Biology 2485B Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Heavy Metals, Persistent Organic Pollutant, Nitric Acid
22 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Outdoor air pollution: air pollution: release of harmful substances into the air. Heavy metals: can be transported by air, enter food and water supply, reside for long periods in sediment, tend to be associated with particulate matter, poisonous even in low concentrations, can bioaccumulate in tissues. Long range transport is a concern in canada especially in the arctic deposited on land and water surfaces carried by atmospheric currents (on a continental scale: mercury is volatile and lipophilic, can cns malfunction and other ailments. Lead can be inhaled or deposited on land (lead containing compounds are added to gas to improve engine performance) Leaded gas in canada stopped being used in 1993. Toxic air pollutants: broad category of other pollutants, substances known to cause cancer, reproductive defects, neurological, developmental, immune system problems and so on, can also include cfcs, mostly produced by human activities. Smog is the most common and widespread air quality problem.
