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Environmental Science 1/2 > Unit 2 AOS 1 - Pollution > Flashcards

Unit 2 AOS 1 - Pollution Flashcards

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1
Q

Pollution

A

When a substance entering or being present in an environment has harmful or poisonous effects

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2
Q

Pollutant

A

The substance that pollutes.

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3
Q

Dispersal

A

How pollutants enter the environment

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4
Q

Primary pollutants

A

Substances released into environment directly from a polluting source. (fossil fuels)

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5
Q

Heavy metals

A

A metal with an atomic mass greater than that of calcium (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic)

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6
Q

Waste

A

A substance discarded after being deemed no longer useful after the completion of a process. Can become a pollutant if not treated properly (but may not)

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7
Q

Contaminant

A

A substance present where is does not naturally occur

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8
Q

Pollutant (regarding contaminants)

A

Contaminant that can result in adverse biological effects to resident biota.

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9
Q

Secondary pollutants

A

Formed by chemical changes to primary pollutants

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10
Q

What are some atmospheric pollutants (gases)

A

Gases like:

  • CO2
  • Carbon monoxide
  • nitrogen dioxide
  • sulfur dioxide
  • ozone
  • VOCS
  • particulate matter
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11
Q

Water pollution

A

Caused b a substance that enters waterways at excessive levels

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12
Q

Terrestrial pollution

A

Imbalance in natural systems caused by humans

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13
Q

Noise pollution

A

Continuous or recurrent noise that is annoying or physically harmful.

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14
Q

Thermal pollution

A

Heat from hot water that is discharged from a power plant or factory into a river or lake that can be fatal to aquatic life

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15
Q

Direct pollution

A

Discharging a pollutant directly from the source into the environment

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16
Q

Point source emissions

A

Pollutants that come from a single discharge point, like a chimney.

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17
Q

Pollutant sink

A

process or place that removes a pollutants from the biogeochemical cycle by either storing it for a long time, or turning it into another substance.

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18
Q

Biomagnification

A

The increasing concentration of a chemical in organisms as it goes up the food chain

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19
Q

Mercury

A

Naturally occurring heavy metal found in three forms: organic, inorganic, and elemental (metallic)

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20
Q

Indirect pollution

A

When a pollutant finds its way indirectly into an environment. (nitrogen run-off)

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21
Q

Diffuse source emissions

A

Enters the environment across a broad area (like fertiliser run-off)

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22
Q

Fugitive emissions

A

Escape from an instrument or facility separate to any designated outlets

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23
Q

Bioaccumulation

A

When an organism takes in a substance faster than the body can remove it and the amount of substance in the body increases over time

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24
Q

Bioconcentration

A

A type of bioaccumulation.

a chemical taken directly from the environment, but not through food.

