Air Pollution (non-GHG)

Overview

The most common sources of air pollution include particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are also considered a form of air pollution. This concept is addressed in the education for GHG Emissions & Climate Effects. While most air pollution comes from burning fossil fuels to make energy, it is also released by natural sources such as:

• smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires

• methane emitted from the digestion of food by animals (especially cattle)

• volcanic activity that produces sulfur, chlorine, and ash particulate matter

• radon gas from radioactive decay

• dust from large areas with little to no vegetation

As the global population increases and living standards rise, more energy is being used. If the energy comes from fossil fuels, this leads to more air pollution. The natural absorptive capacity of the atmosphere can only handle so much.

Air pollution isn’t just outdoors. We can also be exposed to indoor air pollution in buildings from dust, mold, cleaning and other chemicals, and off-gassing from a wide variety of materials we use every day. Reducing these impacts to improve indoor air quality contributes to a healthier and more productive workforce.

From a sustainability perspective, it is important that we work to improve quality of life for a growing number of inhabitants on the planet while also ensuring that we protect air quality and public health.

Resources

• The Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. § 7401) is a US federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level. It is one of the most comprehensive air quality laws in the world. The law is administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under implementing regulations (40 C.F.R. Subchapter C, Parts 50-97), in coordination with state, local, and tribal governments.

• National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Business risks

For most businesses, risks associated with polluted air generally arise from two sources. First are the risks associated with non-compliance with law for emissions that are regulated by national, state, or local authorities. Failing to comply with permit requirements and/or emissions limits exposes a company to substantial penalties and/or lawsuits.

The second risk area relates to indoor pollution. Because indoor air pollutants can damage human health, air quality in the workplace is an increasingly important concern for many businesses. Human health impacts from bad indoor air (such as dust, mold, allergens, and off-gassed chemicals) can result in productivity losses. Further, word of an unhealthy place to work has a way of spreading (particularly on social media). An unaddressed indoor air pollution problem can result in an inability to attract and retain talent.

What can businesses do?

Businesses contribute to air pollution through operational processes, transport systems, and supply chains. As such, business and industry are accountable for their contributions to air pollution. At a minimum, they are required to comply with federal air quality standards. Laws such as the Clean Air Act and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards set maximum atmospheric concentrations for specific pollutants.

Increasingly, companies are finding ways to reduce air pollution through eco-efficiencies and technology solutions. By incorporating environmental considerations into design, retrofit, and operating processes, products, buildings, and manufacturing systems can be made resource-efficient and sustainable.

Fugitive emissions

Fugitive emissions are best eliminated or reduced through proper operation and regular inspections and maintenance of the pressurized equipment in which a gas or vapor is used. This saves the cost of replacing the gas or vapor, reduces air pollution, and, depending on the type of gas or vapor, reduces GHG emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change.

Point source emissions

Point source air pollution is typically a compliance issue of ensuring that the stationary source of emissions has been properly permitted and is operating within permitted limits. There may also be an opportunity to reduce or eliminate pollution by improving or eliminating the source of emissions.

Resources

• Categories of Pollution: Point Source

Mobile source emissions

Because mobile source emissions are often regulated more broadly through design and fuel standards, reducing mobile sources of air pollution often involves upgrading to less polluting models or adapting existing sources to use cleaner burning fuel alternatives.

Indoor air pollutants

Indoor air pollutants can negatively affect the health and wellbeing of building occupants, which in turn can have an impact on productivity, healthcare costs, and worker morale. Ensuring clean indoor air by testing, using proper air filters, and enforcing controls to prevent the introduction of contaminants protects occupants and reduces a variety of risks, including litigation.

Resources

• EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaners

• Introduction to Indoor Air Quality

Noise pollution

Noise pollution interferes with normal activities and can affect quality of life. For some, persistent or high-volume sound can range from being a distracting annoyance to having major health consequences. While there is always some sound in the air, understanding and managing sources of workplace noise pollution can create a healthier and more comfortable work environment.

Resources

• Noise Pollution Clearinghouse

Transportation

Transportation is a central pillar of our economy and society. It enables people and goods to move around the world. It has become essential for societal growth and development.

