Air Pollution Vocabulary Flashcards
The presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.
Air Pollution
Gases in Earth’s atmosphere
Greenhouse Gasses
A colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and by respiration.
Carbon Dioxide
A gaseous air pollutant composed of sulfur and oxygen.
Sulfur Dioxide
Any of several oxides of nitrogen most of which are produced in combustion.
Nitrogen Oxides.
A colorless, odorless toxic flammable gas formed by incomplete combustion of carbon.
Carbon monoxide
A complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets.
Particulates
An odorless, colorless gas made up of three oxygen molecules.
Ozone
An elemental heavy metal found naturally in the environment as well as in manufactured products. Can be released directly into the air as suspended particles.
Lead
A large group of chemicals that are found in many products we use to build and maintain our homes.
VOCs
Air pollutants for which acceptance levels of exposure can be determined and for which an ambient air quality standard has been set.
Criteria Air Pollutants
A comprehensive Federal law that regulates all sources of air emissions.
Clean Air Act
The gases and particles which are put into the air or emitted by various sources.
Emissions
Any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged
Point source
Occurs when runoff from rain and snowmelt carries pollutants into waterways.
Nonpoint source
An air pollutant emitted directly from a source
Primary pollutant
Pollution caused by reactions in air already polluted by primary emissions.
Secondary pollutant
The transportation of aerial pollutants in the outdoor atmosphere after being emitted from the sources.
Dispersion
A measure of how clean or polluted the air is.
Air Quality
any form of precipitation with acidic components
Acid precipitation
Cold air at the surface gets trapped under a layer of warmer air.
Temperature inversion
A thing part of Earth’s atmosphere that absorbs almost all of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet light.
Ozone Layer
Any of a class of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine that are typically used in aerosol propellants and refrigerants.
CFCs
A global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances.
Montreal Protocol
