The Solution For Pollution Essay Research Paper — страница 2

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in London. Nicknamed the killer smog, this disaster occurred because of a temperature inversion, which is when warmer temperatures get hotter as they get further from the earth s surface rather than cooer as they usually do. In this particular event, a cool front also moved in below the warm air, which caused more people than usual to burn coal, which is high in sulfur. Because of the warm air that had risen, the smoke from the fireplaces had nowhere to rise and was being pushed back down. This string of events produced the killer smog which led to the deaths of more than four thousand people. Because of this one horrific event, scientists became more aware of the effects that air pollution can have on a population, which has led to more in-depth studies. The same type of

pollution, though in much more extreme cases, can be seen in cities today. The modern name for the foggy weather that these people were seeing is now referred to as smog. It is composed of mainly ground level ozone, which is caused by toxins in the air. (EPA 2) Ground-level ozone is produced by the combination of pollutants from many sources, including smokestacks, cars, paints, and solvents. (EPA 2) These toxins are released mainly through the exhaust systems of automobiles and from factories. There are two main causes of air pollution: automobiles and factories. The dangerous effects that these two cause can be primarily attributed to burning, or more specifically, oxidation. When a substance is burned, it releases harmful by products that are emitted into the air and thereby

become pollutants. The greater majority of citizens drive automobiles, and they are vital in everyday life for the purpose of transportation. With the unimaginable amount of automobiles being driven everyday, the pollution caused is extremely damaging. Air toxins from automobiles escape when gas is pumped into the car in the form of evaporation and are emitted from the tailpipes when the car burns the gasoline through the process of combustion. Automobiles were previously fueled by petroleum products that contained lead, which emitted hydrocarbons and smoke into the atmosphere. However, with the invention of unleaded gasoline, many of these emissions have been eliminated, but smoke is still a problem with older model cars. The introduction of stricter standards for emission

testing sites has also significantly decreased the amount of pollutants that are being emitted from automobiles. Factories, on the other hand, are still producing significant amounts of contaminants that are consistently being released into the air. This is due, not only to the disregard of the principal standards that the government has set for these industries, but also the lack of governmental agencies to oversee the actions of pollution within these industries. Factories everywhere are causing a serious amount of pollution in the air. Although attempts have been made in the past to do something about this, more still needs to be done. There are many types of companies that fall into the category being targeted. Pollution controls on power plants will help get rid of

particulates in the air (EPA 2). A prime example of a company that must be closely monitered would be the oil refineries, which release smoke that is filled with cancer causing agents. By filtering the toxins that are being produced at these refineries, the air qualities surrounding these refineries would be greatly improved and to insure that these qualities will remain intact, the air should be frequently and regularly monitored, by such agencies as the Chemical Safety Board and the Environmental Protection Agency. Oil refineries are of course not the only industries at fault, unfortunately they are just one of a number of industries that are polluting the air. The easy answer would be to simply shut down any factory that was found to be polluting the air. Obviously, nothing is

that simple and straightforward. These factories are providing goods and services that are vital to the existence of modern society, whether or not the by products of such factories emit harmful pollutants into the air. The answer is not to shut those companies down, but to create more effective standards and regulations for these factories to follow. The amount of toxins being released into the air must be strictly monitored, and if possible, new, cleaner methods by which to manufacture the products must be explored. The emphasis of new policies should be placed primarily on factories, while not completely ignoring the effects of automobiles. Industrial air pollution is the greatest threat to air quality in the United States. (Sorvall 34) The government needs to review the