Why Air Particulates Create A Need For Tougher Emissions Control

Airborne particulate matter is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic substances that are divided into two groups: coarse and fine particles

. The fine particles include formed aerosols (gas that turned to particles), combustion particles, and metal vapors. The large particles are things like dust from the road or a factory. The fine particles are the ones most directly linked to acid rain and those are the ones that we are going to deal with today. They have the most relevance to the new laws in California regulating the emissions from semi-tractor trailers. While Santa Cruz is not a big city, we have a major artery, highway 1 which runs through our lovely ocean side communities as well as mining in the mountains which generate particulates too.

Particulate air pollution is a mixture of solid and liquid particles that are suspended in the air that you breathe. It is best to classify air particles by the aerodynamic properties because these properties determine the removal of them from the air, and where they deposit in your respiratory system.

The fine particles are mainly created from gases. There are four major origins for the gases that are to blame for these particles: heavy metal (vaporized during combustion or casting), carbon from combustion, organic carbon, sulfates and nitrates. Take sulphur dioxide. It is created during engine combustion, but when it gets into the atmosphere and mixes with rain it turns into sulphuric acid. We all probably know what that can do- as it is highly corrosive and dangerous in concentration.

The relationship between air pollution and lung cancer has been well established. The fine particles are the ones mostly to blame. Air pollution makes all lung diseases (COPD, asthma, emphysema) worse as the smog levels go up.

It has also been proven the lung development in children in areas of high smog is slower than in other areas. Some children do not achieve full lung capacity because of the smog they live in. The good news is that lung development begins again if the child moves away from the smog. These results were issued in the American Journal of Respiratory And Critical Care in 2001 and 2002.

The damage being done to the growing lungs of our children and the irritation in the lungs of the elderly, has led to tougher emissions control laws being enacted in California. Not every child or senior can move away from the danger, so the danger should be minimized for them.

I plan to discuss these new emissions control laws in my next post. I hope you come back and read on with me.

by: xsandeep

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