Midterm Engr 202

Land Pollution

The contamination of land due to improper disposal of waste or hazardous materials.

Hazardous Wastes

Wastes that can pose a risk to human health or the environment due to their dangerous properties.

Non-Hazardous Wastes

Wastes that are not classified as hazardous, such as municipal solid waste (MSW) and garbage.

Ignitability

The ability of a substance to catch fire quickly or produce fire.

Corrosivity

The ability of strong acids and bases to erode materials, especially metals.

Reactivity

The capacity of a substance to react violently or generate an explosion, particularly when in contact with water.

Toxicity

The capacity of a substance to cause harm to human health or water sources.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Waste consisting of everyday items discarded by the public, including food waste, yard waste, and plastics.

Waste to Energy

Processes that convert waste materials into usable forms of energy, such as electricity or fuel.

Threshold Value

The concentration of a pollutant below which the soil is considered safe.

Action Value

The concentration of a pollutant that triggers actions due to risks becoming significant.

Love Canal

A site in New York associated with severe health issues due to toxic waste disposal, becoming a symbol of environmental pollution.

Sewage Effluents

Wastewater that is discharged from sewage treatment plants into the environment.

Soil Erosion

The removal of the upper layer of soil, which can contribute to land pollution.

Anthropogenic Sources

Pollutants originating from human activity, such as industrial discharge and agricultural practices.

Water Pollution

Contamination of water bodies through harmful substances.

Eutrophication

The process where water bodies become enriched with nutrients, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion.

Ocean Acidification

The reduction of pH in ocean water due to the absorption of CO2, impacting marine life.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

A measure of the amount of oxygen consumed by microorganisms in decomposing organic matter in water.

Conventional Pollutants

Pollutants such as BOD, total suspended solids, and fecal coliform bacteria regulated by the Clean Water Act.

Priority Pollutants

A list of pollutants identified by the EPA, including heavy metals and certain organic chemicals.

Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

The concentration of solid particles suspended in water, affecting light penetration and photosynthesis.

Fecal Coliform Bacteria

Bacteria found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, used as an indicator of water quality.

Oil and Grease

Contaminants regulated due to their hazardous effects on aquatic ecosystems.

Nutrient Pollution

Excessive nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus entering water bodies, often from fertilizers, causing eutrophication.

Land Subsidence

The sinking of land due to excessive groundwater extraction, leading to structural and environmental issues.

Pollutant

An unwanted substance linked to adverse health effects and environmental damage.

Air Pollution

Pollution that occurs in the atmosphere, often associated with harmful emissions.

Acute Impacts

Short-term health effects that are relatively easy to recognize, such as dizziness caused by carbon monoxide inhalation.

Chronic Impacts

Long-term health effects from pollutants, such as chronic respiratory ailments from high particulate pollution.

Carcinogenic Impacts

Health effects caused by pollutants that can initiate uncontrolled cell growth and lead to cancer.

Depressants

Toxins that suppress the immune system, making organisms more susceptible to infections.

Mutagens

Substances that cause mutations in DNA, potentially leading to cell death or cancer.

Teratogens

Substances that disrupt fetal development, causing birth defects.

Neurotoxins

Substances that damage nerve cells and the nervous system, causing memory loss and impaired motor skills.

Endocrine Disruptors

Chemicals that block or alter the production of natural hormones, causing developmental disorders and increased cancer risk.

Ozone Depletion

The reduction of ozone in the stratosphere, increasing exposure to harmful UV radiation.

Ground-Level Ozone

Ozone present at the earth's surface that can cause adverse effects on human health and the environment.

Acid Rain

Rain that contains acidic components, primarily sulfuric and nitric acids, which can harm buildings, vegetation, and aquatic ecosystems.

Primary Pollutants

Pollutants emitted directly from a source without chemical change.

Secondary Pollutants

Pollutants that form in the atmosphere through chemical reactions between primary pollutants.

Criteria Air Pollutants

Six major air pollutants identified for regulation due to their harmful effects on health and environment: PM, SO2, CO, NOx, Pb, and O3.

Particulate Matter (PM)

A mixture of small particles suspended in the air, which can harm human health and the environment.

Environment

The air we breathe, water we drink, land, oceans, rivers, forests, buildings, highways, and modern infrastructure.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

A decision-support tool that identifies and analyzes the environmental impacts associated with a product, process, or service across its entire life cycle.

Triple Bottom Line

The three dimensions of sustainability: environment, economy, and equity, often referred to as 'people, planet, profit'.

Ecological Footprint

The stress placed on the ecosystem by an individual or group.

Carrying Capacity

The number of individuals that can be supported by a system without environmental degradation.

Resilience

The ability of a system to adapt to new circumstances without collapsing.

Tipping Point

A critical threshold beyond which irreversible change occurs and establishes a new 'normal'.

Human Activities

Actions such as food supply, energy supply, and land use that significantly impact the environment.

Environmental Legislation in Canada

Laws such as the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the Fisheries Act that aim to protect human health and the environment.

Conservation of mass

The principle stating that mass can neither be created nor destroyed.

Mass balance

An accounting of mass entering and leaving a system to ensure that mass is conserved.

Conservation of energy

The principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

Atomic conservation

The principle that atoms of elements are conserved during chemical reactions, except in nuclear reactions.

Molar mass

The mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole.

Hydrocarbon combustion

A chemical reaction in which a hydrocarbon reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.

Efficiency of a power plant

The ratio of useful energy output to the energy input; expressed as a percentage.

Control volume

A defined region in space used for analysis in mass and energy balances.

Steady state

A condition in which the variables (mass or energy) in a system remain constant over time.

Flowrate

The quantity of mass or energy flowing per unit time.