Chapter 16

Question 1

What are the six conventional or criteria pollutants?

Answer 1

1. Sulfur Dioxide.
2. Nitrogen Oxides.
3. Carbon Monoxide.
4. Ozone.
5. Lead.
6. Particulates.

Question 2

What is the greatest source of pollution for each of the following:

Particulate materials
Lead 
Nitrogen oxides
Carbon monoxide
Volatile Organic Compounds(VOCs) 
Sulfur dioxide

Answer 2

• Particulate Materials: Transportation
• Lead: Smelting and Processing
• Nitrogen Oxide: Power Plants
• Carbon Monoxide: Transportation
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Solvents
• Sulfur Dioxide: Power Plants

Question 3

Please define Primary pollutants, secondary pollutant and Fugitive emissions

Answer 3

• Primary Pollutants: - released directly from the source
• Secondary Pollutants: converted to a hazardous form after entering the air and mixing with other air components
• Fugitive Emissions: do not go through smokestack. Dust from strip mining, rock crushing, building construction/destruction

Question 4

What is temperature inversion?

Answer 4

•Occur when a stable layer of warm air lies above cooler air, reversing the normal temperature decline with increasing height, and prevents convection currents from dispersing pollutants. Rapid nighttime cooling in a basin as the cold air becomes trapped

Question 5

What are CFCs?

Answer 5

•CFCs release chlorine and fluorine in the stratosphere, which deplete ozone layer

Question 6

What was the purpose of Montreal Protocol and what problem exists with this protocol?

Answer 6

•Phased out use of CFCs. HCFCs were substituted, which release less chlorine. Very successful - CFCs cut by 95% since 1988

Question 7

What major human health problem occurs with the increase in the ozone hole?

Answer 7

•It causes problems from eye damage to skin cancer

Question 8

What does PM2.5 refer to and why is it a concern?

Answer 8

• Particulates less than 2.5 micron in diameter are

* Particularly risky and have been linked with heart attack, asthma, lung cancer, and abnormal fetal development

Question 9

What kinds of damages does acid rain cause?

Answer 9

• It can acidify lakes and other bodies of water and the plants and animals risk death. As acid rain falls on trees, it can make them lose their leaves, damage their bark, and stunt their growth.
• Acid falling on a forest’s soil is also harmful because it disrupts soil nutrients, kills microorganisms in the soil, and can sometimes cause a calcium deficiency.

Question 10

Electrostatic precipitators prevent fly ash from escaping by ___.

Answer 10

Charging them with an electrostatic charge

Question 11

Air pollution: What is cap and trade?

Answer 11

•Cap and Trade programs, begun in 1990, set maximum amounts for pollutants, but let facilities facing costly cleanups pay others with lower costs to reduce emissions on their behalf.