HEALTH CH 10

Lesson 1 Your Environment:

Pollution is when land water or air contains harmful substances making them unhealthy to the environment and people:

Pollutants are certain kinds of chemicals. All pollutants added together equal pollution. Carbon is a pollutant that comes out of cars when we burn gasoline.

To get energy we burn fuels. We use the heat as energy but the smoke that’s left pollutes the air. One of those pollutants is carbon.

Carbon Emissions

Carbon Monoxide

• Odorless gas produced by cars and buses. Breathing it can keep people from getting oxygen

Sulfur Dioxide

• Comes from coal plants and power plants burning coal and oil. Can cause breathing problems. It also mixers with water to create acid rain.

Acid Rain

Acid rain is caused when chemicals from factories go into the clouds and sticks to the rain.

Smog

• This is a haze creating by sunlight shining on polluted air.

Indoor Air Pollution• Harmful gases from fuels

go into the air inside houses and buildings.

• Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year

• Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe

Noise

• Can harm the cells in your ear

• Can cause stress. Stress can cause heart and stomach problems

Clean air Act

• Passed in 1970• There are machines all

around the country that sample the air each day.

• The machines tell us what chemicals and gases are in the air.

• Factories and cars have to be more clean and efficient

We can…

• Not smoke

• Use less electricity

• Walk to stop from using gas from cars

• Don’t burn trash

• Plant trees because they clean the air by breathing in carbon dioxide

Red Tide

Red tides are algae that release gases that hurt water and air. They occur in Texas, Florida, and the North Atlantic

Water Pollution

• Paints and cleaners can hurt the water supply. Don’t pour them down the drains.

Land Pollution

• Litter: trash on the ground

• Open Dumps are landfills with no lining or covers to protect land

• Hazardous waste are chemicals like batteries and oil from cars are examples.