EVR Ch. 13
Solutions to Indoor Air Pollution
- measurement of radon with a test kit; increase in ventilation - conversion to more efficient clean-burning cook stoves - purchase of low-or-no-VOC paints, carpeting, and furniture
Consequences of Indoor Air Pollution
- people ill from sick-building syndrome - lung cancer; 20,000 deaths per year in the United States - respiratory disease in developing countries
Causes of Indoor Air Pollution
- radon seepage into homes - VOCs from paints, carpeting, and furniture - inefficient indoor cookstoves
Energy consumption and aggregate emissions have also changed over time. Whereas the ratio of energy consumption to emissions was 1:1 in 1970, by 2006 the ratio was _________.
3:1
Based on the success of the Pollution Potential Index in China, it is implemented in parts of Africa to study air pollution and climate change. Which of the following will be needed to calculate the PPI?
Air temperature gradient anomalies and surface wind speeds.
Jerry Taylor considers better air quality a luxury good. What evidence does he give for this reasoning?
Once per capita income reaches a certain level, concentrations of pollutants begin to decline as rapidly as they had increased. Submit
Which of the following statements properly describes the cause of a temperature inversion or its effects?
Temperature inversions can trap air pollution in one place for many days.
John Walke supports government regulation as the most effective approach for reducing air pollution. Which of the following statements expresses one of his reasons?
There is little or no economic incentive for polluters to pay pollution costs.
Both authors refer to voluntary actions and their effect on pollution control. Which of the following statements best describes one author's viewpoint?
Walke; Voluntary programs are unsuccessful. For example, in a voluntary EPA program, only one-fourth of the participants committed to reducing emissions.
Forms from emissions of sulfur dioxide:
acid deposition
Leaches plant nutrients from soils:
acid deposition
Carbon monoxide __________.
blocks oxygen transport in human blood
The most obvious cause of industrial smog is ________.
burning fossil fuels
This pollutant deprives organisms of oxygen by binding to the hemoglobin in red blood cells.
carbon monoxide
Mesosphere temperature goes _______ the farther away you get from earth
down
The troposphere, thermosphere, and mesosphere's oxygen goes _______ the farther away you get from earth.
down
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere density goes _______ the farther away you get from earth
down
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere pressure goes _______ the farther away you get from earth
down
If all of the stratospheric ozone suddenly disappeared, ________.
most life on Earth would cease to exist because of the amount of UV radiation penetrating the atmosphere
A __________ pollutant interacts with a part of the atmosphere and becomes a __________ pollutant.
primary; secondary
In developed countries, the two most deadly sources of indoor pollution are ________.
radon and cigarette smoke
A(n) ________ is a device designed to remove airborne pollutants from smokestack emissions.
scrubber
Caused by halocarbons, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs):
stratospheric ozone depletion
Increases exposure of organisms to ultraviolet light:
stratospheric ozone depletion
Montreal Protocol aimed to reduce emissions that cause this:
stratospheric ozone depletion
What are the effects of carbon monoxide?
suffocation in mammals
The primary causes of acid deposition are ________.
sulfur and nitrogen oxides
A very high percentage of the emissions of this pollutant comes from coal combustion.
sulfur dioxide
In the troposphere ___________.
temperature decreases nearly linearly with altitude
Occasionally, a layer of cool air forms under a layer of warmer air in the troposphere. This change from the normal temperature profile in the troposphere is called a ________.
temperature or thermal inversion
Which piece of legislation set strict standards for air quality and pollution control in the United States?
the Clean Air Act
Which of the following results in increased levels of pollution caused by automobile exhaust?
the construction of new highways
Which of the following can trap pollutants at ground level and cause dangerous smog?
thermal inversions
To increase plant growth you...
- increase CO2 - increase H2O - increase sunlight
What was the percent change from 1970 to 2006 for vehicle miles traveled?
+175%
Based on information in the graph in Part A and what you know about the sources of various pollutants, which of the following recommendations might you offer to the congresswoman?
- Efforts to achieve reductions in the concentrations of air pollutants such as CO, PM2.5, and PM10, should include strategies to prevent and control wildfires. - Future regulations should target reductions of ground level ozone with strategies that might include subsidizing public transportation and limiting the use of vehicles in dense urban areas during summer months. - Although SO2 concentration dropped significantly relative to national standards following the CAA, maintaining or furthering this reduction requires continued enforcement of regulations on fossil fuel combustion by industries and power plants.
To decrease plant growth you....
- decrease CO2 - decrease H2O - decrease sunlight
To have no effect on plant growth you....
- increase C6H12O6 - decrease C6H12O6
If the U.S. population in 1970 was approximately 200 million people, what was the approximate population by 2006?
300 million people
The Chinese winter monsoon continues to push east. What can people in Korea and Japan expect?
A cold winter
In an effort to further reduce emissions, a government panel is considering several policy options. For the trends on the graph, which of the following policies could have the biggest long-term impact on lowering emissions?
