Air Pollution Lecture Review

A collection of vocabulary terms and definitions regarding the sources, types, and impacts of air pollution as discussed in the lecture.

Air pollution

Chemicals or particles in the atmosphere that pose serious health and environmental threats.

Natural sources of air pollution

Sources such as volcanic eruptions, wildfires, or allergens.

Greenhouse gases

Emissions that trap heat from the sun in Earth's atmosphere, leading to a rise in global temperatures.

Specific Greenhouse Gases

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases.

Smog

A type of air pollution that reduces visibility and has serious health effects, often intensified by climate change, high heat, and ultraviolet radiation.

Sulfurous smog

A category of smog made up of sulfur oxides that occurs when burning sulfur bearing fossil fuels such as coal.

Photochemical smog

Also called ground level ozone, it is a result of the reaction between sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds.

Nitrogen oxides

Pollutants that come from car exhaust, coal power plants, and factory emissions.

Volatile organic compounds

Pollutants released from gasoline, paints, and many cleaning solvents.

Toxic pollutants

Chemicals such as mercury, lead, dioxins, and benzene released during gas or coal combustion, waste incineration, or burning of gasoline.

Health effects of toxic air pollution

Serious health problems including cancer, reproductive complications, and birth defects.

Solutions to air pollution

Limiting toxic pollutants, smog, and greenhouse gases by decreasing the use of fossil fuels in transportation, manufacturing, and electricity generation.