APES Unit 9: Chapter 21; Chapter 17 AP Environmental Science

NIMBY

"not in my back yard"; and approach from citizens that calls for drastically reducing production of wastes by emphasizing pollution prevention

municipal solid waste (MSW)

(aka garbage or trash) consists of the combined solid waste produced by homes and workplaces

Infectious Disease

A disease caused by a pathogen such as bacterium, virus, or parasite invading the body and multiplying in its cells and tissues

Pandemic

A global epidemic such as tuberculosis or AIDS

Epidemic

A large scale outbreak of an infectious disease in an area or a country

Toxicity

A measure of the harmfulness of a substance -- its ability to cause injury, illness, or death to a living organism

Chronic Effect

A permanent or long lasting consequence of exposure to a singel dose or to repeated lower doses of a harmful substance.

Superfund site

A site where hazardous waste has been spilled- that company is responsible for cleaning the site

Acute Effect

An immediate or rapid harmful reaction ranging from dizziness to death

Transmissible Disease (also called a contagious or communicable disease)

An infectious disease that can be transmitted from one person to another

Nontransmissible Disease

Caused by something other than a living organism and does not spread from one person to another

Mutagens

Chemicals or forms of radiation that caues or increase the frequency of mutations, or changes, in the DNA molecules found in cells

Antibiotics

Chemicals that can kill bacteria

Teratogens

Chemicals that harm or cause birth defects in a fetus or embryo (i.e. ethyl alcohol)

Carcinogens

Chemicals, some types of radiation and certain viruses that can cause or promote cancer

Chemical Hazards

Hazards from harmful chemicals in our air, water, soil, food, and human made products

Natural Hazards

Hazards such as fire, earhthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and storms

Lifestyle Choices

Hazards such as smoking, making poor food choices, drinking too much alcohol, and having unsafe sex

Risk Management

Involves deciding whether and how to reduce a particular risk to a certain level and at what cost

Pathogen

Organisms that can cause disease in another organism

Biological Hazards

Organisms that can cause disease in another organism -- including bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa, and fungi

Dose-Response Curve

Plot of data showing the effects of various doses of a toxic agent on a group of test organisms

Dose

The amount of a harmful chemical that a person has ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin at any one time

Response

The health damage resulting from exposure to a chemical

Risk

The probability of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, death, economic loss, or damage

Risk Assessment

The process of using statisticsal methods to estimate how much harm a particular hazard can cuase to human health or to the environment

Toxicology

The study of the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and other organisms

plasma arc hazardous waste removal

Use arcs of electricity to heat hazardous waste to high enough temperatures to vaporize most of the waste. Can produce gaseous fuel and encapsulate waste into glassy lumps. Very expensive.

bioremediation

Use of living organisms such as prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to detoxify polluted ecosystems. The biological treatment of hazardous waste by living organisms

composting

a form of recycling that mimics nature's recycling of nutrients conversion of organic waste into something useful forming organic fertilizer from a mixture of leaf litter, manure, and household waste

integrated waste management

a variety of strategies for both waste reduction and waste management

brownfields

abandoned industrial and commercial sites such as factories, junkyards, older landfills, and gas stations

environmental justice

an ideal whereby every person is entitled to protection from environmental hazards regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, income, social class, or any political factor

solid waste

any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or a gas

reduce

consume less and live a simpler lifestyle

E-waste

discarded electronic equipment such as computers, cell phones, television sets, etc.

waste reduction

in which much less waste and pollution are produced, and the wastes that are produced are viewed as potential resources that can be reused, recycled, or composted

waste management

in which we attempt to reduce the environmental impact of MSW without seriously trying to reduce the amount of waste produced

Superfund (CERCLA)

legislation designed to oversee the cleanup of toxic waste disposal sites, a fund established to finance a long-term, expensive project. CERCLA. Provides money for cleaning up hazardous waste sites.

deep-well disposal

liquid hazardous wastes are pumped through a pipe into dry, porous rock formations far beneath aquifers

primary/closed-loop recycling

materials are recycled into new products of the same type

leachate

polluted liquid produced by water passing through buried wastes in a landfill water that has passed through buried wastes in a landfill, solution created by liquid passing through layers of waste

surface impoundments

ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liners are placed and liquid hazardous wastes are stored, shallow depressions

reuse

rely more on items that can be used repeatedly instead of throwaway items (cleaning and using materials over and over)

recycle

separate and recycle paper, glass, cans, plastics, metal, and other items, and buy products made from recycled materials

sanitary landfills

solid wastes are spread out in thin layers, compacted, and covered daily with a fresh layer of clay or plastic foam to help keep the material dry and reduce leakage

phytoremediation

the use of plants to absorb and accumulate hazardous materials from the soil, how toxins are naturally removed from the soil by plants

hazardous/toxic waste

threatens human health or the environment because it is poisonous, dangerously chemically reactive, corrosive, or flammable

cradle to grave (RCRA)

tracking waste from its creation to its disposal

secondary recycling/open-loop recycling

waste materials are converted into different products

industrial solid waste (ISW)

waste produced by mines, agriculture, and industries that supply people with goods and services

plasma arc

wielding torch to incinerate them at high temps