Tag: the environment and us

Acid rain is a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. Sulfur dioxide ($SO _2$) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the principal pollutants, that cause acid precipitation. $SO _2$ and NOx emissions released to the air react with water vapor and other chemicals to form acids that fall back to earth. The majority of NOx comes from cars, buses, trucks, and other forms of transportation and from power plants. Therefore, the correct answer is option E.

Skeletal fluorosis or osteoporosis is a bone disease caused by excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones. In advanced cases, skeletal fluorosis causes pain and damage to bones and joints. Due to a high fluorine concentration in the body, the bone is hardened and thus less elastic, resulting in an increased frequency of fractures. Other symptoms include thickening of the bone structure and accumulation of bone tissue, which both contribute to impaired joint mobility. Ligaments and cartilage can become ossified. As a result, bone flexibility decreases making the bone more amenable to fractures.

Airborne fluorides have caused more worldwide damage to domestic animals than any other air pollutant. Fluoride is not biodegradable and gradually accumulates in the environment through the food chain, in human and animal bodies, where it settles in bones and teeth. Thus, the correct answer is option A.

Pollution is defined as addition of harmful components in the environment which alters the composition of an environment. The harmful component is known as pollutant. Enriched air, also called as oxygen enriched air, or nitrox has more oxygen in it. The two most commonly used nitrox mixtures are 32% and 36% oxygen with less nitrogen. The most common use of nitrox mixtures containing higher than normal levels of oxygen is in scuba diving. The result of breathing elevated partial pressures of oxygen is hyperoxia, an excess of oxygen in body tissues. 

Air pollution can directly affect plants via leaves or indirectly via soil acidification. When exposed to pollutants, most plants experience physiological changes before exhibiting visible damage to leaves like necrosis, chlorosis. The atmospheric SO$ _2$ adversely affects various morphological and physiological characteristics of plants through acid rain. 

Pollution in all forms can cause a disturbance in the ecosystem. Melting of glaciers can cause rising in sea levels, which increase the threat of mixing fresh and salt water and the species can be extinct, the food chain can be disrupted, climatic change can cause instability, several areas might become prone to erosions, landslides, heavy rainstorms can cause migrations and crisis of survival. When the abiotic environment is disturbed, the worst effects are finally faced by the biotic environment.

Bio gas is a natural gas produce through anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes. This burn with blue flame without producing fumes. It can be easily compressed and transported.

The visibility of less than 1 km is the standard range for fog, that is formed due to condensation of the water droplets near earth's surface. Mist is formed due to the dispersion of dust and smoke in the air along with nucleation of the water droplets and the visibility range for mist is between 1 km to 2 km. The visibility range for haze is between 2 km to 5 km.

In Tokyo, the excessive accumulation of the air pollutants in the atmosphere have severely deteriorated the oxygen availability because the primary pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, hydrocarbon react with oxygen to form the ozone, PAN etc. So, the people working in fields like traffic policemen suffer from severe deoxygenation. So, they need hyperbaric oxygen treatment daily.

Waldsterben refers to the mass death of the trees wherein, the peripheral parts of the plants are killed and slowly the entire forest population dwindles. It was first reported in Germany in the early 1980s. The atmospheric pollution was the main cause of such deaths of trees. Tropospheric ozone is the secondary pollutant. Nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides are released by the industrial emissions and vehicular exhausts. Acid rain is the chemical reaction between these oxides and water to form their respective acids that precipitate with the rains. The pollutants have severe effects on the trees.