1.5 humans and pollution

Question 1

pollution

Answer 1

addition of a substance to an environment by human action faster than it can be rendered harmless by natural processes

Question 2

primary pollutants

Answer 2

active on emission
- CO
- sewage

Question 3

secondary pollutants

Answer 3

formed by primary pollutants undergoing physical/chemical changes
- SO2 and NOx reacting with water in atmosphere to form acid rain
- plastic degrading into microplastics

Question 4

factors making human pollution a problem

Answer 4

• increasing population
• development of non-biodegradable materials

Question 5

the great stink

Answer 5

• 1858
• rapid pop. growth raised challenges to provide clean water and care for waste
• sewers overflowed –> waste in river thames
• drought + hot weather –> waste fermented –> “great stink”
• spread cholera + now disease was understood
• gov. didn’t want to address it because of costs, but had to since the parliament building was close
• new sewage systems were built

Question 6

non-point source pollution

Answer 6

• emitted from numerous widely dispersed origins
• difficult to detect where it’s coming from
• e.g: raw sewage entering a water course

Question 7

point source pollution

Answer 7

• emitted from a single identifiable source
• easier to see who’s polluting and to address it
• e.g: dioxins from a waste incinerator

Question 8

acute pollution

Answer 8

• when a lot of pollution is released over a short time period
• e.g: BP oil spill in 2010, Louisiana

Question 9

chronic pollution

Answer 9

• results from long term release of small amounts of pollution, often from multiple sources
• more difficult to address, more widely spread
• e.g: “atmospheric brown cloud” in india (soot, CO2, smog)

Question 10

direct measurements of pollution

Answer 10

records the amount of pollutant

e.g:
- pH of rainwater
- atmospheric CO2 concentration

Question 11

indirect measurements of pollution

Answer 11

• record changes in a biotic/abiotic factors caused by pollution
• sensitive to pollution events over a longer time frame/area

e.g:
- dissolved O2 in freshwater

Question 12

pollution management strategies

Answer 12

• reduce production of pollutants by changing human activity (campaigns, education –> CFC ban under montreal protocal)
• control release of pollutant (carbon capture and storage on coal fired power plants)
• restoration of damaged systems (removal of radioactive topsoil from fukushima precinct)

Question 13

DDT

Answer 13

• introduced in US in 1945 as pesticides for crops
• birds/fish showed same symptoms as insects + kids born into infection + didn’t know long-term effects
• rachael carson: “silent spring” in 1962 to show harmful effects of DDT and call government to action to protect citizens (backlash –> “american environmental movement”)
• banned in 1972 –> malaria out of control in third world countries
• burkina fasao: mosquitos resistant to pesticides, including DDT