Pollution Flashcards
came from the latin word ‘pollutus’ which means made foul, unclean, or dirty
pollution
refers to any unwanted change in the environment caused by the introduction of harmful materials or the production of harmful conditions
pollution
Refers to unwanted changes in the physical, biological, and chemical state of a resource which may degrade the environment or can cause harmful effects to humans and other organisms
pollution
Is the loss of the intrinsic physical, chemical, and/or biological qualities of the resource which result in the diminution or annihilation of important ecosystem functions
pollution
Different types of pollution which include
air
water
land
noise
substances that cause pollution
pollutants
refers to a single source of which can be easily determined such as a sewage pipe or a smokestacks from a factory
point source
Easier to control and be prevented as compared to its counterpart source because the problem is often widely dispersed over a region
point source
non-point source that cannot be easily identified such as photochemical smog which may came from vehicular fumes or agricultural runoff containing pesticides
area source
can lead to war between nations because it is said that this resource is what oil was to the 20th
water shortages
refers to contamination of water bodies, referring to changes in water quality or introduction of substances causing problems to humans and other organisms or making water undesirable for intended use
water pollution
pollutants that come maybe through pipes, or sewer lines leading to a surface bodies of water such as rivers
point sources
pollutants that may include run-off chemicals from cropland or agricultural farms
nonpoint or area sources
property of water wherein extensive hydrogen bonding means water can absorb a lot of heat before changing state
thermal
Makes water an excellent coolant (e.g. sweat) and medium for metabolic reactions (absorb heat from exothermic reactions
thermal
property of water wherein dipolarity means water will stick to other water molecules via
H-bonds
cohesive
Water has a high surface tension, allowing small organisms to move on its surface
cohesive
property of water that makes it stick to surfaces that are polar or charged
adhesive
Water can move via capillary action against gravity (e.g. water moving up the xylem via transpiration)
adhesive
property of water that make it dissolve molecules that are polar or charged
solvent
Water is a good transport medium (e.g. the blood system can transport soluble materials in its plasma)
solvent
property of water that make it less dense as a solid than as a liquid (maximum density ~4oC)
density
Ice floating on water (prevents oceans from freezing as ice layer prevents exposure to cold temperature)
density
property of water that makes it visible
transparency
Aquatic plants can undergo photosynthesis
transparency
Source of pollutants and their effects
sediments
nutrients
heavy metals
pathogens
can degrade ecosystem by making the water cloudy (turbid) and smothering natural habitats on the bottoms and banks of
rivers and lakes
sediments
like nitrogen and phosphorus can lead to algal blooms that degrade rivers and lakes, and reduce their cultural and recreational value
nutrients
like copper and zinc threaten freshwater species, accumulating and making them unsafe for us to eat
heavy metals
threaten freshwater species and make people ill if they drink or swim in polluted water
pathogens
sanitation-related bacteria, trash and litter in waterways
pollutants of poverty
80 percent of the world’s wastewater is released to the environment without treatment
pollutants of poverty
chemicals and waster from industry, agricultural fertilizers, and pesticides
pollutants of growing prosperity
The use of nitrogen as a fertilizer has increased by more than 700 since 1960 with nearly all of that growth occurring in Asia
pollutants of prosperity
– micro and nano plastics pharmaceutical drugs
emerging pollutants
have proliferated throughout the world’s freshwater sources, in surface water, ground
water, and even rainwater
microplastics
Ways to conserve water
➢Use of glasses in brushing teeth or basin in washing clothes
➢Use water saving toilets and shower heads
➢Repair water leaks
➢Use recycled (gray) water for watering houseplants, lawn, and washing cars
➢Water lawns and plant during morning only
➢Turn off faucet when not in use
most of the source are solid waste and hazardous waste that are thrown into land and resulting into this kind of pollution
land pollution
refers to any unwanted or discarded material that is not a liquid or gas
solid waste
is commonly termed as garbage or trach which is usually produced by homes and work places. Common examples are papers, cans, bottles, plastics, metals, glass, wood, yard waste and electronic or e-waste.
