Topic 3.0 harmful substances are spread in the environment

Question 0

Factors of the direction and distance of airborne pollutants

Answer 0

Pollutants properties, wind speed, and the direction of prevailing winds

Question 1

Transport in air

Answer 1

Release of the chemical at the source
Dispersion if chemical in the atmosphere
Deposition if the chemical in soil or water
The distribution of airborne pollutants may be limited by lack of wind, precipitation.
The pollutant will be depositors closer to its source if it is carried to the ground by rain or snow
It is hard to identify a pollutant that had travelled thousands of kilometres. Due to the movement of these chemicals it has become an international problem in which they are signing agreements to limit the amount of airborne pollutants.

Question 2

Transport in groundwater

Answer 2

Water that soaks into soil moves first into a zone near the surface where the soil grains contain both air and water (water table) Next it will move deeper and enters a zone where all the spaces are filled with water (groundwater)
Groundwater can move sideways, up and down
The water can exonerate concentrated with substances such as lead and creates problems to drink the water and use for other purposes

Question 3

Factors that affect the rate of groundwater

Answer 3

The soil had pores.. These pores are tiny spaces between soil grains that are sometimes tightly packed that the pores are not connected. In this case the water cannot flow through the soil as easily. If the pores are connected the soil is permeable and transports pollutants through the water more easily.

Question 4

Some substances that contaminate groundwater

Answer 4

Minerals in rocks and soil: iron, calcium
Organic substances ( natural or human made): pesticides, solvents
Leached from landfill sites: heavy metals (mercury)
Leak from underground storage or pipelines: gasoline, oil
Inorganic substances( industrial processes ect.): salt, fertilizers
Improper micro-organisms: bacteria, viruses
Household chemicals: detergents, nitrates

Question 5

Transport in surface water

Answer 5

Potentially hazardous chemicals can enter the surface water from different sources such as air, groundwater, runoff from different sites, and the outflow from sewage treatment plants
These chemicals can be dispersed throughout the surface water by these sources becoming attached to solids and can build to in lakes or river bottoms, affecting organisms
We need to track and monitor the water continually due to this issue

Question 6

Transport in the soil

Answer 6

Water landing on a field or your yard does four things:
Some evaporates
Some soaks into the soil and is taken by plants
Some runs into the street or stream
Some soaks though the soil, moves downwards, dissolves substances in the soil and carries them along
These substances are called leachate
Composition of soil can affect this: if packed closely- harder to leachate, if not packed- most likely to leachate compared to packed clay
Acids or other hazardous chemicals in the soil can neutralize organic substances such as broken down leaves that become organic material

Question 7

Transport of hydrocarbons in soil

Answer 7

Contamination of soul by hydrocarbons is a problem throughout Canada
Hydrocarbons are from vehicles and in industry… They contaminate by being carried through water in the soil and spread over a wide area. They can concentrate inside the pores of the grains and not travel very far but cause a difficulty to clean up
Most hydrocarbons are toxic to plants, animals and humans

Question 8

Concentration of pollutants in the environment can be changed using different techniques such as..

Answer 8

Dispersion, dilution, biodegratuon, phytoremediation and photolysis

Question 9

Dispersion

Answer 9

The scattering of a substance away from its source

Ex. If you spilled to much fertilizer on your lawn you could disperse it throughout the soil

Question 10

Dilution

Answer 10

Reduces the concentration of a pollutant by mixing the polluting substance with large quantities of air or water
Ex. If you drip some bleach into a sink of water it will dilute into the water and spread the molecules

Question 11

What dilutes or disperses a chemical quickly?

Answer 11

A fast flowing river or air mass

Dilution or dispersion combined with another clean-up process such as biodegration can be very effective

Question 12

Biodegration

Answer 12

Nature uses living things to clean up the environment
Organisms such as earthworms, bacteria and Fungi help the biodegration of most organic substances degrade
Algae live at the soil surface can use the broken down substance as organic compounds through photosynthesis for food
Carbon atoms in these molecules can be used to build compounds such as carbohydrates and protein

Question 13

Aerobic and anaerobic biodegration

Answer 13

Aerobic: uses oxygen in the air to grow and produce bacteria for breakdown
Anaerobic: without oxygen in the air to thrive the breakdown with bacteria

Question 14

Factors affecting biodegration

Answer 14

Slow biodegration in the winter due to little bacteria growth
Other factors other than temp are soil moisture, pH, oxygen supply and nutrient availability
You can plant vegetation to help with the biodegration process

