APES Flashcard Review 2

What are examples of biological hazards?

• Any type of pathogen (viruses, bacteria, protist, fungi)

What are examples of chemical hazards?

• Pesticides• Heavy metals (lead, mercury)• PCBs• asbestos

What are examples of physical hazards?

• Fires• Earthquakes• Volcanoes• Floods• Storms

What are some examples of cultural hazards?

• Crime• Working conditions• Driving• Poverty

What are some examples of lifestyle hazards?

• Unprotected sex• Smoking• Drug use

What are some examples of transmissible (infections) diseases?

Pneumonia/fluHIV/AIDSTuberculosisMalariaHep BMeasles

What are some examples of non-transmissible diseases?

• Cancer• Heart disease• Malnutrition

Which diseases are most predominant in developed countries?

• Non-transmissible diseases

Which diseases are predominant in developing countries?

• Transmissible (infectious) diseases

What is a Vector?

• An insect or other organism that carries a pathogen. Ex. Mosquitoes carry malaria.

The study of the effects chemicals have on humans and wildlife…

• Toxicology

Key characteristics of toxic chemicals include…

• Persistence- how long they are in the environment.

• Solubility- fat soluble substances easily accumulate in the body. Water soluble chemicals will easily dissolve in water.

• Biomagnification- fat soluble compounds that can bioaccumulate can be passed to other organisms through the food chain. Ex DDT in Falcons.

How do we reduce infectious diseases?

• Improving drinking water• Decrease malnutrition• HIV education programs• Increasing vaccines to children• Reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics

The immediate response to a toxin…

• Acute response

Long term effects of small doses of a toxin…

• Chronic response

The model that predicts that a toxins effects begin at 0 and increase as the dosage goes up…

• Non-threshold dosage response model

The model that predicts that effects will not occur until a threshold dose is reached…

• Threshold dose-response model

The dose that would be lethal to 50% of the organisms being tested…

• LD50

Toxic chemicals that promote cancer in the human body…

• carcinogens

Chemical hazards that promotes mutations…

• Mutagen

Toxic chemicals that promote birth defects…

• Teratogens

A toxin found in electrical insulators, fire retardants and pesticides which causes brain

damage…• PCBs

A toxin that was used as a pesticide in the U.S. prior to 1972 which biomagnifies in the food chain and effects

bird populations…

• DDT

Toxins that result from smelting metals and incinerating waste, batteries, flourescent lights, and coal burning…

• Heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium)

A toxin emitted by burning coal, oil, and tobacco which can cause cancer and birth defects…

• Benzene

A precursor to plastics which is found in building materials and causes liver cancer, CNS damage, and

birth defects…

• Vinyl Chloride

A fire retardant formerly used in building materials linked to lung cancer…

• Asbestos

A carcinogen formed during the incineration of waste materials and herbicides…

• Dioxins

Raw minerals mixed with other materials after mining…

• ore

Material that must be removed to reach mineral reserves…

• Spoils• Spoils in uranium mining can be contaminated

with radioactivity• Runoff of spoil materials can cause water

pollution.

Which type of mining is cheapest but causes the most environmental damage…

• Surface mining (also called strip mining)• Mountaintop Removal is a type of surface

mining in which the top of a mountain is removed.

• Environmental problems are soil and water pollution from spoil runoff and habitat disruption.

Which type of mining is most expensive but causes the least environmental damage…

• Subsurface mining• Cave-ins, subsidence and underground coal

fires are environmental fires.

The metallic mineral resources include…

• Aluminum• Iron• Lead• Chromium• Manganese• Nickel• Silver• gold

Non-metallic mineral resources that are mined…

• Sand• Gravel• Limestone• Clay• Asbestos• Talc• Salt

The heating of ore to extract metals…

• Smelting• Causes air pollution including heavy metals,

particulates, acid rain (sulfur dioxide)

Why recycle aluminum?

• It requires 5% of the energy of mining the ore• It eliminates most of environmental cost of

mining.

Which fossil fuel is most abundant and produces most of the electricity in the world?

• Coal• Problems with coal include air pollution like

particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (acid rain) and mercury.

• Anthracite is the cleanest, highest quality form• Bituminous is second best. • Lignite is the dirtiest and lowest quality.

