Chapter 2 Flashcards
what human health effects are the ones that are of greatest concern
the ones that produce severe illness or death
How are health effects classified
- Acute
- Chronic
- Carcinogens
Acute effects?
exposure causes an immediate response
Chronic effects?
long term exposure to certain pollutants
Carcinogens?
uncontrolled cell division
Clean Air Act
calling for study of air pollution effects
there are 2 air quality standards from the NAAQ, name them
- primary standard = human health
2. secondary standard = human welfare
what are state implementation plants
imposed emission limits on existing sources of pollutants
what is particulate matter
mixture of small solid or liquid particles suspended in air
how is PM given off?
by fuel combustion and most industrial manufacturing processes
what can PM cause
respiratory and cardiovascular disease, damage to lung tissue, carcinogens and premature death
particles under what size are small enough to seep inside lungs
under PM10
what is the standard size for particulate matter
can’t be less than 2.5 microns
what is sulfur dioxide released from?
the combustion of coal, oil, metal smelthing and other industrial processes
how is carbon monoxide produced/
when fossil fuels are not completely combusted
what is main source of carbon monoxide
cars
how is nitrogen dioxide formed
fuel combustion->high temps->NO->oxidizes in air->No2
how is ozone formed?
complex chemical reactions in the atmosphere involving NOx and hydrocarbon gases
how is ozone triggered
by sunlight
what effects does lead have?
neurological damage and bad effects on organs. it also bio accumulates in the blood, bone and soft tissue
how is lead pollution caused
by lead smelting and manufacturing processes
List the criteria air pollutants
- PM
- Sulfur dioxide
- Carbon Monoxide
- Nitrogen Dioxide
- Ozone
- Lead
what are hazardous air pollutants?
released in much smaller quantities than criteria air pollutants but effects can be very severe
what is the toxic release inventory
reports on annual mass emissions of toxic substances from specific facilities
what is pH of Acid rain
5.6.
where does acid rain come from
emissions of SO2 from power plants. the so2 is released high into the air through tall chimineys, the air pollutants travel long distance and it transfomrs into sulfate particles->acid rain.
what is stratospheric ozone depletion
a thin layer of ozone molecus in the stratosphere absorb high energy solar radiation. This is sufficient to protect from the more intense radiation but not enough to stop destroying protein and DNA molecules.
what do we now undestand the ozone to be depleted by?
CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, coming from refrigeration, AC etc..
why are CFS so dangerous
because they are so stable that they can stay in the air for many years.
what did the montreal protocol call for
the complete eradication of CFCs by 2000.
what are greenhouse gases?
gases that trap heat in the atmostphere
what are the main concerns with GHGs?
sea level rising, increased tropical storms, increased drought
name the 2 primary GHG and 2 secondary ones
primary: CO2, CH4
Secondary: N2O, Halocarbons
what does the global warming potential indicate?
used to estimate CO2 equivalence of different gases
which is the greatest GHG?
Carbon dioxide
two sources of waters
- surface water
2. ground water
what is a point source?
identifiable discharge point (from a pipe)
non-point source?
runoff from agricultural lands, from atmosphere
List Major water contaminants
- Pathogens
- organic waste
- nutrients
- toxic organic chemicals
- toxic metals
- sediments and suspended solids
- acidity
- salts
- heat
what are pathogens
disease causing agents such as bacteria or virsues
describe organic waste
- it is the main source of oxygen depleting subtances
- most common type is food waste and excrement
what is biological oxygen demand
demand of oxygen by bacteria
what are the two main nutrients needed to support vegetation
phosphorus and nitrogen
what is eutrophication
water that has too much algae
where are these types of nutrients found ? (2 things)
in detergent and fertilizers
why are these nutrients actually bad for waterss?
they cause eutrophication, which makes that there are too much algae so it causes over enrichment of waters, crowds out other life and the algae ends up staying on the surface and killing the body of water
what are toxic organic compounds?
synthetic organic compounds harmful to humans and animals, can be carcinogens or mutagens
what is bad about pesticides?
they do not break down and enter the food chain at the bottom and bioaccumulate
what are volatile organic compounds
carcinogens that enter waterways from discharge of industrial sources
true or false, VOC levels are greater in surface waters
false, due to evaporation, there isn’t much VOC in surface water
where do toxic metals com from
outfalls from metal smelting and runoff from mining
describe atmospheric deposition?
mercury is released from high temp processes. as it cools condensed mercury will settle on nearby surface waters.
what is siltation?
the suspension of small sediment particles in water
what does a high level of total suspended solids in water doo?
blocks the necessary sunlight for aquatic vegetation to survive which supplies the oxygen.
what are the main causes of silatation and sedimentaiton?
mining construction farming
under what pH will fish die?
