Danger In The Air!
What is in Our Air?

---

Startling fact: 64,000 people in the United States die premature deaths from cardiopulmonary causes that are linked to particulates in the air!

Read more about the problem in an article from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Discuss the following questions with your group. Record your responses on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What does the NRDC article mean by "particulates?"

2. On a sunny day the health department announces that people should not exercise outside. Why?

3. The day before the sunny day in question #2 it was fine to go outside and exercise. Why not this day?

4. On a cold Winter's day the radio reports there is a "burn-ban." Citizens are not allowed to use wood stoves or fireplaces. Why?

• What is in our air and how did it get there? (first page of this module)
• Activity #1: Does Air Pollution Effect You?
• Activity #2: Effects of Air Pollution on Plant Growth
• Activity #3: You ask the Questions
• Activity #4: Finding and Analyzing Air Quality Data
• Activity #5: Air Pollution and Health Issues
• Activity #6: The Effect of Air Pollution on Plant Growth (Optional)
• Activity #7: The Big Bad Eight (Optional)
• Activity #8: Particulate Matter in the Atmosphere (Optional)
• Air Pollutants
• Assessment
• Teachers' Resources