AP Environmental Science Review of Common Ambient Air Pollutants

Flashcards reviewing common ambient air pollutants, their sources, and their impacts.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

A primary air pollutant from incomplete fuel combustion and waste combustion that outcompetes O2 for hemoglobin, potentially suffocating.

Lead (Pb)

A primary air pollutant from leaded gasoline exhaust fumes and metal smelting that is a heavy metal toxic to nerve cells.

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

A primary and secondary air pollutant from transportation, electrical utilities, and some factories that is a component of photochemical smog and acid deposition.

Particulate Matter (SPM)

A primary and secondary air pollutant from coal combustion (soot and SO2), dust from human activities, and natural dust sources that can cause respiratory diseases.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

A primary air pollutant from combustion of coal and petroleum that reacts in the atmosphere to form SO3 and H2SO4, components of acid deposition.

Tropospheric Ozone (O3)

A secondary air pollutant from the reaction of NO from motor vehicles with sunlight, heat, and O2 that damages plants and the respiratory system, traps heat, and contributes to thermal inversion.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

A primary air pollutant from combustion of organic material (gasoline, petroleum, coal, natural gas, biomass) and respiration that is a greenhouse gas, absorbing and re-emitting thermal radiation.

Mercury (Hg)

A primary air pollutant from combustion of coal that is a heavy metal toxic to nerve cells and capable of bioaccumulation and biomagnification.

Nitric Oxide (NO)

A primary air pollutant from transportation where the high heat of engine causes O2 + N2 -> NO. Poisonous and reacts with O2 to form NO2, leading to ground-level ozone production.

Nitric Acid (HNO3)

A secondary air pollutant from transportation with the equation NO2 + H20 -> NO + HNO3 that contributes to acid deposition and harms the respiratory system.

Peroxyacyl Nitrates (PANs)

A secondary air pollutant from transportation with the equation NO2 + hydrocarbons -> PANs which are strong respiratory and eye irritants, potentially mutagenic, and can damage vegetation.

Sulfur Trioxide (SO3)

A secondary air pollutant from combustion of coal and petroleum that reacts with water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4), contributing to acid deposition.

Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)

A secondary air pollutant from combustion of coal and petroleum that contributes to acid deposition and harms the respiratory system.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Primary and secondary air pollutants from automobile exhaust, solvents, industrial processes, and household chemicals that contribute to climate change & ground level O3. Some are carcinogenic, and some harm the respiratory system.