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ENVR 110
Industrial & Municipal Pollution Control
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is pollution? | Any change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the air, water or land that can affect the health, survival, or activities of human beings or other forms of life in and undesirable way. |
| List three types of pollutants | Rapidly biodegradable Slowly biodegradable Nonbiodegradable |
| Give an example of rapidly biodegradable pollutants | Animal and crop waste |
| Give an example of slowly biodegradable pollutants | Persistent; DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and PCB (polychlorinated byphenyls) |
| Give an example of nonbiodegradable pollutants | Mercury, lead compounds and some radioactive substances |
| List two sources of pollution | Natural Human (anthropogenic) |
| Describe natural pollutants | Usually dispersed over large areas and often diluted or degraded to harmless levels by natural processes |
| Describe human, or anthropogenic, pollutants | -Often occurs in concentrated forms in or near urban and industrial areas -Most common problems are when large amounts of pollution are concentrated in relatively small volumes of air, water, and soil |
| Why do we perform pollution control? | Protect the public's health and the environment |
| How do we perform pollution control? | Fulfill regulatory requirements Protect natural systems Manage and control sewage and stormwater Manage and control solid and hazardous waste Control air and noise pollution |
| Pollution control is mostly performed to prevent the spread of what types of diseases? | Communicable Noninfectious |
| Describe communicable diseases | Caused by microbes Spread by a mode of transmission direct indirect (airborne, vector borne, vehicle borne) |
| Describe noninfectious diseases | Toxic exposures that can lead to cancers, organ damage, developmental problems |
| What is the study of harmful levels of pollutants called? | Toxicology |
| How is the concentration of pollutants typcially expressed? | Parts per million (ppm) Milligrams per liter (mg/L) Parts per billion (ppb) Micrograms per liter |
| What is an additive effect? | Adding the observed effects of pollutants or toxins together |
| What is a synergistic effect? | Pollutants or toxins acting together to cause a greater harmful effect than individually |
| What are the two main philosophies on pollution control? | -Pollution control should not be increased at the expense of economic growth (can provide funds for dealing with environmental concerns) -Insufficient pollution control leads to short and long term damages that will reduce economic productivity |
| Describe air pollution | Causes breathing problems in urban and industrial areas Existed for centuries |
| Describe soil and groundwater pollution | A few decades ago landfills were common and uncontrolled and chemical spills were not addressed |
| Describe surface water pollution | Wastewater and chemical discharge directly to lakes and rivers (e.g. Cuyahoga River Burning) |
| What is FIFRA? | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Formed in 1947 Pesticides must be registered with the EPA before being marketed |
| What is NEPA? | National Environmental Policy Act Formed in 1970 Requires each federal agency to use Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) No enforcement agency |
| What is RCRA? | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Formed in 1976 Deals with both municipal and hazardous waste to encourage resource recovery and recycling Enforcement agency: EPA |
| What is CWA? | Federal Clean Water Act Formed in 1972 Restore and maintain the "chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters" Enforcement agency: EPA |
| What is SDWA? | Safe Drinking Water Act Formed in 1974 Establish federal drinking water standards Protect underground water sources Enforcement agency: EPA |
| What is CAA? | Federal Clean Air Act Formed in 1970 Enforcement agency: EPA |
| What is CERCLA? | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act "Superfund" Formed in 1980 Provides system for cleaning up chemical and hazardous material Enforcement agency: EPA |
| What is AHERA? | Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act Requires certain procedures to be followed for asbestos abatement in school buildings Ties to OSHA Enforcement agency: EPA |
| What is TSCA? | Toxic Substances Control Act Formed in 1976 Regulates newly created chemicals entering into commerce for the first time and current existing chemicals Enforcement agency: EPA |
| What is the Ocean Dumping Act? | Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act Regulates what can be dumped in the ocean and protects marine environment Enforcement agency: EPA, U.S. Coast Guard |
| What is OSHA? | Occupational Safety and Health Act Formed in 1970 "Assures so fas as possible every working man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions" Enforcement agency: OSHA(dministration) |
| What is AEA? | Atomic Energy Act Formed in 1954 Provide controls over the possession, development, and use of radioactive materials Enforcement agency: Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
