Re: What is the molecular composition of the air we breath, including trace ele

Date: Fri Mar 19 16:28:05 2004
Posted By: Steven Korenstein, Hazardous Substances Scientist
Area of science: Earth Sciences
ID: 1079654014.Es

Message:

Gilbert:

I have provided a couple of charts that describe the components of air with some heath effects information. I have also provide a web site that may help you in your research. Good luck.

Chart 1
Criteria Pollutants for Los Angeles County on 3/18/04

Lead	NO2	O3 (1 hr)	O3 (8hr)	Particulate Materials (<10 microns)	Particulate Materials (<2.5 microns)	SO2
0.04	0.04	0.16	0.13	46	24	0.003

Chart 2
General air information.
Major Components of Air, PPM (and %) levels dangerous when breathed or exposed to for over 30 minutes Potentially irreversible health effects caused by prolonged exposure (> 30 minutes) to dangerous concentrations.

Compound	Danger level (%)	Parts per million	Notes
Nitrongen (N2)	78.084 %	78084
Oxygen (O2)	20.946 %	20946	Asphyxiation occurs at less than 160000 ppm (16%)
Argon (Ar)	0.934 %	9340
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)	0.033 %	330	Paralysis of respiratory center occurs at 50000 ppm (5%)
Neon (Ne)	0.002 %	20
Helium (He)	0.001 %	10
Carbon Monoxide (CO)	0.0001-0.0015 %	1-15	EPA says should be less than 9 for any 8 hour period

There are many other types of pollutants that can be found in air. Here is an EPA list.

1. acetaldehyde
2. acrolein
3. acrylonitrile
4. arsenic compounds
5. benzene
6. beryllium compounds
7. 1, 3-butadiene
8. cadmium compounds
9. carbon tetrachloride
10. chloroform
11. chromium compounds
12. coke oven emissions
13. 1, 3-dichloropropene
14. diesel particulate matter
15. ethylene dibromide
16. ethylene dichloride
17. ethylene oxide
18. formaldehyde
19. hexachlorobenzene
20. hydrazine
21. lead compounds
22. manganese compounds
23. mercury compounds
24. methylene chloride
25. nickel compounds
26. perchloroethylene
27. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
28. polycyclic organic matter (POM)*
29. propylene dichloride
30. quinoline
31. 1, 1, 2, 2-tetrachloroethane
32. trichloroethylene
33. vinyl chloride

The concentration will be site specific. If you are interested in obtaining this kind of data I would advise going to this site

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