Air Pollution
1. Dust from soil erosion and strip mining are examples of (p. 387)
A. fugitive emission.
B. primary pollutants.
C. secondary pollutants.
D. criteria pollutants.
E. none of the above.
2. Criteria pollutants include (p. 387)
A. sulfur dioxide.
B. particulates.
C. lead.
D. photochemical oxidants.
E. all of the above.
3. Sulfur dioxide is a major contributor of (p. 387)
A. acid rain.
B. ozone depletion.
C. the Southern Oscillation.
D. A and B.
E. all of the above.
4. Anthropogenic origins of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere accounts for (p. 389)
A. about 6 times that produced by natural processes like volcanoes and oceans.
B. about 1/6 of that produced by natural processes.
C. about 2 times that produced by natural processes.
D. relatively little in comparison to natural processes because anthropogenic production could never rival that produced by the oceans and volcanoes.
E. none of the above.
5. Most of the carbon monoxide in the air is converted to (p. 388)
A. sulfur dioxide.
B. particulate materials.
C. ozone.
D. carbon dioxide.
E. none of the above.
6. Toxic metals like mercury, nickel, and cadmium are of special concern because they (p. 390)
A. contribute to photochemical smog.
B. diffuse into the atmosphere and destroy the ozone layer.
C. form aerosols.
D. bioaccumulate.
E. none of the above.
7. Volatile organic compounds include the following (p. 390)
A. terpines and isoprene from plants.
B. formaldehyde from industrial processes.
C. unburned petrochemicals from transportation and petrochemical processing.
D. B and C.
E. all of the above.
8. In the lower atmosphere, ozone (pp. 390-391)
A. is produced by nitrogen dioxide reacting with sulfur dioxide.
B. acts as a ultraviolet light absorber, preventing sunburns and skin cancer.
C. is a strong oxidant, damaging paint, rubber, plastics, and plant and animal cells.
D. is most common in open areas with high winds.
E. none of the above.
9. Sick building syndrome is caused by (p. 392)
A. indoor exposure to chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene or particulates.
B. air ducts that transport bacterial infections throughout a building.
C. cooking fires.
D. temperature inversions.
E. none of the above.
10. Temperature inversions are caused by (p. 394)
A. air mixing becoming restricted.
B. a layer of warm air trapping a layer of cold air below it.
C. a layer of cold air trapping a layer of warm air below it.
D. morning sunlight.
E. A and B.
F. all of the above.
11. One effect of the way cities create heat islands and dust domes is (p. 394)
A. a decrease in rainfall in areas downwind of them.
B. an increase in rainfall in areas downwind of them.
C. temperature inversions.
D. circumpolar transport of pollutants.
E. none of the above.
12. You are a public health researcher who notices that the Inuit people of northern Canada have higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their blood than any other known human population, except victims of industrial accidents. How can you explain this? (p. 395)
A. rapid industrialization in northern Canada with little environmental regulation
B. long range transport of PCBs to northern Canada and its bioaccumulation in the Inuit's traditional foods: fish and caribou
C. increased use of electrical transformers in northern Canada
D. PCB dumping by unscrupulous countries
E. none of the above
13. One result of stratospheric ozone depletion is (pp. 395-396)
A. an increase in sulfur dioxide.
B. an increase in the amount of ultraviolet rays that reach the earth's surface.
C. a possible decrease in global warming.
D. an increase in chlorofluorocarbons.
E. B and C.
F. all of the above.
14. One of the worst areas in the world for humans to live, as far as suffering the effects of air pollution, is (p. 397)
A. Montana.
B. the "black triangle" region of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
C. the "petrochemical triangle" region of Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama.
D. on the oil fields of Saudi Arabia.
E. none of the above.
15. Within the bodies of humans, air pollutants like sulfur dioxide and ozone act (p. 397)
A. as irritants of the neural tissues in the brain stem, causing central nervous system collapse.
B. as irritants of the alveoli and bronchial tubes, causing inflammation and, possibly, bronchitis.
C. through hormone mimicry.
D. by binding with hemoglobin.
E. none of the above.
16. You are a plant pathologist and notice that, while ozone and sulfur dioxide by themselves have no effect on white pine seedlings at low concentrations, but when they are present together at those same concentrations they have a marked effect. You are witnessing (p. 398)
A. complimentary effects.
B. concentration effects.
C. synergistic effects.
D. a Malinkopf effect.
E. none of the above.
17. Acid rain especially effects lakes (p. 399)
A. that are surrounded by acid soils.
B. that have little buffering ability.
C. that are near cities.
D. A and B.
E. all of the above.
18. In the 1980s, foresters in Germany and Czechoslovakia noticed increased forest destruction. The root cause of this increased destruction is thought to be (p. 399)
A. that the soils had become too alkaline with increased nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere.
B. that fires had increased due to a decline in the ozone layer.
C. acid rain.
D. decreased sulfur dioxide levels.
E. none of the above.
19. Which of the following might be useful in reducing air pollution emissions in a coal burning power plant? (p. 403)
A. electrostatic precipitators
B. limestone injection
C. fuel switching
D. dry alkali injection
E. all of the above
20. Since the advent of Clean Air legislation in the 1970s, emissions of air pollutants has (p. 406)
A. slowly increased.
B. quickly increased to a level that is currently double the 1970 level.
C. decreased by about 25%.
D. decreased quickly to a level that is currently 1/4 the 1970 level.
E. none of the above.