| What is HMTA? | Hazardous Materials Transportation Act Formed in 1975 Established criteria for transporting hazardous materials Enforcement agency: Department of Transportation |
| What are the three parts to an atomic structure? | Element Compound Atom |
| What is an element? | Substance composed of all the same kind of atom Listed on the periodic table |
| What is a compound? | Contains two or more elements chemically combined |
| What is an atom? | Basic unit of an element Composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons |
| What is the periodic table? | Lists elements according to their atomic number Provides name and symbol of the element Atomic weight of element (avg. mass numner of all atoms that make up the element) How reactive element is |
| What are three chemical bonds? | Ionic - positive and negative ion are attracted to one another Covalent - atoms share electrons Hydrogen - weak attraction (usually between water molecules) |
| What is a solution? | Usually described for liquids, but can also be for solids and gasses, especially in water (aqueous solutions) |
| What is a solvent? | Material present in largest amounts |
| What is a solute? | Material present in smaller amounts |
| What is a saturated solution? | A solution that has as much solute dissolved in it as it can hold |
| What is solubility? | Ability of a solute to dissolve in a solvent Depends on temperature, pressure, and what else is dissolved in that solution |
| What is a suspended particle? | Small particles of material larger than atoms suspended in water -the smaller the suspended particle the longer it takes to settle |
| What is a colloidal suspension? | Very fine particles (less than 0.1 micron in diameter) Resist settling Can be removed by adding chemicals to get them to settle out (enlargement or changing of molecules) |
| How are concentrations expressed? | Volume - mg/L Weight - mg/kg Air - mg/M3 or ppm Water - mg/L, ppm or ppb Soil/waste - mg/kg, ppm |
| Describe acids | Has a pH less than 7 (increase in the H+ concentratoin in an aqueous solution) Often can corrode metal and dissolve salts Tastes sour |
| Describe bases | Has a pH greater than 7 (increase in the OH- concentration in an aqueous solution) Caustic, corrosive, to hair, skin and other organic substances Tastes bitter |
| What are common bases? | Sodium hydroxide Ammonia Potassium hydroxide Aluminum hydroxide Magnesium hydroxide |
| What are common organic chemicals? | Wood Flesh Cotton Petroleum Methane Solvents Plastics |
| What are common organic pollutants? | Human, animal, food wastes Industrial chemicals Petroleum hydrocarbons (fuels and oils) Many pesticides Solvents PCB's |
| What are common inorganic pollutants? | Metals Most acids and bases Some fertilizers Most sediment |
| What is the hydrologic cycle? | How water moves in and around earth |
| List examples of surface water | Lakes Streams Ponds Wetlands Estuaries |
| List examples of groundwater sources | Aquifers Subsurface saturated zones |
| Where is most industrial and municipal wastewater discharged? | Surface water |
| What is turbidity? | Measure of the light-scatteirng effect caused by suspended particles in water Impacts how clear the water is |
| What is DO? | Dissolved oxygen Amount of oxygen gas dissolved in a given quanitity of water at a particular temperature and atmospheric pressure Usually listed mg/L |
| Why is DO important? | Indicates the ability of a body of surface water to support fish and most other forms of aquatic life Low DO = fish will die from suffocation |
| What can reduce DO? | Biodegradable wastes Aerobic decomposers can reduce the supply of dissolved oxygen |
| What is the normal percentage of oxygen in the air? | 21% |
| What is BOD? | Biochemical oxygen demand Measure of the amount of oxygen consumed in the biological and chemical processes that break down organic matter in water |
| Why is BOD important? | Higher BOD, the higher the organic content of the water, the more dissolved oxygen that will be used to decompose their organics |
| What is BODx? | Amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposition to break down the organic materials in a given volume of water over an x day period |
| List sources of BOD to waterways | Natural - topsoil, leaves, animal waste Non-point - animal manure, fertilizers, urban runoff Point - effluents from pulp, paper mills, wastewater treatment plants, textiles, food processing plants, failing septic systems |
| What is COD? | Chemical oxygen demand Measure of the oxygen required to oxidize all compounds, both organic and inorganic in water Sometimes measured instead of BOD |
| List the sizes of pollutant particles | Settleable >100 microns, largely organics Supracolloidal 1-100 microns, largely organics Colloidal 1nm - 1 micron, bacteria and viruses Soluble <1nm, inorganics |
| List four types of solids | Suspended Dissolved Settleable Volatile |
| What is a suspended solid? | Those that can be retained on a filter |
| What is a dissolved solid? | Solids that pass through the filter Determined by a mass balance after evaporating the sample |
| What is a settleable solid? | Coarser fraction that will settle due to gravity |
| What is a volatile solid? | Solid that can be burned off or volatilized at 550 degrees Celcius |
Created by:
kns80
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