Air Quality In and Out of Cars

Kevin Rumbol
ENVL 3241
Abstract:
The CAA has six criteria pollutants which are governed by the NAAQS. The six criteria
pollutants are ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, and particulate
matter. These pollutants can cause considerable damage to plants animals. These pollutants come
mostly from the incomplete combustion process of fossil fuels. PM10, however, comes mostly
from dust and dirt from roads and farms. If combustion was 100% efficient we would see a lot
less of these compounds in the atmosphere. To view the values of various pollutants in and out of
cars we used the Graywolf indoor/outdoor air quality sensors. This paper will focus on four of
the parameters measured by the Graywolf; TVOC, CO2, H2S, and CO. We made a control
boxplot of these parameters and four for indoor and outdoor measurements. Six cars were
measured with the Graywolf. Of the six, there were no very significant data among the indoor
data. However, of the outdoor data, Marissas jeep continually stood out the most. In all four
parameters it was far above the levels of the other cars. The jeeps engine must not be very
efficient towards fuel use. Marissa should begin investing in a more efficient car to lessen her
environmental impact.

Table of Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1-3
Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Results ........................................................................................................................................................ 3-8
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
References .................................................................................................................................................... 8

Introduction:
There are many different pollutants that we put out into our environment and each
pollutant can have many different sources. There are six pollutants in particular that the Clean
Air Act (CAA) considers to be of most concern. Under the CAA, National Ambient Air Quality

Standards, or NAAQS, were set for the six pollutants (EPA 2016). These pollutants are known as
criteria pollutants. These criteria pollutants are as follows: ground level ozone, carbon
monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Along
with VOCs, these pollutants account for the large majority of air pollution (Hill 2010). These
pollutants can cause damage to both plants and animals and can all commonly come from
combustion as well as other sources.
When a carbon containing material is burned, carbon monoxide is almost always formed.
This is due to incomplete combustion of the fuel source. If the fuel was fully combusted then
there would be no carbon monoxide problems, but for that to occur we would need combustion
that is 100% efficient. This is something that has still yet to be accomplished. CO is a very
concerning pollutant if it gets to high enough concentrations. It has a higher affinity to the
hemoglobinprotein that moves oxygen through our bodiesin our blood than does oxygen.
This can cause people to pass out from exposure. It may cause death if exposed long enough.
Once CO reaches the atmosphere it can persist for one to two months before it is converted to
CO2. This means that CO is a contributor to excess CO2 in the atmosphere (Hill 2010).
The ozone that can be found at ground level largely comes from the VOC and NOx
emissions of motor vehicles which react with the oxygen in the air. It is largely a problem during
the summer because the heat and the suns strong ultraviolet rays are what cause the VOCs and
NOx to react (Hill 2010). Ozone can cause eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation along with a
decreased ability of the lungs to function properly. It can also greatly damage plants, including
vegetable crops (Hill 2010).
Sulfur dioxide comes from the combustion of fossil fuels as the sulfur containing raw
materials are burned in the industrial process. It can also come from a variety of natural sources
such as sea water, marine plankton, bacteria, plants, and geothermal emissions (Hill 2010).
SO2 can form an irritating acid by reacting with the moisture in the eyes and lungs (Hill 2010). It
is also of concern because it forms sulfuric acid and sulfate in the atmosphere, making it a
contributor to acid deposition. The aerosols can also reduce the amount of light that reaches the
Earths surface, thus cooling the climate.
Like ozone, nitrogen oxides can irritate the lungs and aggravate asthma. They can also
lower the resistance to infection (Hill 2010). NOx are also contributors to acid deposition and
cooling of the climate just like SO2. NOx come from a variety of fossil fuel burning sources. The
largest contributors are motor vehicles.
Particulate matter 10 can come from dust and dirt off any kind of road or farm by wind or
vehicles. It can also come from construction sites and a small amount from burning fossil fuels.
Natural sources include substances such as pollen and sea salt. PM2.5 are largely from fossil fuel
burning. Particulate matter can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. The smaller of

