AP Environmental Science Test: Pollution

The correct answer is (D). Consumption of perchlorates is known to affect the thyroid gland by inhibiting the absorption of iodide and reducing thyroid hormone production. This lack of hormone inhibits the optimal function of the human body. The other hazardous materials mentioned here are deleterious to the human body, but are not known to specifically impede the function of the thyroid gland.

The correct answer is (B). The Safe Drinking Water Act sets the national standards for safe drinking water. The Clean Water Act is legislation that supports the “protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on the water” by maintaining and when necessary, restoring the chemical, physical, and biological properties of surface waters. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the principal federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act was the first major piece of legislation affecting water quality. The Water Quality Act protects and ensures the quality of surface and ground waters.

The correct answer is (A). Secondary pollutants are defined as pollutants that form as a result of atmospheric reactions involving a primary pollutant(s). Ozone is an example of a secondary pollutant because it results from a chemical reaction between two primary pollutants: nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds, in the presence of sunlight. The other answer choices are all examples of primary pollutants.

The correct answer is (D). Four of the five answer choices list specific causes of Sick Building Syndrome identified by the EPA. Ultraviolet light in ventilation systems is actually a possible remedy for the symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome, and not a contributing cause.

The correct answer is (C). Recall that a leachate is a liquid that absorbs and carries particles of a material through which it passes. In a modern sanitary landfill, the leachate collection system’s function is to remove water and contaminants and transport them to a wastewater treatment plant.

The correct answer is (B). The Montreal Protocol was a global effort designed to regulate substances that diminish the ozone layer. This has been a successful international agreement, and the ozone hole over Antarctica is slowly recovering. It is projected that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels sometime between 2050 and 2070.

The correct answer is (B). Dispersants act by reducing the surface tension that stops oil and water from mixing. Smaller droplets of oil are then formed, which helps promote rapid dilution of the oil by water movements. In theory this allows the oil to be more rapidly degraded by bacteria (bioremediation) and prevents it from accumulating on beaches and in marshes. However, studies have indicated that chemical dispersants are toxic to marine life. A dispersant called Corexit was used in unprecedented quantities during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This was highly controversial and the long-term environmental effects of this are still being examined.

The correct answer is (C). Recycling processes are broadly classified into two categories: open-loop recycling and closed-loop recycling. With closed-loop recycling, end-of-life products are recycled into the same product. An example of closed-loop recycling is a used aluminum can that is recycled into a new aluminum can.

Open-loop recycling is the process where material from one or more products is made into a new product, usually involving a change in the material itself. For instance, recycled plastic packaging might be used to make outdoor furniture.

The correct answer is (C). Passed in 1980, Superfund was designed to clean up sites that were contaminated with hazardous waste. It is also known as CERCLA.

The correct answer is (A). Cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions and computer monitors may contain toxic metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.

The correct answer is (A). Enacted in 1976, the RCRA set federal standards for the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste in the United States.

The correct answer is (D). The EPA's Brownfields Program began in 1995. The program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, and others to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. Cleaning up and reinvesting in brownfields can protect human health and the environment, reduce blight, and take development pressures off of greenspaces and working lands.

The correct answer is (A). Biomagnification occurs across food chain levels when a producer or primary consumer ingests a toxic substance and is in turn consumed by a predator. At each level of the food chain, the concentration of the toxic substance increases. Bioaccumulation and Bioconcentration occur within an organism. Biodilution is the opposite of biomagnification.

The correct answer is (A). Point sources of pollution come from a distinct point of entry into a water body. Nonpoint sources come from more diffuse, large-spread areas of residential, agricultural or urban areas.

The correct answer is (B). Lead is a heavy metal and a serious health threat. It is rarely found in natural water sources. Its main source is lead-lined pipes of older homes, brass fittings containing lead, and materials, such as solder, that are used to fasten pipes together.

The correct answer is (C). Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are a group of industrial compounds that have caused many environmental problems. Until 1979 they were manufactured in plastics and insulating electrical transformers. Even though they are not longer manufactured, they are still present in the environment because of their long-term persistence.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT, is an insecticide designed to target nerve transmissions in pests. It was found that DDT moved up the aquatic food chain all the way up to eagles, causing eagles’ to produce thin shells that broke before the embryo developed.

Perchlorates are used for rocket fuel, and are easily leached from contaminated soil into the groundwater where they can persist for many years. Perchlorates can affect the thyroid gland and reduce important hormone production.

Polybrominated diphenyl (PBDEs) ethers are flame retardants added to a variety of items including construction materials, furniture and clothing. Since the 1990s, scientists have been detecting them in fish, aquatic birds and human breast milk. Exposure to some types of PBDEs can lead to brain damage. Several states, including Washington and California, have banned the manufacture of several types of PBDEs. Pharmaceuticals are not components of plastics and insulating electrical transformers.

