The first think that I see when I walk outside everyday is the layer of haze that looms across the Wasatch Front. It doesn’t surprise me that The American Lung Association gave Salt Lake City an F, on our “State of the Air” report card. (American Lung Association,2013).What companies are the biggest contributor to our pollution? Should our children suffer the consequences of pollution? There are many causes and effects of pollution along the Wasatch Front, which includes large industrial companies, commercial companies and household pollution.
Utah is known to have the best snow on earth, we have beautiful scenery, relaxation and recreation all within minutes of our front door. But what about that dirty air that seems to last for months? Utah has four of the nations 100 largest oil fields, which produces 1.2% of the nation’s output, with 3,600 active wells. Utah ranks 11th in the nation of oil production, and we have five refineries in the Salt Lake area that can produce 175,500 barrels of oil per day (House,2012). The major effect of these practices, is the effect of air pollution along the Wasatch Front and the serious health consequences on children, teens and adults.
Pollution is especially bad during the winter months in Utah. After a snow storm, a thick layer of fog and dirty air builds up. Snow is then left on the valley floors of Salt Lake City and then the warm high pressure will trap the cold air, which creates an effect of putting a lid on a bowl. This thick layer of smoggy air keeps the dirty air from our emissions and keeps the pollutants from escaping (Frosch,2013).
Salt Lake City, Provo and Logan rank consistently in the top ten U.S. Cities for the air pollution. Vehicle emission account for more than hal...
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...have to drive from Heber City, to I-80 through Park City, down Parleys Canyon and along Northbound I-15.They estimate that would be one truck every four minutes, every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.(“Salt Lake Oil,”2013).
The Holly Refinery was granted a permit in November 2012 to expand its operations. This will create even more emissions and increase diesel exhaust from the new trucks. Residents in Utah will be getting more pollution and
Expansion of these refineries would increase the capacity to 21,000 to 24,000 barrels of wax crude oil per day Six years ago Holly Refinery produced 3,000 barrels per day and Tesoro produced around 500 barrels per day (House, 2012).
Driving emits particle pollution, which increases the risk of heart disease, lung cancer and asthma. Particle pollution is processed in two ways, either mechanical or chemical.
would have the capacity to transport 525,000 barrels of oil per day. The project would
Now the problem is to transport this entire product we would have to use the product that we are trying to ship. Also to ship at the capacity that we need to meet or average per day we would have to ship about 39 tanker trucks considering the average tanker truck holds about, 200 bbl/d. Also keep in mind that is just British Columbia’s use of oil not to mention the oil the leaves our ports. So economically and also environmentally this is not the best proposed
Many people are unknowingly exposed to air pollution and have no idea. Some common causes of air pollution are automobiles, factories, landfills and toxic materials. Air pollution destroys the environment; it causes climate change because it greatly affects the greenhouse effect and it causes acid rain. Acid rain contaminates water and destroys animal’s homes. Air pollution has many effects on people it causes coughing, elevates your risk of asthma, wheezing, it can cause diseases and birth defects. It’s estimated “that seven million people died prematurely in 2012 from exposure to air pollution and that air pollution can cause cardiovascular diseases. The use of incinerators has caused protest movements from the Chinese citizens because they are becoming aware of the air pollution that is being given off from the burning of their trash and the effects it has on their health. There have been many reports of premature births and stillbirths of pregnant women that live near garbage incinerators”( Professional Safety, 2014, p.
West Virginia and Kentucky have been faced with a rise in health-related issues, leading the nation in cancer-related deaths. Many of those cases have been said to be caused from greater exposer to pollution from coal-mining activity, which is said to increase your chances for cancer along with other fatal diseases. The Appalachia area has seen a rise in mortality rates, over 60,000 cases of those being cancer-related deaths directly linked to mountaintop removal practices. Mountaintop removal has been deemed as cleaner and safer than men going below ground to mine for coal, but with Appalachian communities- primarily in West Virginia, Kentucky and Southwestern Virginia seeing a high rise in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and birth defects rates, mountaintop removal has been looked at as one of the main causes.
All three of these examples prove that pollution is happening in Texas and that it is important for residents to get involved if they want a change to happen. Sometimes, even governmental agencies cannot stop pollution. We must take care of our natural resources, especially land and water, because they are non-renewable. We want our state to be clean for our grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. This will not happen unless residents of these toxic waste sites take action and let their voices be heard. Besides, whatever happened to the slogan, “Don’t Mess With Texas?”
