environmental science ch 12 Flashcards
air pollution
dust pollen spores sulfur dioxide form volcanic eruptions
primary pollutant
Is a pollutant that is put directly into the atmosphere by human or natural activity.
Example:
- Soot from smoke
secondary pollutants
Is a pollutant that forms in the atmosphere by chemical reactions with primary air pollutant, air components in the air, or both.
Example:
- Ground-Level Ozone
smog
Urban air pollution composed of a mixture of smoke and fog produced from industrial pollutants and burning fuels. It results from chemical reactions that involve sunlight, air, automobile exhaust, and ozone.
temperature inversion
Temperature inversion, also called thermal inversion, a reversal of the normal behavior of temperature in the troposphere
sick-building syndrome
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.
asbestos
refers to a group of fibrous minerals used to strengthen and fireproof materials. When inhaled over long periods of time, asbestos fibers become trapped in the body and cause diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis
decibels
Sound is measured in units called decibels (dB). The higher the decibel level, the louder the noise. On the decibel scale, the level increase of 10 means that a sound is actually 10 times more intense, or powerful.
acid pre-caption
components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms.
pH
Related to the concentration of Hydrogen Ions
acid shock
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
