Science chap 14 Flashcards
Point Source Pollution
Pollution that comes from a single identifiable source
…Waste from a factory being pumped into nearby stream.
Runoff from mining site and mine tailings storage.
Oil tank spills, septic tank leak, unlined landfills,
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Pollution that comes from many disperse sources
…Pollution from entire farming region, suburban community with many lawns and septic tanks. Water runoff from cities containing gasoline, oil, animal feces, litter. Precipitation containing air pollutants.
Groundwater Pollution
Toxic chemicals put into the ground will infiltrate into the underlying aquifer.
Northrop Grumman dumped chemicals into the ground on Long Island between the 1940s and the 1990s while operating their aircraft manufacturing facility in Bethpage, with the most significant contamination occurring during the mid-20th century; this practice resulted in a large groundwater contamination plume known as the “Grumman plume.”
Wastewater from a house can be held in a large septic tank where solids settle to the bottom and bacteria break down the sewage (Sludge).
The liquid moves through a pipe at the top of the tank and passes through perforated pipes that distribute the waste water through a leach field (in the ground).
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sewage treatment plant
A sewage treatment plant is a facility that cleans wastewater from homes and businesses to make it safe to release into the environment.
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lead
Source-Lead-lined plumbing pipes, paint, some toys
Mostly found in older homes and buildings
Health Effect-Brain, nervous system, kidney damage esp.in fetuses, infants and kids (neurotoxin)
Removal-Replace old pipes, water filtration, laws preventing import of toys with lead
Arsenic
Source-Natural in Earth’s crust & dissolves in groundwater
Mining contributes to its presence in groundwater
Health Effect-Skin, lung, kidney and bladder cancer
Removal-Removed from water with fine membrane filtration
Mercury
Source-Released into air by burning of coal and incineration of garbage, medical, and dental supplies
Health Effect-Biomagnification in food chain. Damage to nervous system, esp. Dangerous to fetuses and kids. (neurotoxin)
Removal-Reduce/stop coal combustion
Bioaccumaltion
The build up of a toxic chemical in the body of an individual organism over time.
—Toxins increase in concentration as they pass through trophic levels within a food web.
Acid Precipitation -
rain/snow with pH below 6 forms when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) released from burning coal are converted into sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3) in the atmosphere.
Synthetic Organic Compounds (Human Made)
pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics, military compounds, and industrial compounds (PCBs and PBDEs) enter water supply from point or nonpoint sources.
Oil Pollution
Petroleum or crude oil, which is a fossil fuel and extracted from the Earth, is used to make several petroleum products, including gasoline, fuel oil, diesel fuel, plastics, and many other products used by humans.
;;;Petroleum products are highly toxic to marine organisms, including mammals, fish, birds, and the aquatic producers that form the foundation of food webs in bodies of water.
..Sources of Oil Pollution Includes:
- spills from oil tankers
-offshore drilling
-natural oil seeps
Ways to Clean up Oil Spills
- oil soaked marine mammals and birds must be cleaned by hand.
- floating oil is contained within booms (floating plastic barriers) and skimmed or sucked out of the water.
- chemicals called dispersants break large globs of oil into droplets and allow oil to disperse in the water.
- burn the oil
-genetically engineered bacteria that eat the oil
The largest marine oil spill in all of U.S. history was the Deepwater Horizon spill. On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the ocean.
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(Non-Chemical Water Pollution) Solid Waste:
garbage and sludge
(Non-Chemical Water Pollution)
Sediment Pollution:
Causes brown, cloudy water, reduces infiltration of sunlight, clogs gills
(Non-Chemical Water Pollution)
Thermal (Heat) Pollution:
water used in cooling in electric power plants and industry
(Non-Chemical Water Pollution)
Noise Pollution:
Ships, submarines, military sonar, air guns used in oil exploration interfere with animal communication
Clean Water Act
Legislation that supports the “protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on the water” by maintaining and, when necessary, restoring the chemical, physical, and biological properties of surface waters.
Safe Drinking Water Act
Law that sets the national standards for safe drinking water. This law establishes the maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for 77 different elements or substances in surface and groundwater.
Pesticides
Description
Chemicals to reduce pest pops
Mian sorce
Farms(DDT) gardens/yards (roundup)-herbicide
Problems
Reduced pop in non pest species
Pharmaceuticals & hornomes (endocrine disruptors)
Description
Antibiotics,steroids, non-prescription drugs, reproductive meds
Main source
Households, agriculture,industry, hospitals
Problems Disrupts reproducive systems of fish and other species
Military conmpunds
Description Chems such as perchlorates used in rocket fuel
Main souce
Areas rockets are made, tested or dismantles
Problems
Affects thyroid grand and hormone production
Industrial compunds
Description Chem used in manufacuting (PCB,PBDES)
Main source PCB: plastic and electronics
PBDE- flame retardent in furniture and clothes
Problems
PCB lethal and carcinogenic PBDE brain damage
