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APES Air Pollution
4 layers in the atmosphere - correct answer troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere Troposphere - correct answer about 11 miles long above sea level, contains breathing air, weather, 90% of mass of atmosphere, made up of 78% N, 21% O, and 1-4% water vapor, the temperature decreases here Stratosphere (also called the Global Sun Screen) - correct answer 11-30 miles, mostly ozone and a little water vapor Ozone - correct answer created when oxygen and sunlight (more specificially UV rays) combine, it blocks 99% of harmful UV rays UV filter - correct answer allows life to exist, helps protect us from sunburn, prevents all of the oxygen in the troposphere from converting to photochemical ozone Depletion of ozone layer by humans - correct answer caused by CFC's in aerosol cans, increasing amount of harmful ozone (esp urban areas) Mesosphere - correct answer meteors, space objects, etc start burning in this layer Thermosphere - correct answer small # of molecules that move REALLY fast, no temperature Air Pollution is - correct answer the presence of one or more chemicals in the atmosphere in suffcient quatities and duration that 1. cause harm to ANY life forms (humans and plants) 2. change climate in that area
Primary Pollutant - correct answer CO, CO2, NO, and SO2, they are emitted directly into the trophosphere and react with other primary pollutants to form secondary pollutants Secondary Pollutants - correct answer SO3, HNO3, O3, H2SO4, formed when primary pollutant react with one another and or sunlight Natural Pollutants - correct answer dust from wind, sulfur oxide from volcanoes, carbon oxides and nitrogen oxides from forest fires, methane and hydrogen sulfide from decaying plants, hydrocarbons and pollen from plants, and salt particulates from the sea Photochemical Smog is - correct answer also called Brown Air Smog A photochemical reaction is - correct answer ANY reaciton activated by lights During the formation of photochemical smog: - correct answer 1. N2 combines with O2 to form 2NO
- 2NO + O2 to form 2NO2 which is reponsible for a brownish haze
- 3NO2 + H2O to form 2HNO3 and NO
- Some of the NO2 reacts with UV rays and breaks down into NO +O
- O2 then combines with O to form O3 remember that O3 is ground level ozone What is PAN? - correct answer An acronym for Peroxyacyl nitrate Hotter days do what? - correct answer increase the amount of smog, therefore increasing human health risks Industrial Smog is also called - correct answer Gray-Air Smog industrial smog often occurs - correct answer during the winter months
Rain in the Eastern US is 10x MORE acidic than the average in US - correct answer at 4. mountaintops have ____ acidic rain - correct answer more at 2.3 to 3 in intensity Who's most affected by acid deposition? - correct answer areas that are downwind of coal-buring power plant smelters, factories, and large urban areas The ecosystems that are MOST harmed by acid deposition are - correct answer ones with thin and acidic soils BECAUSE they don't have a natural buffer Western Europe is known as - correct answer a BIG producer of acid deposition Acid deposition is harmful to the ecology of an area when it's at - correct answer 5. for terrestrial systems and 5.5 for aquatic systems Levels of 5.1/5.5 can cause - correct answer - damage to tree foliage (directly)
- weaken trees to pests, disease, and natural disaters (drought)
- kill fish within streams and lakes
- and deplete soil through contamination weaking its buffering abilities What does acid deposition do to humans? - correct answer the SO2 in the air can cause respiratory disease, bronchitis, and asthma What does acid deposition do to buldings/art? - correct answer It damages it by eroding away at the surfaces How serious is acid deposition? - correct answer 1993 study found that the concentration of the sulfate declined in most US water collection sites What act helped to reduce acid deposition? - correct answer the Clean Air Act revision in 1990
Different ways to prevent acid deposition: - correct answer 1. reduce energy use therefore air pollution
- switch from coal to a cleaner fuel source
- remove the sulfur from the coal pre-burn
