Unit 8 APES review

**Water pollution** 

The contamination of streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, or groundwater with substances produced through human activities.

**Point source** 

A *distinct* location from which pollution is directly produced.

**Nonpoint source**

  A *diffuse* area that produces pollution.

Causes of water pollution

1. Agricultural activities -Fertilizers, pesticides, animal waste
2. Industrial activities
3. Minning - Surface mining disturbs the land and creates major erosion of sediments and runoff of toxic chemicals.

**Wastewater** 

Water produced by livestock operations and human activities, including human sewage from toilets and gray water from bathing and washing of clothes and dishes.

**Leach field** 

Made up of underground pipes laid out below the surface of the ground.

**Septic tank** 

A large container that receives wastewater from a house.

**Sludge** 

Solid waste material from wastewater.

Primary treatment

the physical removal of large objects through the use of screens and grates, and by settling solid waste by gravity

Secondary treatment

a biological process in which bacteria break down organic matter into sludge. The tank is aerated to increase bacterial growth.

Aquatic life

* Dissolved Oxygen (DO) content is measured in parts per million (ppm) at 20°C.
* 8-9 ppm DO is considered good.
* Only a few fish species can  survive in less than 4 ppm.

**Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)** 

The amount of oxygen a quantity of water uses.

* Low BOD → High DO level → Water is less polluted and fish have adequate DO levels.
* High BOD → Low DO level → Water is polluted with many microorganisms using DO.  Few fish will survive.

Lakes and reservoirs are less effective at diluting pollutants for these reasons:

1. Low flow
2. Often stratify and undergo little vertical mixing

**Eutrophication** 

A phenomenon in which a body of water becomes rich in nutrients.

**Cultural eutrophication** 

An increase in fertility in a body of water, the result of anthropogenic inputs of nutrients. This is caused by an increase in nutrients (i.e., fertilizers).

**Dead zone**

In a body of water, an area with extremely low O2 concentration and very little life.

**hypoxic**

Having low oxygen levels

**Is Bottled Water the Answer?**

* More than half of all bottled water comes from tap water.
* Bottled water costs $0.89 - $8.26 per gallon, which is thousands times more expensive than tap water.
* The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees *bottled water*, while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates *tap water*. However, they use similar standards for ensuring safety. 

**The Plastic Problem**

* Average American consumes 167 bottles of water per year.
* Plastic bottles take over 700 years to dissolve.
* 90% of the cost is the bottle itself.
* 80% of plastic bottles never get recycled.
* 38 million plastic bottles go to the landfill each year in America.

Coral reefs have also been damaged by:

* Increasing ocean temperature
* Sediment runoff
* Destructive fishing practices

wetlands

areas where water covers the soil, either part or all of the time.

Wetlands provide a variety of ecological services:

* Habitats
* Flood protection
* Water filtration

Threats to wetlands and mangroves include:

1. Commercial development
2. Dam construction
3. Overfishing
4. Pollutants from agriculture and industrial waste
5. litter can create intestinal blockage and choking hazards for wildlife and introduce toxic substances to the food chain.
6. Sediments can reduce light infiltration (increase turbidity), which can affect primary producers and visual predators.

Oil spills

* Oil on the surface of the water                                                  can coat the feathers of birds and fur of marine mammals. 
* Petroleum products are highly toxic to algae and microorganisms that form the base of the aquatic food chain.

**Sources of oil pollution**

1. drilling for undersea oil using offshore platforms
2. spills from oil tankers
3. Oil pollution in the ocean also occurs naturally

containment

Booms keep the floating oil from spreading, then boats equipped with giant oil vacuums suck up as much oil as possible.

chemicals

Chemicals break down oil and disperses oil before it hits the shoreline.

bacteria

Scientists are trying to genetically engineer a bacterium to consume oil faster.

Landfills

* Landfills can contaminate groundwater and release harmful gases.
* Factors in landfill decomposition include the composition of the trash and conditions needed for microbial decomposition of the waste.

**Leachate** 

Liquid that contains elevated levels of pollutants as a result of MSW.

**Tipping fee** 

A fee charged for disposing of material in a landfill or incinerator.

**Sanitary landfill** 

An engineered ground facility designed to hold MSW with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible.

