Environmental quality Chapter 21-24
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What potential health problems are likely to result from the release of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) into the environment?
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Hormonal effects
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Which of the following is an example of a synthetic organic compound found in polluted water?
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Chloroform
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Sources of mercury
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coal burning power plants, municipal and medical waste, batteries, paint, and burned plastic.
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Which elements or metals can cause mental impairment?
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Mercury and lead
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What kind of emissions are linked to/produced by coal-fired power plants?
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Mercury
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Sediment pollution is caused by:
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Erosion
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What does Turbidity do?
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impairs the ability of producers to photosynthesize
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What are found in groundwater and surface water?
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Inorganic chemicals
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Which of the following correctly identifies a source of possible lead poisoning for humans?
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Imported food cans soldered with lead
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A fecal coliform test is a water-quality test for the presence of:
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the common intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli
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72% of the water pollution in rivers is attributed to?
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Agriculture
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All of the following represent a category of water pollution except:
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Oligotrophic pollution
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What is a property of radon?
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it is radioactive
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what does Thermal pollution do?
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decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen
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Lakes with naturally occurring low levels of nutrients are called:
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Oligotrophic
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Eutrophication
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lessens biodiversity lowers the dissolved oxygen content of the water is caused by nutrient enrichment results in increased photosynthetic production
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Which of the following led to a decrease in the size of the ―dead zone‖ in the Gulf of Mexico?
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Hurricane Dolly
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The \"dead zone\" in the Gulf of Mexico is:
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A large zone of hypoxia caused by excessive decomposition of algae
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One major problem with sewage is that it adds which of the following to water?
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nitrogen and phosphorus
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Sewage is degraded by the process of:
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Cellular respiration
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Pollution that is discharged into the environment through pipes, sewers, or ditches is called:
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Point source pollution
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What is an example of Primary water treatment?
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removes suspended particles
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What is an example of Secondary water treatment ?
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uses aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic wastes
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In a water treatment plant, what does chlorination do?
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kills disease-causing organisms
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what has not been linked to any serious medical conditions or side effects?
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Fluoridation
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What are ways to dispose sludge?
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anaerobic digestion, application to soil as fertilizer, incineration, ocean dumping, disposal in sanitary landfill
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Causes of groundwater contamination
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a) backyards b) municipal sanitary landfills c) intensively cultivated agricultural lands d) underground petroleum storage tanks
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Arsenic pollution
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Pollutant that washes from coal and metal mines (or natural) into nearby lakes and streams
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The Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) Did what?
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required the EPA to determine the maximum contaminant levels for drinking water
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Basic goals of the Clean Water Act
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both to eliminate the discharge of pollutants and to attain water quality levels,that are safe for fishing and swimming
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What is \"Environmental sustainability\"?
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The ability to meet humanities current needs without compromising the needs of future generations.
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What is \"Sustainable Development\"?
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is the economic development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their of their own needs.
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What factor(s) ultimately determine the carrying capacity of a given ecosystem?
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determined by its ability to absorb wastes and renew itself
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Who consumes the majority of world's resources?
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Highly devolped countries
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What can be done to help raise the standard of living for the poorest segments of the population?
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Raising the standard of living for poor countries by introducing universal education
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Approximately what percentage of the original area of tropical rain forests remains intact?
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About 1/2 only still remains of the original area
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Ecosystem service provided by forests
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-watersheds and soils; fertile agricultural lands;local clean air; climate; global habitats
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Agricultural techniques designed to protect topsoil
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Conservation tillage: residues from previous crops are left in the soil, partially covering it and helping to hold it in place
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Energy plan to stabilize the global climate
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Phasing out fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy, increasing energy conservation and improving energy efficiency; there would also be limited roles for nuclear power and carbon sequestration.
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Definition of \"Megacity\"
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A city with more than 10 million people
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Which factors determines whether or not consumption is sustainable?
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economy, technology, social values and government policies
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What is sustainable consumption?
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The use of goods and services that satisfy basic human needs and improve the quality of life but that also minimize the use of nonrenewable and renewable resources so they are available for future generations.
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How does environmental diplomacy differ from diplomacy concerning other issues?
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Environmental issues are on greater scale because environmental issues of today can affect more than one population of people and its effects can be felt for future generations.
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What is a pesticide?
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-any substance used to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate any pest
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Groups or classification of pesticides
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-Insecticides, herbicides, fungicide, rodenticide
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What do broad-spectrum pesticides do?