Question 15

Phytoremediation

Answer 15

Green plants can be used to remove or degrade hazardous materials
It reduces the concentration of harmful chemicals in the soul or groundwater
Plants can be used to clean up metals, hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, radioactive materials, explosives and landfill leachates

Question 16

Photolysis

Answer 16

The breakdown of compounds by sunlight. Some substances degrade from exposure to light
Ex. Photodegradable plastic: problem is that it will not break down if buried and out of sight from sunlight

Question 17

Biomagnification

Answer 17

Increase in concentration of a chemical or element as it moves up the food chain
Ex. Mercury: comes from emissions from coal-fires power plants ect. The mercury falls into fresh or salt water where bacteria join it to an organic molecule that alga can absorb
After this point mercury enters the good chain through the alga and leads to insects, green plants and fish. Eventually making it onto our plates and harming humans
Mercury contaminated water is a problem in Canada’s Great Lakes

Question 18

Crude oil

Answer 18

A mixture of many chemicals
Contains hundreds of different molecules in all shapes and sizes
Some in crude oil contain nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur
Crude oil cannot be used right when bit comes out from the ground.. It had to be refined through a process

Question 19

Crude oil spills

Answer 19

Exxon Valdez is a good example…
Occurred in prince William sound and changed the beauty of the lake
The small molecules oil spilled and dispersed into the air and water
Tar balls of heavy hydro garçons were washed ashore or sank into the sediment under the water
This is a long term problem and caused a major impact on the environment

Question 20

Impact of oil spills on plants and animals

Answer 20

Floating algae can be killed, invertebrates near shore could not survive due to decreased oxygen, loss of food and the toxic effect of hydrocarbons
Fish eggs and young fish were sensitive to the oil and died
Adult fish could escape by swimming away but the lost their habitat and good resources
Seabirds and mammals can become covered in oil so many of them would die as well

Question 21

Impact of the oil spill on people

Answer 21

Many commercial fishers could no longer sell fish
People who relied on wildlife for food ha to purchase food instead
Tourism decreased due to loss of recreation in an oil spill area
All of these effects caused a long term clean up to fully repair most of the damages done by the spill

Question 22

Oil spill clean up

Answer 22

Booms am be used to clean up and obtain the spills in water

Ground spills occur too and have different procedures to clean up the spills

Question 23

Hazardous chemicals include

Answer 23

Household cleaners
Personal hygiene products
Pet-care products
Paint and paint products
Pesticides and fertilizers
Automotive fluids

Question 24

Government regulations

Answer 24

Designed to protect consumers and reduce the risks of transporting,storing,using and disposing of hazardous materials

Question 25

MSDS’s

Answer 25

Material safety data sheets
They are a form of label that gives information about the harmful substance to the buyer of the product
If describes precautions that should be taken when handling, using, transporting and disposing of the product
It also provides details about heal effects and how to contain or store the product

Question 26

New product regulations

Answer 26

Intended use, physical and chemical properties and active ingredient(s)
Instructions for use, safety precautions
Heal effects, environmental effects, toxicity to humans and first aid instructions in case of poisoning

Question 27

Storage of hazardous chemicals

Answer 27

Leave all products in organizational containers (secured lids) and labels
In a location out of reach from children
Store in cool, dry, ventilated places
Don’t store flammable substances in glass containers or substances such as gasoline should be stored outside of the house
Store different substances on separate shelves from each other
Discard of containers that are leaking or substances that are old

Question 28

Transportation of consumer goods

Answer 28

Should be placed in the trunk of a car where they will not fall over (secure)
Do not mix together hazardous household wastes when bringing to a collection site

Question 29

Disposal if hazardous chemicals

Answer 29

Never pour wastes down the drain or into the soil
Do not throw them away in the garbage
If you do pour the substance down the drain it can enter into the sewage system it septic tanks and not be filtered, therefor they are entering into the surface water and harming the soil water, drinking water and even air

Question 30

Hazardous waste collection sites

Answer 30

Found in almost all of Alberta communities
Wastes such as paints and fertilizers will be taken to theses sites for disposal
Materials that cannot be recycled will be safely packaged in large containers where they are sealed with later

Question 31

Solid waste garbage

Answer 31

Some substances such as gasoline and oil can be recycled at a hazardous waste collection site
Take antifreeze to a recycling centre and don’t out it into the ground or drain where it will enter into your septic tank
Never place car batteries in a home garbage. They can be recycled
Take care or aresol cans, syringes, fertilizers, pesticides and paint products by putting them in a hazardous materials collection site