Pollution Prevention and Sustainability Flashcards
7 cards from real CHMM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Pollution Prevention and Sustainability flashcards as text
The ISO 14001 standard is relevant to pollution prevention because it:
Answer: Provides a framework for establishing an Environmental Management System to improve environmental performance systematically
ISO 14001 provides a voluntary framework for an Environmental Management System (EMS) that helps organizations continually improve environmental performance, including pollution prevention initiatives.
In the context of pollution prevention, 'material substitution' refers to:
Answer: Replacing a hazardous raw material or chemical with a less hazardous or non-hazardous alternative
Material substitution is a source reduction technique that prevents pollution by replacing a hazardous substance in a process with one that is less toxic or non-hazardous.
Which metric is most directly useful for evaluating the effectiveness of a pollution prevention program?
Answer: Reduction in the quantity or toxicity of waste generated per unit of production over time
A meaningful P2 metric normalizes waste generation to production output, allowing a fair comparison across periods and separating pollution prevention gains from production volume changes.
The concept of 'industrial ecology' contributes to pollution prevention by:
Answer: Applying natural ecosystem principles so that waste from one industry becomes a resource for another
Industrial ecology models industrial systems on natural ecosystems, where by-products and waste from one process become inputs for another, minimizing overall waste and resource consumption.
Under EPCRA Section 313, facilities required to report to the Toxics Release Inventory must also submit information on their:
Answer: Source reduction and recycling activities for each listed chemical
TRI Form R (and Form A) require facilities to report not only releases but also source reduction and recycling activities, reinforcing the P2 connection to the TRI program.
Which of the following is an example of 'product reformulation' as a pollution prevention strategy?
Answer: Changing a paint formula to eliminate lead-based pigments
Product reformulation is a source reduction technique that modifies a product's composition to eliminate or reduce hazardous constituents, preventing pollution at the product design stage.
Sustainable procurement, as applied in pollution prevention, primarily involves:
Answer: Selecting products and suppliers based on environmental performance criteria to reduce upstream impacts
Sustainable procurement integrates environmental criteria into purchasing decisions, reducing hazardous material use and supporting pollution prevention by influencing supplier practices upstream.