liquid waste disposal

what is wastewater?

water that has been contaminated during some human related process (e.g. sewage)

septic systems allow for the ___

treatment of sewage water without being connected to the municipal sewage system (25% of homes in american)

water is best purified with:

large amounts of chlorine

what are agricultural and urban waste products?

waste products from either agricultural or urban activities that can result in nonpoint source pollution

due to a boom in population, there is a need for more food production. the US has turned to using jmjany inorganic fertilizers couples with pesticides to meet demands. as a result ___

widespread water pollution occurs

____ has long been a product collected by the farming industry

manure

feedlots where a large number of factory farming operations take place can produce critically high amounts of ___

manure that it becomes a severe problem for disposal

what are some other agricultural and urban waste products?

• sediment pollution

• highway de-icing salt

• chlorine: chloride ions are very mobile with water, but they are also toxic with plants

radioactive waste is dangerously due to __

the energy being emitted called radiation

nuclear waste classifies nuclear waste into two categories:

1. high level waste

2. low level waste

what is high level waste?

intensely radioactive by-products from nuclear reactors (e.g. spent fuel rods)

what is low level waste?

tailings from mines that extract nuclear material, contaminated nuclear water, equipment & tools, and various supplies that come into contact with radiation

what is anthropogenic air pollution?

pollution that occurs due to human activity

what are some common anthropogenic air pollutants?

1. ozone (O3)

2. carbon monoxide (CO)

3. nitrogen oxides (NOx)

4. sulfure dioxide (SO2)

another air pollutant is acid rain:

• rainwater is naturally slightly acidic (pH of 5.6)

• anthropogenic pollutants can result in sulfuric or nitric acid rain

another air pollutant is mercury:

• mercury (Hg) moves in a cycle from throughout the earths spheres

• tends to accumulate in8 oxygen por environments where fossil fuels originate

• when fossil fuels combust, heavy metals like Hg, is sent into the atmosphere

• Hg is EXTREMELY toxic

• there has been an 87% reduction since the 1980’s

another air pollutant is radon gas:

• radon gas is a dangerous air pollutant because of the fact that it is radioactive, odorless, and can cause lung cancer

• found to cause 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year

• caused by the radioactive decay occurring with8in some igneous rocks when they undergo weathering

• 1/15 houses in the US have elevated Rn (radon) levels