APES Chapter 18 Air Pollution
(7.5) Make a chart and list each of the following indoor air pollutants found in homes. For each pollutant, give the source (natural, anthropogenic, combustion) and effects on human health. Pollutants: CO, particulates, radon-222, mold, dust, VOC's, formaldehyde, lead, NOx, SO2, and tobacco smoke. Provide 2 ways that radon-222 can be prevented from entering homes. Which areas of the world have the most problems with indoor air pollution? Which areas of the world have the most problems with outdoor air pollution?
Chart with effects on human health in picture Sources: Particulates, mold, dust, lead, radon-222 (in minute quantities) and formaldehyde are natural, CO and tobacco smoke is anthropogenic, and NOX, SO2 and VOC's are combustion. 2 ways that radon-222 can be prevented from entering homes are through increasing airflow by opening windows/using fans and vents, and by sealing cracks in floors and walls, especially in the basement/lower floors. Developing countries have the most problems with indoor air pollution, while developed countries have the most problems with outdoor air pollution.
(7.4) Create a labeled diagram of the carbon cycle. Include the processes of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition, combustion, and volcanism. Identify which processes are naturally occurring and which are anthropogenic. Identify 3 sources of naturally occurring particulate matter.
Diagram in picture Photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition, and volcanism are natural, while combustion is anthropogenic. 3 sources of naturally occurring particulate matter are sea salt, dust, and pollen.
(7.2) Create a labeled diagram that illustrates how ground-level ozone forms. Include the reactants, environmental conditions, and products of ozone formation. What accelerates the formation of ground-level ozone? What measures can be taken to reduce ground-level ozone formation from occurring? Explain the effects of ground-level ozone on human health.
Diagram in picture Temperature, wind speed and formation, time of day, and driving patterns can accelerate ground-level ozone formation Using cleaner-burning gasoline, using vapor recovery nozzles at gas pumps, and setting strict nitrogen oxide emission limits on power plants can reduce ground-level ozone Ozone can inflame the lung's lining and cause chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and nasal congestion.
(7.3) Create a labeled diagram that illustrates the effects of thermal inversions and their effect on outdoor air pollution. Give two things that can be done to help mitigate the effects of thermal inversions. What are the human health effects of thermal inversions?
Diagram in picture Two things that can be done to mitigate thermal inversions are to reduce pollutant emissions in big cities and to not build cities in locations surrounded by mountains/hills. Some human health effects of these inversions are inflammation in the lungs and body and respiratory and heart problems.
(7.8) Define noise pollution. Identify 4 different categories of sources of noise pollution in urban centers. Identify the 4 different ecological effects of noise pollution on animals in urban ecological systems.
Noise pollution is harmful levels of noise that cause harmful effects on human or animal life. In urban areas, 4 different categories of sources of noise pollution are transportation, construction, electrical generators, and loud music. 4 different ecological effects of noise pollution on animals in urban ecological systems are scaring away carnivores, impeding with mating, impeding with establishing territories, and impeding with protecting young.
(7.1) List ALL primary pollutants released from coal combustion and motor vehicle exhaust.
Particulate matter, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hazardous air pollutants, greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide,
(7.1) What are primary and secondary pollutants and what are 3 specific examples of each? What are the three main anthropogenic sources of gaseous air pollution?
Primary pollutant: A pollutant emitted directly from a source (ex. sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides) Secondary pollutant: A pollutant formed when different primary pollutants react in the atmosphere (ex. ozone, sulfuric acid, nitric acid) Three main anthropogenic sources of gaseous air pollution: Road transportation, electricity and heat production, and manufacturing industries/construction
(7.2) Create a chart that lists the primary pollutants (and the anthropogenic sources), the secondary pollutants, and the effects on human health of photochemical smog. Include a labeled diagram that illustrates the formation of photochemical smog. Give three things that can be done to reduce the formation of photochemical smog. Explain the effects of photochemical smog on human health.
Primary pollutants chart/diagram in picture Diagram with formation of photochemical smog in next card's picture Three things to reduce photochemical smog: Drive less, avoid products that release high levels of VOC's, and avoid gas-powered lawn equipment Effects of photochemical smog on human health: Irritation of the respiratory system, reduced lung function, and difficulty breathing
(7.7) Create a chart that lists the primary pollutants and their sources, secondary sources and their sources, areas of the world most affected, and the effects of acid deposition (acid rain). Include a labeled diagram that illustrates the formation of acid rain. List three things that can be done to reduce the formation of acid rain. Describe the effects of acid rain on soil, water, plants, and outdoor structures.
Primary pollutants: NOx, CO, VOC's, SOx, particulate matter Sources: Cars, power plants Diagram of acid rain in picture Three things that can be done to reduce formation of acid rain are to conserve energy, drive less, and produce more renewable energy. Some effects of acid rain on soil, water, plants, and outdoor structures: It leaches into the soil and increases its acidity making it hard for trees in the soil to survive, it increases acidity of water, killing off organisms living there, it stunts and slows down plant growth and may even kill the plants, and it slowly dissolves outdoor structures.
(7.1) What are the provisions of the Clean Air Act? How does cap and trade relate to the Clean Air Act? What primary pollutants were targeted by the Clean Air Act?
The provisions in the act requires the EPA to set health-based standards for ambient air quality, sets deadlines for the achievement of those standards by state and local governments, requires EPA to set national emission standards for large or ubiquitous sources of air pollution, including motor vehicles, power plants, and other industrial sources, mandates emission controls for sources of 187 hazardous air pollutants, establishes a cap-and-trade program to limit acid rain, requires the prevention of significant deterioration of air quality in areas with clean air, requires a program to restore visibility impaired by regional haze in national parks and wilderness areas, and implements the Montreal Protocol to phase out most ozone-depleting chemicals. Cap and trade relates to the Clean Air Act by setting a cap (limit) on greenhouse gas emissions. The cap gets stricter over time. The primary air pollutants targeted by this act are carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, particulate matter, and lead.
(7.6) Create a chart. List the reduction method, identify the target pollutant, the sources of the pollutant, and whether the method is a regulatory practice, conservation practice, or an alternative fuel.
Vapor recovery nozzle: Captures mainly carbon monoxide/particulate matter from gas, regulatory practice Catalytic converter: Captures VOC's, NOX, and SO2 from vehicle engine emissions by catalyzing a redox reaction, conservation practice Wet and dry scrubbers: Captures NOX, CO2, and SO2 from power plant emissions in smokestacks by using liquid to absorb and remove harmful gases, it is a regulatory practice Baghouse filters: Captures small particulate matter from power plants/industrial buildings by trapping particulate matter inside filters, regulatory practice Fluidized-bed combustion: Reduces sulfur dioxide/sulfur emissions from power plants by using jets of air to separate the pollutants, regulatory practice Electrostatic precipitators: Removes small particles (like dust and smoke) from flowing gas by using an electrostatic charge to impede the flow of particles through the gas, regulatory practice
