Some Ways To Prevent Air Pollution

There are many ways to prevent air pollution. Some are so simple that you may not

even think of them. Others are a bit more demanding. How to start doing this?

Be a Smart Drive.
Approximately half of the air pollutions comes to us by way of cars and trucks.
There are two very important ways to prevent air pollution – try to drive less and be a smart driver.
Cutting down on trips by car can help cut vehicle air pollution. With gasoline prices being so high recently, many people have chosen to go less distance for their summer vacations.
Also, if you adopt smart driving habits this will help reduce your car’s total emissions. Here are some other ways to prevent air pollution:

• Carpool
• Shop by phone or mail
• Telecommute
• Accelerate gradually
• Obey the speed limit
• Get regular tune-ups for your car as well as support the smog check program
• Keep the air filter in your car clean
• What about smoking vehicles?
• Walk or ride a bicycle (or try one of these cool electric bikes )
• Ride public transit
• Use the cruise control when warranted
• Combine all of your errands into one trip
• Don’t overfill at the pump
• Keep tires properly inflated

Here’s an interesting one. If there comes a day when the air is unhealthy,

drive your newest car. They generally pollute less than older models.

Saving Energy at home can help you reduce air emissions.
Believe it or not, when you save energy, this helps to reduce air pollution. Also, whenever you burn fossil fuel, you add to air pollution.
So use natural gas, gasoline and electricity carefully.
Electricity? It is the power plant that burns fossil fuel to generate electricity. For conservation at home, here are a few ways to prevent air pollution through reduced heat and energy consumption:

• When you leave a room, turn off the lights
• Whenever possible, purchase energy saving appliances
• Add extra insulation to your house
• Use an EPA-approved fireplace insert or wood burning stove
• Insulate your water heater
• Dry your clothes on a clothesline
• Use fluorescent lighting where possible
• Use a thermostat that will automatically turn off your heater or air conditioner when you do not need them
• Instead of a cheap portable air conditioner, use a fan
• Use a microwave to heat small meals
• Install low flow showerheads

Create your own electricity at home
Save it and use it later. Here's how.

Beware of small stuff

When you breathe, very small particles can slip past the lung’s natural defense system. These include soot, dust and acid droplets.

This particulate air pollution may get trapped in your lungs and cause problems such as bronchitis, asthma attacks and other lung diseases. Here are some ways to prevent air pollution from entering your system and to protect yourself:

• On days that there is unhealthy air, do not use your fireplace or wood stove
• Drive slowly on unpaved roads
• Avoid vigorous activity on days that have unhealthy air
• Avoid using a leaf blower and any other kind of equipment that blows a lot of dust around. Try a broom or a rake instead.
• Drive less, especially on days that have unhealthy air

Speak Up For Clean Air

Everyone should try all available ways to prevent air pollution. Anything will make a difference. Use any civic influence you have to improve regional as well as national air pollution standards.

Support action for unhealthy air by writing to your local newspaper. It would also be worth your while to let your elected representatives know that you support the clean air act.

If your concern is industrial air pollution and you need dispersion modelling done, try the experts at Calvin Consulting Group Ltd. Give Barry a call at at 403-547-7557 or email - info @ calvinconsulting.ca (remove spaces).

Search this site for more information now, or go back from Ways to prevent Air Pollution to the Solution Global Warming page.

http://www.stuffintheair.com/ways-to-prevent-air-pollution.html

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Easy Ways To Reduce Air Pollution

