Environmental Chemistry Part Two

Question 1

What is the ozone layer?

Answer 1

It’s function is to shield the Earth from damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Question 2

What is water quality determined by?

Answer 2

What it is used for:
- human drinking water
- recreation
- livestock drinking water
- irrigation
- protection of aquatic life

Question 3

What are biological indicators?

Answer 3

Organisms that live in water and help determine it’s quality.

Question 4

Types of biological indicators?

Answer 4

1) Microbiological- samples used to determine number and type of microscopic organism to avoid illness (ex. bacteria)

2) Aquatic- invertebrates (no backbones) indicate water quality since different types prefer different living conditions.

Question 5

What are Chemical factors that indicate water quality?

Answer 5

1) Measuring chemicals
2) dissolved oxygen
3) phosphorus and nitrogen content
4) acidity
5) pesticides
6) Measuring toxicity
7) Heavy metals

Question 6

How are chemicals measured?

Answer 6

concentration of chemicals is measured in ppm (parts per million) or milligrams per Liter (mg/L)

Question 7

Dissolved Oxygen?

Answer 7

Amount of oxygen in a body of water depends upon:
- water temperature (more oxygen in cold water)
- turbulence (more oxygen in turbulent water)
-amount of phosphorus
- number of organisms living in it

Question 8

Phosphorus and Nitrogen Content in water quality?

Answer 8

Added by sewage and fertilizer runoff. High concentration makes algae, green plants, dead matter to grow= more decomposers= less dissolved oxygen.

Question 9

Acidity?

Answer 9

Lower the pH, the less diversity. At 4.5 most fish are gone.

Question 10

Problem with Pesticides?

Answer 10

Some don’t degrade and have long term toxic effects. Resistance= more chemicals added to soil.

Question 11

Measuring toxicity? LD50

Answer 11

Different chemicals affect organisms differently. LD50. LD=Lethal Does
50= 50%
LD50= amount of substance that kills 50% of test subjects.

Question 12

Heavy metals?

Answer 12

Metals greater than 5g/cm are considered heavy. (copper, zinc)Occur naturally but not in large amounts- human activity increases amounts. (lead pipes get dissolved by acid water)

Question 13

What is air made up of?

Answer 13

78% nitrogen
21% oxygen
less than 1% argon
0.03% other trace gases

Question 14

What is air quality determined by?

Answer 14

1) Measuring the pollutants
2) Estimating the amount of emissions from pollution sources

Question 15

What are pollutants in the air?

Answer 15

• Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
• Nitrogen Oxide (NOx)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Ground-level Ozone (O3)

Question 16

Sulfur dioxide?

Answer 16

From industrial processes (oil&gas industry) contributes to smog, affects the respiratory system, scrubbers use limestone to convert it into something useful (gypsum)

Question 17

Nitrogen Oxide?

Answer 17

Formed from fossil fuel emissions, combustion at generating plants, industrial processes, brown gas and gives smog its color. Affects respiratory system, eyes.

Question 18

Carbon Monoxide?

Answer 18

Silent killer. Colorless odorless causes headache, sleepiness, brain damage, death) made by burning fossil fuels or when anything with carbon is burned (forest fires). Catalytic converters use platinum and palladium to remove pollutants from vehicle exhaust.

Question 19

Ground Level Ozone?

Answer 19

Formed by reactions between oxygen, nitrogen, volatile organic chemicals (VOC- solvents and gasoline). Affects respiratory system of people with asthma, lung disease, cold. Affects crops. Causes materials to deteriorate (plastic).