APES Unit 7: Air Pollution Summary

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering criteria air pollutants, indoor pollutants, reduction technologies, and noise pollution based on the AP Environmental Science Unit 7 Summary.

Sulfur Dioxide ($SO_2$)

A criteria air pollutant from coal combustion (electricity generation) that acts as a respiratory irritant, forms gray smog, and leads to acid precipitation.

Nitrogen Oxides ($NO_x$)

A criteria air pollutant from all fossil fuel combustion (especially vehicles) that leads to $O_3$ and photochemical smog, and converts to nitric acid.

Particulate Matter ($PM$)

A criteria air pollutant from combustion of fossil fuels or biomass and construction; it is a respiratory irritant that reduces visibility and photosynthesis, and causes haze.

Ozone ($O_3$) (Tropospheric)

A secondary criteria air pollutant formed from $NO_x$ + VOCs + Sunlight; it causes plant damage via stomata, is a respiratory irritant, and peaks in the afternoon.

Carbon Monoxide ($CO$)

A criteria air pollutant from incomplete combustion of any fuel; acts as an asphyxiant by binding to hemoglobin and displacing oxygen ($O_2$).

Lead ($Pb$)

A metal criteria air pollutant from metal plants, waste incineration, and old paint; it is a neurotoxicant that damages the central nervous system.

Radon-222

A radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of Uranium in soil and rocks; it enters homes via basements or cracks and is the second leading cause of lung cancer.

Mold

A natural biological indoor pollutant found in dark, damp, and poorly ventilated areas that worsens asthma and bronchitis.

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)

Indoor pollutants from furniture, carpets, cleaners, and adhesives that evaporate easily; formaldehyde is a common example, and they serve as smog precursors.

Asbestos

An indoor pollutant made of silicate particles from old insulation materials, linked to lung cancer and asbestosis.

Scrubbers (Wet/Dry)

Reduction technology used in industrial exhaust and coal power plants to remove gases like $SO_2$ using water or chemicals.

Catalytic Converter

A device for internal combustion engines that converts $NO_x$, $CO$, and hydrocarbons into $CO_2$, $N_2$, and $H_2O$.

Electrostatic Precipitator

Technology used in power plants and factories that employs charged plates to trap Particulate Matter ($PM$).

Noise Pollution

Pollution from transportation, construction, and industry that causes physiological stress and masks animal communication.