environmental science chapter 13: air, water, and soil pollution

copper & zinc

2 examples of heavy meals that can be tolerated in low doses

mercury & lead

2 examples of heavy metals that are toxic even at low conditions

wind & water

2 things that transport pollutants around the globe

deterioration of infrastructure, loss of agricultural or forest productivity, human health cost (loss of work time, reduced productivity, healthcare)

3 major costs of air pollution:

persistent, linked to various cancers, low sperm count, and learning disabilities, used to manufacture products such as microscope oils & refrigerators, banned in 1979

Describe PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls):

true

True/False: production of POP's is banned across most of the world

exhaust from cars, trash that gets into rivers

What are examples of non-point source pollution?

smoke stack from a factory, a pipe that is allowing pollution into the river

What are examples of point-source pollution?

neutral

What is a pH of 7?

point-source pollution

What type of pollution is easier to try and regulate, monitor, and clean up?

they are common pollutants that are hazardous to human health

What was the rationale for choosing the so-called criteria pollutants?

for treating farm wastes in sparsely populated rural areas

Where are constructed wetlands likely to be most useful for treating wastewater?

1. Concentrations of pollutants across country 2. Population information to determine levels of exposure 3. Converted exposure to likely outcomes 4. Estimated economic value of damage (Costs in US-$75-280 billion, China-$100 billion)

Yale scientists estimated the 4 main costs of damages of the 6 air pollutants. What are they?

sick building syndrome

a circumstance in which many building occupants experience symptoms of illness (headache, nausea) for which no cause has been identified

buffering capacity

a measure of the ability to neutralize acid

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

a measure of the quantity of oxygen consumed by microorganisms as they break down the organic matter in a sample of water

airshed

a part of the atmosphere that has a consistent airflow, primarily due to the location of mountains and prevailing wind patterns

pollutant

a substance or physical condition harmful to living organisms that contaminates air, water, or soil (ex: pesticide, sound pollution)

base

a substance that has the capacity to neutralize acids

acid

a substance that releases hydrogen ions upon dissociation when dissolved in water, resulting in reduced pH

pH

an indicator of the hydrogen concentration of a solution

persistent pollutant

break down slowly over months, years, or millennia

Persistent organic pollutants

chemicals that remain in the environment indefinitely, can bio-magnify through the food web, and pose a threat to human health & the environment

criteria pollutants

common sources of air pollution, chosen by EPA to be regulated because they are hazardous to human health & the environment

aerosol

consists of tiny particles of solid materials or tiny liquid droplets suspended in air or other gas

pollution

contamination or physical alteration of the environment at levels harmful to living organisms

discharged 20 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere which was converted into 30 million metric tons of sulfuric acid and water aerosols

describe Mt. Pinatubo in regards to pollution

break down slowly and typically only under a certain set of environmental conditions, transported over long distances

describe the breakdown of POP's

they die back from acid rain, loss of diversity, dissolves and washes away soil nutrients, releases aluminum from soils which can be toxic in high concentrations

describe the problem of acid rain in regards to forests

sulfur

essential to life, component of proteins ,vitamins, etc. moves through the biosphere in a global biogeochemical cycle

carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide

examples of primary pollutants

VOC's, ozone

examples of secondary pollutants

forms when sulfur dioxide undergoes a chemical reaction in the atmosphere, forming sulfuric acid

how does acid rain form?

units are base-10 logarithms, or a ten-fold difference for every change in one

how does the pH scale work?

6

how many criteria pollutants are there?

heavy metals

humans, plants, and animals require low does of some ____________ but at high concentrations they become toxic

acid deposition

includes both wet & dry deposition of acids (ex: when gases or particles are directly deposited, or deposited via snow & sleet)

non-point source pollution

introduced pollutants from scattered locations, diffuse/mobile

heavy metals

metallic chemical elements with a high atomic weight

point-source pollution

pollutants entering the environment from a clearly definable place, stationary, easy to identify, monitor & regulate

secondary pollutant

substances that are formed via the chemical reaction of primary pollutants

primary pollutant

substances that are harmful when released into the environment

eutrophication

the build up of nutrients in a lake over time

indoor air pollution

the buildup of pollutants in the indoor environment

watershed

the land area drained by a river system

transboundary pollution

the transport of pollutants by wind & water around the globe, across geographical & political boundaries

bioremediation

using organisms to decontaminate soils, sediments, and groundwater aquifers

carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxide, ozone, particulate matter (pm), sulfur dioxide

what are the criteria pollutants?

sulfuric acid & nitric acid

what are the major sources of acid rain?

raw sewage pouring from broken line, feeding time at aquaculture facility, crowded cattle (can cause stress on these aquatic ecosystems)

what are three potential sources of organic pollution of aquatic ecosystems?

air pollution kills over 7 million people per year, the majority of which are a result of indoor air pollution

what did the World Health Organization say about air pollution?

Volatile organic compounds

what does VOC stand for?

hydrogen

what gas is released in an acid?

basic

what is a pH of greater than 7?

acidic

what is a pH of less than 7?

anything less than 5.3

what is the pH of acid rain?

phytoremediation

when the bioremediation process involves plants

north america, europe, and eastern asia (largest consumers of fossil fuels)

where are the areas of greatest acid rain?

in fatty tissues

where do POP's accumulate?

in the developing world

where is death from indoor air pollution mostly occurring?