APES Unit 7

How does carbon monoxide effect the cardiovascular system?

CO irreversibly binds to blood hemoglobin, decreasing the blood's ability to transport oxygen.

Particulates can be removed from smokestack emissions by which of the following methods?

Electrostatic precipitators

What are some alternative fuels

Natural Gas, Biofuel, Electricity

Which two primary pollutants most often result in acid rain

Sulfuric dioxide Nitric oxide

Difference between dry and wet scrubbers

Wet scrubbers use water, while dry scrubbers use a dry reagent.

Acid rain is associated with which of the following

the burning of fossil fuels

What are normal air conditions

warm air rises into the troposphere and then becomes cold and denser and falls and then the process repeats. Air pollution also is brought up with the air currents.

The danger from radon gas would most likely be greatest in

well-insulated homes

Describe radon

A natural radioactive gas from the decay of Uranium that can come from houses above bedrock that have cracks in the foundation allowing it to leak in. It can cause lung cancer.

How does acid rain affect soil

Acid rain can take away nutrients from topsoil which can harm plants

What is noise pollution?

Any harmful or annoying levels of noise

How does acid rain affect aquatic organisms

Aquatic organisms are particularly vulnerable to pH changes, specifically on their calcium-based structures (bones, shells and eggs).

How can asbestos be harmful to humans?

Asbestos lodges in the lining of the lungs, potentially leading to cancer.

What are natural sources of PM

Biological Sources: Pollen, spores, bacteria, dust, dust mites, ash (from wildfires). Geologic Sources: Dust and ash (from volcanoes)

How does mold form inside?

Buildings with poor ventilation and high levels of moisture are optimal conditions for mold growth.

How did the EPA regulate Lead?

By establishing the clean air act dramatically reducing the lead in the atmosphere

Describe carbon monoxide

CO is incompletely burned organic material (like fossil fuels) that has negative effects on the cardiovascular system.

What are examples of Antropogenic pollutants

CO, CO2, SO2, NOx, PM, VOCs, and heavy metal

What are examples of primary pollutants?

CO, CO2, SO2, NOx, and most PM and VOCs

What are the six common air pollutants the EPA set standards for

CO, SO2, O3, PM, NO2, and Pb (lead)

What are examples of natural pollutants

CO2 emissions from fires, volcano eruptions, and respiration; dust, mold, pollen

Describe carbon dioxide

CO2 is a result of combustion especially from transportation

Which of the following are direct products of the use of hydrocarbon fuels in automobile engines?

CO2, NOx, and VOCs

The colorless, odorless gas that decreases the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Can cause faintness, death.

Carbon monoxide

What are conservation efforts to reduce emissions

Energy-efficient appliances Mass transportation Increased Fuel Standards (CAFE) Products with water-based solvents (to reduce VOCs) Individual / Community actions such as carpooling, composting, and recycling.

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

Which of the following best explains the pattern in NO concentration

NO is produced by rush-hour traffic and is quickly oxidized in the atmosphere

Describe nitrogen oxides

NOx are created from the combustion of engines and when it is combined with the atmosphere can cause smog and acid rain.

Describe ground level ozone

O3 is a secondary pollutant in the troposphere and a major component in smog.

Describe peroxyacetyl nitrate

PAN is a secondary pollutant and is very important in smog.

A type of pollution found both indoors and outdoors, which includes pollen, dander, soot, carbon, and dust

Particulate matter

Describe lead

Pb is a heavy metal that can enter the respiratory system and used to be in gasoline.

How did the clean air act regulate pollution

Reduced automobile emissions, acid rain (by regulating FF emissions), and it phased out ODS (Ozone-depleting substances)

Describe sulfur dioxide

SO2 is caused from combustion of fossil fuels (like coal) and can cause acid rain.

What is photochemical smog?

Secondary air pollutants produced when chemicals in smog react with sunlight

Cool air and pollutants can get trapped at Earth's surface under a layer of warm air in a process known as

Temperature inversion

What affects thermal inversion

The amount of air pollution and presence of valleys/ mountains/ wind

If technology that reduces the hydrocarbon concentration had been utilized, which of the following would have been the most likely result?

