chapter 12

Question 1

air pollution

Answer 1

the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.

Question 2

primary pollutant

Answer 2

an air pollutant emitted directly from a source.

Question 3

secondary pollutant

Answer 3

is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other pollutants (primary pollutants) react in the atmosphere.

Question 4

smog

Answer 4

fog or haze combined with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants.

Question 5

temperature inversion

Answer 5

is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude.

Question 6

sick-building syndrome

Answer 6

is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.

Question 7

asbestos

Answer 7

a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral.

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

is - precipitation (such as rain or snow) having increased acidity caused by environmental factors (such as atmospheric pollutants).

Question 10

ph

Answer 10

figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale on which 7 is neutral, lower values are more acid and higher values more alkaline. The pH is equal to −log10 c, where c is the hydrogen ion concentration in moles per lite

Question 11

Acid shock

Answer 11

Much of the damage to aquatic life in sensitive areas with this little buffering capacity is a result of ‘acid shock’