Unit 7 Key terms

Acid Rain

Precipitation high in sulfuric acid and nitric acid from reactions between water vapor and sulfur and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere.

Anthropogenic

Derived from human activities.

Asbestos

A long, thin fibrous silicate mineral with insulating properties, which can cause cancer when inhaled.

Asphyxiant

A substance that can cause suffocation by displacing oxygen in the air, leading to oxygen deprivation.

Baghouse

Industrial air pollution control devices that use filter bags to capture particulate matter from exhaust gases before they are released into the atmosphere.

Catalytic converter

A device in a vehicle's exhaust system that helps reduce harmful emissions by converting toxic gases into less harmful substances.

Clean Air Act

A federal law in the United States that aims to control air pollution and improve air quality.

Combustion

A chemical reaction that occurs when a substance, usually a fuel, reacts rapidly with oxygen, releasing energy in the form of heat and light.

Electrostatic precipitator

A device used to remove particulate matter from industrial exhaust gases by using an electric charge to attract and collect the particles.

Hydrocarbons

Organic compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

Industrial Smog

Smog dominated by sulfur dioxide and sulfate compounds.

Particulate Matter

Solid or liquid particles suspended in air.

Photochemical Smog

Smog that is dominated by oxidants such as ozone.

Primary Air Pollutant

A polluting compound that comes directly out of a smoke stack, exhaust pipe, or natural emission source.

Radon-222

A radioactive gas that occurs naturally from the decay of uranium in soil, rocks, and water.

Secondary Air Pollutant

A primary pollutant that has undergone transformation in the presence of sunlight, water, oxygen, or other compounds.

Sublimate

The process where a solid turns directly into a gas without first becoming a liquid.

Thermal/Temperature

The measure of average kinetic energy of a substance.

Inversion

A weather condition where the normal temperature pattern in the atmosphere is reversed, with warm air being trapped above cooler air near the surface.

Vapor recovery nozzle

A device used at gasoline stations to capture harmful gasoline vapors that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere during refueling.

VOCs

A group of chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature.

Wet Scrubber

An air pollution control device that uses liquid to remove pollutants from industrial exhaust gases.

Dry Scrubber

An air pollution control device that uses solid materials to remove pollutants from industrial exhaust streams without using any liquid.