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25
Local impacts
Small scale impact - affects an area of a few square kms
26
Global impacts
global and international impact
27
Inhaled
Taken in through the lungs and absorbed through the membrane surfaces into the bloodstream
28
Dermal absorption
Absorbed through the skin
29
Endocrine disruptors
Synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals that affect the hormonal systems in animals
30
Environmental hazards
Defined as factors of the environment which threaten or impair human health in some way
31
Regional impacts
large yet distinct are of impact
32
Exposure
A measure of how much of a pollutant a person is exposed to in a given time
33
Ingested
Taken in through swallowing (food/drink) and absorbed from digestive system into the liver then to the bloodstream
34
Toxicity
A measure of the harm (through illness or death) that a substance can cause in organisms
35
Acute toxicity
The adverse health effect from a single dose of a toxic substance
36
Chronic toxicity
Adverse health effects of repeated exposure to the material over a prolonged period
37
Threshold
The level of chemical exposure below which there is no adverse effect and above which there is significant toxicological effect
38
Lethal dose (LD)
A term to describe the dose of a substance that is sufficient to kill a percentage of an animal within a given time
39
How is pollutant dispersal affected?
It is affected by its characteristics
40
"Water is a powerful disperser" What does this mean?
Means water can transport both water soluble and non-soluble pollutants
41
What different forms is mercury found in? (Give examples of each)
Organic (Methylmercury) Inorganic (Mercuric chloride) Elemental (Metallic) - (hg)
42
What are some properties of mercury?
is liquid at room temp conducts electricity Is toxic as vapour
43
'Mercury is persistent' What does this mean?
Elemental mercury can't break down into less toxic substances, so stays in the environment.
44
The Convention on Mercury commits countries to implement:
- bans on new mercury mines - the phase-out of existing mines - control measures on air emissions - regulations on artisanal and small-scale gold mining
45
What are some properties of Arsenic?
- Grey - Metallic properties, semi-metal - High toxicity - Found naturally - Inorganic form is the most toxic - Carcinogen
46
What are some sources of arsenic?
Bushfires and volcanoes, found in earths crust
47
What are some man-made sources of Arsenic
glass, mining, paper products, timber treatments
48
What are some environmental effects of Arsenic
reduced organism health, death of plants and animals, and imbalances of population in ecosystems
49
What is a carcinogen?
A cancer-causing substance
50
The impact of pollution can be viewed at what three levels? Define each.
Local - Small scale impact regional - large yet distinct are of impact global - global and international impact
51
What can contribute to illness caused by a specific environmental hazard.
- Environmental factors (housing, climate) - Demographic factors (socio-economic status) - Genetics - Other exposure
52
What ways can substances be absorbed into the body?
- ingestion - inhalation - dermal absorption
53
The dosage of a chemical pollutant a person receives is affected by:
- respiration rate - concentration - frequency of exposure - length of exposure - properties of the chemical - body weight
54
What are some examples of new potential hazards and risks?
Ozone depletion, GMO and electromagnetic fields
55
A pollutant is degradable if it _____________
breaks down in the environment due to sunlight, soil and water organisms or other chemical reactions.
56
what is the endocrine system?
The endocrine system is a set of glands and the hormones they produce.
57
What glands around the body excrete hormones?
- Pineal gland - Pituitary gland - Thyroid gland - Adrenal gland - Pancreas - Ovary - Testes
58
Define hormones
Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions around the body by carrying messages to the blood in organs.
59
What types of organisms have endocrine system?
All eukaryotic organisms
60
What is the function of the endocrine system?
The hormones that the endocrine system produces helps to guide the development, growth, reproduction, and behaviour of animals & humans.
61
How do endocrine-disrupting chemicals affects the endocrine system?
- EDCs can affect/reduce the production of hormones in endocrine glands, copy or counteract the action of hormones at ‘target tissues’ - Can speed up the metabolism of hormones & therefore reduce their action
62
What stages of development are most at risk to exposure to EDCs?
- Exposure during early development, like in the womb, or during childhood, can cause permanent effects.
63
What are some impacts of EDCs that would impact the health of the environment?
- Aquatic animals are particularly affected, especially carnivores as they are at the top of the food chain. - Eggshells can end up thinning in birds of prey - Reduction in the frog population. - Overall, there are many negative effects that primarily impact animals.
64
Contamination
Is the presence of a substance where it does not naturally occur or is found at concentrations above background levels.
65
Light pollution
Light from cities and tons at night that interfere with astronomical observations
66
Pollutant sink
Is a process or place that removes, stores or absorbs the pollutant eg. carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolving in water both in oceans and freshwater bodies
67
Pollutant sources
Either point or diffuse sources
68
69
Mobile emissions
Come from mobile sources eg. a motor vechile
70
Transport mechanisms for pollutants
Air pollutants are generally transported by air circulation (wind) while Water pollutants are transported via the water cycle through the movement of streams, run-off and tidal currents
70
Environmental health
Those aspects of public health concerned with the factors, circumstances, and conditions in the environment or surroundings of humans that can have an influence on healthy and wellbeing
70
Environmental indicators
Are identified and measured as a way of assessing the overall condition of an environment. Good environmental indicators reflect an understanding of the links between a human activity and its consequence eg. exhaust from cars decreases air quality in cities
71
Typical indicators
A Physical environmental indicator, A Chemical environmental indicator, A biological environmental indicator, A socioeconomic environmental indicator
72
a physical environmental indicator
Measures a physical feature of the environment eg. the amount of sunlight through water or reaching the forest floor
73
A chemical environmental indicator
Measures a chemical factor affecting the environment eg. Ph level or phosphorus level
74
A biological environmental indicator
Measures effects on a plant or animal eg. the change over time in the number of a certain plant species in a given area
75
Salinity
Conductivity measures the amount of inorganic salt materials dissolved in a soil or water sample Salinity can also be measured by evaporating a given amount of the water and weighing the remaining salt It is measured in milligrams per litre (mg/L)
76
Range of tolerance
Chemical and physical conditions within which an organism will live, grow and function normally
77
What is dosage
78
What is DDT

Environmental Science 1/2 (5 decks)

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