Water Pollution
Factory waste, septic tank leaking, and landfill leaking are examples of point source pollution.
On the Air Quality Index, does healthier air have a high number or a low number?
On the Air Quality Index, healthier air has a low number (it means how much pollution is in the air).
What are the units to measure sound?
Decibels
True or false: it is possible for the air indoors to be worse quality than the air outdoors
True
What is deforestation?
When you cut down trees and do not replace them.
Which is more difficult to detect (find) and stop, point source pollution or nonpoint source pollution? Why?
What does the Clean Air Act require industries to use in order to reduce pollution?
Scrubbers
What percent of teens have permanent hearing loss?
About 14.9% (15%) of teens have permanent hearing loss
Give three examples of sources of indoor air pollution.
Mold, chemicals for cleaning, animal fur, fireplaces or gas stoves, carbon monoxide, cigarette smoke
What is the number one cause for deforestation in tropical rainforests?
Timber and logging
What did the Clean Water Act do?
The Clean Water Act improved the quality of water by regulating water use. It made 30% more lakes and waterways safe for use.
What is the largest source of VOCs?
Industrial Processes
What part of the United States has the worst light pollution? Why?
The eastern United States has the worst light pollution because it has a higher population.
What are the names (or chemical formulas) of the chemicals that are produced that interact with water to form acid rain?
Nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides: NO2 and SO2
What is the largest cause of deforestation in Africa?
Fuelwood and charcoal
What is thermal pollution and how can it harm organisms?
Thermal pollution is when hot water is released. It can kill fish by changing the temperature of their environment and can decrease the oxygen in the water.
How are primary and secondary pollutants different?
Primary pollutants are put directly into the air.
Secondary pollutants occur when primary pollutants react with other substances.
What is one negative effect of light pollution on living things?
Answers could be:
-Poor sleep (humans)
-Confused migration (animals)
What is sick building syndrome, and how can you avoid it?
Sick building syndrome is when a building has very poor air quality. You can avoid it by ventilation: mix indoor air with outdoor air.
Give three reasons for deforestation.
1. Need for wood
2. Creating farmland
3. Making space for roads and buildings
We can pass laws to regulate water pollution, we can make sure to clean up our trash and not pollute, we can only buy products from companies that do not cause water pollution.
How does air pollution affect human health? Give two examples.
Air pollution can result in asthma, itchy eyes, sneezy and runny nose, headache, kidney damage, and elevated blood pressure.
How can you mitigate light pollution?
Create lamps that produce less light, or have shades.
Describe what causes acid rain and how it is formed.
Acid rain is caused when fossil fuels are burned, producing NO2 and SO2. These pollutants mix with water vapor in the atmosphere to produce acid rain, which falls.
How does deforestation affect ecosystems? Give two ways.
1. Reduces wildlife habitat.
2. Soil is easily washed away.
3. Other natural resources are depleted.
4. Less oxygen is produced and more CO2 stays in the atmosphere.