Re: Life Duty Death
theraven (theraven@wco.com)
21 Sep 1995 06:23:45 GMT
<jbask1.1520.305E004F@MFS06.cc.monash.edu.au>
Organization: WCO - West Coast Online 1.800.WCO.INTERNET
Joseph Askew (jbask1@MFS06.cc.monash.edu.au) wrote:
: In article <julie.cpc.113.00105366@mhs.unc.edu> julie.cpc@mhs.unc.edu (Julie Locascio) writes:
: >People who visited Niagara Falls told me that everybody has to wear disposable
: >rain ponchos there because the acid in the falls just eats through clothing
: >and rubber rain ponchos.
: And a friend of mine claims that the CIA has put a microchip
: in his brain and bugs his apartment. So? Care to even begin
: to try to document a case of acid rain causing problems?
: Joseph
Have you ever been up close and personal to a coal-fired power plant?
Some of the first air pollution laws in this country came about because
of NOx and SOx emitted from these sources. These gases, formed during
combustion from impurities in natural coal, turn into HNO3 and H2SO4
(nitric and sulfuric acids, respectively) when they cool in a moist
environment (i.e. regular atmospheric air). When there is precipitation
in a region where these gases have been emitted (in tons, BTW, in the
early 70's) the precipitation is acidic. If a power plant emits NOx in
terms of several tons per year, then the local rainfall will be acidified
with tons of pure HNO3 each year, not counting groundwater uptake and
recirculation from *last* year. There are several such gases, NOx and
SOx are just the most prevalent in power generation, and other fossil
fuel combustion sources. I'll leave the chemistry as an exercise for
the student. In some power plant areas it was eating paint off of peoples
cars, and other noticable effects.
I'd name some of these power plants and their emissions of today, but it
would violate client confidentiality. However, for those who live in
such areas, the emissions inventories for each year are usually a matter
of public record. I can't give it to you, but you can get it.
For some real reading on the subject, look in your library under 'air
pollution', 'criteria pollutants', 'NOx', 'SOx', 'clean air act', and
other subjects having to do with industrial air emissions.
When you can argue from a sound technical basis, I might consider what
you have to say. When all you give is denials and straw arguments, you
just prove your ignorance.
BTW, I work for a company that is a certified contractor for testing such
sources, as well as designing systems to reduce such emissions. Those
acidic gases are not fun to get a whiff of. They are very real.
Ravan
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