Photochemical smog (or just smog for short) is a term used to describe air pollution that is a result of the interaction of sunlight with certain chemicals in the atmosphere. During the early years of World War II, Los Angeles residents began to realize the consequences of an increasingly industrialized area. Investigations began to determine the cause of resident's eye irritation, crop damage, severe reductions in visibility and the rapid deterioration of rubber products. "Smog" became a familiar word and everyday presence and scientists and medical personnel began to look at its effects on public health. Early efforts to study the health effects of exposure to air pollution focused on acute exposure episodes. In a 1956 survey sent out by the Los Angeles County Medical Association, most physicians reported the existence of a "smog complex" involving eye irritation, irritation of the respiratory tract, chest pains, cough, shortness of breath, nausea and headache; about half had recommended that patients move from the area on account of the effect of smog on their health; most observed that patients with respiratory diseases were more susceptible to smog than healthy adults; and most thought patients with cardiac diseases were more susceptible to smog than healthy adults. The sources of pollution include emissions from on-road vehicles, non-road vehicles like planes, ships and trains, industries, and even small businesses and households where polluting products are used. Ozone, an invisible gas, is not emitted directly into the air, but forms when nitrogen oxides from fuel combustion and volatile organic gases from evaporated petroleum products react in the presence of sunshine. Ozone levels are highest during the warm months when there is strong sunshine, high temperatures and an inversion layer. Nitrogen oxides are produced when fossil fuels are burned in motor vehicles, power plants, furnaces and turbines. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion that comes almost entirely from motor vehicles. Fine particulates, which are emitted directly as smoke and diesel soot and form in the air out of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, obscure visibility and can be inhaled deep into the lungs. For more information on smog, go to the USEPA website at http://www.epa.gov/air/basic.html. This clip is from the 1960 film, Air Pollution Research at UC Riverside, made by the Citrus Experiment Station. The film shows some of the campus' early efforts to research and combat smog. UC Riverside has a long history of research into air pollution and its effect on the state's agriculture. The entire film is available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y72ilgf4SBQ .. The Air Pollution Research Center (APRC) was established by the Regents of the University of California in 1961 to conduct basic and applied research into photochemical air pollution. Over the past three decades, APRC researchers have been at the forefront of scientific studies involving air pollution. Learn more about the APRC at http://www.ucr.edu/research/centers/aprc.html.
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Smog and health effectsby hbutcher28185 views
Amazing that we had studies being performed 50+ years ago. Too bad more R&D didn't exist for hybrid or electric technology.
kazanlaw 1 month ago