Page 5 - HARTofferings

Air Quality

Air quality impacts our lives on a daily basis. When you breathe air into your
lungs you are not only breathing the oxygen required to live, but also a
combination of other compounds, some of which can cause serious health
problems. Greenhouse gases contribute to climate change.
“Greenhouse gas” is a gas in an
atmosphere that absorbs and emits
radiation within the thermal infrared
range.
The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's
atmosphere are water vapor, carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and
ozone. Ground-level ozone is one of our
nation’s most common air pollutants.
Ground Level Ozone occurs in the
Earth’s lower atmosphere, near ground
level, when pollutants emitted by cars
and other air pollution sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight.
The Air Quality lessons on the pages that follow are all designed to provide
students with age appropriate information, an interactive activity and a “call to
action” related to understanding and improving air quality.

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