The concentration of O3 would have been lower.

A student is setting up a model to study the carbon cycle and natural sources of carbon dioxide. They create a microenvironment that contains soil, leaf debris, an earthworm, heterotrophic bacteria, and a sun lamp. What natural source of carbon dioxide and major metabolic process was left out of the model?

There is no representation of photosynthesis in the model environment

What are vapor recovery systems

They reduce the vapor emissions entering the atmosphere during refueling.

Any compound containing carbon that participates in photochemical reactions in the atmosphere

VOCs

What causes smog?

VOCs + nitrogen oxides + sunlight

Smog or ground ozone forms in the troposphere. Which pollutants are most responsible for smog or ground ozone?

VOCs and nitrogen oxides

Describe volatile organic compounds

VOCs are hydrocarbons that are emitted from industrial processes like dry cleaning, paint, aerosol sprays, gas

How is ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate created?

When primary pollutants like nitrogen oxides and VOCs react with the atmosphere and sunlight.

What is a catalytic converter?

a device fitted to the exhaust in order to convert harmful gases into less harmful pollutants.

What are Electrostatic precipitators

a device that uses electrical charge to reduce pollutants

Which of the following would most likely neutralize the effect of acid rain on bodies of water, based on the composition of soils and bedrock in the region

a forest underlain by limestone

Describe asbestos

a particulate that was used as insulation but it is a carcinogen for lung cancer.

What is the Clean Air Act?

act that has provided provisions that have reduced air pollution in the US in criteria pollutants (CO, SO2, NO2, O3, Lead, and particulates)

Acid measures this on the pH scale.

anything below 7

All of the following are types of indoor environmental hazards except:

carbon dioxide

An air pollution prevention mechanism found in vehicles

catalytic converter

Effects of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

causes acid rain

How does noise pollution affect organism?

in various ways including disrupting migration, navigation, hunting and communication efforts

How does lead affect the respiratory system?

lead is fat-soluble meaning it will dissolve in the fat tissue and remains within an organism

What is the ph of acid rain

less than 5.6 (less than normal rain)

What is one way to neutralize the effects of acid rain

limestone

What are examples of indoor pollutants

mold, dust, radon, CO, and smoke

This primary pollutant creates a reddish brown gas creating photochemical smog and tropospheric ozone.

nitrogen dioxide

What are examples of secondary pollutants?

ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and PAN (peroxyacetyl nitrate)

Dust, ash and pollen are examples of this air pollutant

particulate matter

Electrostatic precipitators can be used to remove this type of air pollutant

particulate matter

what is a primary pollutant

pollutant released directly into the atmosphere by human activities

Primary pollutants

pollutants that are put directly into the air by human or natural activity.

secondary pollutants

primary pollutants + atmosphere

What are methods to reduce air pollution

regulatory practices conservation practices alternative fuels

Which of these problems can be caused by air pollution?

respiratory problems

What device reduces SO2 emissions in power plants?

scrubber units

Used on factory stacks to remove gases and particulate.

scrubbers

Ozone and acid rain are both pollutants formed through reactions in the atmosphere. This makes them

secondary air pollutants

Which of the following is NOT a primary pollutant?

smog

Describe particulate matter

solid or liquid particles that are small enough to inhale causing respiratory health issues.

___________ is produced when fuels containing sulfur are burned in the presence of oxygen

sulfur dioxide

What causes acid rain?

sulfur dioxide + nitrogen oxides + water vapor

What is thermal inversion?

the reversal of normal air conditions caused by the natural heating and cooling cycles of the day and night. In thermal inversion cold/ polluted air becomes trapped under the warm air.

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

the risk of developing skin cancer

what is the major cause for air pollution?

transportation

This atmospheric compound is critical to the planet in its protection against UV radiation, but when found close to the ground is part of photochemical smog that can cause serious health problems

tropospheric ozone

the major source of radon in houses in the US is

underlying bedrock

What are scrubbers?

used to remove poisonous gases and PMs from industrial emissions