A mandated switch to electric cars with a solar and wind-powered electrical grid to "fuel" the cars
Which of the following has contributed to longer life spans in the United States?
All of the listed responses are correct.
A haze hangs over the East China plains in winter. Which of the following will most likely disperse this haze?
An extended blast of cold air
Based strictly on increases in air pollution over the past few decades, where would we expect to see the greatest decrease in life spans? We would expect to see a decrease in life span in __________.
Beijing, China
Over the time period shown on the graph, both population and vehicle miles traveled have changed. Describe the relationship between the two factors.
By 2006, people were driving about twice as many miles per person as in 1970.
Which of the following pollutants has the longest residence time?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Which of the following are the top two primary indoor air pollutants in the United States?
Cigarette smoke and radon gas
What process depends on the cyclical, vertical movement of air currents: sinking cold, dense and rising warm, less dense air masses?
Convective circulation
Which of the following conditions would most likely lead to extreme winter haze in the East China plains?
Heavy snow in Siberia and low levels of Arctic sea ice.
Which layer of the atmosphere tends to concentrate pollutants and extends 11-50 km above sea level?
Stratosphere
Taylor mentions the reduced demands on natural resources due to both reduced use of natural resources and the shift away from manufacturing economies to service economies. Imagine how Walke might respond to Taylor's statements in a debate.
I disagree; the shift to a service economy simply means that manufacturing has moved to other countries. Because air pollution does not respect borders, we will still need pollution regulation.
One key to the puzzle of Los Angeles's smog is the fact that ________.
Los Angeles and its suburbs are all ringed by mountains
Which of the following results from acid deposition?
Objects made of stone, like marble headstones, are worn away.
Developing a technique to effectively and economically remove which of the following from the atmosphere would directly decrease haze in an area the most?
Particulate matter
The authors of the two essays are quite opposite in their views, with Walke pro-regulation and Taylor anti-regulation. If you had to select a type of regulation that both authors would approve, which of the following might work?
Regulatory incentives that award subsidies to companies demonstrating technological changes in their processes that measurably reduce pollution
Based on the graph, which of the criteria air pollutants declined the most significantly relative to the most recent national standard between 1980 and 2015?
SO2
Why do pollution and smog often become trapped in Los Angeles and other similar urban areas?
The combination of temperature inversions (because of being surrounded by mountains) and extended periods of sunlight result in the buildup of smog in Los Angeles.
Which of the following layers of the atmosphere is responsible for the weather that we experience on the surface of Earth?
Troposphere
What sorts of constituents do atmospheric pollutants (such as sulfates and nitrates) react with to initiate the process that results in acid deposition?
Water, oxygen, and oxidants
Which of the following U.S. states experiences the lowest levels of acid rain?
Wyoming
On average, it appears that over the past 25 years, improved air quality in the United States has resulted in __________ in the lifespan of the average individual.
an increase of about five months
By how much did the reduction of PM10 concentration exceed the reduction of PM2.5 concentration by 2015?
approximately 30%
What is largely responsible for the ozone hole?
chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants
Which of the following describes the greatest health risk posed by air pollution? Air pollutants __________.
damage blood vessels in human lungs
What is one of the greatest sources of pollution in Mexico City that has persisted even after the government successfully lowered overall pollutant levels?
emissions from automobile exhaust
In 1970, ________ was/were the source of most of the airborne lead emissions in the United States.
gasoline
One of the problems that occur as a consequence of CFC pollution is ________.
increased rates of skin cancer in humans
In the stratosphere, ________.
increases of temperature and ozone levels are strongly correlated
The Coriolis effect ________.
is caused by Earth's rotation
Tropospheric ozone ________.
is produced through the interaction of heat and UV light, with nitrogen oxides and carbon-containing compounds
Before the 1980s, gasoline combustion was a major source of this pollutant.
lead
Which of the following damaging pollutants is not closely tracked by the U.S. EPA?
mercury
This pollutant contributes to the formation of photochemical smog and acid deposition.
nitrogen dioxide
The Acid Rain Program established under the Clean Air Act of 1990 has been successful in reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide and ________.
nitrogen oxides
Pollutants in this category are classified according to diameter.
particulate matter
A reaction between pollutants and atmospheric compounds that creates over 100 different chemicals:
photochemical smog
Concentrations are elevated by hot, sunny days:
photochemical smog
Most pronounced in cities prone to inversion events:
photocjea
This pollutant's chemical structure is three bonded oxygen atoms. Its concentration is strongly influenced by sunlight levels and air temperature.
tropospheric ozone
Stratosphere temperature goes _______ the farther away you get from earth
up
The stratosphere's oxygen goes _____ the farther away you get from earth.
up
Thermosphere temperature goes _______ the farther away you get from earth
up
Air near Earth's surface tends to be ________.
warmer and wetter; then it rises, expanding and cooling
The huge dust storms that took place in the United States in the 1930s ________.
were the result of poor farming techniques
