Title: Hazardous to our Health: The Effects of Urban Sprawl on the Environment and its Inhabitants
1Hazardous to our Health The Effects of Urban
Sprawl on the Environment and its Inhabitants
- Erin Anderson-Ruddon
- Kayla Arslanian
2Hazardous to our Health The Effects of Urban
Sprawl on the Environment and its Inhabitants
- Sprawl has four dimensions a population that is
widely dispersed in low density development,
rigidly separated homes, shops and workplaces, a
network of roads marked by huge blocks and poor
access, and a general lack of well-defined
thriving activity centers or downtowns (Ewing,
Pendall, and Chen 2002). - We hypothesize that urban sprawl is harmful to
the environment and that the environmental
degradation suffered increases health risks in
these areas of sprawl.
3Urban Sprawl Air Pollution
- Air quality is greatly affected by sprawl.
- Motor vehicles are the leading source of air
pollution. - In areas of sprawl, destinations are far apart,
creating a dependence on automobiles to get from
destination to destination. - The need to make more car trips increases the
average persons daily miles driven.
4Air Pollution The Sprawl Index
- The sprawl index categorizes areas according to
their level of sprawl. - A standard deviation of 50 separates a high area
of sprawl, from an average area of sprawl, from a
low area of sprawl (Sturm and Cohen 2004). - For example, Atlanta, GA, an area of very high
sprawl has an index of 57.7 whereas Chicago, IL,
a denser city has an index of 121.2. - For every 50 unit decrease in standard deviation
on the sprawl index (more sprawling), there is a
1.96 miles/day increase in driving per person. - For every 25 unit increase in standard deviation
on the sprawl index (less sprawling), there is a
5.4 miles/day decrease in driving per person. - This shows that people in more sprawling areas
drive longer distances, more often than those
living in areas of relatively low sprawl.
5Automobiles Air Pollution
- Because inhabitants in areas of great sprawl have
to drive longer distances more frequently, they
burn more fuel than persons living in areas of
lesser sprawl. - The advent of sprawl could threaten the current
positive trend of cleaner air.
6Automobiles Air Pollution
- Automobiles account for
- 30 of all oxides of nitrogen (any gaseous form
of nitrogen) emitted into the air. - 30 of all hydrocarbon emissions.
- The main component of fossil fuels, hydrocarbons
combust when fuel is burned, releasing chemicals
such as methane and benzene into the atmosphere. - Benzene is a known carcinogen.
- 32 of all carbon emissions.
7Automobiles Air Pollution
- Automobiles account for
- 30 of all oxides of nitrogen (any gaseous for of
nitrogen) emitted into the air. - 30 of all hydrocarbon emissions.
- The main component of fossil fuels, hydrocarbons
combust when fuel is burned, releasing chemicals
such as methane and benzene into the atmosphere. - Benzene is a known carcinogen.
- 32 of all carbon emissions.
- In areas where sprawl is high, cars account for a
greater number of these pollutants. - For example, in Atlanta, vehicles account for 58
of all nitrogen oxides and 47 of all hydrocarbon
emissions (Frumkin, 2002).
8Urban Sprawl Ozone
- Sprawl affects a regions ozone levels.
- Ozone is a photochemical smog created then
organic gases (specifically VOCs, nitrogen
oxides, heat and sunlight interact (Goldman
2001)). - Though ozone is necessary in the stratosphere to
protect earth from the suns UV rays, in the
troposphere it degrades air quality, and is
considered a pollutant. - Currently, over 90 metropolitan areas regularly
exceed ozone standards. - The EPA attributes 50 of smog precursors to
motor vehicles (Benfield, Raimi and Chen 1999).
9Urban Sprawl Ozone
- Land use patterns affect levels of ozone. In
sprawling environments, individuals release more
VOCs and nitrogen dioxides into the atmosphere,
both of which are components of ozone.
Table 1 Average daily VOC and NOx emission rate
for compact and disperse cities (Borrego,
Martins, and Tchepel et al 2006).
10Sprawl Index Ozone
- Every 25 unit increase in the sprawl index (less
sprawling) relates to a 7.5 parts per billion
decrease in maximum ozone levels. - Ozone levels between the most sprawling regions
and the least sprawling regions differ by 41
parts per billion (Ewing, Pendall, and Chen 2002).
11Urban Sprawl Ozone
- Urban sprawl not only contributes to higher ozone
levels, but ozone also covers more area in
sprawling regions
Figure 2 Ozone concentrations (relative to
background ozone levels) at 2pm in alternate city
structures (Borrego, Martins, and Tchepel et al
2006).
12Urban Sprawl Ozone
- Ozone affects more people in areas of greater
sprawl
Table 2 Population affected by ozone
concentrations (Borrego, Martins, and Tchepel et
al 2006). Again, because individuals living in
sprawl produce more VOCs and nitrogen oxides
daily, as a result their ozone levels are higher,
cover more area, and affect more people than
compact cities. This is because individuals in
compact cities produce less VOCs and nitrogen
oxides. Thus, their ozone levels, area and
population affected by ozone are not as greatly
impacted by ozone pollution.
13Carbon Monoxide Analysis
- Sprawling regions also emit an alarmingly large
amount of carbon monoxide. Combining demographic
information and data collected on how much carbon
monoxide an average car emits, we can see how
dangerous sprawl is for air quality. - The EPA estimates that the average car annually
produces 22g CO for every 12,500 miles driven
(EPA, 1997). This means that the average car
produces .00176g CO for every mile driven (22g
CO/12,500).
