Environmental Psychology Lecture Notes: Pollution part 1

Pollution: Air Pollution

Definitions Broad: "garbage in the air" Technical: Matter or gases in the air Common air pollutants: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, photochemical pollutants (caused when other pollutants interact with light & heat)

Air Pollution: Causes Natural Causes: Dust & wind Volcanic activity Natural byproducts (vegetation = pollen) Natural water content (fog) Mist & Rain Human Causes: Point-specific: single, identifiable source of emissions, such as plumes from factories of power plants. (You know what is causing it) Non-specific: sources such as automobiles and development. Pollution may be Atmospheric transport pollution. (pollutants in one area may be carried to a different location)( this makes it an international world-wide issue) e.g. 25% of California's air pollution comes from china Air Pollution: Health Effects Respiratory problems (especially those who are volnerable) Skin Problems (depleation of ozone layer leads to skin cancer) Nervous system diseases Liver disease Reproductive difficulties Eye and Vision problems Cardiovascular problems Air Pollution: Other Effects

Performance deficits: (cabon monoxide is administered, subjects were given cognitive test measuring performance. Results showed a decline in task performance) Social Behavior: Restricts recreation behavior (people are less likely to go outside and play) Makes people feel more unpleasant

Decreased willingness to help others Increased levels of anger Increased Flight response

Air Pollution: Social History

Ancient: Fires for cooking meat **Not until the 40's & 50's did we see government interest in air pollution** 1950's: "Killer smogs" in England increased awareness of increased pollution in urban areas (3000 people killed in 1952) 1963: Clean Air Act established funding for study & clean up Gave money to study air pollution, but did not actually attempt to solve the issue No federal response until 1970. 1970: Stronger Clean Air Act passed, EPA created (responsible for variety of Clean Air Act programs nationwide) (carried out/fulfilling the law) 1970's &80s: Solidarity fight against aluminum smelters in Poland Increased awareness of respiratory dangers for elderly & those with lung problems Awareness & conflict over airborne levels of arsenic, mercury, lead & asbestos (conflict over who's responsible?) Visibility standards grow from conflict over power plants 1990's: Clean Air Act revised, giving government more power to enforce. Allowed selling of pollution rights initiated, Air Quality Regions for visibility established. (specific areas to manage visiblity e.g. west) 2000's: Supreme Court supports Clean Air Act as constitutional; Bush administration lobbies to weaken EPA regulations & air pollution standards.

Visibility Standards 1977 (revised in 1990) Amendments to clean Air Act for visibility protection of Class 1 public Lands (e.g. National Parks) Challenge: Language of the act requires more than physical measures We need the Psychological nature of visibility impairment has to be measured Methods for assessing visibility

Physical Methods (EQI's) Field monitoring with camera pictures and photometer recordings (measure amount of light lost due to particulates in the air) Computer generated haze conditions and digitized readings of slide transmittance values Psychological Methods: Rating Scales (PEQI's) Scenic Beauty Estimates (SBE) Perceived Visual Air Quality (PVAQ) Specific Haze Ratings scale These scales can be Laboratory based psychological assessments They can also be completed with Onsite interviews of visitors

Visibility Policy & Management

Amendments to the Clean Air Act contained the following Requirements: Any perceptible change in visibility can be considered impairment Loss of enjoyment of a resource can also be considered impairment Federal Land Managers protect visibility by reviewing new emission sources: Is emission visually detectable? Will emission change a resource? Will there be an impact on enjoyment?

*280 Million visitors per year to national parks In the East: Visibility range decreased from 90 miles to 15-25 miles In the West: Visibility decreased from 140 miles to 35-90 miles **Remember that Pollution often comes from long distances away from origin. This is why they established regions, because one park's pollution can be caused by other areas, so to monitor and manage it they need a wide range of area i.e. west and east IMPROVE: Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments The reasonable progress goals are designed to reach natural conditions in 60 years (wanting conditions of the past) Mount Rainier National Park: Pollutants causing visibility reduction: Sulfates 63%: Caused by utility and industrial boilers Nitrates 10%: Automobiles and utility industrial boilers Organic Carbon 10%: automobiles, utility, industrial boilers Other:??