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Environment > Pollution > Flashcards

Pollution Flashcards

1
Q

acid precipitation

A

acid rail, hail, snow, result of pollution in atmosphere

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2
Q

acute effect

A

the effect caused by a short exposure to high levels of toxins

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3
Q

catalytic converter

A

a platinum coasted device that oxidizes most of the VOCs and some of the CO that would otherwise be emitted in exhaust, converting to CO2

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4
Q

closed-loop recycling

A

when materials such as plastic or aluminum are used to rebuild the same product. aluminum cans

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5
Q

composting

A

a process that allows the organic material in solid waste to be composed and reintroduced into the soil, often as fertilizers

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6
Q

building-related illness

A

sings/symptoms are attributed to infectious organisms in buildings

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7
Q

chronic effect

A

results from long-term exposure to low levels of toxins

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8
Q

deep well injection

A

drilling a hole below the water table to hold waste

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9
Q

disease

A

infection causes a change in health state

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10
Q

dose-response analysis

A

a precess in which an organism is exposed to a toxin a different concentrations, the dosage causes the death of the organism is recorded

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11
Q

ED50

A

the point where 50% of test organisms show a negate effect of a toxin (effective dose)

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12
Q

global warming

A

an intensification of the Greenhouse Effect due to the increased presence of heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere

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13
Q

gray smog/industrial

A

resulting from emissions from industry and burning of fossil fuels

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14
Q

hazardous waste

A

waste that poses a danger to human health, must be dealt with in a different way from other types

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15
Q

heat islands

A

urban areas that heat up more quickly and retain heat better than non urban areas

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16
Q

high-level radioactive waste

A

radioactive wastes that produce high levels of ionizing radiation

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17
Q

infection

A

the result of a pathogen invasion

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18
Q

LD50

A

the point where 50% of organisms dies from toxin (lethal dose)

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19
Q

leachate

A

liquid that percolates to the bottom of a landfill

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20
Q

low-level radioactive waste

A

produce low levels of ionizing radiation

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21
Q

noise pollution

A

any noise that causes stress or has the potential to damage human health

22
Q

non-point source pollution

A

does not have a specific point of release

23
Q

open-loop recycling

A

materials are reused to form new products

24
Q

ozone holes

A

thinning of ozone over Antarctica, somewhat Arctic

25
Q

pathogens

A

bacteria, virus, or other microorganisms that can cause disease

26
Q

photochemical smog

A

usually formed on sunny days when NOx compounds, VOCs, and azine combine to form smog with a brownish hue

27
Q

point source pollution

A

a specific location from which pollution is released, factory burring wood

28
Q

poison

A

any substance that has an LD50 of 50mg or less per kg of body weight

29
Q

physical treatment

A

initial filtration that is done to remove stones, sticks, rags, toys and other debris from a toilet

30
Q

primary pollutants

A

released directly into lower atmosphere

31
Q

primary treatment

A

physically treated sewage water is passed into a settling tank, where suspended solids settle out as sludge, chemically treated polymers ay be added to help the suspended solids separate and settle

32
Q

risk assessment

A

calculating risk, or likelihood that a person will become ill upon exposure to toxin and pathogen

33
Q

risk management

A

using strategies to reduce the amount of risk

34
Q

secondary treatment

A

biological treatment of wastewater in order to continue to remove biodegradable waste

35
Q

sick building syndrome

A

a condition in which the majority of a building’s occupants experience symptoms that vary with amount of time spent in the building, without being able to identify a specified cause or illness

36
Q

sludge

A

solids that remain after secondary treatment in sewage

37
Q

solid waste

A

hazardous waste, industrial solid waste, or municipal waste

38
Q

stationary sources

A

non-moving sources of pollution, such as factories

39
Q

Superfund Program

A

a program funded by the federal government and a trust that’s funded by taxes on chemical, identifies pollutants and cleans up hazardous waste sites

40
Q

threshold dose

A

the dosage level of a toxin at which a negative effect occurs

41
Q

toxicity

A

the degree to which a substance is biologically harmful

42
Q

toxin

A

any substance that is inhaled, ingested or absorbed at dosages sufficient to dame a living organism

43
Q

tropospheric ozone

A

ozone that exists in the troposphere

44
Q

U.S. Noise Control Act

A

gave the EPA power to set emission standards for major sources of noise, including transportation, machinery and construction

45
Q

vector

A

the carrier organism throughout which pathogens can attack, such as a tick

46
Q

wastewater

A

any water used by humans; including sewage, showers, tubs, sinks, dishwashers, washing machines, water from industrial processes and storm runoff

47
Q

Waste-to-Energy (WTE) program

A

when the energy released from waste incineration is used to generate electricity

48
Q

green tax

A

a fiscal policy that lowers taxes on income, including wages and profit, and raises taxes on consumption, particularly the unsustainable consumption of non-remnewable resources

49
Q

market permits

A

when companies are allowed to buy permits that allow them a certain amount of discharge of substances into certain environmental outlets, if they can reduce their amount of discharge, they are allowed to sell the remaining portion of their permit to another company

50
Q

Dirty half dozen

A

CO, Pb, ozone (O3), NO2, SO2, particulates

Environment (7 decks)

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