chemistry authentic inquiry

Air Toxic bloggin

2005-02-20T00:33:00.000-06:00

Houston Air Quality - great topic with many facets.

Recent Chronicle articles focused on the human side of very reactive hazardous organic air pollutants - especially the ones that ... stink - but those don't travel very far - industries try to buy neighborhood buffer zones to reduce close-by public exposure. Great articles with compliments to the journalist and paper for publishing.

Far more insidious and dangerous to us all is particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5s) especially those from industrial point sources -- distributed far and wide containing over 70 elements including the toxic, catalytic and hazardous elements Mercury, Lead, Arsenic, Chromium, Beryllium, Vanadium, Nickel, Strontium, Cadmium, Barium, Antimony, Fluorine, Chlorine, Sulfur, Phosphorus, etc., and those from mobile sources - particularly diesels, mostly carbon hazardous air pollutants.

PM2.5s are virtually invisible at 2.5 microns versus a human hair diameter of 70 microns. They enter living systems through the respiratory system, through the skin, and contained in our water.

Industry spokesmen (Shell, Exxon, Utilities, etc.) express their concern about diesel emissions, not their huge point source stacks. Industry has given PM2.5s the misleading innocent label of 'soot', implying all carbon, rather advertise that their stacks are permitted to shove hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic elements up, into, and above the Houston airshed.

Curiously recent local research didn't even analyze for Mercury, but fish from Galveston Bay, and Texas lakes have Mercury levels that require the state park department to warn that fish caught in Texas lakes should only be consumed once every two weeks or a month. That mercury didn't walk over to the lakes, so why wasn't it tested in the air, funding sources perhaps? Mercury and Beryllium from our industrial sources doesn't just drop to the ground around the point sources or in our backyard, they are tracked all the way to the Artic.

We started webquests last September with air toxics, especially PM2.5s, and their impact on student health after I noticed that one student, a football player, needed hall passes for drinks of water, to locker for inhaler, to the nurse, ... as the PM2.5s reported at nearby monitoring sites increased, and at the highest PM2.5 readings was in the hospital. Coincident to increased PM2.5 readings, many students (and their teacher) needed more water, or hall exits with tissues, on particular days. Not a surprise that people in Houston find their allergies started bothering them when they moved to Houston, PM2.5s increase sensitivities, susceptibilities, and decrease immune functions.
PM2.5 elements are catalysts in industry and act similarly in the body, increasing sensitivities and causing upper, middle, lower respiratory ailments, heart problems, and cognitive disfunction. The toxic effects of the individual elements are well established, and the debilitating effects of Lead and Mercury on brain functions are especially serious.

However, instead of following the Clean Air Act, and reducing the elements that reduce the mental abilities of our students, documented lobby money has flowed and the government has curtailed enforcement and extended industry's permited toxic releases unabated until 2018. The students questioned the wisdom and logic of such decisions that will increase the level of toxic elements in all those that ... breathe.

Industry (refiners, utilities, cement kilns, etc.) promote extension of toxic emissions to enable the toxics to be studied as directed by ... err, industry funding, hmm.

Industry also promotes a free market approach of emission trading, that is the ability to put more toxics into our air would be traded for a reduction of toxics elsewhere. Do we want more toxicity for our children, our elders, ourselves? Does the emission trade include paying increased health care cost caused by increased toxicity for the downwind population, or reduce the educational requirements commensurate with increased toxicity? Of course not.
Students found that many of their webquests hit the veil of association membership or journal subscription to get to substantive data, and we asked to get access to these studies that were funded partially or totally by government funds.

In the meantime, Houston and surrounding zipcodes have the highest health insurance rates in Texas shown on the Texas Health Pool website. The rates fall off as air is progressively cleaner, to the lowest rates around Uvalde, Llano, ... Texas Hill country. The insurance cost difference for one family of four would be $11,000/year. Move 1 million families out of the toxic fallout and into clean air, and that would be $11 billion per year lower health insurance cost. By 2018, that roughs out $144 billion savings for those 1 million families. Scrub the air clean at the point source, and savings for all would be much higher.

The national impact of allowing industrial toxic air emissions is huge and was included in Eliott Spitzer's congressional testimony -- instead of reducing as per the Clean Air Act, maintaining current levels of toxic emissions results in over 30,000 premature deaths/year, some 2,900/year in New York, (professionals term this loss of life of the youngest, the oldest and the sensitive: harvesting) trillions in lost manhours, and lost school hours -- to say nothing of the emotional cost of these losses.

Fortunately, Houston's mayor doesn't think it wise to have Houston citizens as test subjects. But it will be uphill, as the EPA has dropped enforcement 87% in four years, and more drop is expected as 'enforcement' is transferred to states. No surprise that politics already hit the states: TCEQ gutted it's toxics enforcement division last year, and the only real funding is to reduce the Haze problem.

Late now, linkage to current PM2.5 and other pollutant data and other sites hit by the students in their webquest are found under http://chemiztry.blogspot.com/

At a recent pm2.5 meeting, a doctor with 50 years practicing experience and most concerned about the increasing asthma, illness, allergy pain and decreased cognitive functions being suffered by the children, asked me to encourage students attendance at public meetings. The only two high school students that attended that meeting were ours.
Lots of information available in the journals, our students enjoy finding what is being hidden from the public when on webquests.
Good hunting.