municipal solid waste
re those that are produced by industries and mines
industrial solid waste
include waste from raising animals and harvesting and processing crops and trees. Common agricultural waste
are animal manure and waste from processing operations such as peelings, seeds , sludge and other farm materials.
agricultural waste
poisonous, dangerous to health, and corrosive or flammable. It include hospital medical waste, industrial solvents, radioactive waste from nuclear plants and batteries
hazardous waste
remain in the environment for many years in an unchanged condition. Example of POPs are polychlorinated biphenyl ( PCBs) used in paints, glues, waxes and plastics transformers and electrical capacitors in industries
persistent organic pollutants
can cause liver and nervous ailments
polychlorinated biphenyl
one of the oldest method of managing waste through a mountain of garbage
open dump
most unregulated method of throwing waste. It is considered as unsanitary, tend to produce foul or undesirable odor and often spread diseases because of flies and rats.
open dump
flammable gas is being generated during decomposition process thus
may pose danger
methane
may result from open dump to nearby water bodies , ground water and to the soil.
leachate
method in which solid waste are usually placed in a hole, compacted and being covered with soil.
landfill
usually constructed above an impermeable clay layer and plastic sheets. Each day, garbage is thrown and covered with a layer of soil to reduce number of rats that may transfer diseases.
sanitary landfill
One problem associated with landfill is the production of ____ gas by microorganisms during decomposition process
methane
flammable and may lead to explosion
methane
Another problem is the contamination of surface water and ground water by ___ lthat seeps from the cracks in the lining of landfills.
leachate
the process of burning garbage or refuse. If the solid waste are being burned, it reduce the volume up to 90% and 75% by weight
incineration
produce heat which can make steam to generate electricity
incineration
can be burned readily and produce a great amount of heat
paper
produces also a lot of heat but tend to release dioxins and other hazardous compounds when incinerated
plastic
removed from solid waste before being incinerated to prevent emissions of mercury during the process
glasses
batteries
fluorescent lights
due to this, incineration is banned in the country
clean air act
is the process of converting biodegradable waste into organic fertilizer. It is a natural process of transforming organic materials eg. manure, paper , dried leaves, peelings and other biodegradable waste into compost through decomposition by microorganisms. Compost is a humus-like material needed for plantin
composting
A concrete example is a simple back-yard compost pile in which green materials such as grass, vegetable scraps are mixed with brown materials such as dry leaves and twigs. All materials are being chopped into small pieces and mixed to allow microorganisms to decomposed them.
composting
addition of worms in order to speed up the process of decomposition
vermi-composting
refers to different strategies in order to solve solid waste problem through waste reduction.
integrated waste management
rely more on materials which can be used repeatedly instead of throwing them away.
reuse
involves using of materials repeatedly thus increasing the life span of a product. It tends to decrease the use of virgin raw materialslessen energy resources, prevents pollution, creates job and saves money
reuse
reuse plastics and refillable bottlesuse of rechargeable batteries, use of reusable containers or baskets to carry items or buying used items instead of buying new ones.
reuse
consume less and purchase products that last longer, repairable or have less packaging.
reduce
use raw materials that will generate less waste during the manufacturing process. Mass transportation such as eg. LRT is a concrete example of reducing
reduce
means to collect, separate and reprocess materials into same or new products
recycling
R equires segregation of solid waste to biodegradable and non-biodegradable
recycling
- are those materials which can be decomposed by microorganisms
biodegradable
are those which cannot be degraded.
nonbiodegradable
those which recycled
recyclable
also lessen use of raw materials, lessen pollution, saves energy and money
recyclable
those which can no longer be recycled
residual
usually ends up in landfills. Recyclables are usually being sent to Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for segregation
residual
batteries, hospital waste, containers for pesticides or insecticides and other hazardous waste.
residual
causes diseases such as in an open-dumpsite in which flies and rats may transfer disease from one place to another. It also can contaminate drinking water and surface bodies of water affecting aquatic organisms
land pollution
which is burning of waste cause air pollution which in return could cause respiratory illness to humans and organisms
incineration
controlling land pollution
➢Less consumption
➢Proper waste segregation
➢Practice of 3Rs
➢Less consumption
➢Composting
