Chapter 12

Question 1

Air Pollution

Answer 1

is 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

is an air pollutant emitted directly from a source.

Question 3

Secondary Pollutant

Answer 3

are pollutants which form in the atmosphere.

Question 4

Smog

Answer 4

fog or haze combined with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants.

Question 5

Temperature Inversion

Answer 5

condition in which the temperature of the atmosphere increases with altitude in contrast to the normal decrease with altitude.

Question 6

Sick Building Syndrome

Answer 6

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.

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

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

Question 10

pH

Answer 10

is a scale of acidity from 0 to 14. It tells how acidic or alkaline a substance is.

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.