Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
U.S. success story about a removed air pollutant a result of Clean Air Act about 1975 was....
|
Lead. Lead was removed from gasoline.
|
|
|
One of our worst air pollution incidents took place in ______ in1948 because of metal smelters.
|
Donora, PA
|
|
|
VOC stands for ...
|
Volatile Organic Compounds
|
|
|
What are VOC's?
|
CH containing compounds that evaporate quickly
|
|
|
What is chemical formula CO?
|
Carbon monoxide
|
|
|
The main source of CO is....
|
automobiles
|
|
|
What devices on cars help remove CO and NOx?
|
Catalytic Converters
|
|
|
Why did the CAA specify removal of lead from gasoline in 1975?
|
Catalytic Converters wouldn't work if lead passed through them.
|
|
|
What does NOx stand for?
|
Nitrogen oxides, of which there are several varieties
|
|
|
Where does the majority of NOx come from?
|
automobiles (internal combustion engines)
|
|
|
What does SOx stand for?
|
Sulfur oxides
|
|
|
Where does most SOx come from?
|
Burning of fuel, typically in a coal or oil burning power plant
|
|
|
What does PM in the mnemonic stand for?
|
Particulate matter
|
|
|
Where does most particulate matter come from?
|
dust, fires
|
|
|
What are the major primary pollutants?
|
VOC's, CO, NOx, SOx, PM
|
|
|
What is the mnemonic device for remembering primary air pollutants?
|
VOCONOSOPM
|
|
|
What do we mean by a primary air pollutant?
|
Pollutant straight from a source such as from some man-caused place on the surface.
|
|
|
What do we mean by a secondary air pollutant?
|
It was caused by interactions among primary air pollutants in the presence of sunlight and/or water
|
|
|
What is caused when NOx interacts with water?
|
Nitric Acid, secondary pollutant
|
|
|
What is caused when SOx interacts with water?
|
Sulfuric Acid, secondary pollutant
|
|
|
Can we really do anything to prevent Radon gas as a primary pollutant?
|
No
|
|
|
Another primary pollutant that's not in the mnemonic is ___ ____, which contains 188 chems such as benzene, asbestos, vinyl chloride.
|
Air toxics
|
|
|
VOC's + NOx + sunlight =
|
Ozone, a secondary pollutant
|
|
|
A photochemical brown air smog from VOC's & NOx related to the ozone creation is...
|
PAN's (peroxyacety nitrates)
|
|
|
Ammonia and sulfuric Acid can create ....
|
Gray air or industrial smog
|
|
|
The worst time of day for ground level ozone buildup because of the heat and accumulation of VOC's & NOx is...
|
afternoon (1 PM to 6 PM)
|
|
|
What is the layer of the atmosphere we call "ground level"?
|
troposphere
|
|
|
In which layer of the atmosphere does UV blocking ozone reside?
|
stratosphere
|
|
|
When pH of water drops from 7.2 to 4.2, how many times more acidic is it?
|
1000 times
|
|
|
Why do our mountains have such low acid pH in rain water?
|
Power plants to the west let their tall stack emissions blow onto us.
|
|
|
Why do coal-burning power plants have such tall stacks?
|
It keeps the locals from having to smell it, while making it someone else's problem.
|
|
|
When is the pH the lowest with regard to melting snow?
|
Right when it first starts?
|
|
|
What time of which season is acid shock in lakes likely to occur as a result of acid precipitation?
|
Eary spring
|
|
|
What device is installed on stacks at plants that produce particulates to capture the particulate?
|
Electrostatic precipitators
|
|
|
What are some other pollution prevention devices at factories as mandated by the CAA?
|
Baghouse filters, cyclone separators, Wet scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators
|
|
|
Which coal typically is harder, has less sulfur, is more expensive, and more environmentally friendly?
|
Anthracite coal
|
|
|
High sulfur coal, which is more abundant and cheaper is...
|
Bituminous coal
|
|
|
Many old power plants pollute so much right now because they were built before....
|
laws were passed preventing that pollution.
|
|
|
An acute effect from a pollutant is one that is....
|
quick; immediate onset
|
|
|
A chronic effect from a pollutant is one that is...
|
long-term; not so noticeable
|
|
|
Ozone is especially troublesome for people that have...
|
asthma or other respiratory problems
|
|
|
A pollutant that is carcinogenic is one that ....
|
causes cancer
|
|
|
Why is the ocean not so affected by acid precipitation?
|
It has the calcium carbonate buffering system
|
|
|
Why have we put calcium carbonate on some forests and lakes?
|
to raise pH (reduce acidity)
|
|
|
What damage does acid precipitation do to soil?
|
Leaches out the micronutrients (metal ions) needed by the plant to the groundwater and lakes.
|
|
|
What does CAFE standard stand for?
|
Corporate Average Fuel Economy
|
|
|
What does CAFE mean for us?
|
It's the federally mandated average mileage that our cars have to have.
|
|
|
The higher the CAFE standard, the ______ the air and the _____ the cost of operating the vehicle.
|
cleaner, lower
|
|
|
Our current CAFE standard for cars is....
|
27.5 miles per gallon
|
|
|
How is our CAFE standard compare with the rest of the world?
|
It's lowest (that's bad)
|