**Siting** 

The designation of a landfill location, typically through a regulatory process involving studies, written reports, and public hearings.

Consequences of landfill

1\.leachate from a landfill will contaminate underlying and adjacent waterways.

2\.Anaerobic decomposition generates methane and carbon dioxide—both greenhouse gases—as well as other gaseous compounds.

**Incineration** 

The process of burning waste materials to reduce volume and mass, sometimes to generate electricity or heat.

**Ash**  

The residual nonorganic material that does not combust during incineration.

**Bottom ash** 

Residue collected at the bottom of the combustion chamber in a furnace.

**Fly ash** 

The residue collected from the chimney or exhaust pipe of a furnace.

**Waste-to-energy** 

A system in which heat generated by incineration is used as an energy source rather than into the atmosphere.

Environmental Consequences of Incineration

1. Tipping fees are higher at incinerators than at landfills. 
2. An incinerator may release air pollutants from the incomplete combustion of plastics and metals. 
3. Incinerators produce ash that is more concentrated and more toxic than the original MSW.
4. Incinerator ash that is deemed toxic must be disposed of in a special landfill for toxic materials.

**Integrated waste management (IWM)** 

An approach to waste disposal that employs several waste reduction, management, and disposal strategies in order to reduce the environmental impact of MSW.

Seven business strategies

1. Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy.
2. Redesign manufacturing processes to produce less waste and pollution.
3. Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle. 
4. Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packing.
5. Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems (charge for the amount of trash collected but not that which is recyclable or reusable)
6. Establish cradle-to-grave responsibility laws (that make companies take back their products to recycle)


7. Restructure urban transportation systems to

 rely more on mass transit and bicycles than cars.

**Disease** 

Any impaired function of the body with a characteristic set of symptoms.

**Infectious disease** 

A disease caused by a pathogen.

**Acute disease** 

A disease that rapidly impairs the functioning of an organism.

**Chronic disease** 

A disease that slowly impairs the functioning of an organism.

**Epidemic** 

A situation in which a pathogen causes a rapid increase in disease.

**Pandemic** 

An epidemic that occurs over a large geographic region.

Mesothelioma

a type of cancer caused mainly by exposure to asbestos.

Tuberculosis

A bacterial infection that typically attacks the lungs. It is spread by breathing in the bacteria from the bodily fluids of an infected person.

Troposheric ozone.

Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously.

* Cause shortness of breath, and pain when taking a deep breath.
* Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.
* Inflame and damage the airways.
* Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.

Cholera

Infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestines, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhea.

Dysentery

* Infection of the intestines resulting in severe diarrhea with the presence of blood and mucus in the feces.
* Caused by untreated sewage in streams and rivers.

Malaria

A parasitic disease caused by bites from infected mosquitoes. It is most often found in sub-Saharan Africa.

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus is transmitted to humans via bites from infected   mosquitoes.

SARS

a form of pneumonia caused by a coronavirus  (SARS-CoV). It is transferred by inhaling or touching infected fluids.

MERS

a viral  (MERS-CoV) respiratory illness that is transferred from animals to humans.

Zika

A virus caused by bites from infected mosquitoes. It can be transmitted through sexual contact.

Bubonic Plague

an infectious disease caused by a bacterium (*Yersinia pestis*) carried by fleas.

**Neurotoxin** 

A chemical that disrupts the nervous systems of animals.

**Carcinogen** 

A chemical that causes cancer.

**Mutagen** 

A type of carcinogen that causes damage to the genetic material of a cell.

**Teratogen** 

A chemical that interferes with the normal development of embryos or fetuses.

**Allergen** 

A chemical that causes allergic reactions.

**Endocrine disruptor** 

A chemical that interferes with the normal functioning of hormones in an animal’s body.

**Persistent organic pollutants** (POPs) 

do not easily break down because they are synthetic, carbon-based molecules (DDT, PCBs).

**Municipal solid waste (MSW)** 

Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions.

Reduce

Reduce is the first choice among the three Rs because reducing inputs is the optimal way to achieve a reduction in solid waste generation.

Reuse

Using a product or material that was intended to be discarded.

Recycle

The process by which materials destined to become municipal solid waste (MSW) are collected and converted into raw materials that are used to produce new objects.