UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION docx

This page intentionally left blank Understanding Environmental Pollution APrimer Understanding Environmental Pollution systematically introduces pollution issues to students and others with little scientific background. The first edition received excellent reviews, and the new edition has been com- pletely refined and updated. The book moves from the definition of pollution and how pollutants behave, to air- and water-pollution basics, pollution and global change, solid waste, and pollution in the home. It also discusses persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals and pesticides, and places greater emphasis on global pollutants. The relationship between energy generation, its use, and pollution is stressed, as well as the importance of going beyond pol- lution control, to pollution prevention. Impacts on human and environ- mental health are emphasized throughout. Students are often invited to come to their own conclusions after having been presented with a variety of opinions. This textbook provides the basic concepts of pollution, toxicology, and risk assessment for non-science majors as well as environmental-science students. Marquita Hill developed a number of environmental courses at the University of Maine, including “Issues in Environmental Pollution,” an interdisciplinary introductory course, and “Pollution Prevention and Industrial Ecology” in the Department of Chemical Engineering. She was for7years a visiting scholar in Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, and was a founding member and the first presi- dent of the Green Campus Consortium of Maine, an organization devoted to finding sustainable means of management for the state’s institutions of higher learning. Understanding Environmental Pollution A Primer Second Edition Marquita K. Hill Formerly of the University of Maine cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK First published in print format isbn-13 978-0-521-82024-0 isbn-13 978-0-521-52726-2 isbn-13 978-0-511-21101-0 © M. K. Hill 2004 2004 Information on this title: www.cambrid g e.or g /9780521820240 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. isbn-10 0-511-21278-x isbn-10 0-521-82024-3 isbn-10 0-521-52726-0 Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org hardback p a p erback p a p erback eBook (EBL) eBook (EBL) hardback This book is dedicated with love and gratitude to my husband, John C. Hassler, and to our children Evan Samli, Matthew Hassler, and Cynthia Filgate. Contents Preface page ix Acknowledgements xi List of abbreviations and acronyms xii Chapter 1 Understanding pollution 1 Chapter 2 Reducing pollution 30 Chapter 3 Chemical toxicity 51 Chapter 4 Chemical exposures and risk assessment 81 Chapter 5 Air pollution 107 Chapter 6 Acidic deposition 142 Chapter 7 Global climate change 154 Chapter 8 Stratospheric-ozone depletion 181 Chapter 9 Water pollution 199 Chapter 10 Drinking-water pollution 239 Chapter 11 Solid waste 253 Chapter 12 Hazardous waste 282 Chapter 13 Energy 303 Chapter 14 Persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic 339 Chapter 15 Metals 350 Chapter 16 Pesticides 372 Chapter 17 Pollution at home 401 Chapter 18 Zero waste, zero emissions 427 Index 452 [...]... its many environmental problems Why does pollution happen? Unless you assume that people and industry deliberately pollute, the question arises why does pollution occur? Pollution happens because no process is 100% efficient Consider your body it cannot use 100% 4 Anon Hong Kong starts pollution clean up in earnest Chemical Engineering Progress, 90(2), February, 1994, 12 15 7 8 UNDERSTANDING POLLUTION. ..Preface Understanding Environmental Pollution has been updated and almost completely revised The book summarizes the basics of pollution, working to use language understandable to those with limited science background, while remaining useful to those with more The impacts of pollution on environmental health receive greater attention in this edition,... organic compounds (or volatile organic chemicals) Chapter 1 Understanding pollution “The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment All economic activity is dependent upon that environment with its underlying resource base.” US Senator Gaylord Nelson on first Earth Day, 1970 What is pollution and why is it important? Why does pollution occur, and is it harmful at all levels? What happens... major question that society faces is how to value nature’s many services while still respecting private property What approaches could we use to solve this major problem? 5 6 UNDERSTANDING POLLUTION SECTION II Pollution When pollution is obvious If you read that a pollutant is ‘‘any substance introduced into the environment that adversely affects the usefulness of a resource” you learn little But the... second edition also has greater emphasis on pollution problems in less-developed nations It often delves too into pollution that moves beyond national boundaries In addition, more references are included at the end of chapters, including many web sites A framework: Chapters 1 through 4 provide basic information on pollution, the issues that it poses, and on reducing pollution They also discuss concepts important... to synthetic pesticides often raise their own problems Chapter 17 focuses on pollution closer to home, the pollutants that concentrate within our households Chapter 18 ends the book on the hopeful x PREFACE theme of Zero waste, zero emissions While society must continue to grapple with the basics of pollution control and pollution prevention, others are going further Some businesses, cities, even whole... or tighten your breathing Thirty years ago pollution in the United States, a wealthy country, was easy to see Rivers were often obviously polluted Industries located on rivers often released large quantities of pollution into them Oil floating on the surface of Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught on fire on more than one occasion; one fire in 1959 burned for 8 days Air pollution was obvious too Soot in industrial... are not too high A catastrophic instance of pollution, an explosion at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India is presented The opposite extreme, the risk of pollutants in the environment at very low levels is examined too Section III moves into impoverished parts of the world where pollution sometimes devastates human health Section IV looks at root causes of pollution, in particular population growth,... underlying soil and rocks Inside the building, concentrations build up to levels higher than those outside Radon is associated with human lung cancer The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks radon second only to environmental tobacco smoke as an environmental health risk Arsenic is also a natural chemical Until recently it was not a problem to people in Bangladesh and India However, millions of... petroleum refineries Manufacturing facilities Commercial operations such as dry cleaners, bakeries, and garages Plants that generate electric power by burning coal, oil, or 11 12 UNDERSTANDING POLLUTION Figure 1.1 Sources of water pollution Source: US EPA natural gas Agricultural operations growing crops or raising animals Food processing operations Mining operations ConMilitary operations Forestry operations . intentionally left blank Understanding Environmental Pollution APrimer Understanding Environmental Pollution systematically introduces pollution issues to students. the definition of pollution and how pollutants behave, to air- and water -pollution basics, pollution and global change, solid waste, and pollution in the