Despite the substantial socioeconomic benefits, transport systems pose serious environmental and societal costs. The challenge for sustainability is not to do away with transport, but to make it sustainable, energy-efficient, and less dependent on fossil fuels.

Air pollution

Air pollution poses significant risks to human health and the environment. Vehicles produce air pollution during manufacturing, operation, and disposal processes. These pollutants can lead to health problems like respiratory illness such as asthma, as well as other problems like smog and acid rain.

Climate change and GHGs

Transportation also has a significant impact on climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The majority of GHG emissions from transportation come from the combustion of fossil fuel-based products, like gasoline and diesel fuel, in internal combustion engines. Over half of the emissions created by the transportation sector are a result of passenger cars and light-weight trucks. The remainder of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation comes from other modes, including freight trucks, commercial aircraft, ships, boats, and trains as well as from leak in pipelines and lubricants used in the transportation industry.

According to the EPA, transportation is one of the largest sources of GHG emissions in the US. In 2014, transportation accounted for roughly 26% of total US GHG emissions, as shown in the graphic below.

For every kilometer traveled, there is a large disparity in the amount of emissions produced by the different modes of transport. For each metric ton moved one kilometer the following emissions are produced:

• Plane (air cargo): 500g

• Truck: 60-150g

• Train/Rail: 30-100g

• Ship: 10-40g

To put those measurements in perspective, a one-ton shipment from Bangladesh to the United States by air emits 6,609,500 grams of CO2. The same shipment by waterway, using the highest estimated emissions figure, emits 528,760 grams of CO2.

Biodiversity and land impacts

In addition to the impacts from pollution, transportation has other social and environmental costs such as road crashes, traffic congestion, and damage to natural habitats and biodiversity. Water runoff from roadways is polluted by oil, rubber residue, and road salts. Roads dissect wildlife habitats, causing habitat fragmentation, which leads to a decrease in biodiversity among species.

Transportation management

Approaches to managing the energy and environmental impacts of transportation include:

• Reducing the number of miles traveled

• Operating vehicles more efficiently

• Using low-carbon fuels

• Creating or adopting new and improving existing vehicle technologies

The approaches to transportation management listed above cover a range of activities. To get an idea of what’s involved, take a look at a few examples of transportation-related projects:

1. Managing transportation logistics to reduce fuel requirements. Use logistics to plan and create more efficient routes (speed caps and routing to minimize driving through city traffic) to reduce fuel requirements and emissions.

2. Selecting building site near public transportation. Identify and consider transportation distances when selecting office or distribution sites.

3. Encourage environmentally friendly or reduced travel. Educate the workforce to prioritize modes of transportation to have the least environmental impact. Encourage employees to ride share and carpool.

4. Incentivizing use of public transportation. Adopt benefit programs that provide employees with incentives to use public transportation and reduce individual car travel such as pre-tax flex-spending or subsidy benefits public transportation and free transit passes. Provide incentives for use of local car/bicycle share programs and companies to enable public transportation commuting by making cars and bicycles readily available for transportation requirements during the workday.

We share the air

The atmosphere is a complex natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on earth. A common belief is that air pollution is contained in the area where it was produced. Not true! We now know that air pollution can travel across oceans. For example, pollution particles in China are picked up by air currents across the Pacific Ocean and transported to the northeast US. In other words, air pollution does not respect international borders.

Air pollution in one part of the world impacts air quality in another. This is why we need to use systems thinking to understand and solve for the complex cause and effect relationships at the heart of many sustainability topics.

Poor air quality causes serious damage to human and natural systems. Air pollution consists of particulate, biological, and chemical molecules and substances released into Earth’s atmosphere from cars, homes, factories, and other anthropogenic (man-made) sources. Both outdoor and indoor air can suffer from air pollution.

Human health impacts

Poor air quality can have far-reaching effects. The most severe impacts are to the body’s respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Air pollution can cause respiratory illness, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. The risk to an individual depends on a number of factors including the type of pollutant, the degree of exposure, and the person’s age, genetics, and health status. Older adults and children are generally at a higher risk than others.