8.1 - Sources Of Pollutants

Question 1

Point vs Nonpoint pollutant sources

Answer 1

Point Source
- Pollutant that enters the environment from an easily identifiable and confined place (you can point to it)

Nonpoint source
- Pollutants entering the environment from many places at once. (Difficult to “point” to one individual source)

Question 2

Must-Know Pollution Examples

Answer 2

Point Source
- Animal waste runoff from a CAFO (ammonia, fecal coliform bacteria)
- Emmisions from smokestack of a coal power plant (COs, NOx, SOx, PM)
- BP oil spill

Nonpoint source:
- Urban runoff (motor oil, nitrate fertilizer, road salt, sediment)
Pesticides sprayed on agricultural fields; carries by wind and washed off large agricultural regions into bodies of water

Estuaries and bays are polluted by many Nonpoint source pollution from the large watersheds that empty into them

Question 3

Pollutants vs Pollution

Answer 3

Pollutants
- Specific chemicals or groups of chemicals from specific sources with specific environmental and human health effects
- much more likely to earn pts on FRQ

Pollution
- vague, nondescript term for any substance that is harmful to the environment