Intro to Pollution
The introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or microorganisms into the atmosphere at concentrations high enough to harm organisms.
What is air pollution?
Smog that is dominated by oxidants such as ozone.
What is photochemical smog?
It is produced by incomplete combustions of fossil fuels. Exposure can make you be dizzy, have headaches, and even death.
What is carbon monoxide (CO)?
Scrubbers have these two varieties.
What is wet and dry?
The relative strength of acids and bases in a substance.
What is pH?
A primary pollutant that has undergone transformation in the presence of the sunlight, water, oxygen, etc.
What is a secondary pollutant?
A naturally occurring compound that is used as a preservative and as an adhesive in plywood and carpeting.
What is formaldehyde?
A long, thin, fibrous silicate mineral with insulating properties, which can cause cancer when inhaled.
A device that uses chemicals to convert pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide to nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide.
Precipitation high in sulfuric acid and nitric acid.
What is acid rain?
A trace metal that occurs naturally in rocks and soils, is present in coal, and is a neurotoxin.
An atmospheric condition in which a relatively warm layer of air covers a layer of cold, dense air below.
What is a thermal inversion?
A radioactive gas that occurs naturally from the decay of uranium and is an indoor air pollutant.
What is radon-222?
A device that uses a combination of lime and or water to seperate and remove particles from industrial exhaust streams.
What is a scrubber?
Unwanted sound that interfere with normal activities that can disrupt nature or cause health issues.
What is noise pollution?
A polluting compound that comes directly from a specific source.
What is a primary pollutant?
Smog dominated by sulfur dioxide, sulfate compounds, and particluate matter.
What is sulfurous smog?
Emissions come from both natural and man-made sources like cleaning supplies, personal care projects, office equipment, etc.
What are volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?
A device that prevents VOCs from escaping into the atmosphere while a person is fueling their vehicle.
What is a vapor recovery nozzle?
A logarithmic scale that measures the frequency and how loud the sound is.
What is a decibel A scale (db(A))?
Pollutant compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen bonds, such as fossil fuels, perfumes, and oil based points.
What are hydrocarbons?
Particles of size 2.5 μm and smaller can travel further within the respiratory tract and are of even great risk to one's health.
What is Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM_2.5)?
A buildup of toxic pollutants in weatherized spaces, such as newer buildings in the developed world.
What is sick building syndrome?
A device that removes particulate matter by using a n electrical charge to make particles coalesce so they can be removed from the exhaust.
What is a electrostatic precipitator?
These are two major effects of noise pollution on aquatic life, interfering with essential behaviors like echolocation and migration.
What are decreased ability to communicate and navigate?