- remove SO2, PM, and NO from cars Different ways to clean-up from Acid Deposition - correct answer use limestone to counter acidity in water and on land The most dangerous indoor pollutants are - correct answer cigarette smoke, formaldehyde, asbestos, and radon-222 (gas) Who is a greatest risk for indoor air pollution? - correct answer smokers, young children (under 5), elderly, pregnant, ill, factory workers, and those with either heart or respiratory problems The 11 most common pollutants occur more ____ than ____ - correct answer inside than outside Where does Formaldehyde come from in the home? - correct answer plywood, furniture, drapes, and upholstery becuase it's a preservative that prevents fading from occuring What causes indoor air pollution in developing countries? - correct answer buring wood in the home along with poorly vented home stoves Asbestos is used for - correct answer fire-proofing and thermal insulation what does asbestos look like? - correct answer tiny fibers (they can escape into the air) what does asbestos cause (medically) - correct answer -asbestosis (chronic disease that impairs breathing)
What disease are caused by long term exposure to air pollutants? - correct answer lung cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema What are the 5 main air pollutants that cause health effects? - correct answer 1. Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
- Nitrogen Oxides (NO/NO2)
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's)
- Particulate Matter/suspended particles Carbon monoxide (CO) - correct answer this is becuase it reacts with hemoglobin in your red blood cells which reduces your ability to carry oxygen in your blood which in turn causes can trigger heart attacks Suspended particles - correct answer can contribute to the development of chronic respiratory disease (fwi particle size DOES matter, the smaller they are (less than 2.5 microns) are VERY hazardous) Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) - correct answer can cause constriction of your airways Nitrogen Oxides (NO/NO2) - correct answer this irritates your lungs, often aggravating asthma and bronchitis VOC's - correct answer examples: benzene, formaldehyde, etc. They cause reproductive diseases How many people die/year from Air Pollution? (both indoor AND outdoor) - correct answer 150,000-300,000/year (Americans make up 125,000 of these deaths) Trees at high elevations have had the most damage because - correct answer it means easily erodible soils and year-round exposure
Define Waldsternben - correct answer forest death Air pollution itself doesn't usually kill trees, it weakens it to - correct answer pests, disease, fungi, and drought Ground level ozone - correct answer damages crops Acid deposition related to SO2 cause - correct answer crop and forest damage (ex:China) How is aquatic life affected by air pollution? - correct answer the high acidity from acid deposition disrupts the food chain Acid Shock is caused by - correct answer the sudden run-off of large amounts of highly acidic water and aluminum ions into a lake or stream Clean Air Acts 1970/1977 - correct answer - est. NAAQS, set max levels for pollutants and standards for all 302 of them, air that is at higher quality than is required has to be maintained What is NAAQS? - correct answer It stands for National Ambient Air Quality Standards Clean Air Act 1990 - correct answer -said in 2000 SO2 from coal halved and NOx from cars cut 33%
- Congress timeline to reduce CO, NOx and hydrocarbons from cars -require oil companies to burn cleaner in worst cities
- effective because b/t 1990 and 1995 emmisions dropped 50% Criticisms about Clean Air Act (6) - correct answer 1. we clean-up instead prevent
- need higher fuel efficiency
- Not strict about PM
- gave trash incinerators 30 yr permits
Ways to reduce indoor pollution (prevention) - correct answer 1. cover ceiling tiles and AC lining to prevent mineral fiber release
- ban smoking/limit it to well-ventilated areas
- Set stricter formaldehyde emissions standards for carpet, furniture, and building materials
- Prevent radon infiltration
- Use office machines in well-ventilated areas
- use less polluting substance for cleaning agents, paint, etc. Ways to reduce indoor pollution (cleanup) - correct answer 1. Use adjustible fresh-air vents for work space
- Increase outside air inside
- Change air more
- use exhaust hoods for appliances that use natural gas
- Install effective chimneys for wood-burning stoves
- Circulate the building's air with roof greenhouses How to create a healthy sustaining atmosphere - correct answer 1. Putting more emphasis on pollution prevention
- Improving energy efficiency by increasing renewable energy
- Reducing use of fossil fuels (especially coal and oil)
- Slowing population growth
- Transferring the latest energy-efficiency, renewable energy, pollution prevention and pollution control technologies to developing counties
- Increasing use of renewable energy
- Integrating air pollution Water pollution, energy, land use, population, economic and trade policies
- Regulating air quality for an entire region or airshed
- Phasing in full cost pricing- mostly by taxing the production of air pollutants
- Distributing cheap and efficient cook stoves and solar cookstoves in developing countries