Which fossil fuel can be distilled into gasoline, oil, pesticides and plastics and provides most of

the transportation fuel in the world?• Petroleum• Problems include air pollution like NOX and

VOC’s which become ozone when mixed with sunlight forming photochemical smog.

• Oil spills are also a problem in aquatic environments.

Which fossil fuel is used to produce electricity and burns the cleanest?

• Natural gas• Natural gas is liquified (LNG) for transport

Oily deposits that can be processed to yield oil…

• Oil shale and tar sands.• These are economically marginal and require

destructive mining techniques to extract.

Liquids and gases produced during coal liquification and gasification…

• Synfuels• These require large amounts of energy to

produce.

What are some ways to conserve energy?

• Decrease transportation- carpool, mass transit, people power, buy local

• Decrease heating- lower thermostat, use less hot water, double paned windows, tankless waterheaters.

• Decrease electricity- turn off lights, switch to flourecent or LED lights, unplug electronics, install solar panels

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

• Energy is transformed and lost as waste heat.• Incandescent bulbs are only 5% efficient.• Fluorescent bulbs are 25% efficient.

When industry uses waste heat to produce electricity…

• Cogeneration

Describe a typical fossil fuel energy chain.

• Methanesteamelectricitylight

CAFE standards are…

• Standards set by the government to limit fuel consumption in cars sold in the U.S.

Cars which combine electric engines for better fuel consumption with gas engines for more

power…• Hybrid-electric vehicles• The downside of pure electric vehicles is that

they may still be recharged by electricity that is generated by the burning of fossil fuels.

Which energy sources are non-renewable?

• Petroleum• Coal• Natural gas• Nuclear energy (uranium)

Which energy sources are renewable?

• Wind• Solar• Tidal• Hydroelectric• Geothermal• Biofuels• Hydrogen fuel cells

What are positives of nuclear power?

• Produces allot of energy• Produces little or no air pollution• Does not require allot of space

What are the downsides of nuclear power?

• Radioactive waste must be stored.• Accidents which leak radiation into the air.

Where is nuclear waste currently stored?

• On site at the plant in concrete caste in pools of water.

• The Yucca Mountain mass storage facility in Utah was shut down before it was in use.

What are the positives of hydroelectric power?

• High energy output• Low air pollution

What are the negatives of hydroelectric power?

• Habitat destruction and fragmentation• Sediment accumulation

When a building is oriented to take advantage of the sun’s energy but no mechanical advantage is used…

• Passive solar energy• Ex. Heat storing materials like brick and tile,

eastern facing windows.

The use of pumps to move water or other liquid through solar panels to provide heat to the building…

• Active solar energy

Panels which convert sunlight directly into electricity using excited electrons in silicon…

• Photovoltaic cells• Extra energy produced can be sold back to

power companies.• They are expensive.

An array of mirrors is focused on a single point to produce steam which turns a turbine and

produces energy…• Solar Power Tower (Solar Furnace)• Requires a lot of space causing habitat

disruption.

What are the positives of wind power?

• Renewable• Cheap• Capable of producing a big percentage of

energy

What are the negatives of wind power?

• They are aesthetically unpleasing• They are noisy• They interfere with bird migration• Wind can be unreliable

Electricity created by the Earth’s internal heat being used to create steam and turn a turbine…

• Geothermal energy• Only works in a few places because of

assessability.• It is renewable and continuous.

Obtaining fuel from plant and animal matter…

• Biofuels• Ex. Burning wood, dung or crop waste.

Methane produced from decomposition of waste. Ethanol produced from fermentation.

• Positives: Renewable• Negatives: Causes air pollution and uses crop

land.

What are the positives of hydrogen fuel cells?

• Hydrogen and oxygen react to produce energy and water

• It is renewable• Nothing is combusted during use

What are the negatives of hydrogen fuel cells?

• Storing energy in them is in itself energy intensive and may require the burning of fossil fuels which can create air pollution and are non renewable.

What are the layers of the atmosphere?

• Troposphere- 1st, contains the most air, 78%N, 21%O2, gets colder with altitude

• Stratophere- 2nd, contains protective ozone layer which filters out UV rays, gets warmer with altitude

• Mesosphere- 3rd, gets colder with altitude• Thermosphere- 4th, gets hotter with altitude

Air pollutants in their original form…

• Primary pollutants• Ex. Carbon monoxide and NOx from car

exhaust.