5
main source of acid pollution
drainage and runoff from mining operations, as well as acid rain
what are salts?
compounds that produce cations in solution, which from with anions to create salts
how are salts measured?
according to total dissolved solids
human sources of salts?
industrial and municipal runoffs
what is the main source of heat pollution in water?
waste from hydro-electric power plants
why is warmer water harmful? (3 things)
- warm water has lower dissolved oxygen content
- at higher temperature, there is a greater need from more oxygen due to higher metabolic rate.
- it also creates plume which can travel in the water and kill bacteria
in what year was the safe water drinking act established
1974
what did the SWDA stipulate?
it established maximum contaminant levels for 2 things
Total coliforms: much greater limit
Fecal coliforms: 0 tolerance
in what year was the federal water pollution control act
1972
describe FWPCA
discharge of pollutants into navigable water must be eliminated
what is the 2 main sources of pollution for groundwater
- seepage of petroleum compounds from leaking underwater storage tanks (gas stations)
- nitrates
when was the resource conservation and recovery act?
1976
what are the two classes of solid waste
- hazardous
2. non hazardous
what are the 4 main characteristics of hazardous waste?
- ignitability
- corrosivity
- reactivitiy
- toxicity
what is secondary hazardous waste
when residue from the original hazardous waste causes new waste
examples of non hazardous waste
trash, municipal solid waste, industrial waste
2 attributes of radioactive waste
- harmful effects are by radiation, not chemical mechanics
2. remain dangerous for hundreds/thousands of yrs
high level waste
spent fuel from nuclear reactors. very long half life, very dangerous. no permanent method of disposal
where is the only safe place to dispose of high level nuclear waste
Yucca mountain in nevada
what is transuranic waste (4 things)
- waste that is heavier than uranium.
- not as reactive as high level.
- result of weapon production.
- strored in metal drums
3 things about low level waste
-any waste that isn’t high level or transuranic
-80% comes from civilian sector
–need protective
clothing
-3 classes (A to C from least to most dangerous)
2 things about uranium mill tailings
- largest volume of radioactive waste
- sand like residue from uranium processing
3 types of natural resources
- food
- energy
- raw materials
2 catergories of natural resources
- renewable
2. non renewable
3 main categories of toxic organic chemicals
1) carcinogens
2. mutagens
3. teratogens
name one agreement that wasn’t successful and say why? then name 1 agreement that was successful
kyoto agreement, becuase china and india never signed and Canada didn’t meet their expectations. Montreal protocol, signed by 172 countries and they did manage to phase out all CFCs
what are the 3 levels of oxygenation in bodies of water
oligotrophic -> mesotrophic -> eutrophic
what where the first and only 2 hazardous air pollutants before 1990?
asbestos and benzene
what is the “good ozone”?
10-40 km from the surface of earth, we wouldn’t be able to survive without it
what are the most severe types of impacts on humans and least severe?
most severe: pre-natal defects
least severe: annoyances
what are the 3 types of toxic metals?
- mercury
- arsenic
- lead
what can happen if there is too much oxygen in the water? (hint: disease)
it can cause baby-blue disease which is a birth defect
what are the 4 levels of toxic metals?
- toxic in any concentration/amount
- there is a range of toxicity
- toxic only in high doses
- harmless
what is the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure?
a procedure used to determine whether a substance surpasses the 4 criteria of a toxic substance
what is the standard for # of geomembranes in landfills in canada
2
what is the main problem with using incineration to dispose of hazardous material?
it creates dangerous ashes that can go into the air
what are the 3 types of radiation rays
alpha-least dangerous
beta-2nd most dangerous
gamma-most dangerous
what is the main sources of oxygen depletion in water?
organic waste
what % of underground storage tanks are leaking
12%
