Sulfur Dioxide
Name an anthropogenic source of SO2
Burning coal and oil
Name a natural source of nitrous oxides
Forest fires
Lightning
Bacteria
What is ozone?
A secondary pollutant made up of 3 oxygen molecules
Name an anthropogenic source of carbon monoxide and dioxide
Burning fossil fuels and biomass
Car exhaust
What is particulate matter?
Solid or liquid particles suspended in the air
burning coal and oil
leaded gasoline
lead paint
lead water pipes
Name a natural source of SO2
Volcanic eruptions
Wildfires
Name an anthropogenic source of nitrous oxides
Fossil fuel combustion
Vehicle exhaust
Why is ozone considered a secondary pollutant?
It is not directly made by people but rather forms in the atmosphere because of other pollutants interacting
Name a natural source of carbon monoxide and dioxide
wildfires
cellular respiration in living things
Name an anthropogenic source of PM
combustion of fossil fuels and biomass
road dust
Name an anthropogenic source of mercury
Burning coal
When coal is burned in humid air, sulfur emissions react with water and sunlight to produce what type of smog?
Sulfurous smog
Nitrous oxides can react with water and sunlight in the air to produce photochemical oxidants. What is a photochemical oxidant?
air pollutants that form as a result of sunlight acting on chemicals like sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides
What type of smog is dominated by ozone and other photochemical oxidants?
Photochemical smog
What is an effect of carbon dioxide on the environment?
Increases global temperatures/causes global warming
Name a natural source of PM
volcanoes
rock erosion/crushing
forest fires
dust storms
Name one anthropogenic and one natural source of VOCs
Anthropogenic - cleaning chemicals, perfumes and colognes, scented candles/wall plug-ins/car ornaments
Natural - flowers and trees
Sulfur dioxide can combine with water in the atmosphere to create sulfuric acid and acid rain. What is an effect of acid rain on the environment?
Lowers the pH of soils, causing nutrients to leach out
Lowers the pH of bodies of water, which can kill fish and other organisms
When nitrous oxides combine with water and then precipitate, what can be produced?
Acid rain
What chemicals are mainly responsible for the depletion of the Ozone Layer?
CFCs
Why is carbon monoxide so dangerous to people and pets?
Binds to red blood cells instead of O2, causing people to suffocate
Why is asbestos such a dangerous PM?
When disturbed, it breaks into tiny pieces that can lodge in the lungs and damage cells
What do mercury and lead cause in people?
Nervous system and brain damage
How is sulfur removed from the air?
Using fluidized bed combustion
How nitrous oxides removed from the air?
By catalytic converters
What is the Montreal Protocol?
An international agreement banning the production and use of CFCs
What is a way to remove carbon monoxide from the atmosphere?
Using catalytic converters
Name an effect of PM on people
Eye, nose, and lung irritation
Difficulty breathing
Cancer
What is an effect of VOCs in the environment?
Contribute to formation of ozone and photochemical smog