Understanding Environmental Concerns: Wastes & Pollution

1. Chapter 15 Environmental Concerns: Wastes and Pollution

2. Chapter Objectives • Define the terms environment, ecology, and biosphere. • Explain how human activities affect the environment through the production of wastes and residues. • Name the primary sources of solid wastes. • List and briefly explain the four approaches to solid waste management.

3. Chapter Objectives • Define hazardous wastes. • Explain the difference between sanitary and secured landfills. • Identify the five approaches to hazardous waste management. • Explain what is meant by the term Superfund. • Explain the Pollution Standard Index (PSI).

4. Chapter Objectives • Briefly describe acid rain, the ozone layer, global warming, and photochemical smog. • Identify the major indoor air pollutants. • Explain the difference in point source and nonpoint source pollution. • Identify the different types of water pollutants.

5. Chapter Objectives • Briefly describe the purpose of waste water treatment. • Identify and describe two important pieces of federal legislation that protect our nation’s water. • Name the primary sources of radiation. • Identify the pros and cons of nuclear power. • Explain the difference between sound and noise. • Identify approaches to reduce problems associated with noise pollution.

6. Introduction to Environment • External conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding and affecting the growth and development of an organism or a community of organisms • Ecology • Biosphere

7. Natural Environmental Hazards • Natural hazards • Biological hazards • Insect • Microbiological • Vegetation

8. Natural Environmental Hazards • Psychological hazards • Stress • Boredom • Anxiety • Fear (terrorism) • Sociological hazards • Overcrowding • Isolation • War

9. Residues and Wastes from Humans • Contributing factors • Urbanization • Industrialization • Human population growth • Production and use of disposable products

10. Types of Wastes and Pollution • Solid wastes • Hazardous waste • Water and its pollution • Radiation • Noise pollution

11. Solid Waste • Sources of solid waste • Agriculture • Mining • Industry • Municipalities • Utilities • Decomposing waste

12. Sources of Waste

13. Solid Waste • Solid waste management • Collection • Transportation • Disposal • Sanitary landfills • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 • Combustion • Energy recovery plants • Recycling • Composition • Source reduction

14. Hazardous Waste • Environmental Protection Agency • A product that may • Cause or contribute to an increase in mortality or to an increase in serious, irreversible, or incapacitating reversible illness. • Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed.

15. Hazardous Waste • Management • Secured landfill: least expensive • Deep well injection • Incineration of hazardous waste • Hazardous waste recycling and neutralization • Source reduction

16. Hazardous Waste • Cleanup • 1980: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act • Superfund • Brownfields

17. Air Pollution • Criteria pollutants • Contaminants of outdoor air: • Transportation • Electric power plants • Industry: mills and refineries • National Ambient Air Quality Standards • Pollutant Standard Index

18. Special Concerns with Outdoor Air • Acid rain • Destruction of the ozone layer • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • Global warming • Greenhouse gases • Photochemical smog • Thermal inversion • Clean Air Act of 1963

19. Indoor Air • Indoor air pollutants • Asbestos • Biogenic pollutants • Combustion by-products • Formaldehyde • Radon • Environmental tobacco smoke • Volatile organic compounds

20. Indoor Air • Air quality and conservation • Sick building syndrome • Ventilation • Testing

21. Water Pollution • Sources of water • Desalinization • Treatment of water for use • Coagulation and flocculation • Sedimentation • Filtration • Disinfection

22. Sources of Water Pollution • Point source pollution • Single identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the water. • Nonpoint source pollution • All pollution that occurs through the runoff, seepage, or falling of pollutants into the water.

23. Types of Water Pollutants • Biological pollutants • Pathogens • Overgrowth of aquatic plants • Toxic pollutants • Inorganic chemicals • Radioactive materials • Synthetic organic chemicals

24. Water Quality • Strategies to ensure safe water • Water treatment • Municipal waste water treatment • Primary treatment • Secondary treatment • Tertiary treatment • Septic systems • Conservation

25. Radiation Sources • Natural • Cosmic radiation: Sun and outer space • Terrestrial radiation: Earth’s minerals • Internal radiation: Inside the body from ingestion • Human-made • X-rays • Nuclear medicine • Nuclear weapons

26. Sources of Radiation

27. Radiation Danger • Roentgen equivalent man (REMS) • Damages cells and tissues. Policy • U.S. Department of Energy • Nuclear waste disposal is highly controversial.

28. Noise Pollution Measure by annoyance factor • Amplitude • Decibels (dB) • Noise abatement • Policy: Noise Control Act of 1972 • Education programs • Environmental changes