Ozone & Clean Air Act Test Study Guide
When was the Clean Air Act originally passed? 1963 When was it amended? 1990
What is included in the Clean Air Act (4 parts)
1.
2.
3.
4.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards targeted at major polluting chemicals
EPA was to establish New Source Performance Standards
Standards for controlling auto emissions w/the aim of reducing various gases by almost 90%
State developed plans (SIP’s)
Who monitors compliance to the Clean Air Act? EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
What is smog? Ground-level ozone (worst In the summer & middle of the day—hot and calm)
What are the chemicals that reasct together to make ozone? VOC’s & NOX (Volatile Organic
Compounds and Nitrous Oxides)
What is the function of the stratospheric ozone layer? It houses the Ozone layer
How do you describe the ‘holes’ in the ozone layer and where are they found?
‘holes’ look like a worn sock; 5 areas: North Pole; South Pole; Northern US; Canada; N. Europe
When was chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) in aerosol cans banned? 1978
What is the biggest source of CFC’s now? Car air conditioners
What are VOC’s? Volatile Organic Compounds. Volatile = goes into a gas easily
What has been done to reduce pollution from cars? 3 (ways the government reduced auto emissions)
things: Cleaner fuels; Cleaner Cars; Inspection/Maintenance 5 ways fuels are cleaner: phaseout of lead
by 1996; oxyfuel-gasoline with oxygen added to make the fuel burn more efficiently, reducing the
carbon monoxide release; detergents; alternative fuels; vapor recovery nozzles on gas pumps.
What chemicals make-up acid rain? SO2 NOX (SONO)
Where does the cause of acid rain along the East Coast come from?
Coal burning power plants in the Mid-West
What and where is good ozone? It occurs naturally in the Earth’s upper atmosphere; in the stratosphere.
It protects human health and the environment by shielding us from harmful ultraviolet rays.
What and where is bad ozone? In the Earth’s lower atmosphere, Near the ground (ground-level ozone is
bad), it is odorless and invisible (not tasteless) it is produced from smokestacks, paints, solvents, and
primarily cars.
How does bad ozone affect human health? Breathing problems. (Any breathing problems—asthma,
reduced lung function, etc.
What does the Air Quality Index measure? What do the colors represent?
The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is,
and what associated health effects might be a concern for you.
What are the chemical symbols for ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide?
O3 SO2 NOx
What is oxyfuel?
Gasoline with oxygen added to make the fuel burn more efficiently, thereby reducing carbon
monoxide release.
What are the characteristics of ozone?
Ground-level ozone is the principal component of smog. VOC’s and NOx
What causes ground level ozone to increase?
When pollution (VOC’s and NOx increase in the atmosphere, and react with the sunlight. The
chemicals then ‘cook’ in the sky.
What time of year and time of day is ozone the worst? When the weather is hot, calm and
sunny. Summer
What are emission allowances? Are levels equivalent of one ton of SO2 that can be authorized
to be released by power plants. The EPA decides how much emission allowance each plant is
permitted to emit.