and coal fired power plants and dioxins, furans and mercury are emitted by resource recovery facilitates. Metals have been reported to affect the circulatory , respiratory, gastro-intestinal and central nervous system of animal.
(JR Newton 1985)
Often organs such as the kidney, liver and bran are target.
An early study of white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) near zinc smelter in Pennsylvania reported elevated renal concentrations of cadmium and zinc in the animals examined, with the highest concentrations reported in those deer collected closest to the facility
(L Sileo 1985)
The individual with the highest renal concentration also had joint lesions similar to those found in zinc poisoned horses from the same area.