Ch.12 Key Terms

Question 1

Air Pollution

Answer 1

a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles.

Question 2

Primary Pollutant

Answer 2

an air pollutant emitted directly from a source.

Question 3

Secondary Pollutant

Answer 3

pollutants which form in the atmosphere. These pollutants are not emitted directly from a source (like vehicles or power plants).

Question 4

Smog

Answer 4

fog or haze combined with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants.

Question 5

Temperature Inversion

Answer 5

a reversal of the normal behavior 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 Chromosome

Answer 6

a set of symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, eye irritation, and dizziness, that may affect workers in modern, airtight office buildings; believed to be caused by indoor pollutants

Question 7

Asbestos

Answer 7

any of six silicate minerals that form bundles of minute fibers that are heat resistant, flexible, and durable

Question 8

Decibel

Answer 8

the most common unit used to measure loudness (abbreviation, dB)

Question 9

Acid Precipitation

Answer 9

precipitation, such as rain, sleet, or snow, that contains a high concentration of acids, often because of the pollution of the atmosphere

Question 10

pH

Answer 10

a value that is used to express the acidity or alkalinity (basicity) of a system; each whole number on the scale indicates a tenfold change in acidity; a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH of less than 7 is acidic, and a pH of greater than 7 is basic

Question 11

Acid Shock

Answer 11

the sudden runoff of large amounts of highly acidic water into lakes and streams when snow melts in the spring or when heavy rains follow a drought