When compared to water pollution, air pollution tends to take a backseat. While each issue is equally important, it's easy to forget the prevalence of air pollution. After all, unless you live in a city, the air above your head probably looks as healthy as ever. And one doesn't go jumping into dirty air the same way you might in a dirty ocean or lake, so the issue of air pollution might not resonate as much.
Unfortunately, air pollution is still a prevalent issue, whether you live in a city with millions of other people or reside on a countryside farm where the nearest neighbor is a mile away. Regardless of where you live, what you do can greatly impact the quality of the air you breathe. Here are a few simple steps that will ensure you're making a positive impact on the air up there.
* Turn the lights off: Believe it or not, most people leave extra lights on throughout their home. This is both bad for the environment and bad for the utility bill. Turn the lights off in rooms you're not using, and put a dim light bulb in any exterior lights you keep on overnight.
* Properly dispose of household items: Solvents, pesticides and household paints can damage the air thanks to their chemical composition. Whenever disposing of such products, due so in accordance to all local laws. In addition, when storing these products, make sure they're properly sealed in airtight containers.
* Call the repair man: Leaky air conditioners and refrigeration systems can send harmful gases into the sky. Have all such appliances examined for leaks once a year, and don't procrastinate in cases where a call to the repair center is necessary.
You can also learn to do your own "repairs" that will help the environment as well. For example, check filters on all air conditioners around the house. A dirty filter will require the air conditioner to work harder to cool a room, causing you to turn the A/C up and, in so doing, increasing your energy bill. By checking and cleaning the filter, you'll reduce the emissions your A/C is sending out into the air while also reducing your bill.
* Show some tolerance when it's hot or cold: Turning on the air conditioner or heater doesn't improve air quality. Unless the temperature absolutely calls for it, avoid turning on the A/C by opening some windows and keep the heater at a lower temperature while throwing on a sweater.
* Recycle: While it's hard to believe in the 21st century, many households still don't recycle. During the production of items such as plastics, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans, harmful emissions are produced and sent into the air. By recycling, fewer of these items need to be produced, and that will lessen the damage done to the air.
* Carpool to work: With the ever-increasing prices of fuel, carpooling to work has never seemed such an attractive option. Not only will you help the pocketbook by sharing the weekly gas tab with at least one other person, but you'll substantially decrease the amount of harmful emissions vehicles send into the air each day. If you carpool with three other people who are all used to driving to work in their own cars, you've cut the amount of emissions the four of you would normally produce by 75 percent.
* Take care of your car: Several things impact how efficiently a vehicle will burn fuel. Tires that aren't properly inflated, a dirty air filter and even your own driving habits can have a negative impact on the efficiency of a vehicle. Rapidly accelerating burns more fuel, as does a lot of stop- and-go driving. A dirty air filter makes the car work harder and reduces fuel efficiency, as do poorly inflated tires. Keep up with all manufacturer guidelines.
To learn more about reducing air pollution, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Web site at www.epa.gov.

http://75.101.128.236/think-green/_article27.html

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Ways To Reduce Air Pollution

We make choices everyday that can help reduce air pollution. Below are a few ideas that you can take to help clean our air.
At Home

• Conserve energy - turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
• Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions.)
• Keep woodstoves and fireplaces well maintained. You should also consider replacing old wood stoves with EPA-certified models. Visit www.epa.gov/woodstoves.
• Plant deciduous trees in locations around your home to provide shade in the summer, but to allow light in the winter.
• Buy green electricity-produced by low-or even zero-pollution facilities.
• Connect your outdoor lights to a timer or use solar lighting.
• Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
• Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F.
• Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes, and paint strippers.
• Test your home for radon-a dangerous, radioactive gas that is odorless and tasteless. If the test shows elevated levels of radon, the problem can be fixed cost effectively. Visit www.epa.gov/radon.
• Choose not to smoke in your home, especially if you have children. If you or your visitors must smoke, then smoke outside. Visit www.epa.gov/smokefree.

Buy Smart

• Buy ENERGY STAR products, including energy efficient lighting and appliances. They are environmentally friendly products. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov or call 1-888-STAR-YES.
• Choose efficient, low-polluting models of vehicles. Visit www.epa.gov/greenvehicles.
• Choose products that have less packaging and are reusable.
• Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
• Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.

Drive Wise
Plan your trips. Save gasoline and reduce air pollution.

• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned.
• In the summertime, fill gas tank during cooler evening hours to cut down on evaporation. Avoid spilling gas and don't "top off" the tank. Replace gas tank cap tightly.
• Avoid waiting in long drive-thru lines, for example, at fast-food restaurants or banks. Park your car and go in.
• When possible, use public transportation, walk, or ride a bike.
• Get regular engine tune ups and car maintenance checks (especially for the spark plugs).
• Use an energy-conserving (EC) grade motor oil.
• Ask your employer to consider flexible work schedules or telecommuting.
• Report smoking vehicles to your local air agency.
• Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work.

For Your Health

• Check daily air quality forecasts, which tell how clean or polluted your air is, and the associated health concerns. Visit www.airnow.gov.
• Remove indoor asthma triggers from your home and avoid outdoor triggers in order to effectively control your asthma. Visit www.epa.gov/asthma to learn more about asthma triggers and ways to avoid them.

Minimize your sun exposure. Wear sun block and UV protection sunglasses. To find out about current forecasts of UV where you live, go to

• www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html.

http://www.epa.gov/air/peg/reduce.html

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Air Quality In Malaysia : Impacts, Management Issues And Future Challenges

Awang MB, Jaafar AB, Abdullah AM, Ismail MB, Hassan MN, Abdullah R, Johan S, Noor H.

Source

Centre for Environmental Technology and Natural Resource Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor. awang@fsas.upm.edu.my

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Observations have been made on the long-term trends of major air pollutants in Malaysia including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, the ozone and total suspended particulate matter (particularly PM10), and sulfur dioxide, emitted from industrial and urban areas from early 1970s until late 1998.

METHODOLOGY:

The data show that the status of atmospheric environment in Malaysia, in particular in highly industrialized areas such as Klang Valley, was determined both by local and transboundary emissions and could be described as haze and non-haze periods.

