EXAM TOPIC VI POLLUTION (25% - 30%)

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1 Pollution Types o Air Pollution Sources primary and secondary Primary: come directly from a source Secondary: primary pollutants react with other components to create different pollutants Major air pollutants Primary: NOx, SOx, CO, Particulates Secondary: tropospheric ozone, sulfuric acid, nitric acid Measurement units Usually measured in ppm (parts per million) or ppb (parts per billion) Smog comes from combination of words smoke and fog PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG: brown air smog, results from interactions of NOx in air along with VOCs, also creates tropospheric ozone, NOx pollutants are usually from transportation/vehicle emissions INDUSTRIAL SMOG: gray air smog, results from interactions of SOx (and carbon oxides) with air, SOx pollutants are usually associated with coal-burning/industry

2 Acid deposition causes and effects SOx + water H 2SO 4 (sulfuric acid) NOx + water HNO 3 (nitric acid) Heat islands and temperature inversions Indoor air pollution Many indoor sources: air vents, mold, carpets, furniture, particles brought in on shoes, HVAC systems, radon, treated wood Some think it could be worse than outdoor air pollution

3 Why? Oftentimes, pollutants are trapped indoors and cannot dissipate. Environmentally-friendly practices (sealing windows & doors to prevent heat loss) often make indoor air pollution even worse Remediation and reduction strategies Pollutant Source Effect Reduction Strategy Particulates Diesel exhaust, burning fossil fuels (FF) Reduce visibility, respiratory irritation SOx Coal burning Acid deposition, respiratory irritation, damages plants NOx Vehicle exhaust, industry Acidification of lakes, respiratory irritation, leads to photochemical smog & ozone Electrostatic precipitators, filtering, alternatives to FF Scrubbers, low sulfur fuel Selective catalytic reduction unit, more efficient combustion processes, alternatives to FF Clean Air Act and other relevant laws 1970 original passage set up maximum contaminant levels for vehicle emissions 1990 established cap-and-trade emissions trading o Noise Pollution Sources Effects Control measures o Water Pollution Types Sources, causes, effects Type Source Cause Effect Solid waste Trash, plastic Humans Pacific Garbage Patch, overflowing landfills Noise Boats, ships, etc. Machinery Disruption of communication by sound (whales, dolphins) Sediment Heat (Thermal) Toxins Pathogens Natural, but also agricultural runoff Usually nuclear power plants Industry and air pollution Animal fecal matter Farming, erosion, deposition Cooling towers Contaminants of materials used in industry Untreated wastewater Block sunlight from reaching plants & animals below surface Organisms have adapted to certain temp conditions; warm water holds less DO than cooler water Toxicity of aquatic organisms; bioaccumulation and biomagnification Spread of infectious diseases Cultural eutrophication Groundwater pollution Maintaining water quality Water purification Sewage treatment/septic systems Wastewater treatment o Preliminary filter out large items o Primary clarifying pools; solid waste settles to bottom of pools (can be used elsewhere)

4 o Secondary activated sludge or biological treatment aerobic bacteria get rid of waste products in the water; large fans keep the water churning while this happens o Tertiary sand filters o Disinfection usually chlorine; could use ozone or UV light Clean Water Act and other relevant laws CWA focused on point source pollution even though a majority of pollution in USA is non-point source pollution; aim to make waters swimmable and fishable SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act focused on maximum levels of different minerals/contaminants permitted in drinking water o Solid Waste Types Municipal from homes and businesses Industrial from industries/factories Hazardous reactive, flammable, corrosive Toxic cause health problems Disposal Sanitary landfill clay and plastic liners beneath landfill this serves as a barrier so that the leachate cannot get into the groundwater - soil covers solid waste to help decomposition happen faster Incineration burning of trash volume of waste reduced by 90%, waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities use the heat from the burning the trash to create electricity; disadvantages: toxic emissions/air pollution, ash needs to be disposed of Reduction Preferred method is source reduction reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place Reuse use old items as new things Recycle consumers put items out to be recycled businesses use recycled material in their products consumers purchase items that have been made from recycled materials Impacts on the Environment and Human Health o Environmental & Health Effects of Water Pollution o Environmental & Health Effects of Air Pollution o Environmental & Health Effects of Land/Soil Pollution o Environmental & Health Effects of Thermal Pollution o Environmental & Health Effects of Noise Pollution o Environmental & Health Effects of Light Pollution Economic Impacts o Cost-benefit analysis o Externalities Environmental costs are not factored into a product s cost Environmental costs like pollution, health care costs for health problems from pollution Gasoline in the USA price of gasoline does not factor in all associated costs finding, drilling for oil/ purchasing oil from foreign countries/pollution from cars/health care associated with pollution from cars if these costs were included, we would pay SIGNIFICANTLY more for our gasoline o Marginal costs o Sustainability. Water pollution (Types; sources, causes, and effects; cultural eutrophication; groundwater pollution; maintaining water quality; water purification; sewage treatment/septic systems; Clean Water Act and other relevant laws) Solid waste (Types; disposal; reduction) 1. Hazards to human health (Environmental risk analysis; acute and chronic effects; dose-response relationships; air pollutants; smoking and other risks) 2. Hazardous chemicals in the environment (Types of

5 hazardous waste; treatment/disposal of hazardous waste; cleanup of contaminated sites; biomagnification; relevant laws)