Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
1. What harm does carbon
monoxide, (CO), do to people or
the environment?
3. Who scrubs pollutants out of
factory emissions?
5. What is one of the ways the
EPA uses to track criteria air
pollutants?
7. What individual actions can
people take to reduce ground
level ozone air pollution?
A. measuring them in the air at
designated surface-level sites
B. measuring them in the upper
atmosphere
C. tracking hospital admissions
for health problems they cause
A. don't let their vehicles idle
B. nothing, since it comes from
the stratosphere
C. reduce their electricty use
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
5. Where does most of the
mercury air pollution come from?
7. What is the place in the upper
atmosphere where the ozone is
so thin that UV light easily
passes through?
A. burning coal in power plants
B. burning gasoline in cars
C. burning wood in wood stoves
A. the ozone hole
B. the ozone sink
C. the ozone blanket
CORRECT: A, A
CORRECT: A, A
A. it lowers the amount of oxygen
the blood can carry
B. it lowers pH of lakes and
forest soils
C. it lowers IQ in young children
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
1. What is a company, factory or
business that releases air
pollutants into the atmosphere
called?
A. an emitter
B. a smoker
C. an unregulated polluter
A. air pollution control engineers
B. inspector/mechanics
C. respiratory therapists
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
3. What kind of government
initiative is witholding federal
highway funds for a state that
does not meet federal air quality
standards within a set time?
A. penalties
B. education and information
C. economic incentives
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
CORRECT: A, A
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
2. Who is licensed to check cars
to make sure their pollution
control system works?
4. What happened to violent
crime rates in the U.S. after
leaded gasoline was phased
out?
6. Where does most nitrogen
dioxide pollution come from?
8. Where does most particulate
matter air pollution in the U.S.
come from?
A. inspector/mechanics
B. respiratory therapists
C. air pollution control engineers
A. they dropped
B. they went up
C. they stayed the same
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
A. burning gasoline or diesel in
mobile sources like cars or trucks
B. coal fired power plants
C. nuclear power plants
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
2. What kind of government
initiative is a cap and trade
program?
A. economic incentives
B. research
C. education and information
CORRECT: A, A
4. Who encourages passage of
air protection laws and supports
their enforcement?
A. non-governmental
organizations
B. the court system
C. congress or legislatures
CORRECT: A, A
6. How does the EPA regulate
mercury under the Clean Air Act?
A. reactions between sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in
the air
B. ashes from forest fires kicked
up by the wind
C. dust particles kicked up by the
wind
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
A. the 2011 rules require power
plants to scrub mercury out of
their emissions
B. the EPA does not have the
right to regulate mercury under
the Clean Air Act
C. the 2011 rules require power
plants to measure the mercury in
their emissions
8. Which layer of the atmosphere
contains the ozone that protects
earth from ultra violet (UV) light?
A. the stratosphere
B. the troposphere
C. the mesosphere
CORRECT: A, A
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
9. What does the Clean Air Act
require for air pollution
reduction?
11. Where does most sulfur
dioxide air pollution come from?
13. Who treats people with
breathing problems?
A. coal burning power plants and
factories
B. exhaust from mobile sources
C. natural gas, or propane in
furnaces or heaters
A. inspector/mechanics
B. respiratory therapists
C. HVAC technicians
15. Use of leaded gasoline has
recently been phased out
worldwide. Which trend would
you expect to see in 29 years?
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
13. What kind of government
initiative is the Near-Road
EXposures to Urban Air
Pollutants (NEXUS) study of the
impact of vehicle emissions on
near-road air quality, human
exposures and potential health
effects?
A. states have to meet clean air
standards set by the EPA
B. counties have to meet clean
air standards set by each state
C. power plants and factories
have to upgrade their clean air
technology every two years
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
9. What percentage of deaths
world-wide are due to ambient air
pollution?
11. What is a volatile organic
compound (VOC)?