Air pollutant that form as the result of a chemical reaction among primary pollutants…

• Secondary pollutants• Ex. Ozone formation due to Nox and sunlight,

acid rain formation due to SO mixing with raindrops

What law established ambient air standards for outdoor pollutants and set up the EPA to

monitor industry… • Clean Air Act of 1970, 77, and 90• Six pollutants were originally regulated:

carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ground level ozone, particulates and lead.

Air pollutant which is primarily emitted by fossil fuel combustion in transportation and can cause

headaches and death…• Carbon monoxide• The catalytic converter in car exhaust system

removes carbon monoxide

The air pollutant that is produced during fossil fuel combustion which mixes with sunlight to form photochemical smog…

• Nitric oxide• Oxidizes to become NO2 • The catalytic converter removes NO while

cleaner burning engines can reduce

The air pollutant which is released during coal combustion which mixes with raindrops to form acid rain…

• Sulfur dioxide• Is a major contributor to industrial smog in

cold weather cities.

The air pollutant that forms as a secondary pollutant when Nox and VOC mixes with sunlight...

• Ozone• It irritates the respiratory tract, damages

plants, oxidizes plastic and rubber products.

The air pollutant produced during combustion as well as agricultural plowing and construction…

• Particulate matter (PM-10)• Controlled by electrostatic precipitators in

industrial processes.

The air pollutant which was releases during the combustion of leaded gas and peeling of lead based paint…

• Lead• Leaded gas and lead paint have been banned

in the U.S.• Causes brain damage especially in children.

The air pollutant which is emitted by leaks from gasoline, solvents, and dry cleaners which contributes to photochemical

smog…

• VOC’s• Many are mutagens and carcinogens• Controlled by sealing leaks, and preventing

vaporization during gas fueling.

The air pollution phenomenon in which a warm air cap forms over cooler air trapping ozone and other pollutants near the

ground…

• Temperature inversion

The atmospheric phenomenon in which the pavement and structures in a city absorb heat and increase the temperature…

• Heat island effect

The burning of coal releases sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides which mix with raindrops to form…

• Acid rain (acid deposition)• Acid rain damages crops, soil, forest, buildings,

and monuments.

The release of CFC’s from aerosole cans and refrigeration units which drifts into the

stratosphere and causes…• Stratospheric ozone depletion• Increases the damaging UV rays that reach

earth’s surface.

The release of greenhouse gases during fossil fuel combustion has resulted in…

• Global climate change- rise in sea level, melting of permafrost, extreme weather events, possible ocean current changes, changing vegetative zones, biodiversity loss

• Greenhouse gases include… carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, CFC’s

What agreement reduced CFC release among the industrialized countries?

• Montreal protocol

What are the major indoor air pollutants?

• Tobacco smoke/second hand smoke causes cancer, heart disease, birth defects and emphysema.

• Formaldehyde from building materials and furniture. Causes respiratory problems and cancer.

• Radon from radioactive rock beneath the building causes cancer.

• Biological invaders include bacteria, viruses, pollen, dust mites, mildew and mold and causes allergies and disease.

• Carbon monoxide from gas heaters can cause death by asphyxiation.

• Asbestos from building material can cause lung cancer.

The agreement among most of the industrialized countries which sought to reduce greenhouse gas emission…

• Kyoto protocol

The impact of CFC’s on the ozone is increased because…

• One CFC molecule will destroy many ozone molecules.

• The thickness of the ozone layer is measured in Dobson units. 300 DU’s is normal (3 mm thick)

The phenomenon of a natural resource being overused to the point of depletion as the result of shortsightedness…

• The tragedy of the commons• Ex. Fisheries, rangeland.

The father of modern ecology who wrote the classic Sand County Almanac…

• Aldo Leopold

The author of Silent Spring, the first book that brought to light the effects of chemical toxins in the environment…

• Rachel Carson

Solid waste produced by agriculture, mining and manufacturing…

• Industrial solid waste

Trash thrown out by residential and commercial…

• Municipal solid waste

Large fields or holes where garbage is deposited and often burned…

• Open dump• Cause groundwater and air pollution and

sanitation problems

What are the features of a Sanitary Landfill?

• Plastic and clay liners to prevent leakage into groundwater.

• Leachate collection system to prevent leakage of toxic liquids

• Methane gas collection to prevent air pollution

• Frequent layering of dirt or clay to improve sanitation.

What are the methods for reducing solid waste production?

