Chapter 19Air Pollution

Section 1 Types and Causes of Air Pollution

A. Human activities and __________________ events release pollutants into the air.

1. ____________________- released directly into the air in a harmful form

a. Examples of primary pollutants from ________________ events are volcanic

eruptions and forest fires

b. Examples of primary pollutants from ______________ activities are smoke

from industry and soot from trucks

2. _____________________________- are not released directly, but become harmful only after they interact with other substances in the Earth’s atmosphere; smog, or brown haze, near cities is one effect.

natural

Primary pollutants

natural

human

Secondary pollutants

B. _____________________________ forms with the help of sunlight when nitrogen compounds and organic compounds react to form nitrogen dioxide, which reacts in sunlight to form ozone.

1. In some cities wind disperses pollutants so smog does not form, but in other cities such as Los Angeles, ________________ such as mountains prevent wind from dispersing pollutants, so smog forms readily.

2. A ____________________________ reduces the amount of air mixing in the atmosphere and can cause pollutants to accumulate near the surface.

C. Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6, the pH of natural rainwater, is called ________________________.

1. Acid rain damages surfaces and _____________________ in addition to harming plant and animal life.

2. Winds carry pollutants and cause the _______________________________ U.S. to have more acidic precipitation than other parts of the country.

Photochemical smog

landforms

temperature inversion

acid rain

structures

Northeastern

D. Suspended solid particles and liquid droplets in air are called ___________________ __________________

1. __________________ particles are about one-seventh the diameter of a human hair.

2. Fine particles are about ___________________ the size of coarse particles.

E. __________________________- cause cancer or other serious human health problems; they also damage other organisms.

F. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are compounds that destroy the ___________________in the Earth’s atmosphere. CFCs are used in air conditioners, refrigerators, and _______________ sprays.

1. The ozone layer is a portion of the Earth’s atmosphere about ___________ above Earth’s surface.

particulatematter

coarse

one-fourth

Toxic air pollutants

ozone layer

aerosol

20 km

a. Ozone is a molecule made up of ____ oxygen atoms.

b . High altitude ozone helps organisms by _________________ some of the Sun’s harmful rays.

c. A severe ozone _______________ appeared over Antarctica in the mid- 1980’s.

d. CFCs are no longer produced by industrialized nations, although the effects will take a long time to disappear.

Section 2 Effects of Air Pollution

absorbing

3

depletion

A. Air pollution can have __________ effects depending on the age of the person, the concentration of pollutants, and the exposure time.

1. __________-term effects include stinging, watery eyes, scratchy sore throat, cough, pneumonia, and headache.

2. _______-term effects include brain damage, liver disease, kidney disease, lung cancer, and heart disease.

health

short

long

3. Carbon monoxide, one compound in smog, affects the blood’s ability to carry ___________; very high levels can be fatal.

4. Small particulate pollutants can damage ________, and toxic substances can harm many body systems.

5. Acid rain’s _________ air can be inhaled and irritate sensitive lung tissue; over time the heart can become stressed and weak.

6. ___________________________ from the Sun can cause skin cancer and ____________, a form of eye damage that makes the lens of the eye cloudy

B. Air pollution ___________ plants and animals.

1. _____________________- process in which pollutant levels increase through the food chain.

2. Acid rain in lakes and streams can _______ fish and damage plants.

3. Acid rain moving through __________ can strip away nutrients needed by vegetation.

oxygen

lungs

humid

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation cataracts

harms

Biomagnification

kill

soils

4. Smog irritates animal __________________ systems and weakens plants.

5. As the ozone layer thins, increased UV radiation harms organisms such as ________________________ and affects agricultural crops such as rice, the main food source for more than half the world’s population.

C. In addition to being harmful to living organisms, air pollution damages buildings and ___________________.

Section 3 Solutions to Air Pollution

D. Since 1955, several laws have been passed to help reduce air pollution; they include the ____________________________ of 1955, the Clean Air Act of 1963, the Clean Air Act of 1970, and the ________________________ of 1990.

1. The air you breathe, called ______________________ cannot, by law, contain pollutants exceeding an ______________________.

2. Ambient air is ________________ for particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, and ozone.

respiratory

phytoplankton

structures

Air Pollution Control ActClean Air Act

Ambient airair quality standard

sampled

3. If pollutants exceed air quality standards, _____________, pollutants released into the air, must be reduced by using devices to capture pollutants created or by limiting the amount produced.

B. __________________ can help reduce air pollution by reducing electricity use, setting the furnace lower and air conditioner higher, and using public transportation or car pooling.

C. While air quality in the U.S. has ______________ since 1990, some pollutants are still rising.

1. Smog levels are increasing in many __________ areas.

2. Because of ______________________, more than 2, 500 bodies of water in the United States contain fish that are unsafe to eat.

emissions

Individuals

improved

rural

biomagnification