the two strongly contribute to the haze or smog seen in many cities, which often spreads far into
rural areas (Hill 2010).
Before the 1970s lead was used in gasoline and paint until the use of lead in these
products was banned. Lead is highly toxic to both plants and animals. Despite its ban in these
products it is still a problem in the environment due to its persistence. It takes a long time for it
to degrade. Things like coal-burning power plants have been controlled, but still emit some lead
along with other metals (Hill 2010). Despite the heavy restrictions placed on lead some less
developed countries still use it.
Methods:
We went to select areas on the Stockton campus and used the Graywolf indoor/outdoor
air quality sensors to measure air quality. The purpose of this experiment was to teach us about
the different air quality parameters that can be measured by the sensors and how to use the
Graywolf. The parameters that were measured using this device were sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxides, ammonia, ozone, temperature in C, total volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide,
hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and relative humidity. The data that is taken down by the
Graywolf is directly recorded into the device which can then later be uploaded to a computer and
put in an excel file.
After we were done recording the data we looked at it on an excel file. From there we
took four of the parameters from inside and outside and plotted them on boxplots in excel. The
four parameters that we put into a boxplot were TVOC, CO2, H2S, and CO. Each parameter was
measured for inside and outside of six different cars. Four separate boxplot charts were made for
inside and outside the cars as well as one chart that contained the four parameters as a control.
Results:
Figure 1 below shows the control measurements that were taken. The control was taken
of the outdoors at 2pm to give us a representation of the air at a standard level on the campus. Of
the four parameters being observed for the control we can see that CO2 is much higher than the
others and that H2S is nonexistent on the graph.
Of the TVOC measurements taken inside the cars (Fig. 2), Stephs Volco was the highest.
All of the other cars were fairly uniform with the amount of TVOCs being released inside them.
None of the indoor measurements for TVOC were surprisingly high. However, when looking at
the TVOC measured outside of the cars (Fig. 6), Marisas Jeep far surpassed the others. Once
again the other cars stayed uniform with their TVOC measurements. Stephs Volco was the only
distinguishable feature of the hydrogen sulfide graph (Fig 3) for inside the cars. Her car had the
lowest H2S measurements of 0 ppm. This was the same for the outside graph (Fig. 7) and
Marissas jeep, again, stood well above the others. There were no significant features of the
inside graph (Fig. 4) for CO2 however, once again the levels outside of Marissas jeep (Fig. 8)

were well above the others. Of the six cars Stephs and Matts had the highest CO concentration
inside (Fig. 5) them. However, for the measurements taken outside of the car (Fig. 9) Marissas
jeep was the highest again.
Fig. 1. Chart showing the control of the parameters

Control
CO

H2S

CO2

TVOC

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Fig. 2. Chart showing the TVOC for inside the cars

TVOC ppb
Steph's Volco-I
Rachel's MiniC-I
Nicole's Accord-I
Matt's Taurus-I
Marisa's Jeep-I
Becky's Malibu-I
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Fig. 3. Chart showing the H2S for inside the cars

H2S ppm
Steph's Volco-I

Rachel's MiniC-I

Nicole's Accord-I

Matt's Taurus-I

Marisa's Jeep-I

Becky's Malibu-I
0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

Fig. 4. Chart showing the CO2 for inside the cars

CO2 ppm
Steph's Volco-I
Rachel's MiniC-I
Nicole's Accord-I
Matt's Taurus-I
Marisa's Jeep-I
Becky's Malibu-I
0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Fig. 5. Chart showing the CO for inside the cars

CO mg/m3
Steph's Volco-I
Rachel's MiniC-I
Nicole's Accord-I
Matt's Taurus-I
Marisa's Jeep-I
Becky's Malibu-I
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

Fig. 6. Chart showing the TVOC for outside the cars

TVOC ppb
Steph's Volco-O

Rachel's MiniC-O

Nicole's Accord-O

Matt's Taurus-O

Marisa's Jeep-O

Becky's Malibu-O
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Fig. 7. Chart showing the H2S for outside the cars

H2S ppm
Steph's Volco-O

Rachel's MiniC-O

Nicole's Accord-O

Matt's Taurus-O

Marisa's Jeep-O

Becky's Malibu-O
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Fig. 8. Chart showing the CO2 for outside the cars

CO2 ppm
Steph's Volco-O

Rachel's MiniC-O

Nicole's Accord-O

Matt's Taurus-O

Marisa's Jeep-O

Becky's Malibu-O

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Fig. 9. Chart showing the CO for outside the cars

CO mg/m3
Steph's Volco-O

Rachel's MiniC-O

Nicole's Accord-O

Matt's Taurus-O

Marisa's Jeep-O

Becky's Malibu-O
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Conclusion:
Of the indoor measurements, there was little variation between the cars. During each of
the outdoor measurements Marissas Jeep always showed much higher levels of the four
parameters discussed when compared to the other five cars. This tells us that the engine to her
car must be very inefficient and that she gets very low gas mileage. If everyone were to drive
cars that released as much pollutants as the jeep, then the environment would be much more
polluted and we would have a much harder time cleaning up our mess. I believe that it would be
wise of her to begin investing in a more efficient car. It would not only save her money in the
long run, but she would also have a much smaller impact on the environment.
References:
Hill, M. K. (2010). Understanding Environmental Pollution (3rd ed.). United Kingdom:
Cambridge University. (Original work published 1997)
US Environmental Protection Agency. (2016). NAAQS Table. NAAQS Table. Retrieved from:
https://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants/naaqs-table