Houston air quality - particulate matter less than 2.5 microns, PM2.5s

2005-02-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

Another linkage to my website focusing on 2.5 micron

http://sc.humble.k12.tx.us/education/components/links/default.php?sectiondetailid=27497&parentID=576

enjoy

houston air quality - current data linkages

2005-02-19T14:11:00.000-06:00

The link to website with air quality data linkages:

http://sc.humble.k12.tx.us/education/components/links/default.php?sectiondetailid=27497&parentID=289

Basically two issues, 'ozone', and particulate matter less than 2.5 microns: pm2.5.

carbon cycle inquiry

2005-02-19T13:54:00.000-06:00

links from the brainstorming session appear on my website:

http://sc.humble.k12.tx.us/education/components/links/links.php?sectiondetailid=27497&parentID=1971&timestamp=1108842709

TEKS, earth science brainstorming Global Warming / carbon cycle TEKS

2005-02-19T13:24:00.000-06:00

Website has links to the TEKS and TAKS. Group considering alternative to tsunami covered previously by students, looking to global warming. TEK covered by Chemistry: Matter & Change text.

12) Science concepts. The student knows that interdependence and interactions occur within an ecosystem. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the flow of energy through various cycles including the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and water cycles;
...

ring joined, ringsurf:plcmap

2005-01-28T14:10:00.000-06:00

Joined the NSF.PLC.MAP ring

tsunami related water supply problems

2005-01-28T13:25:00.000-06:00

Inquiry: what was the impact on clean water supplies in areas hit by the tsunami.

Answer:
Animals finally feel tsunami
Animal health authorities have received reports from the east coast that close to a thousand animals have died recently after drinking water contaminated by tsunami tidal waves which hit the coast more than a month ago.Sources said that the areas which came under sea water in the east continue to have blackish water in puddles here and there deep inland, and animals such as cattle had died after drinking water from such water sources.The reports mainly came from Pottuvil, and close to a thousand animals had reportedly died up to yesterday. A team of veterinarians had already been dispatched to Pottuvil to verify the cause. Meanwhile, residents in Pottuvil are said to be in fear as the sea water off the Pottuvil coast had turned dark and blackish again, reminding them of the tsunami waves which were dark in colour.Source: The Daily Mirror

MIT developed water filtration for Nepalese villagers: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/nepal.htm

Consider the natural water filtration option using tier plants and pools. Khymer empire monsoon holding pool patty economy worked for a thousand years. Certain previous civilizations learned to build in areas beyond the reach of the tsunami.

access to full text of primary science and technical journals

2005-01-20T19:51:00.000-06:00

We request access to the full text versions of papers which are the foundation of the research in subject areas for student webquests and presentations. Most of the research links the students follow end at an abstract and deny the high school juniors in chemistry classes, and their teacher, access to the full text version which include tables, charts, and graphs.

Students learn visually and will feel more connected with the visuals available in the full text version, and will be able to create their own charts and graphs with the original data which is not currently possible with the limited access to only abstracts which contain no visual stimulus.

I feel that under the NSF PLC MAP we should be allowed full and free access to all the articles which students will use as part of authentic inquiry -- going to the source publications for the first publication undiluted or redacted. Examples of students reaching dead ends today were:

Air and Waste Management Association, January 2005
Emissions of Organic Compounds and Trace Metals in Fine Particulate Matter from Motor Vehicles: A Tunnel Study in Houston, Texas --
abstract at: http://www.awma.org/journal/PreviewDisplayAbstract.asp?PaperID=1326
text denied at: http://www.awma.org/journal/login.aspx?dest=/journal/toc.asp&reqline=

and Air and Waste Managment Association special issues such as:
Mercury Emissions: Fate, Effects, and Control
referenced at http://www.awma.org/journal/Special.asp
access denied at: http://www.awma.org/journal/login.aspx?dest=/journal/contents.asp&reqline=month=8XXXXyear=2002

The theme is the air we breathe, water we drink, and the food we eat. Water we can buy distilled, and food we can make our own decisions, but the air that we get is not by our choice. We are in the process of discovering what is in the air at all times, as close to real time as possible.

Another example was the
Journal of Applied Physiology:
Effect of relocating to areas of reduced atmospheric particulate matter levels on the human cirulating leukocyte count.
abstract at: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/5/1774
access denied at: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/97/5/1774

Just 3 references ... 150 students come up against the restricted access as fast as their fingers can hit the keys is about 5 in 10 minutes per student, and is frustrating for the inquiring minds on a path to presentations. Just last week we had about 15 access denials for 75 students per day when we were on a webquest. As it is an example to the students how real data is horded by the few, and suppressed to be kept from the public -- now they are interested, just what is it? We hope to find out with your help.

If NSF PLC MAP can't get this free and easy access enabled, one possibility would be going to libraries to xerox information from available references. Unfortunately, more journals are going to the electronic format, and fewer unversities are subscribing to the hard copy, and in some instances even the electronic versions are denied all but members.

Considering most of the information the students need was fully, or partially funded, by the government, it appears that membership requirements and reprint costs are an onerous burden on the high school student and teacher.

It sounds like Bruce Herbert will run this trap for us. Starting with the A&M or Kingwood College interlibrary access. This blog will be refrerenced from the email as requested.

We will appreciate any assistance in getting free and unlimited access to follow our authentic inquiry.

http://sc.humble.k12.tx.us/spavel __ blog linkage to classroom web-page linkages

2005-01-20T19:25:00.000-06:00

http://sc.humble.k12.tx.us/spavel

would like to have as simple an access to view this blog.

NSF PLC MAP. first blog entry 2005.01.21_1915

2005-01-20T19:13:00.000-06:00

2005.01.21_1914. NSF PLC MAP. First blog entry.