Environmental Engineering Chapter 19 Homework This concluding chapter addresses relationships between geology

Learning Objectives

After reading and studying this chapter, students should:

• Understand the geologic aspects of environmental health, air pollution, and waste

management.

• Understand the geologist’s role in evaluating land for appropriate uses.

Chapter Summary

This concluding chapter addresses relationships between geology and environmental health, as well as a

variety of approaches to sustaining environmental health. The chapter opens with examples of linkages

between geology and human health, including possible links of heart disease and cancer with water

characteristics and other aspects of the geologic environment. Subsequent sections address details of

air pollution, waste management, and environmental analysis. Finally, the chapter concludes with a

discussion of avoidance of an environmental crisis and with a philosophical discussion of sustainability

and approaches to attaining sustainable societies.

Chapter Outline

I. Introduction

A. Geology and society

2. this chapter explores examples of relationships between geology and society

3. see Case History: Radon Gas: The Stanley Watrus Story

II. Geology and environmental health

A. Overview

2. toxicology

3. the geologic environment and incidence of disease (see A Closer Look: Lead in the

Environment)

B. Some geologic factors of environmental health

C. Chronic disease and the geologic environment

1. regional variations in some diseases are linked to geologic environment

3. benefits of studying relationships between health and geology

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Geology, Society, and the

Future

Chapter 19 – Instructor’s Manual

D. Heart disease and the geologic environment

1. heart disease and drinking water chemistry: soft water correlates with higher rates of heart

disease

3. similar relationships in parts of the United States

4. correlations do not necessarily show cause and effect

E. Cancer and the geochemical environment

1. cancer tends to be strongly related to environmental conditions

3. carcinogenic substances arise from natural and anthropogenic sources

III. Air pollution: introduction and geologic perspective

A. Overview

1. waste disposal and air pollution

3. air pollution as a health hazard

4. effects of air pollution

B. Sources of air pollution

1. stationary sources

2. mobile sources

C. Air pollutants

1. gaseous pollutants

D. Air toxins

1. classifications

E. Primary and secondary pollutants

1. primary: emitted directly into the air

3. prevalent primary pollutants

F. Particulate matter: PM 10 and PM 2.5

2. PM 10 particles

a. less than 10 m in diameter

4. 2.5 PM particles

b. less than 2.5 m in diameter

5. effects of particulates

6. types of particulates

a. asbestos

Geology, Society, and the Future

G. Urban air pollution

2. influence of meteorology and topography

a. atmospheric inversion

H. Potential for urban air pollution

1. factors

a. rate of pollution emissions

2. smog production

I. Future of air pollution in urban areas

1. air pollution rates are decreasing

J. Indoor air pollution

2. prevented by maintenance of filters

4. indoor air pollution has existed for centuries

IV. Waste management and geology

A. Many people worldwide are facing a tremendous solid-waste disposal problem

1. particularly acute in growing urban areas

3. too little space for disposal

B. Industrialization and urbanization exacerbate waste generation

2. new and innovative solutions are needed

C. Creation of new disposal facilities is a possible solution

2. social justice issues

D. Integrated waste management

1. set of management alternatives to simple collection and disposal practices

a. source reduction

2. Modern trends: integrated waste management

a. integrated waste management emerged in 1980s as alternative approach

1) reduce, recycle, reuse

b. has reduced waste disposal by 50% in some cases, but dominant focus on recycling has

E. Materials management

1. eliminating subsidies for virgin material extraction

2. establishing “green building” incentives

3. establishing financial penalties for production of products not meeting objectives

5. providing incentives for new jobs in materials management technology and for other beneficial

practices

F. Solid waste disposal

1. An urban problem

3. common methods of solid waste disposal include on-site disposal, composting, incineration,

G. Sanitary landfills

1. solid waste disposal that doesn’t create nuisance or hazard to public health or safety

3. potential hazards

5. design of sanitary landfills

7. sanitary landfills and federal legislation

H. Hazardous waste management

2. many are beneficial

4. Illegal dumping of hazardous waste is illegal

I. Responsible management of hazardous waste

1. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 1976

a. “cradle to grave” control of hazardous materials

J. Secure landfill for hazardous waste

1. confine waste to a particular location, control and treat leachate, and detect leaks

K. Land application

2. effective for biodegradable wastes

4. requires careful monitoring of subsurface soil and water quality

L. Deep-well disposal

2. problems include earthquake triggering

3. feasibility and general site considerations

V. Environmental analysis

A. Site selection

2. goal is to ensure that site development is compatible with the natural environment

3. role of Earth scientists

2. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 1969

C. Environmental impact statements (EIS)

2. major components of EIS

4. mitigation

D. Negative declarations

2. does not need to consider a wide variety of alternatives

E. An example of environmental impact analysis

2. irrigation needs and selenium problems

4. selenium concentration in Kesterson Reservoir

F. Land use and planning

1. conversion of land for non-agricultural purposes

1. essential for sound economic development, conflict avoidance, and quality of life

3. role of Earth scientists

H. Scenic resources

2. landscapes and scenic value

I. Sequential land use

1. reclamation of impacted land for subsequent use

J. Multiple land use

1. use of land for more than one purpose

3. difficulties in managing land for more than one purpose

K. Environmental law

L. The process of law

1. law is a technique for the ordered accomplishment of economic, social, and political purposes

M. The Storm King Mountain case

2. hydropower development scheme

4. sixteen years of court battles

5. problem-solving versus adversarial approaches

N. Geology, the environment, and the future

1. importance of linkages between geologic processes, the environment, and society

O. Avoiding an environmental crisis: focusing on what can be done

1. control human population growth

3. control carbon emissions and stop global warming

P. Attaining sustainability in the future

2. “new path” is required that will transform our present way of running society

4. requirements for “new path”

a. an evolution of values and lifestyles that move toward sustainability

Answers to Review Questions and Critical Thinking Questions

Review Questions

1. Disease can be defined, from an environmental viewpoint, as an imbalance resulting from poor

adjustment between an individual and the environment.

2. Possible explanations for links between heart disease and the environment, particularly soft water,

3. Radon is a radioactive gas released from uranium-bearing rocks. Radon gas exposure in homes may

4. Major pathways for radon entering a home include migration as a gas from soil and rocks into

6. The major components of an environmental impact statement are a summary, a statement describing

7. Scoping is the process of identifying important environmental issues early in the planning of a

project.

9. Negotiation and mediation enter into environmental law practice when problem solving, rather than

10. Materials management is a relatively new component of integrated waste management, with the

goal of “zero production of waste” through financial incentives and penalties.

12. A sanitary landfill is a solid-waste disposal facility that doesn’t create nuisance or hazard to public

health or safety.

15. A secure landfill is one that confines waste to a particular location, controls and treats leachate, and

detects possible leaks.

16. Love Canal is important because the cleanup was a demonstration of state-of-the-art technology for

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Potential strategies for evaluating the hypotheses might include examination of available data

2. An answer to this question will depend on the setting of the institution, but should address the

suitability of the land for the building construction; the potential impacts of the development on the

3. A response to this question will reflect a student’s attitudes about sustainability and the preservation

4. A response to this question will reflect the student’s understanding and interpretations of the

5. For this question, the student should refer to the chapter section on a sustainable future, and consider

6. A response to this question will be specific to the student’s lifestyle and place of residence, but