© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter Nineteen Environmental Issues: Making A Difference

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Water and Water Quality Concepts A water cycle is a natural process by which the earth’s supply of water is continuously collected, purified, and distributed Surface water is precipitation stored in lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands on the surface of the earth Groundwater is precipitation that sinks into the ground Aquifers are layers of permeable rock, sand, or gravel in the earth’s crust that hold water

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Water Conservation Measures Xeriscaping Replacing vegetation with those that require less water Drip irrigation Watering plants with water conservation systems Ordinances Laws to promote less water usage Low flow toilets 1.6 gallons or less per flush Water cost Increasing cost for water use for businesses and homes Building codes Promoting water conserving appliances

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Water Pollution Water Pollution is any chemical, biological, or physical change in water quality that has a harmful impact on living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired use Biological pollutants include: Bacteria Viruses Parasites Chemical pollutants can cause longer lasting health problems –Check with your local water supplier or public health department to inquire about the chemical pollutants in your area

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Safe Drinking Water The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA, 1974), was established as a standard for consumable forms of public water systems 1 in 15 households in the U.S. use bottled water as the main water source of drinking water Health experts estimate that one third of bottled water is contaminated with bacteria Cold water from the tap is less likely to contain lead that has been leached from supply pipes than hot tap water

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Air Pollution Air pollution is the presence of one or more chemicals in the atmosphere in sufficient quality and quantity to cause harm to life Smog is a mixture of pollutants in the lower atmosphere that makes the air hazy Industrial Smog (coal and oil burning) Photochemcial Smog (vehicle exhaust) The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures air pollution and is issued daily by the EPA to notify of potential health warnings

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Other Forms of Outdoor Pollution Acid deposition is the depositing of acidic pollutants from the atmosphere on the earth’s surface, in either dry or wet form Acid precipitation is mixing of acidic pollutants in the atmosphere with moisture and their precipitation in the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail, or fog

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Indoor Air Pollution Indoor Air Pollution can be more dangerous than outdoor air pollution due to 3 important reasons: Limited amount of air indoors causes higher concentrations of air pollutants per breath There is less exchange with fresh air indoors than outdoors Elevated levels of humidity and dampness can create mold and mildew growth

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Dangerous Types of Indoor Pollutants Environmental Tobacco Smoke Formaldehyde Radon Carbon Monoxide Mold Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Solid Waste Management Solid Waste is any unwanted or discarded material that is not a liquid or gas The principal method of dealing with solid waste is by burying it in sanitary landfills Sanitary landfills are carefully selected sites where waste is buried and are designed to prevent leaching into water supplies and soils for at least years Another method of reducing solid waste is burning it in large city incinerators

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Hazardous Waste Management Hazardous Waste is any discarded solid or liquid material that contains a toxic, carcinogenic, or mutagenic compound which exceed EPA safety standards, catches on fire easily, is reactive or unstable enough to explode or release toxic fumes, or corrodes metal containers The top five materials of concern are: Arsenic Lead Mercury Vinyl Chloride Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB’s)

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Common Forms of Hazardous Waste Household Hazardous Waste Batteries Household cleaners Oils Pesticides Medical Waste Needles/syringes Blood/blood products Tissues/samples Radiation and Radioactive Waste X rays Radiation therapy

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Recycling Recycling is a circle or loop program in which materials that would be discarded are collected, sorted, cleaned, and processed into raw materials to make new products Types of recycled materials include: Metals Plastics Paper Glass Besides recycling, individuals can buy recyclables, reusables, or compost-type products to support this management concept

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Ecosystems and Biodiversity An ecosystem is an interconnected community of organisms living together in a physical environment as a balanced, mutually supportive system Biodiversity is the variety of different animal and plant species on earth, and the genetic variation in their gene pools Human activities disrupt these processes, leading to extinction Deforestation Desertification Loss of Freshwater Resources

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How to Protect Our Ecosystems Stringent federal and state laws to protect endangered species of plants and animals Energy conservation and selection of non- polluting energy sources Controlling the world population growth

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter Nineteen Environmental Issues: Making A Difference