The correct answer is (D). Electric power plants use water for cooling to cool the steam converted from water back to water again. This is done by bringing in cold water from river, lakes or oceans to cool the steam. The water is then returned back to nature at a significantly warmer temperature. Hydroelectric energy production does not create thermal pollution. Geothermal energy production uses the energy from the earth to heat homes. Cultural eutrophication is the process of nutrients polluting surface water and the cascade of events that follow. Heat islands are urban areas that are up to 10°F warmer that surrounding areas.

The correct answer is (C). Carbon monoxide is released from the incomplete the combustion of any kind. Carbon monoxide bonds to hemoglobin, interfering with oxygen transport in the bloodstream. It causes headaches in low concentrations and death in higher concentrations. Sulfur dioxide is a byproduct of combustion of fuels that contain sulfur, including coal, oil and gasoline. It is a respiratory irritant, harmful to plants, and contributes to acid precipitation. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, affecting climates and increasing greenhouse gasses. Ozone is a secondary pollutant formed by the combination of sunlight, water, oxygen, VOCs and NO_x.

The correct answer is (A). Most amphibians cannot survive in water that has a pH less than 6.0. Amphibians are affected by acidity because they absorb water through their skin.

The correct answer is (C). Radon is a radioactive gas that results from the decay of uranium. It seeps into homes through cracks in the foundation or soil. Human exposure to radon can cause lung cancer. Asbestos is a material used in insulation, and causes respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Carbon monoxide, in addition to being an outdoor air pollutant, can also be an indoor air pollutant. Carbon monoxide binds with hemoglobin more efficiently than oxygen, and reduces the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are used in building materials, furniture and other home products and is suspected to be carcinogenic. Mercury is a neurotoxin, which can damage the brain, kidneys, liver and immune system.

The correct answer is (A). The Air Pollution Control Act was passed in 1955. The Clean Air Act was passed in 1963 was designed to control air pollution on a national level. The National Environmental Policy Act was passed in 1970 and created the Environmental Protection Agency. The Pollution Prevention Act was passed in 1990 and requires industries to reduce air pollution at its source. The U.S.–Canada Air Quality Agreement of 1991 is an agreement between the United States and Canada regarding transboundary air pollution.

The correct answer is (C). Heat islands occur in metropolitan areas that are significantly warmer than their surrounds. They can be up to 10°F warmer than their surroundings and change the weather downwind by significantly increasing rainfall downwind of cities. Heat islands occur because of the greater use of black asphalt and other building materials that absorb heat, increased use of impervious surfaces, lack of vegetation and standing water, and human activities such as use of automobiles, air conditioners and industry.

The correct answer is (A). The pretreatment stage removes large debris as well as grit. This is followed by primary treatment, which uses settlement tanks to separate organic solid matter. Secondary treatment then removes dissolved and suspended biological matter with the help of water-borne micro-organisms. Tertiary treatment is the final treatment, and typically includes a disinfection process. Autolysis is not a stage of sewage treatment.

The correct answer is (D). The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (AKA Ocean Dumping Act) was passed in 1972, and prohibits ocean dumping.

The National Environmental Policy Act was passed in 1969, and required all federal agencies to prepare environmental impact statements that outline potential environmental effects of proposed federal agency actions.

The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, and established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States.

The Safe Drinking Water Act was passed in 1974, and established standards for safe drinking water in the US.

The Oil Spill Prevention and Liability Act strengthened the EPA’s ability to prevent and respond to catastrophic oil spills.

The correct answer is (C). Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the normal functioning of hormones in an animal’s body. Neurotoxins are chemicals that disrupt the nervous systems of animals. Carcinogens are chemicals that cause cancer. Terotogens are chemicals that interfere with the normal development of embryos or fetuses. Allergens are chemicals that cause allergic reactions.

The correct answer is (B). The Toxic Substances Control Act was passed in 1976 and gave the EPA the authority to track industrial chemical produced within or imported into the United States.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was passed in 1976 and encouraged states to develop comprehensive plans to manage nonhazardous industrial solid and municipal wastes.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act provided authority for the federal government to respond to releases or possible releases of hazardous substances that could threaten public health and/or the environment.

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act was passed in 1982 and established federal authority to provide locations for permanent disposal of high-level radioactive wastes and required the operators of nuclear power to pay the costs of permanent disposal.

The National Environmental Policy Act was passed in 1969 and required all federal agencies to prepare environmental impact statements that outline potential environmental effects of proposed federal agency actions.

The correct answer is (E). Solid waste includes materials discarded from homes and industries that do not pose a toxic hazard to organisms.

The correct answer is (E). Since lead was removed from gasoline, there has been a significant decline in lead found in the atmosphere.

The correct answer is (C). To change ppm (parts per million) to a percentage, simple move the decimal place four places to the left and add a % sign.