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environmental ethics > ch8: Air pollution > Flashcards

ch8: Air pollution Flashcards

1
Q

Atmospheric composition:

A
  • Nitrogen 78.08%
  • Oxygen 20.95%
  • Argon 0.93%
  • Carbon dioxide 0.04%
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2
Q

Atmospheric Ecosystem services

A
  • Blocks UV radiation
  • Moderates the climate
  • Redistributes water in the hydrologic cycle
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3
Q

Define Air pollution:

A

Chemicals added to the atmosphere by natural events or human activities in high enough concentrations to be harmful

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4
Q

Categories of air pollution:

A
  • Primary Air Pollutant
    • Harmful substance that is emitted directly into the atmosphere
  • Secondary Air Pollutant
    • Harmful substance formed in the atmosphere when a primary air pollutant reacts with substances normally found in the atmosphere or with other air pollutants
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5
Q

Type of air pollutants:

A
  • Particulate mater
    • Dust (solid)
    • Lead (solid)
    • Sulfuric acid (solid)
  • Nitrogen oxide(reddish-brown gas)
  • Sulfur oxides (colorless gas with strong odor)
  • Carbon oxides (colorless odorless gas)
    • Carbon monoxide
    • Carbon dioxide
  • Hydrocarbons
    • Methane (colorless, odorless gas)
    • Benzene (liquid with sweet smell)
  • Ozone (pale blue gas with acrid odor)
  • Air toxics
    • Chlorine (yellow-green gas)
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6
Q

Major classes of air pollutants:

A
  • Particulate Material
  • Nitrogen Oxides
  • Sulfur Oxides
  • Carbon Oxides
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Ozone
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7
Q

Thousands of different solid or liquid particles suspended in air this includes:

A
  • soil particles,
  • soot,
  • lead,
  • asbestos,
  • sea salt, and
  • sulfuric acid droplets
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8
Q

Particulate materials are dangerous for the following reason:

A
  • May contain materials with toxic or carcinogenic effects
  • Extremely small particles can become lodged in lungs
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9
Q

Nitrogen Oxides (definition and problems)

A
  • Gases produced by the chemical interactions between atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen at high temperature
  • Problems
    • Greenhouse gases
    • Cause difficulty breathing
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10
Q

Sulfur oxides (definition and problems)

A
  • Gases produced by the chemical interactions between sulfur and oxygen
  • Causes acid precipitation
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11
Q

Carbon Oxides:

A
  • Gases carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2)
  • Greenhouse gases
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12
Q

Hydrocarbons:

A
  • Diverse group of organic compounds that contain only hydrogen and carbon (ex: CH4- methane)
  • Some are related to photochemical smog and greenhouse gases
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13
Q

Tropospheric Ozone:

A
  • Man- made pollutant in the lower atmosphere
  • Secondary air pollutant
  • Component of photochemical smog
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14
Q

Stratospheric Ozone:

A
  • Essential component that screens out UV radiation in the upper atmosphere
  • Man- made pollutants (ex: CFCs) can destroy it
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15
Q

Sources of Outdoor Air Pollution:

A
  • Transportation
  • Industry
  • (intentional forest fires is also high)
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16
Q

Urban air pollution:

A
  • Photochemical Smog (ex: Los Angeles below)
    • Brownish-orange haze formed by chemical reactions involving sunlight, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons
  • Another example: Beijing and Mexico city
17
Q

Effect of air pollution:

A
  • Low level exposure
    • Irritates eyes
    • Causes inflammation of respiratory tract
  • Can develop into chronic respiratory diseases
18
Q

Health effects of air pollution:

A
  • Sulfur Dioxide and Particulate material
    • Irritate respiratory tract and impair ability of lungs to exchange gases
  • Nitrogen Dioxides
    • Causes airway restriction
  • Carbon monoxide
    • Binds with iron in blood hemoglobin
    • Causes headache, fatigue, drowsiness, death
  • Ozone
    • Causes burning eyes, coughing, and chest discomfort
19
Q

Children and Air Pollution:

A
  • Greater health threat to children than adults
    • Air pollution can restrict lung development
    • Children breath more often than adults
  • Children who live in high ozone areas are more likely to develop asthma
20
Q

Controlling air pollution:

A
  • Smokestacks with electrostatic precipitator
  • Smokestacks with scrubbers
  • Particulate material can also be controlled by proper excavating techniques
  • Phase I vapor recovery system for gasoline
21
Q

The clean air act:

A
  • Authorizes EPA to set limits on amount of specific air pollutants permitted
  • Focuses on 6 pollutants:
    • lead,
    • particulate matter,
    • sulfur dioxide,
    • carbon monoxide,
    • nitrogen oxides, and
    • ozone
  • Act has led to decreases!
22
Q

Other Ways to Improve Air Quality

A
  • Reduce sulfur content in gasoline from its current average of 330 ppm to 30 ppm
    • Sulfur clogs catalytic converters
  • Require federal emission standards for all passenger vehicles
    • Including SUVs, trucks and minivans
  • Require emission testing for all vehicles
    • Including diesel
23
Q

Acid deposition:

A
  • Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions react with water vapor in the atmosphere and form acids that return to the surface as either dry or wet deposition
  • pH scale
24
Q

Effects of Acid Deposition:

A
  • Declining Aquatic Animal Populations
  • Thin-shelled eggs prevent bird reproduction
    • Because calcium is unavailable in acidic soil
  • Forest decline
    • Ex: Black forest in Germany (50% is destroyed)
25
Q

Air Pollution Around the World:

A
  • Air quality is deteriorating rapidly in developing countries
  • Shenyang, China
    • Residents only see sunlight a few weeks each year
  • Developing countries have older cars
    • Still use leaded gasoline
  • 5 worst cities in world
    • Beijing, China;
    • Mexico City, Mexico;
    • Shanghai, China;
    • Tehran, Iran; and
    • Calcutta, India
26
Q

Indoor Air Pollution:

A
  • Pollutants can be 5-100X greater than outdoors
  • Most common:
    • Radon,
    • cigarette smoke,
    • carbon monoxide,
    • nitrogen dioxide,
    • formaldehyde pesticides,
    • lead,
    • cleaning solvents,
    • ozone, and
    • asbestos

environmental ethics (14 decks)

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