What are the primary and secondary pollutants in agriculture?

Question

What are the primary and secondary pollutants in agriculture?

Answer 1

animals like cows produce methane gas which polutes the air and us humand ( air polution, Deforestation )

Answer 2

pesticides!!

Answer 3

the biggest "pollutant" is probably eroded soil, but this happens with or without agriculture.  Farming did not carve out the Grand Canyon or create the Mississippi delta or create the windblown loess soils in Iowa which happened long before man became involved in agriculture.  Any good volcanic eruption spews more pollutants than all of agriculture.

Sulfur as a pollutant is not generated by agriculture but by fossil fuels and manufacturing processes.

Nitrogen and Phosphorous are called pollutants by many people but they are also required nutrients that cause increased plant growth and production.  Manure is probably considered by many as a pollutant yet it to can be a source of nutrients for plant growth and handled properly is very beneficial.

I would call a primary pollutant one that goes directly into the system and a secondary pollutant would be one that is converted from the original form into another more dangerous form.

Manure would be a primary pollutant and nitrate coming from oxidized protein breakdown in the manure would be a secondary pollutant

Answer 4

Primary are the ones that pollute directly,secondary are the indirect ones.

Answer 5

If you're wanting examples, sediment (soil) is the primary ag related pollutant both in quantity and occurance.  In dry areas it's wind blown and from water erosion in wetter areas.  

Next in line but WAY down is nutrients, both commercial fertilizers and from animal manure.  The Gulf of Mexico hypoxia area and weed filled lakes and ponds are good examples of the result of nutrient loading.  Nitrates in Iowa well water is an example of health risks.

Pesticides are way, way less prevailent in both quantity and occurance.  Fish kills you hear of are the result of human or animal sewage lagoons accidently overflowing into streams, not pesticides.  

If you're talking about the primary and secondary form of a particular pollutant, I guess you say manure is the primary and the nitrogen and phosphrus it contains are the secondary pollutants.

Answer 6

Primary pollutant will be 'run off', this is mainly animal waste being washed off hard standing areas and housing into the water course. It will pollute the water and kill off most animal life as it has a high BOD (biological oxygen demand).

Secondary pollutants are more subjective. I would include pesticide drift, and noise from machinery among these.

Answer 7

Primary & Secondary pollutant

Definition:

A primary pollutant is an air pollutant emitted directly from a source.

A secondary pollutant is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other pollutants (primary pollutants) react in the atmosphere.

Examples of a secondary pollutant include ozone, which is formed when hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) combine in the presence of sunlight; NO2, which is formed as NO combines with oxygen in the air; and acid rain, which is formed when sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides react with water.

Answer 8

"Air pollutants are classified as either primary or secondary, depending on how they are formed.

Primary pollutants are generated daily and are emitted directly from a source into the air. Examples of primary pollutants include: carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), nitric oxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulates (PM10 and PM 2.5) and various hydrocarbons (HC), also known as reactive organic compounds (ROC). The predominant source of air emissions generated by truck diesel emissions is CO, NOx and ROC/HC."

"Secondary pollutants are created over time and occur within the atmosphere as chemical and photochemical reactions take place. An example of a secondary pollutant is ozone (O3), which is one of the products formed when NOx react with hydrocarbons, in the presence of sunlight." (This is what we typically call SMOG.) "Other secondary pollutants include photochemical aerosols. Secondary pollutants such as oxidants, represent major air quality problems."

http://www.ccaej.org/After_2001/glen_avo...

Answer 9

Man.....acid rain..made by man(i.e. man made materials)

Answer 10

Animals and people..............

Answer 11

nitrates I would think is the #1.  I guess by reading the other answers, it all depends on your point of view.  I would not consider soil a pollutant in any way, not even in river run off.  But what do I know, I've only farmed and been involved in agriculture for 40 years.

Answer 12

Because the meaning of primary and secondary does not relate to volume, mass, or importance, but rather what pollutants come directly from agriculture, and which come from breakdown of products of agriculture, we should ask ourselves whether each of the pollutants mentioned is a prrimary pollutant regardless of its harm or importance, and what are derived from decompositon of basically food.

Soil, whether we think it harmful or not, is a direct pollutant when it is flowing down the river.  The polution that comes from a city sewage control plant is secondary pollution.

If we have methane production on the farm and it is released into the air, that is a primary pollutant, as is the CO2 coming direct from the farm. CO2 is also a secondary pollutant, as the methane breaks down to CO2 and water.

Manure piled on the earth is not yet a pollutant escaping from the farm, but if it flows away down the stream it is a primary pollutant, As it breaks down it feeds plant life... that may be goodness and light as the plants absorb CO2 and give off oxygen. But too much plant growth can be bad if it collects in one place. The secondary pollutant is the excess plant growth.

Every breath you take puts secondary pollutants of agriculture into the air, the breakdown components of your food.