14Carbon Monoxide Analysis
- It is also recorded the average person in the
Atlanta metropolitan area travels 34.1 miles/day,
whereas the average person in the Philadelphia
metro area dives 16.9 miles a day, and the
average Chicago metro inhabitant dives 19.9 miles
per day (Frumkin, 2002). - On the sprawl index, Atlantas score is has a
57.7 (very sprawly), Philadelphias is 112.6
(average sprawl), and Chicagos is 121.2 (higher
sprawl).
15Carbon Monoxide Analysis
16Carbon Monoxide Analysis
17Carbon Monoxide Analysis
- The Atlanta metro area has nearly two million
less people then the Philadelphia metro area, yet
Atlanta emits around two billion more pounds of
carbon monoxide yearly. Chicagos metro area has
twice the population of the Atlanta metro area,
and Atlanta still produces more than one billion
pounds of carbon per year. - The differences seen are attributed to sprawl
individuals living in sprawl drive more
frequently and drive than those living elsewhere,
and the impact this car dependency has on the
environment will be detrimental.
18Water Pollution
- Urban development in watersheds (an area drained
by a river or some other body of water) can
greatly alter the composition of a river, which
can in turn affect water quality - This section focuses on two watershedsthe
Schuylkill watershed and the Waquoit Bay
watershedand examines how sprawl impacts these
two bodies of water.
19Schuylkill River, PA
- The Schuylkill River has some of the highest
dissolved solute concentrations of all water
sources in the northeastit has the highest
nitrate levels and the second highest chloride
levels (Interlandi and Crockett 2003). -
- The Schuylkill also had the fastest increase for
nitrate, chloride and residuals over all other
watersheds in the northeast (Interlandi and
Crockett 2003). This suggests that development in
the Schuylkill watershed negatively impacts the
river.
20Schuylkill River, PA
- From 1982 to 1997, developed land in the
Schuylkill watershed increased from 21.5 of the
total watershed land area to 28.5over 34,000
hectares of forest and agricultural land were
urbanized. This change in land use resulted in a
31 increase in developed land. - When sprawling occurred in the watershed and
developed land increased by 31, chloride levels
increased 37 in that same time period
(Interlandi and Crockett 2003).
21Waquoit Bay, MA
- The Waquoit Bay is located in Cape Cod, MA, and
like the Schuylkill watershed, the Waquoit Bay
watershed has seen a recent burst in urban
development. - The predominant source of nitrogen in the water
comes from atmospheric deposition, fertilizer use
and wastewater disposal. - in the 1980s, the major source of nitrogen
changed from atmospheric deposition to
wastewater, reflecting the increase in
urbanization in the Waquoit watershed (Bowen and
Valiela, 2001).
22Land Use Change in the Waquoit Watershed
23Waquoit Bay
- Between 1938 and 1990, when most urbanization
occurred in the area, nitrogen inputs into the
Waquoit bay watershed increased twofold (Bowen
and Valiela, 2001). - In 1990, wastewater accounted for 22 of the
bays total nitrogen delivery, whereas in the
mid-century, it only accounted for 2. - Thus, nitrogen from wastewater increased ten-fold
during the period of urban sprawl in the
watershed.
24Health Hazards of Sprawl
- The harmful effects that sprawl has on air and
water quality have implications for human health.
- AIR
- Nitrogen oxides can react with numerous compounds
to form acid and other particles - Particles can inflict damage to lung tissue
- which can cause or worsen respiratory diseases
such as emphysema and bronchitis
25Health Hazards of Sprawl - Air
- VOCs release hydrocarbons, some of which are
carcinogenic - Carbon monoxide
- affects the central nervous system, causing
visual problems, reduced ability to work or
learn, and difficulty performing tasks - At extremely high levels, carbon monoxide is
poisonous and can cause death (EPA, 2006).
26Water Related Hazards
- Nitrogen
- Through water pollution, increased nitrates in
the water can cause methmeglobenemia in infants
under six months. - Blue baby syndrome because the hemoglobin goes
from being ferrous to ferric (FE2 to FE3). - This is an oxidizing reactionthus, the
hemoglobins ability to carry oxygen is lowered,
making the infants blue. This syndrome is
potentially fatal
27Water Related Hazards
- Storm runoff
- currently 5,529 water bodes in the US are
impaired by pathogens (Gaffield, Goo, Richards et
al 2003). - The insecticides in runoff that infect water have
carcinogenic effects in humans. The amount of
disinfectant (such as chlorine) can also have a
carcinogenic effect. - The EPA estimates that ingestion of drinking
water with disinfectant byproducts is responsible
for 1100-93000 cases of bladder cancer each year
(Gaffield, Goo and Richards et al 2003).
28 (Gaffield, Goo and Richards et al 2003).
Impaired Water Bodies in the USA
29General Health Hazards
- Sprawl categorically makes people less healthy.
- The overall sprawl index significantly predicts
the number of chronic medical conditions and of
physical health-related quality of life of the
residents in the area.
30Sprawl Index (Abridged)
- As a regions sprawl index increases by 25
points, the number of residents suffering from
various chronic conditions decreases (Sturm and
Cohen 2004).
31CONCLUSION
- America will undoubtedly continue to develop,
thus, action must be taken to ensure that further
development is not hazardous to the environment
and to its inhabitants. - It is necessary that that future designs must be
eco-friendly, and moreover, must consider the
health of its residents.
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