Outdoor
A _______________ __________________ is when warm air traps pollutants in cold air at ground level.
temperature inversion
What is essential to maintaining good indoor air quality?
A. tightly sealed buildings
B. ventilation
C. new furniture and carpets
D. installing carbon monoxide and radon alarms
B. ventilation
What act requires many industries to use scrubbers or other pollution-control devices?
1970 Clean Air Act
Complete the following blanks using the words acidic, basic, and neutral.
High pH = _____________pH of 7 = ______________
Low pH = ______________
High pH = basic
pH of 7 = neutral
Low pH = acidic
The _____________ is a unit used to measure loudness.
BONUS: What is the abbreviation for this unit?
decibel, dB
______________________ pollutants:
carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, VOCs, particulates
______________________ pollutants:
smog, ground-level ozone, acid rain
primary, secondary
_______________-_______________ syndrome is characterized by headache, fatigue, eye irritation, and dizziness, and commonly affects workers in modern, airtight office buildings.
sick-building syndrome
In the EPA's ______________-____________ system, companies can buy, sell, or trade freely, but if they exceed the limit, they must pay a fine.
Allowance-Trading
Name the main cause of acid precipitation.
*BONUS - what two gasses combine with water vapor to form acid in the atmosphere?
- burning fossil fuels
*nitrogen and sulfur oxides
Which would be the most energy-efficient lighting?
A. incandescent bulbs
B. lighting billboards around the edges
C. low-pressure sodium bulbs
D. many, small streetlamps around a block
C. low-pressure sodium bulbs
Give three human causes of outdoor air pollution.
- burning fossil fuels
- dry-cleaning plants
- use of industrial chemicals
- pumping gasoline
- construction
- spraying pesticides and fertilizers
Give three sources of indoor air pollution.
- industrial chemicals in carpets and furniture
- smoking indoors
- radon seeping through foundations
- asbestos
- cooking on open fires
Match each pollution control devices with its description:
A- catalytic converter, B- scrubber, C - electrostatic precipitator
1. removes poisonous gasses from industrial emissions using a spray of water
2. removes harmful pollutants from car exhaust
3. removes particles from smokestacks using an electric charge
1. - B 2. - A 3. - C
Acid rain falls __________________, which makes mitigation at the international level difficult.
downwind
Name three effects of light pollution.
- headache
- stress
- anxiety
- fatigue
- energy waste
- disrupts nocturnal animals
Cities located in _________ are at greater risk of pollution due to temperature inversion.
valleys
________________ vaporize from industrial products to form toxic fumes, ________________ causes the disease asbestosis, and ________________ can cause lung cancer.
VOCs, asbestos, radon gas
Name the two requirements of the 1970 Clean Air Act.
- remove lead from gasoline
- use catalytic converters on tailpipes of automobiles
What two toxic metals can leach out of the soil, enter aquatic ecosystems, and build up in fish?
aluminum and mercury
Suggest two solutions for decreasing light pollution.
shield light so it is directed downward
using time controls so that light is used only when needed
using low-pressure sodium sources (energy efficient)
Name the five primary air pollutants.
- carbon monoxide
- nitrogen oxides
- sulfur oxides
- Volatile Organic Compounds
- particulates
Give two short-term and two long-term health effects of air pollution.
Short Term:
- headache, nausea, coughing
- irritation to the eyes, nose and throat
- tightness in the chest
- upper respiratory infections (bronchitis and pneumonia)
- worse effects of asthma and emphysema
Long-Term:
- emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease
- may worsen medical conditions suffered by older people and damage the lungs of children
The following regulations describe the _______________ _____________-____________ ______________ Program.
- have no tailpipe emissions
- no emissions from gasoline
- no emission-control systems that deteriorate over time
California Zero-Emission Vehicle Program
Normal precipitation is slightly acidic due to ______________ (carbonic / sulfuric) acid, but pollutants mix with water vapor to form ________________ (carbonic / sulfuric) acid that falls as acid rain.
carbonic, sulfuric
Continual noises over _______ dB can cause permanent deafness.
120