Air Quality

Air Quality

ENV 250.001

Isatta Musahson

October 25, 2014

Air pollution is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or other harmful materials into the Earth's atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or the natural or built environment.

Houston deer park, Houston Texas was the city I located which had air quality that was unhealthy for sensitive groups.  Air quality has been Houston’s main concern for several years.  Houston has one of the worst air quality problems in the nation with ozone, smog, air toxic and harmful tiny soot particles affecting the health of people living in the greater Huston area and Harris County. A major economic cost occurs every year due to major health problems which need medical treatment because of the dirty air. Due to the smog and harmful tiny soot particles emitted by the Shell Oil Deer Park company, it has significantly raise the health issues among sensitive people who are mostly children, elderly people, and  people with respiratory illnesses.

Houston’s air pollution consists of a dozens of chemicals, including the ones that are emitted by the Shell Oil Deer Park Company.  Those chemicals are:

1. Nitrogen Oxides - This forms ozone and smog that inflame the lung tissue and make breathing difficult. This may cause people to suffer from asthma attacks.

2. Volatile Organic Compounds

3. Air Toxics - cause a very high pollution in the Houston area and is a mixture of Carbon- based chemicals, metals and other substances such as Benzene, 1, 3- Butadiene, and other air toxic substances.

4. Soot/Smoke- tiny soot particles and microscopic soot which can be form by the mixture of airborne chemicals. Soot can often contribute to breathing difficulties and increase the rates of heart attacks.

5. Sulfur Dioxide – This is also very harmful to the human lungs.

6. Hydrogen Sulfide gas - Neurotoxin and genotoxin. This often causes headaches and discomfort in low concentrations.

                In Houston, Shell Oil Deer Company is among the largest sources of air pollution on a daily basis.  Shell Oil Deer was ranked #2 for Harris County annual criteria air pollutants.

Up to present, Air quality is still one of the challenges the Houston, Texas is faced with.

Sources

Forswall, Clayton D., and Kathryn E. Higgins. "Clean Air Act Implementation in Houston: An Historical Perspective 1970-2005." (2005).

Liu, Chaowei, and Qiang Xu. "Emission source characterization for proactive flare minimization during ethylene plant start-ups." Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 49.12 (2010): 5734-5741.

Rappenglück, Bernhard, et al. "An analysis of the vertical structure of the atmosphere and the upper‐level meteorology and their impact on surface ozone levels in Houston, Texas." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012) 113.D17 (2008).