University of Toronto Environmental Pollution Discussion

EESA11

Assignment Guidelines

All written assignments must be submitted to Quercus as PDF files. Documents must be single-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins and responses to each question must NOT exceed 250 words (all sub-questions combined within each question). This means that all the sub-questions within the question (i.e. denoted as letters) must not exceed 250 words when added together. Thus, the assignment has a total of four questions, 250 words x 4 question

UNIVERSITY of TORONTO at SCARBOROUGH
Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences
Winter 2020
EESA11 – ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Issued: Monday, February 3, 2020
Due: Thursday, March 5, 2020
Submission: PDF file uploaded directly onto Quercus before 5 p.m. on March 5th, 2020.
Late Penalty: -5% per day up to a maximum of five days and then a mark of zero will be assigned.
Written Assignment
The aim of the assignment is to give students the opportunity to examine the following course
issues in a more in-depth manner. The idea is to get students thinking about practical ways to
apply course concepts to alleviate environmental pollution and negative impacts.
1. Have you heard of the guidelines on the Use of Perfumes and
Scented Products from the Office of Environmental Health and
Safety at University of Toronto? Have you seen the “We Share
the Air” poster or the picture on the right? Did you know that
Canadians spend more than 90% of their time indoors? The
University of Toronto is committed to a safe and healthy
environment for faculty, staff, students, and visitors. This
guideline is intended to increase the awareness within the
University community about the potential impact of fragrance
chemicals on the health, wellbeing, productivity and lifestyle
of those affected, to ask for the voluntary cooperation towards
a scent-reduced environment, and to provide the steps for
responding to scent-related issues. (5 marks total) (References
are required for all the following questions.)
a. Phthalates are used as solvents and plasticizers in perfumes/scented products and other
cosmetic products. Could we consider phthalates as “indoor contaminants”? Why? (2
marks)
b. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) used as plasticizes was banned in all children’s toys
and child-care articles. Where else can we find DEHP indoors? (1 mark)
c. Name TWO indoor pollutants included in the Canadian Residential Indoor Air Quality
Guidelines, their sources and recommended exposure limits? (2 marks)
2. (CNN) 2019 November: Firefighters in California have been batting numerous blazes nonstop,
trying to save millions of people and homes from the flames. The biggest fire, the Kincade
Fire, has incinerated parts of the wine country in Sonoma County since last week. Further
south, multiple wildfires continue spreading near Los Angeles and surrounding counties.
(CNN) Australia is being ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades, with large swaths of
the country devastated since the fire season began in late July, 2019. Australia is experiencing
one of its worst droughts in decades — the country’s Bureau of Meteorology said in December
that last spring was the driest on record. Strong winds have also made the fires and smoke
spread more rapidly and have led to fatalities. (5 marks total) (References are required for all
the following questions.)
a. How are PAHs generated from wildfires or other intentional sources (such as BBQ)? (1
mark)
b. Name FOUR of the US EPA priority PAHs. (2 marks)
c. What actions can you take within your household to lower your PAH exposure? (2 marks)
3. Eutrophication is a natural process where oligotrophic ecosystems, characterized by low
nutrient levels, progress towards eutrophic (high nutrient) conditions. This process may take
place over hundreds to thousands of years. Cultural eutrophication occurs when natural
eutrophication is dramatically sped up by human activities. It has negatively affected
recreation, fisheries, and drinking water sources. (5 marks total)
a. Eutrophication is an example of a positive feedback loop, where change in the system
promotes further change in the same direction. Describe another environmental issue
that has synergistic effects with cultural eutrophication and how it exacerbates the
problem. (2 marks)
b. How can we limit cultural eutrophication? Discuss two methods and their potential
impacts. (3 marks)
4. The City of Toronto recommends that citizens do not swim, at designated swimming beaches
or elsewhere, during or up to 48 hours after a heavy rain. This is because it is more likely that
there will be high levels of bacteria and other pollutants that could pose health risks. These
are largely transported to the lake via stormwater runoff.
a. What is stormwater runoff and why is it primarily a concern in urbanized areas? (1 mark)
b. What are three types of pollutants that could be carried in stormwater runoff? Discuss
