Lecture 39- Pollution And Human Health

Question 1

What is pollution?

Answer 1

Any environmental change that adversely affects the lives and health of living things

Question 2

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 2

Coal, petroleum, and natural gas used as preferred sources of energy

Question 3

The burning of fossil fuels release what gases that cause air pollution?

Answer 3

Carbon dioxides, Hydrocarbons. Nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulates

Question 4

What gases other than those produced by fossil fuels also influence the chemical composition of the atmosphere?

Answer 4

Halogen compounds such as chlorofluorocarbons, and widespread use of Nitrogen fertilizers

Question 5

T/F the increase in size of human population and resource consumption causes a sharp increase in the richness in biodiversity.

Answer 5

False. It results in a sharp DECREASE in richness of biosphere

Question 6

Mention alternative sources of energy and it’s advantages

Answer 6

Solar
Falling water (hydrostatic)
Geothermal energy (using heat of magma in earth core
Wind energy
They are eco friendly and renewable (doesn’t run out)

Question 7

Mention photochemical pollutants that are air pollutants

Answer 7

Ozone and peroxyacyl nitrates (PANS)

Question 8

What are aerosol?

Answer 8

They are suspended particles (dust, smoke, asbestos, fibers, metals, etc) and liquid droplets of sulfuric acid, oils, dioxins, or pesticides that act as air pollutants

Question 9

What is the #1 source of air pollution?

Answer 9

Transportation 
#2 is fuel combustion

Question 10

When was the last time ice age happened?

Answer 10

130,000 years ago

Question 11

If climate is constantly changing, why are scientists worried about climate change?

Answer 11

Because it is warming up 10x faster than before!

Question 12

What is the major contributor to the greenhouse gases?

Answer 12

Methane (CH4)

Question 13

What is the source of Nitrous oxide as a greenhouse gas and what is its formula?

Answer 13

Fertilizer use and animal waste (N2O)

Also automobile exhaust

Question 14

Wear is the source of methane?

Answer 14

Biogas (bacterial decomposition,particularly in (gut of animals, sediments, and flooded rice paddies)

Question 15

What is the source of chlorofluorocarbons?

Answer 15

Freon- a refrigerant

Question 16

What is the source of halons (CxFxBrx)

Answer 16

Fire extinguishers

Question 17

What is the source of ozone?

Answer 17

Photochemical smog in the troposphere (it is a gas that contributes to global warming)

Question 18

How does smog contribute to the greenhouse affect, and where are they?

Answer 18

They prevent Infrared rays from leaving the surface of the Earth, instead of them Piercing and leaving the clouds, the smog traps it and reradiated it back to Earth.
It is located in the troposphere

Question 19

True/False

Normally, all of the solar radiation is absorbed by the troposphere and into the liphosphere?

Answer 19

False, normally, a good amount is reflected off of thr clouds from the troposphere and up to the stratosphere and ou

Question 20

What is the normal PH of rain, what about acid rain, and what causes acid rain?

Answer 20

Normally, PH of rain is 5.6 (low acidity carbonic acid)
Acid rain near urban areas is nearer to 4PH, and has been as low as 1.7!
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with water to give acids (sulfuric and nitric)

Question 21

What is the source of Sulfur dioxide?

Answer 21

Coal and oil burning by power plants

Question 22

Acid rain usually has a distant affect.

For example, it drastically affects the forests and lakes where?

Answer 22

Forests and lakes of Northern Europe, Canada and NorthEastern USA

Question 23

How can acid rain lead to health problems?

Answer 23

It can cause skin cancer
Also, it can cause heavy metals to be present in drinking water. Leeches Al from soil into sorroundinf water, dissolves Cu and lead from pipes
Increases incidence of lung and colon cancer

Question 24

What are the layers of the atmosphere?

Answer 24

Thermosphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
Troposphere
Land

Question 25

Where is Ozone normally located?

Answer 25

In the lower portions of the stratosphere

ozone shield that absorbs most harmful UV rays

Question 26

Is ozone beneficial or a pollutant?

Answer 26

It depends Where it is located.
In the troposphere, it is a pollutant.
In the stratosphere, it forms an Osonw shield that absorbs harmful UV
This actually is what allows life to live, as the harmful radiation can kill plants, trees, and even microscopic organisms

Question 27

When was the ozone layer first observed to be depleted?

And when was SEVERE depletion observed?

Answer 27

Moderate depletion observed in 1980s
Severe depletion in the 90s in the Arctic
This is dangerous as UV can give skin cancer, cataracts of eye, etc

Question 28

What causes Ozone depletion?

Answer 28

Cl- radicals released in the troposphere that can rise to the stratosphere these come from the breakdown of chlorofluorocarbons CFCs from Freon (refrigerant)
Cl- radicals combine with ozone and strip ash Oxygen atoms
Cl+ O3-> ClO + O2
ClO + O3-> Cl + 2O2 (ozone has been depleted)

Question 29

How is O2 and ozone different in environmental change?

Answer 29

O2 is a thin gas and does not impede UV light, however Ozone forms a thick smog that can absorb radiation

Question 30

How do sewage water contribute to water pollution?

Answer 30

They contain a lot of organic elements which cause O2 depletion in lakes and rivers due to Eutrophication
Lakes receive excess nutrients, algae grow in abundance and form excessive mats of filamentous algae.
Decomposed break down algae leading to oxygen depletion and massive fish x-x
^
Also, sewage can contain feces that contain pathogenic microbes that cause
Cholera
Typhoid fever
Dysentery

Question 31

In non developed countries, where sewage treatment is non existent, many children die from sewage, why?

Answer 31

Because the sewage is not treated, feces may include microbes that cause
Typhoid
Dysentery
Cholera

Question 32

How is sewage normally treated?

Answer 32

By introducing harmless bacteria that break down the organic matter jitters inorganic nutrients (decomposers)

Question 33

Which industrial wastes that enter water are subject to biological magnification?

Answer 33

Heavy metals, organochlorines, such as those of pesticides

Oil may also massively affect marine life (it is biodegradable, but it takes a long time)

Question 34

What is DDT?

Answer 34

A toxic pesticide that is subject to biological magnification
Eg, algae consumeS DDT, but up the trophic level, the conc of DDT increases!
Great blue heron is the highest in Trophic level
Algae is lowest
Algae has highest biomass (many many algae)