Section 3: Environmental Chemistry

3.1: (Material Transport)

Transport in Air -  Chemicals and substances repeatedly cycling through the air

1. Release of the chemical at the source
2. Dispersion of the chemical in the atmosphere
3. Deposition of the chemical in soil or water

Transport in Groundwater - Movement of underground water between soil grains. (Affected by pores)

Transport in Surface Water - The movement of water above ground to different water bodies

Transport in Soil - The movement of water in it

1. Evaporates
2. Soaks into the soil to be taken up by plants or runs onto the street or into a stream

Dispersion - scattering of a substance away from its source

Deposition - change of state from a gas to a solid

Water table - top of the groundwater zone

Permeable - fluids can flow through

Leachate - liquid that dissolves and carries substances as it passes through soil

3.2: (Changing Harmful Substances)

Biodegradation - breakdown of materials by organisms like earthworms, bacteria, and fungi

Phytoremediation - clean up of the environment using plants

Photolysis - breakdown of compounds by sunlight

Dilution - mixing of a substance with air or water (which reduces its concentration)

Aerobic - processes or environments that require or contain oxygen

Anaerobic - processes or environments that do not require or contain oxygen

3.3: (Chemicals Affect Organisms)

Biomagnification -  the increase in concentration of a chemical or element as it moves up the food chain

Bioaccumulation - the increasing concentration of the material in an organism over time

Crude Oil - a mixture of many chemicals. This includes Paraffin Wax, Asphalt & Methane.

Impact of oil spills on the environment - they get evaporated or dispersed into water. This can make water unsafe for aquatic organisms to live in & unsafe for any other organisms to ingest.

Impact of oil spills on people  - they leak into water sources & kill off the organisms we need for food sources, like fishing & hunting. It also limits tourist attraction in the sense that the landscape is unattractive which lowers income.

New oil spill clean-up procedures - new & improved government regulations have been established to deal with future spills. Companies are now required to report spills greater than 2 m3 & proper training training & improved emergency procedures are being put in place to deal with the spill more effectively.

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3.4: (Household Chemicals)

Transport of Consumer goods - when goods are transported to retailers through where the product is first bought

Disposal of Hazardous Chemicals - when chemicals can’t normally be disposed of, they must be disposed of in an orderly manner

Waste Collection Sites - where waste is collected in such a manner that doesn’t allow harmful chemicals from entering the environment

WHMIS - (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) a system of easy-to-see warning symbols on hazardous materials

MSDS - (Material Safety Data Sheet) detailed information sheet about a potentially hazardous product

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