their sources and potential environmental impacts. (3 marks)
c. Describe two other potential sources of water pollution that contribute to the
recommendation not to swim after a heavy rain. (1 mark)
Assignment Guidelines
All written assignments must be submitted to Quercus as PDF files. Documents must be singlespaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins and responses to each
question must NOT exceed 250 words (all sub-questions combined within each question). This
means that all the sub-questions within the question (i.e. denoted as letters) must not exceed
250 words when added together. Thus, the assignment has a total of four questions, 250 words
x 4 questions = 1000 words. In-text citations are included in the word count (the final bibliography
after each question is not included in the word count). A penalty of 0.5 marks per question will
be levied for exceeding the word count. Each assignment submission must include a header on
each page that includes your full name, student number, course code, and date (do NOT include
a cover page). The page number must be included in the footer on every page. A penalty of 1
mark per assignment will be levied for failing to follow the format guideline. You MUST use at
least one reference per question to support your arguments (more are encouraged). Only
reputable sources, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, will be accepted for this assignment. It
means that we do not accept textbooks or websites as references for this assignment. Use APA
style for in-text citations and references. Please follow the template.
This assignment is worth 22% of your final grade. The assignment will be graded out of a total of
22 possible marks. Each of the four questions is worth five marks (4×5 = 20). Well thought out
responses that effectively incorporate course concepts or external research and sound reasoning
to support your ideas will receive full marks (5 points). Responses that don’t fully answer the
questions, lack clarity in writing, suggest a lack of effort in their preparation, or fail to incorporate
relevant course concepts will receive lower marks. Two additional marks will be awarded for
including references to external research from reputable sources (0.5 marks per question).
Plagiarism – Please note that plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Please refer to the 20192020 UTSC academic calendar for more information.
Late Penalty – All assignments must be submitted directly to Quercus by 5 p.m. on Thursday,
March 5th, 2020. All late assignments will be subject to the late penalty: -5% per day, up to a
maximum of five days (by 5 p.m. on March 10th, 2020), then a grade of ZERO will be assigned.
Reasonable academic excuses such as illness or family emergencies must be accompanied by
appropriate documentation (i.e. an official doctor’s note) and submitted to Yuchao, Wai and Prof.
Stefanovic within 5 days (by 5 p.m. March 10th, 2020).
Name: XXXXXX
Student No.: XXXXXXXXXX
Course: EESA11
Date: 2020MonDay
Q1:
a. Phthalates are used as solvents and plasticizers in perfumes/scented products and other
cosmetic products. Could we consider phthalates as “indoor contaminants”? Why? (2 mark)
b. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) used as plasticizes was banned in all children’s toys and
child-care articles. Where else can we find DEHP indoors? (1 mark)
c. Name TWO indoor pollutants included in the Canadian Residential Indoor Air Quality
Guidelines, their sources and recommended exposure limits? (2 marks)
(Prepare informative answers of fewer than 250 words, all sub-questions combined.)
References
(Strictly follow the APA style: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=250462&p=1670709)
1
Name: XXXXXX
Student No.: XXXXXXXXXX
Course: EESA11
Date: 2020MonDay
Q2:
a. How are PAHs generated from wildfires or other intentional sources (such as BBQ)? (1 mark)
b. Name FOUR of the US EPA priority PAHs. (2 marks)
c. What actions can you take within your household to lower your PAH exposure? (2 marks)
References
2
Name: XXXXXX
Student No.: XXXXXXXXXX
Course: EESA11
Date: 2020MonDay
Q3:
a. Eutrophication is an example of a positive feedback loop, where change in the system
promotes further change in the same direction. Describe another environmental issue that has
synergistic effects with cultural eutrophication and how it exacerbates the problem. (2 marks)
b. How can we limit cultural eutrophication? Discuss two methods and their potential impacts.
(3 marks)
References
3
Name: XXXXXX
Student No.: XXXXXXXXXX
Course: EESA11
Date: 2020MonDay
Q4:
a. What is stormwater runoff and why is it primarily a concern in urbanized areas? (1 mark)
b. What are three types of pollutants that could be carried in stormwater runoff? Discuss their
sources and potential environmental impacts. (3 marks)
c.
Describe two other potential sources of water pollution that contribute to the recommendation
not to swim after a heavy rain. (1 mark)
References
4