A. over 6%
B. 1%
C. 3%
A. carbon compounds that
evaporate easily into the air (give
off fumes)
B. nitrogen compounds that
easily condense out of the air
into droplets
C. compounds that are explosive
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
A. a decrease in asthma
B. a decrease in violent crime
C. a decrease in obesity
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
15. What is a governmental
factor that affects enforcement of
air protection laws?
A. education and information
B. research
C. economic incentives
A. how serious the human health
concerns are
B. an administration's attitude
about the law
C. whether the courts think it is a
good law or a bad law
CORRECT: A, A
CORRECT: B, B
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
10. What has happened to the
six criteria air pollutants EPA
regulates nationally?
12. Where does most cabon
monoxide pollution come from?
14. What harm does lead air
pollution cause to people?
16. What harm does nitrogen
dioxide do to people or the
environment?
A. they have all gone down
B. they have all stayed about the
same
C. they have all gone up
A. exhaust from mobile sources
B. incomplete burning of
gasoline, natural gas or propane
C. reactions between sulfur and
nitrogen oxides in the air
A. in causes breathing problems
B. it lowers IQ in children
C. it lowers pH of lakes and
forest soils,
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
10. Who monitors ozone in the
upper atmosphere?
12. What is it called when a
company, factory or business
that gives off fewer emissions
than it has permits for sells them
to other companies, factories or
businesses who have more
emissions than permits?
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
A. atmospheric chemists
B. air quality technicians
C. environmental toxicologists
CORRECT: A, A
A. donating emission
B. trading emissions
C. fining emitters
CORRECT: B, B
14. Who passes air protection
laws, assigns protection to an
agency and provides funding for
enforcement?
A. agencies in the executive
branch
B. congress or legislatures
C. the court system
CORRECT: B, B
A. it lowers IQ and causes
impulsive behavior in children
B. in can cause breathing
problems for people with asthma
C. it lowers pH of lakes and
forest soils
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
16. Mercury in air emissions
eventually ends up as methyl
mercury in fish. What converts
the mercury in the air to the more
lethal methyl mercury?
A. fish
B. bacteria
C. algae
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
17. What harm does ozone, in
ground level air, do to people?
19. What individual actions can
people take to reduce PM air
pollution?
21. What harm does sulfur
dioxide do to the environment?
23. What actions can a person
take to reduce carbon monoxide
pollution?
A. it lowers pH of lakes and
forest soils
B. it can affect breathing and
permanently damage lungs
C. it lowers IQ and causes
impulsive behavior in children
A. only barbecue with propane
B. reduce driving and electricity
use
C. nothing, since it is caused by
sunlight
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
17. How does mercury get into
coal?
19. Where do
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
come from?
A. it overfertilizes the soil with
sulfur
B. it can cause acid rain
C. it causes alkaline rain
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
23. What is it called when a
country limits the total amount of
a pollutant that all companies,
factories or businesses within its
borders can emit?
A. reduce car use
B. reduce electricty use if their
power plant burns coal
C. make sure their furnace runs
properly
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
21. Who monitors ozone at
ground level?
A. mercury is used during coal
mining
B. it was naturally taken up in
tiny amounts by the prehistoric
plants which became coal
C. it seeps into coal beds from
underground deposits
A. mining of fluoride for
toothpaste and other applications
B. refrigerants, accelerants (used
in sprays), and gases used in
making styrofoam
C. bleach-based cleansers
CORRECT: B, B
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
18. What is photochemical
smog?
20. Air pollution is any gases or
particles in the atmosphere
which are ...
22. What individual actions can
people take to reduce SO2 air
pollution?
24. Who checks home heating
systems to make sure they are
not leaking carbon monoxide?
A. harmful to animals.
B. harmful to people or the
environment.
C. harmful to the environment.
A. prevent forest fires
B. reduce their electricty use
C. reduce car use
A. air pollution control engineers
B. inspector/mechanics
C. HVAC technicians
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
22. How is air pollution measured
and tracked?
24. What kind of government
initiative is the publication and
distribution of the daily Air
Quality Index (AQI) readings for
cities so people know when it is
safe to work or play outside?
