In: Chemistry
1. When environmental pollutants degrade, they may become more toxic than the original pollutant that was emitted.
True
False
The given statement is TRUE, ie., When environmental pollutants degrade, they may become more toxic than the original pollutant that was emitted.Many organic compounds and some inorganic compounds may volatilize to some extent; this means that these compounds tend to evaporate at normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures when not contained. Common examples include the lighter components of gasoline such as benzene, which volatilize to a sufficient degree that they can be smelled when cars are refueling at filling stations without vapor control systems.These pollutants are suspected to cause cancer and other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, and adverse environmental effects.In 1970, HAPs were formally introduced into the United States Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Act. It identifies HAPs as pollutants which present or may present, through inhalation or other routes of exposure, a threat of adverse human health effects or adverse environmental effects whether through ambient concentrations, bioaccumulation, deposition, or otherwise as a result of emissions to the air.