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kills a large variety of organisms, not just the targeted one
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A narrow-spectrum pesticide would kill:
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The organism for which it was intended
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A pesticide used to kill plants is called a/an:
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Herbicide
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Natural organic compounds produced by plants that are poisonous, particularly to insect, are known as:
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Botanicals
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what do Botanicals have/include?
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nicotine, pyrethrin, and retenone
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Benefits of pesticides
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- Disease Control - Crop Protection
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What is genetic resistance?
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When insects become resistant to pesticides and insecticides being used on them
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What is the pesticide treadmill?
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The pesticide treadmill refers to the predicament in which the cost of applying pesticides increase while their effectiveness decreases.
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Which of the following pesticides is a known endocrine disrupter?
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Atrazine
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What are some of the alternatives to pesticides?
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Cultivation methods, biological controls, pheromones and hormones, reproductive controls, genetic controls, quarantine, and irradiation, vacuuming pests
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Which of the following is not an alternative to pesticides?
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organophosphates
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What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
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- Combines a variety of biological, cultivation, and pesticide controls tailored to the conditions and crops of an individual farm, campus, city, or greenhouse. - Requires a thorough knowledge of the system, including life cycles, feeding habits, travel, and nesting habits of the pests as well as their interactions with their hosts and other organisms.
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One inconsistency in the Delaney Clause is that it did not cover:
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pesticides on raw foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, and meats
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What are the largest producers of solid waste in the United States?
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agriculture, industry, mining.
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What is the largest single component of municipal solid waste in the United States?
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paper and paper products (i.e. packaging)
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Over half of the solid waste produced in the United States is disposed of by which method?
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Sanitary landfills
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What is the benefit of sanitary landfills over \"open dumps\"?
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-less rodent problems than an open dump -less of an odor than open dumps -less pollution such as not polluting the surface & ground water
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Problems associated with sanitary landfills
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-Production of methane gas -Contamination of surface water and groundwater by leachate -Closing a full sanitary landfill involves considerable expense -The special problem of plastic Most plastics are chemically stable and do not readily break down, or decompose Special plastics have the ability to degrade or disintegrate (i.e., photodegradable and biodegradable plastics)
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Possible problems associated with incineration
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- Air pollution - Large quantities of ash are produced and must be disposed of properly - High cost
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What is composting?
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The conversion of organic waste into soil conditioners such as compost or mulch.
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Benefits of paper recycling every ton of recycled paper saves approximately
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a) 17 trees b) 7000 gal of water c) 4100 kilowatt-hours of energy d) 3 cubic yards of landfill space
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What does Waste prevention do ?
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- Reduces the amount of waste; source reduction - Reuses products - Recycles materials - Integrated Waste Management
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what is Source reduction?
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An aspect of waste management in which products are designed and manufactured in ways that decrease the volume of solid waste and the amount of hazardous waste in the soild waste stream.
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Aluminum cans
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Recycling programs in the United States: The most successful recycling program in the United States involves
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what is Integrated waste management?
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uses a combination of the best waste management techniques to deal effectively with solid waste.; techniques that involve reusing, recycling, and reducing
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Major categories of hazardous wastes All of the following are major categories of hazardous waste:
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a) acids b) heavy metals c) organic solvents d) radioactive waste
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What is Dioxins?
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-A group of 75 similar chemical compounds formed as unwanted by-products during the combustion of chlorine compounds - are emitted in smoke and then settle on plants, the soil, and bodies of water; from there they are incorporated into the food web -are known to cause several kinds of cancer in laboratory animals -may have an effect on the human reproductive, immune, and nervous systems
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What are (PCBs) Polychlorinated biphenyls?
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-are a group of 209 industrial chemicals composed of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine -Toxicity tests reveals that they harm skin, eyes, reproductive organs, the gastrointestinal system, and are endocrine disrupters -Several studies suggest that they may be carcinogenic
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The Superfund program
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Federal government assist in the cleanup of sites that pose the greatest threat to public health and the environment
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Bioremediation is?
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the use of bacteria and other microorganisms to break down hazardous waste into relatively harmless components.
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Phytoremediation is?
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the use of plants to absorb and accumulate hazardous materials from the soil
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Narrow spectrum pesticide has ?
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a focus on a specific species
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what are the benefits of composting?
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it lessens the waste in sanitary landfills, can be used to reclaim degraded land and for agriculture.
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spodosol
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cold, climate; evergreen forests
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alphasol
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humid climate, hot summers, cold winters, temperature deciduous forests
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mollisol
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moderate climate; semi-arid climate, hot summers, cold winters, temperate grasslands
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aridosols
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arid, dry climate, desert
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oxisols
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wet warm climate, tropical rainforests
