Final Study Guide 10

Question 1

What are the three R’s?

Answer 1

reuse, reduce, recycle

Question 2

What is radon, and why do we think its hazardous is high concentrations?

Answer 2

Radon is created by deterioration of an Uranium ore. It is harmful in high concentrations because of its radioactivity and effects on human health.

Question 3

What are the major air pollutants?

Answer 3

• Ozone
• carbon monoxide
• nitrogen dioxide
• particulate matter (PM 10, PM 2.5)
• sulfur dioxide
• lead
• greenhouse gases → carbon dioxide, methane, - - nitrous oxide

Question 4

What is an inversion layer?

Answer 4

a reversal of the normal decrease of air temperature with altitude, or of water temperature with depth. It is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It can lead to pollution such as smog being trapped close to the ground.

Question 5

Toxin

Answer 5

poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms

Question 6

Smog

Answer 6

• Sulfurous smog: primarily produced by burning coal or oil at large power plants.(eg. London-type smog)
• Photochemical smog: involving nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and solar radiation. Development of photochemical smog is related to automobile use.

Question 7

Toxicology

Answer 7

the science involved in the study of poisons, or toxins, and their potential effects on people and ecosystems, as well as clinical, economic, industrial, and legal problems associated with toxic materials in the environment.

Question 8

Acid Rain

Answer 8

Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.

Question 9

Causality

Answer 9

The relationship between cause and effect

Question 10

Ozone

Answer 10

• helps make up the atmosphere, especially the stratosphere
• helps filter out incoming UV light from the sun
• acts like greenhouse gas, absorbs outgoing infrared energy from earth

Question 11

Primary Pollutant

Answer 11

• air pollutant emitted directly from a source (doesn’t have to react with anything else to become a pollutant)
  > methane (from cows)

Question 12

Secondary Pollutant

Answer 12

form when primary pollutants react in the atmosphere (EX: ozone & acid rain)

Question 13

Mitigation

Answer 13

reducing the severity of our effects on our climate (ex. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions)

Question 14

Carcinogen

Answer 14

any substance that can cause cancer

Question 15

Point Source

Answer 15

stationary source of air pollution, discreet & defined location (e.g. power plants)

Question 16

Atmospheric Inversion

Answer 16

when warm air overlies cool air in the lower atmosphere

Question 17

Radon

Answer 17

• Radon is created by deterioration of an Uranium ore.
• radioactive gas (colorless, tasteless, odorless) that is naturally occurring in air, soil, & water. Can enter homes 
through soil / shower & negatively affect humans.
• can cause cancer

Question 18

Lead

Answer 18

heavy ductile metal, chemical element. Was used for many years in pots, pipes, cosmetics, and many other products. Now use in everyday life is discontinued because it is known to cause brain damage, anemia, retardation, and behavioral problems.

Question 19

Correlation

Answer 19

• connection between issues like heart disease and one’s environment. (EX: communities w/ relatively soft water (Japan, England, Wales, Sweden, US have higher rates of heart disease)
• Soft water is more acidic -> corrosion of pipes -> release elements into water that cause heart disease
• CORRELATION DOES NOT IMPLY CAUSALITY

Question 20

Particulate Matter

Answer 20

• small particles of solid or liquid substances that are designated PM 10 or PM 2.5
• In earth’s atmosphere