Environtmental and Global Health

Posts Tagged ‘Pollution and Toxic Waste’

The continuing contamination, daily quiet is much more severe than occasionally splashing the pages of newspapers. Supertanker accidents (Exxon Valdex, Aegean …), industrial plants (plant biocide of multinational Union Carbide in Bhopal, India) are small when compared with the amounts of pollutants are discharged annually by industrialized country.

These are the six pillars on which rests the entire industrial economy and therefore the main sources of the pollutants described above. The data relating to Spain, from official estimates of the decade 80-89.

- Oil refining
Ten establishments that have occurred over the decade an average of 36 million tons. This has an energy expenditure of 1.5 million megawatts, damaging 360 million m3 of water per year (almost 8 times the annual flow of the river Manzanares), emitted into the atmosphere 150,000 tons of anhydrous sulfuric acid and 17,000 of nitrogen oxides ( equivalent to 19 tons of pollution every year in hours). Do not forget that the fate of the production of this sector is also polluting: the burning of oil multiplied by hundreds atmospheric corrosion. Read the rest of this entry »

These are the substances most important pollutants because of their greater volume or greater toxicity.

Classical pollutants:

- Carbon dioxide (CO2): The main gas responsible for global warming.

- Nitrogen oxides (NOx) contribute to the formation of ground level ozone and smog.

- Hydrogen chloride (HCl): Very soluble in water, forms a very strong acid called hydrochloric acid, responsible for the formation of acid mists in environmental conditions of humidity and for investments. Such a situation may cause irritation of eyes and other sensitive human tissues and respiratory problems.

- Sulphur dioxide (SO2): Principal responsible for the destruction of almost one third of the forests of central and northern Europe by acid rain. Read the rest of this entry »

Pollution

Pollution and toxic waste are a poorly understood aspect of progress. Human beings do not realize the magnitude of the problem. Live every day with thousands of chemicals that reach him through the water, air, land and the products they consume. Currently, there are between 80,000 and 120,000 synthetic chemicals in production and released into the market an average of 3 new synthetic chemicals per day. There is very little information about many of these compounds and their impact on the environment and health of people.

The emission to the environment of these substances pose a serious risk to life. Every newborn has on your body and contaminants in the environment by human activity. The continuing contamination, daily quiet is much more severe than occasionally splashing the pages of newspapers. Accidents Valdex-Exxon supertankers, Aegean Sea, Prestige …-, of industrial-plant biocide of multinational Union Carbide in Bhopal, India, remain small when compared with the amounts of pollutants are discharged annually worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »