BIOL 120, Juliet Knowles Human and Environment CHAPTER 18—AIR POLLUTION

Acidic rain, snow, fog, and cloud vapor typically has a pH of

5.6

According to a 2012 EPA report, between 1980 and 2010, the combined emissions of six major air pollutants decreased by how much?

63%

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) molecules can stay in the stratosphere for ____.

65-385 years

Approximately how much of the air we breathe is composed of nitrogen and oxygen?

99%

Which statement about acid deposition is false?

Low pH increases plant nutrients in forest soils.

Which statement about ozone thinning is true?

Ozone levels fluctuate seasonally, with the lowest levels occurring in September and October.

Radioactive ____ is a product of uranium decay.

Radon

In the United States, the highest levels of air pollution from fine particles are found in ____.

West Virginia

The grasshopper effect is a result of ____.

air pollutants being transferred from warmer areas to polar areas by evaporation and wind

The UV filtering effect of the ozone layer is beneficial because it ____.

allows humans and other forms of life to exist on land

It would be ineffective to prevent lead poisoning by ____.

banning the use of lead pencils in schools

Burning coal will produce pollutants such as ____.

carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and soot

Outdoor air pollution is reduced when ____.

chemical reactions form acid precipitation which falls out of the atmosphere

About 90% of radon related lung cancers in the United States occur among ____.

current or former smokers

Air pollution in the urban areas of many less-developed countries is ____.

getting worse

Human inputs of outdoor air pollutants occur mostly ____.

in urban areas

The Asian Brown Cloud is a(n) ____.

large thick cloud of dust, smoke, and toxic metals in the troposphere

Sick Building Syndrome is not correlated with ____.

lung cancer

Major air pollutants include ____.

nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and dioxide, sulfur compounds, VOCs, and suspended particulate matter

People are exposed to lead via ____.

peeling paint and dust in older homes

Photochemical smog is formed when primary pollutants interact with ____.

sunlight

The atmosphere is divided into spherical layers based upon the ____.

temperature changes from variations in absorption of solar energy

The WHO and the World Bank call indoor air pollution ____.

the world's most serious air pollution problem

Most of earth's climate occurs in the ____.

troposphere

Exposure to indoor formaldehyde pollution is least likely to cause ____.

ulcers