AP Classroom - Air Pollution

A paper company located on the banks of a river discharges its treated wastewater into the river. Which of the following would be the best control group to evaluate the treated wastewater from the paper company?

A sample of water upstream from the same river

Composed of fibers known to cause lung disease

Asbestos

Which of the following is the human health impact most closely associated with atmospheric particulates?

Asthma

Which of the curves on the graph depicts the concentration of ozone, which requires sunlight to form?

C

Has a stronger affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen has

Carbon monoxide

Which of the following is a primary air pollutant produced from burning coal?

Carbon monoxide

Catalytic converters reduce which of the following pairs of pollutants in car exhaust?

Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons

Is primarily responsible for acid rain in the northeast United States

Coal

Which of the following would most likely reduce the concentration of ground-level ozone in the air of a city?

Decrease in the emissions of nitrogen oxides

Emitted from most manufactured building materials and furniture

Formaldehyde

Recent studies have found that fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less can have negative human health effects. Which of the following correctly links a negative human health effect to an anthropogenic source of fine particulate matter?

High rates of respiratory disease from power plant emissions

Important factors that contribute to smog formation in the Los Angeles basin include which of the following? I. Ample summer sunshine II. Sea-level elevation III. High concentration of automobiles

I and III only

Scientists have observed that the health of people living in moderately developed regions, which have developed transportation and industry but lack environmental control measures, is more likely to be affected by urban outdoor pollution than by indoor air pollution. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data presented in the graph?

In moderately developed regions such as China and Latin America, an individual's health is more or as likely to be affected by urban outdoor pollution than by indoor pollution.

Which of the following is an example of an external cost?

Individuals pay for medical treatment of lung disease aggravated by pollution from a coal- fired power plant.

What important phenomenon that often plays a role in air pollution episodes is illustrated in the diagram above?

Inversion

Which of the following is true of the Clean Air Act?

It established a cap-and-trade program for SO2 in 1990.

Found in old plumbing pipes and fixtures and some ceramic glazes

Lead

Implicated in human neurological damage

Lead

Was once widely used in the United States as a gasoline additive

Lead

Of the following cities, which regularly experiences the worst levels of photochemical smog that is enhanced by thermal inversions?

Los Angeles, California

An engineer is assigned the task of reducing the air pollutants being released from a power plant that generates electricity by burning coal. The engineer performs a variety of computer simulations to determine which techniques and methods would be most effective at reducing air pollution generated by the plant. The air pollutant that computer simulations would likely show as being the most reduced by the installation of electrostatic precipitators in exhaust systems

Particulate matter

Scientists have been monitoring CO2 in the atmosphere from Mauna Loa in Hawaii since 1958. Which of the following units is used by scientists to measure CO2 in the atmosphere?

Parts per million

A gaseous decay product of uranium that is found in rocks

Radon

Is an important precursor to acid rain

Sulfur dioxide

Based on the layers in the diagram, which of the following best explains why a thermal inversion tends to concentrate pollutants in the air layer closest to the Earth's surface?

The air layer closest to the Earth's surface is denser than the layer above it.

A paper company located on the banks of a river discharges its treated wastewater into the river. Which of the following water quality indicators should be measured to best determine if the wastewater is increasing the acidity of the river?

The amount of hydrogen ions

Acid rain is associated with which of the following?

The burning of fossil fuels

Acid deposition would most likely result in which of the following?

The release of aluminum ions from soil

Recent studies show that the decline of some tree populations in the northeastern United States is due to a combination of factors. Which of the following is the most important factor?

Toxic metals freed by acid deposition

Occurs naturally in bedrock and leads to the formation of radon

Uranium-238

Which of the following sources should be examined in a study to determine the impact of a geologic source on levels of CO2 in the atmosphere?

Volcanoes

Which of the following is used to reduce SO2 emissions from coal-burning power plants?

Wet-scrubber units

The majority of atmospheric mercury is produced by

coal-burning power plants

The three main anthropogenic sources of gaseous air pollutants in the United States are

industry, transportation, and energy production

All of the following are likely consequences of indoor air pollution EXCEPT an increase in

the risk of developing skin cancer

If the air layers in the diagram were relabeled to illustrate normal atmospheric conditions, the correct labeling from the air layer closest to the Earth's surface to the one farthest from the Earth's surface would be

warm air, cool air, cooler air

The danger from radon gas would most likely be greatest in

well-insulated homes