Deck 13: Air Pollution

Question 1

For a contaminant to be classified as air pollution, it may be _______ but must be _______.

A) a gas; visible
B) a gas or liquid; manmade
C) toxic; gas
D) a gas, liquid, or solid; harmful
E) biogenic; visible

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements about air pollution is false?

A) Asbestos is not an air pollutant.
B) Sulfur dioxide can come from natural sources.
C) Forest fires are a source of air pollution.
D) Air pollution can cause cancer.
E) Respiratory diseases can originate from air pollution.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Transportation contributes about _______% of the total air pollution in the United States.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 50
D) 75
E) 90

Answer 3

C

Question 4

One of the earliest recorded air pollution events in a city that was associated with human deaths was

A) heavy smog in Los Angeles prior to the Clean Air Act.
B) disruption of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
C) smoke and fog over London due to burning of coal in the late 1800s.
D) a pesticide release in India in the 1980s.
E) the 2012 forest fires outside Colorado Springs.

Question 5

The term "smog" has its origins from

A) the 1972 movie, Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster.
B) a variant of the word "smug" associated with the drivers of low-pollution hybrid cars.
C) the lethal combination of fog and smoke particles.
D) a highly polluting power plant in Smogge County, Pennsylvania.
E) the wheezing, coughing sound from people attempting to breathe contaminate air.

Question 6

Which of the following pollutants has, by far, its greatest source from fuel combustion?

A) NO_x
B) SO₂
C) VOCs
D) CO
E) Particulates

Question 7

Which of the following pollutants has its greatest source from transportation?

A) NO_x
B) SO₂
C) VOCs
D) CO
E) Particulates

Question 8

Of the following common air pollutants, which one does not originate from transportation or the burning of fuels?

A) Ozone
B) VOCs
C) Sulfur dioxide
D) Nitrogen dioxide
E) All of the above pollutants originate from transportation or the burning of fuels.

Question 9

The single most important development for decreasing _______ in the atmosphere was legislation that eventually forced its removal from gasoline.

A) VOCs
B) sulfur dioxide
C) ozone
D) lead
E) mercury

Question 10

Ozone is a pollutant when found in the _______ but is beneficial in its ability to block ultraviolet light from the sun in the _______.

A) troposphere; stratosphere
B) stratosphere; troposphere
C) troposphere; mesosphere
D) stratosphere; oceans
E) ionosphere; atmosphere

Question 11

Smog is made up mostly of

A) ozone.
B) suspended dust particles.
C) carbon monoxide.
D) VOCs.
E) NO_x.

Question 12

Which of the following statements about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is true?

A) VOCs contribute to smog, but they generally have no adverse health effects.
B) The biggest contributor of VOCs to the atmosphere is fires.
C) VOCs include benzene and methyl chloroform which cause cancer.
D) Transportation and burning of fuels are the only important sources of VOCs.
E) Indoor air pollution with VOCs is less important than outdoor pollution.

Question 13

In cities, the contribution of cars and other vehicles to carbon monoxide in the air is _______%.

A) 15
B) 25
C) 50
D) 75
E) 90

Question 14

Carbon monoxide is an important pollutant because

A) it is associated with heart failure.
B) carbon monoxide is carcinogenic.
C) oxygen transport in the blood is inhibited by carbon monoxide.
D) it has a pungent odor.
E) carbon monoxide destroys stratospheric ozone.

Question 15

Acid rain is a severe environmental and ecological problem because

A) most species of trees cannot tolerate high pH in rainfall.
B) high sulfate concentrations contribute to water hardness.
C) increased acidity causes turbidity and disrupts photosynthetic activities.
D) many species of plants and animals are sensitive to water with a pH less than 5.5.
E) acid rain dissolves the soil and sediment, exposing unweathered bedrock.

Question 16

Particulate matter is regulated because

A) particles greater than 2 mm in diameter can be damaging to cars and property.
B) we do not wish to have another Dust Bowl phenomenon like we had in the 1930s.
C) small particles severely inhibit photosynthesis in plants.
D) particulate matter contributes to global warming.
E) particles less than 10 microns can affect heart and lungs.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about lead is false?

A) Lead is abundant in the natural environment.
B) Health impacts of lead are only important for infants and the elderly.
C) The greatest hazard of putting lead in paint is through direct ingestion of the paint.
D) Lead air pollution was far greater 50 years ago than today.
E) Serious health effects of lead cover a wide spectrum from birth defects to cancer to arrested brain development.

Question 18

In 1970, the financial costs of air pollution

A) included half a billion dollars' worth of damage to crops.
B) contributed $1 trillion to the US national debt.
C) was approximately $1 per person per year.
D) included $250,000 for washing polluted cars.
E) was much higher than today because cars were less efficient.

Question 19

Air pollution policy has several forms but does not include

A) abatement.
B) remediation.
C) treatment.
D) regulation.
E) All of the above are forms of air pollution policy.

Question 20

The earliest legislation was

A) the Air Pollution Control Act in the US.
B) the Clean Air Act of 1956 in England.
C) King Edward's ban on burning sea coal in England.
D) the National Environmental Policy Act in the US.
E) None of the above

Question 21

Evidence that environmental legislation has had a positive impact on air quality would not include

A) decreases in carbon monoxide by over 50%.
B) declines in lead emissions by nearly 95%.
C) a decrease in all criteria air pollutants.
D) lower concentrations of ozone in all parts of the US.
E) reduction of pollution from cars by 60 to 80%.

Question 22

One of the greatest deficiencies in the Clean Air Act of 1963 was

A) giving the federal government too much enforcement power.
B) not addressing mobile sources of pollution.
C) avoiding the regulation of air emission from power plants.
D) removing all states' powers to regulate air pollution.
E) allowing polluters to continue without consequence.

Question 23

Provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act included

A) regulations for vehicles other than cars.
B) acid rain.
C) ozone depletion.
D) alternative fuel sources.
E) All of the above

Question 24

Counties in the US that are designated "nonattainment" for air pollution standards are located

A) in the industrial areas of the Midwest.
B) only in states with high urban populations.
C) exclusively along coastlines of both oceans.
D) predominantly in California and the East Coast.
E) in states bordering Canada, but not states bordering Mexico.

Question 25

Means to reduce air pollution probably would not include

A) distance learning and telecommuting.
B) cleaner fuels.
C) more efficient cars.
D) car pooling.
E) expanding the use of coal.

Question 26

Name two air pollutants that can come from both natural and human-related sources. Why do air pollution regulations usually focus on the human causes of air pollution?

Question 27

Distinguish between primary air pollution and secondary air pollution. Give an example of each.

Question 28

Give a brief definition of the US EPA's criteria air pollutants (CAPs). Why is carbon dioxide not considered a criteria air pollutant?

Question 29

Back in the 1970s, one of our most unwanted "exports" to Canada was acid rain originating from the Northeast US. What caused that acid rain, and what measures were taken to correct it?

Question 30

What is the pH of pure rainwater that is not impacted by acid constituents? Explain why a "typical" acid rain will differ from pure rainwater by just one pH unit but is said to have 10 times the acidity.

Question 31

The addition of lead to gasoline was important in engine performance. Removing lead from gasoline in the US noticeably affected how smoothly engines ran. Why was it so critical to remove lead from gasoline?

Question 32

Briefly describe three pieces of US air pollution legislation.

Question 33

Explain the importance of the catalytic converter in controlling air pollution.

Question 34

What was the National Environmental Policy Act? What important agency came from it?