AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 7.1 Flashcards

Gases, particles, or other atmospheric substances present at concentrations that harm health, organisms, materials, or environmental systems

Burning coal releases CO₂, SO₂, particulate matter such as fly ash, toxic metals such as mercury and lead, and nitrogen oxides

Burning coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline, or diesel can release CO₂, CO, NOₓ, SO₂, hydrocarbons, VOCs, particulate matter, and toxic metals

A product of complete carbon combustion that contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect and climate change

A colorless, odorless primary pollutant from incomplete combustion that binds to hemoglobin and reduces the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity

Primarily NO and NO₂ formed during high-temperature combustion; they irritate the respiratory system and form ozone, nitric acid, nitrate particles, and photochemical smog

A primary pollutant from burning sulfur-containing coal or oil, including diesel, that irritates lungs and forms sulfuric acid and sulfate particles

Compounds containing hydrogen and carbon, often released as unburned fuel, that can react with NOₓ in sunlight to form ground-level ozone and photochemical smog

Organic compounds that readily enter the gas phase; emissions from fuels, solvents, paints, and industry help form ozone and photochemical smog with NOₓ and sunlight

Solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in air; primary PM is emitted directly, while secondary PM forms through atmospheric reactions

Particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in aerodynamic diameter that can enter the respiratory tract

Fine particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter that can penetrate deep into the lungs and is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular harm and premature death

A persistent neurotoxic metal formerly emitted widely from leaded gasoline; it especially harms childhood nervous-system development and cognitive function

A neurotoxic metal released by sources including coal combustion and transported through the atmosphere before deposition

A secondary pollutant formed when NOₓ and VOCs react in sunlight; it damages respiratory tissues and plants and is a major component of photochemical smog

Primary pollutants are emitted directly from sources; secondary pollutants form in the atmosphere through reactions involving primary pollutants or precursors

The federal law, especially the 1970 act and later amendments, that authorizes EPA air-quality standards and emissions regulation; under it, the EPA phased out leaded gasoline, dramatically reducing atmospheric lead

The six common pollutants regulated by national ambient air-quality standards: CO, lead, NO₂, SO₂, particulate matter, and ground-level ozone