A. air pollution from a chemical
reaction of fertilizers and rain
B. air pollution from a chemical
reaction of engine exhaust and
sunlight
C. smokey fog from coal fires
A. unfair practices
B. a subsidy
C. a cap
A. atmospheric chemists
B. air quality technicians
C. environmental epidemiologists
CORRECT: C, B
CORRECT: B, C
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
18. Where are the ozone holes
(there is more than one) located?
20. Which of these vehiclerelated factors kills the most
people in southern California?
A. over large deserts
B. at the poles
C. in the Pacific and Atlantic
oceans at the equator
A. being run over by a car
B. ozone and particulate matter
air pollution from vehicles
C. car crashes
CORRECT: B, B
CORRECT: B, B
A. by visual inspection of air
quality three times a day in big
cities
B. by ground-based air chemistry
sampling sites throughout the
U.S.
C. by satellite monitoring
systems
A. economic incentives
B. penalties
C. education and information
CORRECT: C, C
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
25. Where does most lead air
pollution come from?
27. What individual actions can
people take to reduce NO2 air
pollution?
29. What harm does particulate
matter air pollution do to people?
31. What characteristics do the
six criteria air pollutants EPA
regulates have?
A. lead in house paint
B. lead in pencils
C. leaded gasoline
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
25. Who sets specific standards
for air protection laws, helps
people, businesses and agencies
follow them and enforces them
when they are not followed?
A. the court system
B. non-governmental
organizations
C. agencies in the executive
branch
CORRECT: C, C
A. avoid using fertilizers on hot
sunny days
B. make sure their furnace runs
properly
C. reduce car use whenever
possible
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
27. What is the primary health
effect of methyl mercury in
fetuses, infants and children?
A. impaired limb development
B. impaired lung and respiratory
function
C. impaired neurological
development
A. it lowers pH of lakes and
forest soils
B. it lowers IQ in children
C. it can be inhaled deep into the
lungs, and affect breathing
A. they were easy to regulate
B. they were common in cities
C. they were common and found
all over the U.S.
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
29. What causes the
disappearance of ozone (O3) in
the upper atmosphere?
31. Who develops fish advisories
based on mercury content?
A. O3 is only formed during
sunspot activity
B. nitrogen gas (N2) reacts with
O3 to form nitrogen dioxide
C. chlorofluorocarbons react with
O3 to convert it to oxygen
A. atmospheric chemists
B. environmental epidemiologists
C. environmental toxicologists
CORRECT: C, C
CORRECT: C, C
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
26. What part of a car reduces
air pollution from engine
exhaust?
28. Where does ozone come
from?
30. What is a criteria air
pollutant?
32. What is the effect of acid rain
on the environment?
A. incomplete combustion of
natural gas
B. burning coal
C. a reacton between engine
exhaust and sunlight
A. any air pollutant that is given
off by stationary sources
B. any air pollutant that is given
off by mobile sources
C. any air pollutant for which the
EPA has set human-health or
environmental standards
A. it lowers IQ and causes in
children
B. it reduces the amount of
oxygen the blood can carry
C. it lowers pH of lakes and
forest soils
A. the muffler
B. the air filter
C. the catalytic converter
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
26. The Primary Standards of the
National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS) address
public health. Which of these
would be a primary standard?
A. decreased visibility in cities
and natural areas
B. damage to animals and crops
C. protecting "sensitive"
populations like asthmatics
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
28. When did scientists discover
holes in the ozone?
A. in the 1860s
B. in the 1890s
C. in the 1970s
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
30. What are devices that
remove particulates and/or gases
from industrial or power plant
emissions?
A. catalytic converters
B. air filters
C. smoke stack scrubbers
CORRECT: C, C
32. Who monitors patterns of
disease caused by exposure to
pollutants?
A. atmospheric chemists
B. air quality technicians
C. environmental epidemiologists
CORRECT: C, C
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST
Air Pollution 6-12
EARTH QUEST