Environmental Chemistry Unit Review Flashcards

These vocabulary flashcards cover key terms and definitions from the Environmental Chemistry Unit Review, including pesticide hazards, toxicity measurements, water quality indicators, and waste management strategies.

Pesticide

A chemical used to control unwanted organisms.

Herbicide

A chemical that kills weeds.

DDT

An environmentally dangerous substance that persists and accumulates, causing ecological effects such as the thinning of bird eggshells.

Biomagnification

The increase of toxins up the food chain.

Acid precipitation

Formed when oxides react with water vapour.

Sulfur dioxide

A gas that contributes to the formation of acid rain.

pH scale

A logarithmic scale used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a solution.

Pesticide resistance

The process where pests evolve resistance to chemicals used against them.

Neutralization

A chemical reaction between an acid and a base that produces salt and water.

Limestone

A substance used to treat acidic soil.

Catalytic converters

Devices that reduce harmful gases in vehicle emissions.

LD50

The dose of a chemical that kills $50\%$ of test organisms; expressed in $mg/kg$.

Pollutant

A substance that causes harm to the environment.

Pollution

Any harmful environmental change.

Acute toxicity

Serious symptoms that occur after a single, immediate exposure to a toxin.

Chronic toxicity

Effects that appear after long-term exposure to a chemical.

ppm

An abbreviation for parts per million.

Acceptable risk

A situation where the benefits of using a chemical outweigh the potential risks.

Persistent pollutant

An environmental contaminant that remains long-term and does not break down quickly.

Non-persistent pollutant

A substance that breaks down naturally in the environment.

Algal blooms

Growth caused by excess nutrients in water, eventually leading to low dissolved oxygen.

Macroinvertebrates

Visible organisms without backbones used to indicate water pollution levels.

Point source

A single, identifiable source of pollution, such as a pipe discharge or factory outlet.

Non-point source

A scattered or large area source of pollution, such as agricultural runoff.

Ozone layer

An atmospheric layer that protects the Earth from UV radiation.

CFCs

Harmful chemicals that destroy the ozone layer.

Biodegradable

Substances that are capable of breaking down naturally.

Leachate

The liquid that results from water soaking through waste in a landfill.

Methane

A gas produced by anaerobic decomposition in landfills.

Bioremediation

The use of living organisms to break down or clean up environmental pollutants.

Oxygen sag

A drop then recovery in the levels of dissolved oxygen in a body of water.