Name______

AIR POLLUTION

What’s Asthma All About?

http://kidshealth.org/kid/closet/movies/asthma_movie.html

  1. Watch the "What's Asthma All About?" movie and answer the following questions.

§  What are some triggers of asthma?

§  What happens inside the lungs when a person has asthma?

Effects of Common Air Pollutants

http://www.epa.gov/airnow//health-prof/EPA_poster-final_lo-res.pdf

1.  List the common effects of air pollutants that you learned about in the chart.

AIRnow Website

http://www.airnow.gov/

  1. Visit the AIRNow web site.
  2. Select the state and area where you live from "Local Forecasts and Conditions" at the top of the page to find the closest monitoring station and answer the following questions:
  3. Which major air pollutant at this time is considered the "Primary Pollutant"?
  1. What is the AQI color and what is the Cautionary Statement that goes with that color?
  1. How do you think you might be able to use the real time data to help protect yourself from harmful air pollutants?

Current Air Quality Map for the United States

http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.national

  1. Look at the current air quality map of U.S.

§  Is there another area of the country that might pose a health threat to people who live there that have asthma? Where?

§  Summarize what you learned from this map. What areas have cleaner air and what areas have more polluted air?

American Lung Association

http://www.stateoftheair.org/

  1. Using the American Lung Association data, click on your state and county and answer the following questions. If your county is not listed, select one that is closest to you.
  2. What is your county's grade for High Ozone Days?
  3. What is your county's grade for Particle Pollution?
  4. What is your county's Total Population?
  5. How many people are diagnosed with the following diseases in your county and what is the percentage compared to the total population for your county?

§  Pediatric Asthma (children under the age of 14)

§  Adult Asthma

§  Chronic Bronchitis

§  Emphysema

§  Cardiovascular Disease

  1. Click back to your state's data and click on the "Groups at Risk" tab. Which county in your state has the highest percentage of people diagnosed with the following diseases and how does it compare to your county?

§  Pediatric Asthma (children under the age of 14)

§  Adult Asthma

§  Chronic Bronchitis

§  Emphysema

6.  Why do you think the American Lung Association would collect information on air pollution and the number of people with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or cardiovascular disease?

7.  If you were diagnosed with one of these diseases, how could you use the real time air quality information to plan your daily activities

§  Cardiovascular Disease

Sources of Particulate Matter

http://ciese.org/curriculum/airproj/3dchart/map/

In this activity, you will interpret graphs to determine emissions from various sources and determine the source type emitting the most PM10 and PM2.5 in your state.

1.  Select your state from the map to view the state's air pollution data (NOTE: it may take a moment to load the first time you click).

2.  Click through the site and look up the amount of various pollutants in your state to complete the table and answer the questions on the Student Worksheet (move your mouse over the colored column to view the corresponding percentage) .

3.  Complete the Sources of Particulate Matter Worksheet.

Wrap Up

·  Do you think air pollution is an issue we should be concerned with?

·  Why or why not?

·  Do you think air pollution effects the environment? Explain.

·  Explain what Earth systems are interacting regarding air pollution.

·  What do you think will happen to air pollution levels as the world population keeps increasing? Why?

·  Is there anything that you can do to help decrease the amount of air pollution? Explain.