Table Of ContentTHE
SCIENCE OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLLUTION
S E C O N D E D I T I O N
THE
SCIENCE OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLLUTION
S E C O N D E D I T I O N
F R A N K R . S P E L L M A N
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Spellman, Frank R.
The science of environmental pollution / Frank R. Spellman. -- 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4398-1302-7 (alk. paper)
1. Pollution. 2. Environmental sciences. I. Title.
TD174.S675 2010
628.5--dc22 2009039100
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Dedication
For
JoAnn Garnett-Chapman (Ultimate Friend)
Contents
Preface ....................................................................................................................xix
Author .................................................................................................................xxiii
Part I. Introduction
1 Pollution: What Is It? ........................................................................................3
Introduction .........................................................................................................3
Reality ...........................................................................................................3
Pollution Defined .................................................................................................5
Key Terms .....................................................................................................8
Case Study 1.1. Eau de Paper Mill ..............................................................14
Pollution: Effects Often Easy to See, Feel, Taste, or Smell ..............................15
Case Study 1.2. Toxic Sulfuric Acid ...........................................................16
Preventing Pollution ....................................................................................16
Pollution and Environmental Science/Health ...................................................17
A Different Approach .................................................................................19
Case Study 1.3. Salmon and the Rachel River ............................................20
Environmental Pollution and Technology: The Connection .............................23
Case Study 1.4. Attwater’s Prairie Chicken ................................................26
Environmental Degradation ........................................................................26
Case Study 1.5. The Amish and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania .............27
The Good Life .............................................................................................29
Case Study 1.6. Tragedy of the Commons Revisited ..................................30
Science and Technology Offer Solutions ...........................................................31
The Bottom Line ...............................................................................................32
Discussion Questions .........................................................................................33
References and Recommended Reading ...........................................................34
2 Pollution Science Fundamentals .....................................................................37
Introduction .......................................................................................................37
Biogeochemical Cycles ......................................................................................38
Carbon Cycle ...............................................................................................39
Nitrogen Cycle.............................................................................................41
Phosphorus Cycle ........................................................................................42
Sulfur Cycle ................................................................................................43
Energy Flow through an Ecosystem and the Biosphere ....................................44
Materials Balance .......................................................................................44
Energy Flow in the Biosphere .....................................................................46
Energy Flow in the Ecosystem ....................................................................47
vii
viii Contents
Units of Measurement .......................................................................................49
Units of Mass ..............................................................................................50
Units of Length ...........................................................................................51
Units of Volume ..........................................................................................51
Units of Temperature...................................................................................52
Units of Pressure .........................................................................................52
Units Often Used in Environmental Pollution Studies ...............................53
Liquids ..................................................................................................53
Gases or Vapors ....................................................................................53
The Bottom Line ...............................................................................................54
Discussion Questions .........................................................................................54
References and Recommended Reading ...........................................................55
3 Global Pollution: The Problem .......................................................................57
Introduction .......................................................................................................58
Global Interdependence .....................................................................................58
Case Study 3.1. Persistent Organic Pollutants .............................................59
Global Meeting on Persistent Organic Pollutants .................................59
Global Pollution Problems: Causal Factors .......................................................60
Frontier Mentality .......................................................................................60
Population Growth ......................................................................................62
Development................................................................................................64
Case Study 3.2. Transnational Corporations
and Environmental Pollution ..........................................................64
Development and Soil Degradation ......................................................65
Development and Freshwater Degradation ...........................................65
Development and Atmospheric Air Degradation .................................65
Pollution and Global Environmental Degradation ............................................66
So, What Is the Answer? ...................................................................................67
Discussion Questions .........................................................................................67
References and Recommended Readings ..........................................................68
4 Sources of Pollution .........................................................................................71
A Historical Perspective ....................................................................................71
Introduction .......................................................................................................72
Natural Pollutants ..............................................................................................74
Case Study 4.1. Keeper of the Spring .........................................................77
Case Study 4.2. Leaves in the Stream .........................................................78
Pollutant Terminology .......................................................................................79
Pollutant-Related Terms: Defined ...............................................................80
Soil, Water, and Air Pollution: The Interface ....................................................82
Case Study 4.3. Problem Wastes—Tire Disposal .......................................82
Discussion Questions .........................................................................................83
References and Recommended Reading ...........................................................84
Contents ix
Part II. Air
5 Air ......................................................................................................................87
Introduction .......................................................................................................88
All About Air ....................................................................................................88
The Components of Air: Characteristics and Properties ..................................90
Atmospheric Nitrogen .................................................................................90
Physical Properties of Nitrogen ............................................................91
Uses for Nitrogen ..................................................................................92
Nitrogen Oxides ....................................................................................92
Atmospheric Oxygen ...................................................................................92
Physical Properties of Oxygen ..............................................................92
Uses for Oxygen ....................................................................................92
Ozone: Just Another Form of Oxygen ..................................................93
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide .....................................................................93
Physical Properties of Carbon Dioxide ................................................94
Uses for Carbon Dioxide ......................................................................94
Atmospheric Argon .....................................................................................95
Physical Properties of Argon ................................................................95
Uses for Argon ......................................................................................95
Atmospheric Neon ......................................................................................95
Physical Properties of Neon ..................................................................95
Uses for Neon .......................................................................................95
Atmospheric Helium ...................................................................................96
Physical Properties of Helium ..............................................................96
Atmospheric Krypton .................................................................................97
Physical Properties of Krypton .............................................................97
Uses for Krypton ..................................................................................97
Atmospheric Xenon.....................................................................................97
Physical Properties of Xenon ................................................................97
Uses for Xenon......................................................................................97
Atmospheric Hydrogen ...............................................................................98
Physical Properties of Hydrogen ..........................................................98
Uses for Hydrogen ................................................................................98
Atmospheric Water......................................................................................98
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ..................................................................99
Air for Combustion ..........................................................................................101
Air for Power ...................................................................................................101
Stratification of the Atmosphere ......................................................................102
Physical Properties and Dynamics of Air .......................................................103
Force, Weight, and Mass ...........................................................................104
Pressure .....................................................................................................105
Work and Energy ......................................................................................105
Diffusion and Dispersion ..........................................................................105
Compressibility .........................................................................................106