• Reduce• Reuse• Recycle

What are the advantages of recycling?

• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions• Reduces need for mining of materials• Decreases water pollution• Reduces solid waste production and disposal

What are the disadvantages of recycling?

• Decreases job opportunities at landfills and incinerators

• Expensive when compared to a landfill• Recycling some materials is not profitable

When recycled items are converted to new products of the same type…

• Closed-loop recycling• Ex. Aluminum cans to aluminum cans

Recycled products are converted into different types of products…

• Secondary recycling• Ex. Rubber tires to rubberized road surfacing

materials

Organic materials are recycled using bacterial decomposition producing usable soil…

• composting

What is involved in Integrated Waste Management?

• Producing less waste to begin with or recycling what is already produced.

• Converting waste to less hazardous forms using chemical, physical, or biological methods. Also incineration.

• Landfilling waste in a safe, secure facility.

Areas underground where water is stored in layers of gravel and sand…

• Aquifers/groundwater• Ex. The Ogalala in the U.S. is being depleted

mostly due to irrigation.

All of the areas that drain into a body of water…

• Watershed• A body of water can be effected by any

activities that occur within its watershed.

What is meant by water’s “disparity of distribution” crisis?

• Water is not evenly distributed across the Earth leading to shortages in some places and over abundance in others.

Large flat areas that are periodically flooded…

• Floodplain• People have traditionally settled on

floodplains because they are located close to water resources.

Overdraft from an aquifer which causes the land to sink…

• Subsidence• Can also result from the withdrawal of fossil

fuels, etc.

How do we protect aquifers?

• Subsidize water conservation strategies with farmers, etc.

• Implement water conservation regulations• Increase water prices• Dry land farm with drought resistant crops

A man made lake produced by damming a river…

• reservoir

What are the advantages of the Three Gorges Dam Project?

• Enough power to replace 22 coal burning power plants.

• Flood control.• Will lower carbon emission by replacing the

combustion of coal.

What are the disadvantages of the Three Gorges Dam project?

• Rotting vegetation will produce methane (a greenhouse gas).

• Dam will displace many people and cover towns and historical sites.

• Destroy river and forest habitats.

Summarize the Aral Sea disaster…

• Aral sea in the former Soviet Union was depleted of water for irrigation.

• Caused a concentration of salinity killing aquatic organisms.

• Left behind salt in surrounding soil which winds blew to farmland causing salinization.

• Caused melting of local glaciers.

Summarize the Mono Lake disaster.

• Mono Lake in California lost 30% of its volume due to withdrawal for Arid Southern California irrigation and development. This impacted specials and has led to restrictions that are slowly correcting the problems.

What is the most wasteful type of irrigation?

• Flood irrigation• Water is released and floods the rows which

leaves it standing and exposed to evaporation and waste.

What are the most conservative types of irrigation?

• Drip irrigation- pipes are placed along the rows and water is dripped directly on the plant.

• Center pivot- large pipes roll and drip water onto plants forming a huge pancake on the land.

What are some other ways to conserve water for irrigation?

• Use treated wastewater• Water at night to reduce evaporation• Grow drought resistant plants• Use soil moisture monitors• Use polyculture or organic farming techniques• Use rainwater harvesting

What are ways to save water in residential and industrial?

• Fix leaks in pipes and water mains• Increases prices for water• Require the use of water meters• Recycle water used in industrial processes• Use low flow shower heads and toilets

Water pollution sources that are readily identifiable…

• Point source water pollution• Ex. Power plant effluent, industrial effluent, oil

tanker spills, pipeline leaks.

Water pollution sources that are not readily identifiable…

• Non-point source water pollution• Ex. Runoff from agriculture, construction and

residential yards. Street runoff.

What are the types of water pollution?

• Pathogens from sewage causes disease • Organic waste- sewage, cattle feed lots cause

eutrophicaton. • Inorganic plant nutrients- fertilizers cause eutrophication• Inorganic chemicals- acids, bases, metals from industrial

processes. • Sediment- from construction and ag runoff causes lower

photosynthesis, clogs gills.• Thermal pollution from powerplants lowers immune

systems of fish.

Describe Eutrophication in aquatic habitats.

• An influx of plant nutrients causes an algae bloom. The algae dies off and is decomposed by bacteria which uses up the Dissolved oxygen.

• Sewage breakdown by bacteria can do the same thing.