Gulbinas, Vilija. “On the Road to Recovery: an Angelino’s Guide to Smog”. Los Angeles, CA: US. 1998. www.ben2.ucla.edu/~vgulbina
The quality of air we intake on a daily basis is essential to our health, therefore, the EPA’s Clean Air Act provides the groundwork to support the quality of the air which we breathe. One of the goals of the Act was to set and achieve NAAQS in every state by 1975 to address the public health and welfare risks posed by certain air pollutants. The setting of these pollutant standards was coupled with directing the states to develop state implementation plans (SIPs), applicable to appropriate industrial sources in the stat...
While air pollution is currently controlled nationwide under the Clean Air Act and mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution levels that do not exceed those set by the EPA have been shown to be associated with an increased incidence of respiratory diseases, such as asthma. One indication that air pollution has affected acute asthma is the increase in hospital admissions above the normal annual trend that occurred in 1991 and 1994, an increase that coincided with increased air pollution and heavy haze due to forest fires and volcano eruptions near the study’s location (Chew et al., 1999). Further analysis conducted by Chew et al. (1999) suggests that these air pollutants also have influenced acute asthma beyond the episodes of increased air pollution. This finding has important implications for the growing number of asthma sufferers who are continually being exposed to rising concentrations of air pollutants.
While one may visualize air pollution as huge fumes of smoke arising from a chimney and tainting the air of a city, this kind of image is not reflective of how Kansas City appears. However, air pollution is still an issue to consider as it can arise if residents do not act to prevent pollutants into our breathing environment. One of the most prevalent air pollution issues in Kansas City regards the ground level ozone levels. One should note that there are two types of ozone that make up the atmosphere: the ozone layer at a high altitude above the Earth and the ground-level ozone. The first type that is above Earth protects us from ultraviolet radiation from the sun, but the second type is commonly known as ozone pollution or smog (Mid-America Regional Council). Thus, ground-level ozone is a concern when present in at high levels in environments. Before diving in, one should be familiar with how high ground level ozone levels can be harmful. According to Dahl, an adjunct professor affiliated with the department of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, clarifies that “ozone is a common urban pollutant that has been linked to
In L.A. alone there were 2,700,00 automobiles that were burning 5 ½ million gallons of gasoline and a combine 8,000 tons of contaminants. The automobile companies may not have thought their cars were causing all this damage not only to the city of L.A and to the whole entire country but the APCD (Air Pollution Control District)
If progress is made toward making cars and trucks continuously more and more environmentally friendly, then the biggest source of harmful emission into the atmosphere will be put to a stop. On average, for each mile driven in a standard vehicle, 411 grams of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere, this equates to roughly 4.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, whereas a car that operates fully on electricity releases no tailpipe emissions into the atmosphere(EPA, 1). As this staggering
Many hazardous pollutants escape from the internal combustion of the engine. Conventional gas powered vehicles use irreplaceable fossil fuels to run. When burned, these fossil fuels create numerous toxins like carbon dioxide (Larminie 246). Carbon dioxide is considered the main greenhouse gas that creates the foundation for global warming (hybridcars.com, pollutants). This harmful pollutant may not have a serious effect on people at first, but it does have consequential effects on the environment that in turn put people in danger (Nutramed.com). The major consequence caused by global warming is the rise in average temperature. This results in a domino...
There are many kinds of air pollution. The ones I want to talk about are the ozone, acid rain, carbon monoxide and toxic air contaminants. Ozone is formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide react in sunlight. Therefore, ozone is at its peak during hot summer days. Exposure to high levels of ozone can have serious consequences on your health. It can cause respiratory disease, loss of pulmonary elasticity, and premature aging of our lungs. Next, is acid rain, which occurs in the atmosphere in the form of sulfur and nitrogen oxide. These pollutants can have serious damaging affects on aquatic, forest and wildlife ecosystems, as well as deterioration of buildings. Carbon monoxide is another form of pollution. It reduces the blood?s ability to carry oxygen. If a human is exposed to higher levels, it can cause chest pains, angina attacks or even death.
Car pollutants cause immediate and long-term effects on the environment. Car exhausts emit a wide range of gases and solid matter, causing global warming, acid rain, and harming the environment and human health. Engine noise and fuel spills also cause pollution. Cars, trucks and other forms of transportation are the single largest contributor to air pollution in the United States, but car owners can reduce their vehicle's effects on the environment. Car pollution is one of the major causes of global warming. Cars and trucks emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which contribute one-fifth of the United States' total global warming pollution. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which causes worldwide temperatures to rise.