Environmental Science Pollution and Waste 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which U.S. federal law governs the cleanup of contaminated hazardous waste sites?
- Clean Water Act
- CERCLA (Superfund) (Correct answer)
- RCRA
- TSCA
Correct answer: CERCLA (Superfund)
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), known as Superfund, funds hazardous site cleanup.
Question 2: What is the primary greenhouse gas emitted by human activities?
- Methane (CH₄)
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂) (Correct answer)
- Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
- Water vapor (H₂O)
Correct answer: Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
CO₂ from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation is the largest contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
Question 3: Which type of pollution involves the introduction of harmful chemicals into water bodies through agricultural runoff?
- Point source pollution
- Nonpoint source pollution (Correct answer)
- Thermal pollution
- Noise pollution
Correct answer: Nonpoint source pollution
Nonpoint source pollution comes from diffuse sources like farmland runoff rather than a single identifiable discharge point.
Question 4: What term describes the increase in concentration of a pollutant as it moves up the food chain?
- Bioaccumulation
- Biomagnification (Correct answer)
- Bioconcentration
- Biodegradation
Correct answer: Biomagnification
Biomagnification is the process by which toxin concentrations increase at each successive trophic level.
Question 5: Which class of air pollutants is regulated under the U.S. Clean Air Act as the six common air pollutants?
- Toxic air pollutants
- Criteria air pollutants (Correct answer)
- Volatile organic compounds
- Persistent organic pollutants
Correct answer: Criteria air pollutants
The EPA designates six 'criteria pollutants' including ozone, particulate matter, CO, NO₂, SO₂, and lead.
Question 6: Acid rain is primarily caused by atmospheric reactions involving which two gases?
- CO₂ and CH₄
- SO₂ and NOₓ (Correct answer)
- O₃ and CO
- HFCs and PFCs
Correct answer: SO₂ and NOₓ
SO₂ and NOₓ emitted from power plants and vehicles react with water vapor to form sulfuric and nitric acids.
Environmental Science Pollution and Waste 1
Which U.S. federal law governs the cleanup of contaminated hazardous waste sites?