Air Pollution Project

Problem: Last year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Obama struck a deal to limit greenhouse gases, with China committing for the first time to cap carbon emissions and Obama announcing a target to cut U.S. emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/china-us-agree-to-limit-greenhouse-gases/2014/11/11/9c768504-69e6-11e4-9fb4-a622dae742a2_story.html). However, last January, the CT Mirror published an article suggesting that Connecticut’s summer air is some of the worst on the East Coast. As stated in the article, “EPA projects that this same area is unlikely to meet the proposed standards by 2025”. As a class, we will investigate potential strategies for meeting the proposed standards. Each team will choose a pollutant based on National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Teams will research health impacts and three different methods for reducing emissions of the pollutant must be considered, including capping and trading of emissions.

Listed in the table below are Connecticut’s 10 largest on- and off-site emitters of toxic chemicals.

COMPANY NAME ADDRESS ANNUAL EMISSIONS (lb/yr)
Allnex USA, Inc. (formerly Cytec)
528 South Cherry St., Wallingford 221,665
Covidien 195 McDermott Rd., North Haven 174,570
Pratt & Whitney 400 Main St., East Hartford 152,661
PCC Structurals
839 Poquonnock Rd., Groton 118,684
GBC Metals 215 Piedmont St., Waterbury 116,755
General Cable Industries 1600 W. Main St., Willimantic 94,312
Unimetal Surface Finishing 15 E. Waterbury Rd., Naugatuck 83,956
Summit Corp. of America 1430 Waterbury Rd., Thomaston 70,029
Ahlstrom Nonwovens
Canal Bank Rd, Windsor Locks 61,338
Cray Valley USA 105 Ontario St., Stratford 52,565
Learning Objectives:
Through this self-directed learning experience, students will
• learn about sources of atmospheric pollutants;
• how sources are transformed in the atmosphere and their potential pathways;
• investigate strategies for reducing the level of certain pollutants in the atmosphere;
• be able to explain emissions trading;
• learn how risk assessment is performed.

Step 1: Determine pollutant for which emissions will be reduced.
• Characterize emissions
• Determine potential pathways for pollutants
• Draw an Exposure Pathway Diagram for chosen pollutant

Step 2: Identify methods for reducing emissions

Step 3: Determine most effective method for reducing pollutant
• Make recommendation

Deliverables:
1. As a group you will prepare a 5 page (minimum) report summarizing the results of your analysis. Use Time Romans font, 12-pitch, double spaced and 1 inch margins. Cite references properly in paper. Report due on Monday, Dec. 14. Submit the paper via BlackBoard through TurnItIn.

2. Each team will need to prepare a sheet summarizing a brief description of the strategies they are using, along with new terms and concepts they have learned from the exercise. On Tuesday, Dec. 8, you will need to submit an electronic version of your summary sheet to be posted on BlackBoard.

Useful Websites:
• http://ctmirror.org/2015/01/29/Connecticuts-air-quality-among-worst-on-east-coast/

• http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20130128/PRINTEDITION/301249969/top-10-ct-polluters-are-manufacturers

• http://ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2222&q=320646

• http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2684&q=568958&deepNav_GID=1744

• http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/release_fac?p_view=STFA&trilib=TRIQ1&TAB_RPT=1&Fedcode=&LINESPP=&sort=RE_TOLBY&industry=ALL&FLD=RELLBY&FLD=TSFDSP&sort_fmt=2&TopN=&STATE=09&COUNTY=All+counties&chemical=All+chemicals&year=2011&report=&BGCOLOR=%23D0E0FF&FOREGCOLOR=black&FONT_FACE=arial&FONT_SIZE=10+pt&FONT_WIDTH=normal&FONT_STYLE=roman&FONT_WEIGHT=bold&ONDISPD=Y

• http://www.epa.gov/R5Super/ecology/html/erasteps/erastep3.html#pathways
-Once on this site, search under all EPA for air pollution. You will be directed to additional links.

• http://www.in.gov/idem/4144.htm
• www3.epa.gov/airquality/urbanair/
All references must be included in the end