Pollution and Environmental protection

DR.HUMAIRA RIZWANA

LAB-346

Air pollution

•DEFINITION -- Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological

materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms or damages

the natural environment of the atmosphere.•Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are

listed as two of the world's worst pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute

World's Worst Polluted Places report.

•Types of air pollutants :–Primary pollutants - products of natural

events (like fires and volcanic eruptions) and human activities added directly to the air

–Secondary pollutants - formed by interaction of primary pollutants with each other or with

normal components of the air

•Particulates--

•Particulates or particulate matter (PM) are fine particles, are tiny particles of solid

or liquid suspended in a gas.

•1.solid particles (e.g., dust, soot, & asbestos)

• 2.liquid droplets (e.g., pesticides )

–Sources----

•Power plants, iron/steel mills, land clearing, highway construction, mining, &

other activities.–Effects ----

•Act as respiratory irritants; some are known carcinogens (e.g., asbestos).

• can aggravate heart/respiratory diseases

• Lab ----Aim -- To determine the presence of particulate matter(PM) in air.

•Materials ---Microscopic slides

•Petri dishes

•MicroscopeGlass

• rodGlass marker

•Petroleum jelly

•Method---1. Select different location (indoor, outdoor, busy road, park, factory / industry)

•2 .Take glass slides; label the locations on them with glass marker. (Take replicates if possible).

•3 .Smear the center of the slide with white petroleum jelly, using a glass rod or tongue depressor.

•4 .Place the slide in a Petri dish and cover it immediately.•5 .Carry it to the desired location and open the lid for a period of• )6-12 hours.(•6 .Cover the lid after the experimental time and bring it to the lab.•7. Observe under a microscope.•8 Control slide —Place a smeared slide in a Petri dish and cover it

immediately.•9 .Compare and record your results. Diesel particles

S.NOParticle Trap locationNumber of particles

1

2

3

4

5

Observation.Data table

Inference/Conclusion--: