Lesson Summary
- Air pollutants damage human health and the environment. Particulates reduce visi-
bility, alter the weather, and cause lung problems like asthma attacks. - Ozone damages plants and can also cause lung disease. Acid rain damages forests,
crops, buildings and statues. - The ozone hole, caused by ozone-destroying chemicals, allows more UV radiation to
strike the Earth. - This can cause plankton populations to decline and skin cancers in humans to increase,
along with other effects.
Review Questions
- Why is visibility so reduced in the United States?
- Why do health recommendations suggest that people limit the amount of tuna they
eat? - Why might ozone pollution or acid rain change an entire ecosystem?
- Why does air pollution cause problems in developing nations more than in developed
ones? - Why are children more vulnerable to the effects of air pollutants than adults?
- Describe bioaccumulation.
- How does pollution indirectly kill or harm plants?
- What do you think the effect is of jet airplanes on global warming?
- Why is air pollution a local, regional and global problem?
- How do CFCs deplete the ozone layer?
Vocabulary
acid rain Rain that has a pH of less than 5.0.
alkaline Also called basic. Substances that have a pH of greater than 7.0.
bioaccumulation The accumulation of toxic substances within organisms so that the con-
centrations increase up the food web.
ozone hole A region around Antarctica in which ozone levels are reduced in springtime,
due to the action of ozone-destroying chemicals.
pH scale A scale that measures the acidity of a solution. A pH of 7 is neutral. Smaller
numbers are more acidic and larger numbers are more alkaline.