RESULTS:

During the non-haze periods, vehicular emissions accounted for more than 70% of the total emissions in the urban areas and have demonstrated two peaks in the diurnal variations of the aforementioned air pollutants, except ozone. The morning 'rush-hour' peak was mainly due to vehicle emissions, while the late evening peak was mainly attributed to meteorological conditions, particularly atmospheric stability and wind speed. Total suspended particulate matter was the main pollutant with its concentrations at few sites often exceeding the Recommended Malaysia Air Quality Guidelines. The levels of other pollutants were generally within the guidelines. Since 1980, six major haze episodes were officially reported in Malaysia: April 1983, August 1990, June 1991, October 1991, August to October 1994, and July to October 1997. The 1997 haze episode was the worst ever experienced by the country. Short-term observations using continuous monitoring systems during the haze episodes during these periods clearly showed that suspended particulate matter (PM10) was the main cause of haze and was transboundary in nature. Large forest fires in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan during the haze period, clearly evident in satellite images, were identified as the probable key sources of the widespread heavy haze that extended across Southeast Asia from Indonesia to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. The results of several studies have also provided strong evidence that biomass burning is the dominating source of particulate matter. The severity and extent of 1997's haze pollution was unprecedented, affecting some 300 million people across the region. The amount of economic costs suffered by Southeast Asian countries during this environmental disaster was enormous and is yet to be fully determined. Among the important sectors severely affected were air and land transport, shipping, construction, tourism and agro-based industries. The economic cost of the haze-related damage to Malaysia presented in this study include short-term health costs, production losses, tourism-related losses and the cost of avertive action. Although the cost reported here is likely to be underestimated, they are nevertheless significant (roughly RM1 billion).

CONCLUSIONS:

The general air quality of Malaysia since 1970 has deteriorated. Studies have shown that should no effective countermeasures be introduced, the emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in the year 2005 would increase by 1.4, 2.12, 1.47 and 2.27 times, respectively, from the 1992 levels.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10894109

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Air Pollution Index (API)

The Air Pollution Index (API) is a simple and generalized way to describe the air quality in mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. It is calculated from several sets of air pollution data.

Contents  [hide]  1 Mainland China 2 Hong Kong 3 Malaysia 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

API Mechanics
An individual score is assigned to the level of each pollutant and the final API is the highest of those 5 scores. The pollutants can be measured quite differently. SO₂, NO₂ and PM₁₀ concentration are measured as average per day. CO and O₃ are more harmful and are measured as average per hour. The final API value is calculated per day.
The scale for each pollutant is non-linear, as is the final API score. Thus an API of 100 does not mean twice the pollution of API at 50, nor does it mean twice as harmful. While an API of 50 from day 1 to 182 and API of 100 from day 183 to 365 does provide an annual average of 75, it does not mean the pollution is acceptable even if the benchmark of 100 is deemed safe. This is because the benchmark is a 24 hour target. The annual average must match against the annual target. It is entirely possible to have safe air every day of the year but still fail the annual pollution benchmark.^[1]
API and Health Implications (Daily Targets)^[1]

API	Air Pollution Level	Health Implications
0 - 50	Excellent	No health implications
51 -100	Good	No health implications
101-150	Slightly Polluted	Slight irritations may occur, individuals with breathing or heart problems should reduce outdoor exercise.
151-200	Lightly Polluted	Slight irritations may occur, individuals with breathing or heart problems should reduce outdoor exercise.
201-250	Moderately Polluted	Healthy people will be noticeably affected. People with breathing or heart problems will experience reduced endurance in activities. These individuals and elders should remain indoors and restrict activities.
251-300	Heavily Polluted	Healthy people will be noticeably affected. People with breathing or heart problems will experience reduced endurance in activities. These individuals and elders should remain indoors and restrict activities.
300+	Severely Polluted	Healthy people will experience reduced endurance in activities. There may be strong irritations and symptoms and may trigger other illnesses. Elders and the sick should remain indoors and avoid exercise. Healthy individuals should avoid out door activities.

Malaysia

Similar to Hong Kong, the air quality in Malaysia is reported as the API or Air Pollution Index. Four of the index's pollutant components (i.e., carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide) are reported in ppmv but PM₁₀ particulate matter is reported in μg/m³.
This scale below shows the Health classifications used by the Malaysian government.

•   0-50  Good
•  51-100 Moderate
• 101-200 Unhealthy
• 201-300 Very unhealthy
• 301- Hazardous

If the API exceeds 500, a state of emergency is declared in the reporting area. Usually, this means that non-essential government services are suspended, and all ports in the affected area are closed. There may also be a prohibition on private sector commercial and industrial activities in the reporting area excluding the food sector.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Pollution_Index

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