Deck 10: Air Quality

Question 1

In order to decrease human-made carbon monoxide pollution, we would need to:

A) require industries to use electrostatic precipitators.
B) eliminate the use of incinerators.
C) require power companies to use oil instead of coal.
D) reduce emissions from mobile sources of air pollution.
E) None of these is correct.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Naturally occurring sources of air pollution include:

A) wind storms.
B) salt evaporation.
C) organic materials from plants.
D) volcanic eruptions.
E) All of these are correct.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

A temperature inversion causes which of the following?

A) Greater production of pollutants
B) Production of more dangerous pollutants
C) Greater concentration of pollutants close to the earth's surface
D) Reduced concentration of pollutants close to the earth's surface
E) All of these are correct.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following effects has been associated with air pollution?

A) Damage to materials
B) Increases in the daily mortality rate
C) Aggravation of heart disease
D) Exacerbation of asthma
E) All of these are correct.

Question 5

The worldwide death toll from air pollution in 2012 has been estimated to range up to approximately:

A) 700,000.
B) 7,000,000.
C) 1,700,000.
D) 1,000,000.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 6

Which of the following pollutants is not listed by the EPA as a criteria air pollutant?

A) Ozone
B) Smog
C) Lead
D) Carbon monoxide
E) Sulfur dioxide

Question 7

Which of the following statements regarding diesel exhaust is false?

A) Widespread exposure to diesel exhaust occurs in the community.
B) Public health experts have named it a probable carcinogen.
C) Older vehicles do not have the advantage of advanced emissions controls.
D) All researchers agree that it poses a risk to human health.
E) None of these statements is incorrect.

Question 8

As of 2010, according to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the standard for carbon monoxide levels during an 8-hour period is:

A) 0.15 ppm.
B) 0.053 ppm.
C) 35 ppm.
D) 9 ppm.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 9

Which of the following is a major contributor to acid rain?

A) SO₂
B) VOCs
C) PM
D) CO
E) None of these is correct.

Question 10

Which of the following is one of the human health effects of sulfur dioxide?

A) Bronchoconstriction
B) Brain/central nervous system damage
C) Lung cancer
D) Carboxyhemoglobin formation
E) None of these is correct.

Question 11

Which of the following describes smog?

A) An atmospheric condition during which a warm layer of air stalls above a cool layer
B) The precipitation of acidic compounds formed when components of air pollution interact with other components in the air
C) Dust, soot, and other finely divided solid and liquid particles
D) A condition associated with poor air quality that causes eye irritation, irritation of the respiratory tract, and chest pains
E) A mixture of pollutants, principally ground-level ozone

Question 12

The creation of aerosol particles denotes:

A) an atmospheric condition during which a warm layer of air stalls above a cool layer.
B) the precipitation of acidic compounds formed when components of air pollution interact with other components in the air.
C) dust, soot, and other finely divided solid and liquid particles.
D) a condition associated with smog that causes eye irritation, irritation of the respiratory tract, and chest pains.
E) a mixture of pollutants, principally ground-level ozone.

Question 13

Which of the following describes smog complex?

A) An atmospheric condition during which a warm layer of air stalls above a cool layer
B) The precipitation of acidic compounds formed when components of air pollution interact with other components in the air
C) Dust, soot, and other finely divided solid and liquid particles
D) A condition associated with smog that causes eye irritation, irritation of the respiratory tract, and chest pains
E) A mixture of pollutants, principally ground-level ozone

Question 14

Which of the following describes a temperature inversion?

A) An atmospheric condition during which a warm layer of air stalls above a cool layer
B) The precipitation of acidic compounds formed when components of air pollution interact with other components in the air
C) Dust, soot, and other finely divided solid and liquid particles
D) A condition associated with smog that causes eye irritation, irritation of the respiratory tract, and chest pains
E) A mixture of pollutants, principally ground-level ozone

Question 15

Which of the following statements about the Kyoto Protocol is true?

A) It is a legally binding compact initiated in 1997.
B) Developed countries are required to reduce emissions by target amounts.
C) As of February 2005, 141 countries had ratified the protocol.
D) The United States did not ratify the protocol.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 16

In high-income countries, more than half of the residents live in cities that do not meet WHO air quality standards.

Question 17

Carbon monoxide has more than 200 times more affinity than oxygen for binding with hemoglobin in the blood.

Question 18

__________ is the term used to describe a group of very common air pollutants regulated by the EPA on the basis of information on health and/or environmental effects of pollution.

Question 19

__________, which has been linked to lung damage, bronchitis, and early mortality, also causes environmental degradation through the deposition of soot on vehicles, clothing, and buildings.

Question 20

Explain how acid rain is produced.