1.5 humans and pollution

Question 1

pollution

Answer 1

addition of a substance/agent to an environment by human action faster than it can be rendered harmless by natural processes

Question 2

primary pollutants

Answer 2

active on emission, immediate problem causer
- CO2
- sewage

Question 3

secondary pollutants

Answer 3

formed by primary pollutants undergoing physical/chemical changes
- SO2 and NOx reacting with water in atmosphere to form acid rain
- plastic degrading into microplastics

Question 4

factors making human pollution a problem

Answer 4

• increasing number of people on the planet
• development of non-biodegradable materials
• urbanization –> deforestation

Question 5

the great stink

Answer 5

• 1858
• rapid pop. growth raised challenges to provide clean water and care for waste
• sewers overflowed –> waste in river thames
• drought + hot weather –> waste fermented –> “great stink”
• spread cholera + now disease was understood
• gov. didn’t want to address it because of costs, but had to since the parliament building was close –>
  new sewage systems were built

Question 6

non-point source pollution

Answer 6

• emitted from numerous widely dispersed origins
• difficult to detect where it’s coming from
• e.g: raw sewage entering a water course, waste plastic entering oceans

Question 7

point source pollution

Answer 7

• emitted from a single identifiable source
• easier to see who’s polluting and to address it
• e.g: dioxins from a waste incinerator

Question 8

acute pollution

Answer 8

• when a lot of pollution is released over a short time period, causing severe harm
• e.g: BP oil spill in 2010, Louisiana

Question 9

chronic pollution

Answer 9

• results from the long-term release of small amounts of pollution, often from multiple sources
• more difficult to detect + address, more widely spread
• e.g: “atmospheric brown cloud” in India (soot, CO2, smog)

Question 10

organic and inorganic pollution

Answer 10

Organic: waste of something that is or was living, they are carbon-based
- e.g. human sewage
Inorganic: non-living and generally doesn’t contain carbon
- e.g. nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers

Question 11

persistent and biodegradable pollution

Answer 11

Persistent: doesn’t break down easily

Biodegradable: substances that will break down or decompose due to the action of microorganisms

Question 12

direct measurements of pollution

Answer 12

+ can be precise/quantitative
- require scientific equipment + expertise
- limited in frequency due to limited resources

e.g:
- pH of rainwater
- atmospheric CO2 concentration
- nitrate concentration of seawater

Question 13

indirect measurements of pollution

Answer 13

• recording changes in biotic/abiotic factors caused by pollution
• sensitive to pollution events over a longer time frame/area
  + can be carried out with limited equipment + expertise
  e.g:
• dissolved O2 in freshwater

Question 14

pollution management strategies

Answer 14

• reduce production of pollutants by changing human activity (campaigns, education –> CFC ban under Montreal protocol)
• control release of pollutants (carbon capture and storage on coal-fired power plants)
• cleanup/restoration of damaged systems (removal of radioactive topsoil from Fukushima precinct)

Question 15

DDT

Answer 15

• introduced in US in 1945 as pesticides for crops
• birds/fish showed same symptoms as insects + kids born into infection + didn’t know long-term effects
• Rachael Carson: “Silent Spring” in 1962 to show harmful effects of DDT and call government to action to protect citizens (backlash –> “American environmental movement”)
• banned in 1972 –> malaria out of control in third world countries
  Burkina Faso: mosquitos resistant to pesticides, including DDT

Question 16

persistent organic pollution

Answer 16

the most dangerous is persistent organic pollution (POP) –> they are insoluable in water but often soluble in fat so they pass through the food chain in increasing concentrations
- e.g. DDT