Ch 12 Key Terms

Question 1

air pollution

Answer 1

Air pollution is the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings.

Question 2

primary pollutant

Answer 2

A primary pollutant is an air pollutant emitted directly from a source. A secondary pollutant is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other pollutants (primary pollutants) react in the atmosphere.

Question 3

Secondary pollutant

Answer 3

Secondary pollutants are pollutants which form in the atmosphere. These pollutants are not emitted directly from a source (like vehicles or power plants). … Photochemical smog is made up of various secondary pollutants like ozone, peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs), and nitric acid

Question 4

smog

Answer 4

fog or haze combined with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants.

Question 5

temperature inversion

Answer 5

Temperature inversion, also called thermal inversion, a reversal of the normal behaviour of temperature in the troposphere (the region of the atmosphere nearest Earth’s surface), in which a layer of cool air at the surface is overlain by a layer of warmer air.

Question 6

sick-building syndrome

Answer 6

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition in which people in a building suffer from symptoms of illness or become infected with chronic disease from the building in which they work or reside. The outbreaks may or may not be a direct result of inadequate cleaning or inappropriate cleaning methods.

Question 7

asbestos

Answer 7

a heat-resistant fibrous silicate mineral that can be woven into fabrics, and is used in fire-resistant and insulating materials such as brake linings.

Question 8

decibel

Answer 8

a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale.

Question 9

acid precipitation

Answer 9

Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.

Question 10

pH

Answer 10

pH is a scale of acidity from 0 to 14. It tells how acidic or alkaline a substance is. More acidic solutions have lower pH. More alkaline solutions have higher pH. Substances that aren’t acidic or alkaline (that is, neutral solutions) usually have a pH of 7.

Question 11

acid shock

Answer 11

A sudden increase in the level of acidity of surface waters (lakes, streams, and rivers) in mid‐latitude areas, caused by the melting in spring of snow that has accumulated through the winter, and stored dry fallout of acidic precipitation. An acid shock can cause significant damage to freshwater species and habitats.