Chapter 16 vocab
Primary pollutants- Those directly released from the source into the air in a harmful form.
Secondary pollutants- Modified to hazardous form after they enter the air or are formed by chemical reactions as components of the air mix and interact.
Fugitive emissions- Those that do not go through a smoke stack.
Ambient air- Air around us
Conventional or Criteria pollutants- Seven major air pollutants(sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulates, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, photochemical oxidants, lead), lead to the highest amounts of air degradation.
Sulfur dioxide- Colorless, corrosive gas, immediately hurtful, can oxidize quickly
Nitrogen Oxides- Highly reactive gases formed when nitrogen in fuel or combustion air is heated to temps, above 650 degrees C.
Carbon monoxide- Colorless, odorless, nonirritating but highly toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion of fuel.
Aerosol- Any system of solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in a gaseous medium.
Particulate material- All atmospheric aerosols, whether solid of liquid
Volatile organic compounds- Organic chemicals that exist as gases in the air; plants make the most VOC’s.
Photochemical oxidants- Products of secondary atmospheric reactions driven by solar energy.
Ozone- Singlet, or atomic oxygen forms with another molecule of O2. Valuable shield for the biosphere.
Hazardous air pollutants(HAP’s)- Carcinogens, neurotoxins, mutagens, teratogens, and endocrine disrupters.
Toxic Release Inventory(TRI)- Best source of information about the HAP’s, a community knowledge pursuit.
Aesthetic degradation- Any undesirable changes in the physical characteristics or chemistry of the atmosphere.
Temperature inversions- Occurs when a stable layer of warmer air overlays cooler air, reversing the normal temperature decline with increasing height and preventing convection currents from dispersing pollutants.
Stratospheric ozone- Levels over the South Pole were dropping precipitously during Sept. and Oct. every year as the sun reappears at the end of the long polar winter.
Chlorofluorocarbons(CFC’s)- Humans release chlorine containing molecules into the atmosphere, the most dangerous of these.
Bronchitis- A persistent inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles, that causes mucus buildup, a painful cough, and involuntary muscle spasms that constrict airways.
Chronic obstructive lung disease- Irreversible, airways are permanently constricted and alveoli are damaged or even destroyed.
Synergistic effects- Where the injury caused by exposure to two factors together is more than the sum of exposure to each factor individually.
Acid precipitation- The deposition of wet acidic solutions or dry acidic particles from the air.
