Chapter 12 Key Terms

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

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

a reversal of the normal behavior of temperature in the troposphere

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 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

Question 10

PH

Answer 10

a quantitative measure of the acidity or basicity of aqueous or other liquid solutions

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