Question

What is the scope of environmental chemistry in our daily life?

• A. do not help in classify contaminated soils as hazardous waste, manage their disposal, and supervise on-site remediation
• B. do not help to assess the risks of contaminants in soil and ground water
• C. do help to assess the long-term risks of contaminants in soil and groundwater
• D. do not help to undertake corrective strategies

Hint:

• Environmental chemistry studies chemical processes in the environment (air, water, soil).
• It is crucial for identifying pollutants, understanding their behavior, and assessing their risks.
• It plays a key role in developing strategies for pollution control, waste management, and remediation of contaminated sites.
• Assessing long-term risks of soil and groundwater contaminants is a fundamental application.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places. It involves understanding the sources, reactions, transport, effects, and fates of chemical species in the air, soil, and water environments, and the effect of human activity on these. The scope of environmental chemistry in our daily life is vast and includes:

• Understanding Pollutants: Identifying chemical pollutants, their sources (natural and anthropogenic), and their pathways in the environment.
• Assessing Risks: Evaluating the toxicity and risks posed by contaminants to human health and ecosystems. This includes understanding how contaminants behave in soil and groundwater and their potential for long-term harm.
• Monitoring and Analysis: Developing and applying analytical methods to detect and quantify pollutants in various environmental matrices.
• Remediation and Control: Designing and implementing strategies to prevent pollution, treat contaminated sites (e.g., soil and groundwater remediation), and manage waste. This includes classifying hazardous waste and supervising remediation.
• Policy and Regulation: Providing scientific basis for environmental policies, regulations, and standards.

Option (c) states that environmental chemistry helps to assess the long-term risks of contaminants in soil and groundwater. This is a core aspect of environmental chemistry. Options (a), (b), and (d) all state what environmental chemistry does *not* do, but in fact, these are all areas where environmental chemistry plays a crucial role. Environmental chemistry *does* help in classifying contaminated soils, managing disposal, supervising remediation (contrary to (a)), *does* help assess risks of contaminants (contrary to (b)), and *does* help undertake corrective strategies (contrary to (d)). Therefore, option (c) is the correct positive statement about its scope. \[ \boxed{\text{do help to assess the long-term risks of contaminants in soil and groundwater}} \]