7.1
Name an air pollutant that would be considered a primary pollutant?
NOx, CO, VOCs, SO2, PM, hydrocarbons
Name one of the two conditions that speed up the formation of smog?
Sunlight and Heat
What is the name of the "phenomenon" where urban areas have higher temperatures that suburban and rural areas?
Urban Heat Island Effect
Name a natural source of air pollutants.
Lightning Strikes, Forest Fires, Plants, Volcanoes
Most major indoor air pollutants in developed nations come from chemicals in products such as:
Adhesives in furniture, cleaning supplies, insulation, lead paint
This attachment on vehicles helps convert air pollutants to safer compounds. (It is frequently stolen)
Catalytic Converter
What primary pollutants cause most of the planets acid precipitation (Acid Rain)
NOx and SO2
What is noise pollution?
Any noise at great enough volume to cause physiological stress (difficulty communicating, headaches, confusion) or hearing loss.
Name an air pollutant that would be considered a secondary pollutant?
Tropospheric O3 (Ozone)
Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) & sulfate (SO42-)
Nitric acid (HNO3) & nitrate (NO3-)
NO mixes with what to create smog?
VOCs
True or False: Normally in the atmosphere warm air is near the Earth's surface and gets cooler as it goes up into the atmosphere.
True
What is a natural source of CO2?
Respiration or Aerobic Decompositions.
This gas causes suffocation by binding to hemoglobin in blood, displacing O2
CO (Carbon Monoxide)
What does it mean when a factory has a "pollutant allowance"
Companies that reduce emissions well below EPA-set levels earn pollution credits
They can sell these to companies that release more than acceptable levels
Acid rain has a higher concentration of what?
H+ ions (Hydrogen Ions)
Construction: jack hammers, trucks, concrete pouring
Transportation: cars, busses, trains
Industrial activity: manufacturing plants
Domestic activity: neighbor’s music, lawn mowing, home projects
This metal was removed from gasoline, in the 1970s and lead to a reduction in violent crime.
Lead
How is most NO2 released into the atmosphere?
The incomplete combustion of fuel in vehicles.
During a thermal inversion what causes the city to get trapped under the smog?
Cold air at the surface is trapped beneath the warmer mass above, convection doesn’t cary pollutants up & away
What is particulate matter in the atmosphere?
Solid or liquid particles suspended in air
What are good conditions for mold to grow in?
Mold develops in areas that are dark and damp and aren’t well ventilated (under sinks/showers, behind panels in walls and ceiling)
How does a baghouse filter work to reduce particulate matter from the atmosphere?
Large fabric bag filters that trap PM as air from combustion/industrial process passes through
NO2 & SO2 need to bind with what two other elements to produce acids rain?
H2O (Water) & O2 (Oxygen)
Name two sources of aquatic noise pollution.
noise of ship engines, military sonar, and seismic air blasts from oil & gas surveying ships
Why is CO2 not considered an air pollutant in the Clean Air Act?
CO2 does not directly* lower air quality from a human health standpoint.
Not toxic to organisms to breath
Not damaging to lungs/eyes
Does not lead to smog, decreased visibility
What is a human health impact of photochemical smog?
Resp. irritant; worsens asthma, bronchitis, COPD; irritates eyes.
During the Canadian Wildfires, what helped to remove the smog from the air in Chicago.
Particulate Matter is measured in what unit?
Micrometers
Carbon Monoxide is caused by...
Incomplete combustion of basically any fuel
Not all the fuel is combusted due to low O2 or temp.
How does a wet scrubber stop air pollutants from being released into the atmosphere?
Mist nozzles trap particulate matter in water droplets. Droplets with pollutants and PM trapped in them fall to bottom of scrubber or get trapped.
What causes H+ ions to bind to clay in soil?
Clay in the soil has a natural negative charge that attracts the positive hydrogen ions.
Name an impact of noise pollution on marine life.
Hearing loss, disrupted communication, mating calls, predator and prey navigation
Most heavy metals are released into the atmosphere through what energy generating process.
The burning of coal. (mercury, arsenic, lead)
What is a VOC? Give an example of a source?
Carbon-based compounds that volatilize (evaporate) easily (this makes them “smelly”)
Sources: gasoline, formaldehyde, cleaning fluids, oil-based paints, even coniferous trees (pine smell)
The process of Cloud Seeding is when an airplane releases silver iodide into the atmosphere in order to do what?
Cause a rain event to take place.
Sea salt, pollen, ash from forest fires & volcanoes
dust (windborne soil)
Leads to haze (scattering of sunlight & reduced visibility)
This radioactive gas is released by decaying uranium underground and usually enters the home through cracks in the foundation.
Radon
What mineral is often added to coal before is is burned in order to reduce the amount of NOx and SO2 produced?
Limestone (Calcium Carbonate)
Why is acid rain bad for plants?
H+ ions displace or leech other positively charged nutrients (Ca2+, K+) from soil.
(Can also cause metals like aluminum and mercury to dissolve easier in soil)
Seismic Surveying by ships is used to locate what?
Oil