A NASA satellite discovers 39 unreported man - made sources of
toxic sulfur dioxide emissions.
Amid clouds of
toxic sulfur dioxide gas, he carries heavy loads up a steep, rocky path from the crater floor to the rim, then to a distant weigh - station.
Earlier this year, Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's largest island piped up with explosive eruptions and
toxic sulfur dioxide emissions, sending U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists scrambling to predict the volcano's next move and whether neighboring villagers would be in harm's way.
Using a new satellite - based method, scientists at NASA, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and two universities have located 39 unreported and major human - made sources of
toxic sulfur dioxide emissions.
Not exact matches
The research team also located 75 natural sources of
sulfur dioxide — non-erupting volcanoes slowly leaking the
toxic gas throughout the year.
This is more than the capturing of 41 percent of
sulfur dioxide and 90 percent of mercury emissions called for by the new mercury and air
toxic standards (MATS) issued by the EPA in December 2011.
Coal is responsible for at least 50 % of
sulfur dioxide emissions and is a major contributor to nitrous oxide and Particulate Matter (PM2.5) emissions which are three major
toxic air pollutants;
Compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which is refined from crude oil, biodiesel combustion produces fewer air pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide,
sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, and air
toxics.
When coal is burned due to combustion that is more or less completed the result is different levels of energy (B.T.U.'s), and different levels of air emissions (
Sulfur Dioxide - SO2, Mercury - Hg), greenhouse gases (Carbon
Dioxide CO2, Nitrogen Oxide - NO3), and amounts of ash that can potentially be
toxic dependent on the conditions within the combustion chamber and ash that can or can not be used in a secondary market (ex.
But it's also the by - product of fossil fuel combustion, and when a refinery or power plant reduces its greenhouse gas emissions (by becoming more energy - efficient, for example), it also releases fewer smog - forming chemicals like nitrogen oxides, less of the
sulfur dioxide and soot that can irritate lungs and cause respiratory disease, and fewer
toxic emissions linked to cancer and neurological disorders.
In the mid-20th century, coal - burning power plants and other sources released huge amounts of
sulfur dioxide, which then formed
toxic sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere.
While the EPA has, under the Clean Air Act put federal limits on
toxic emissions of arsenic, mercury, and lead pollution that power plants emit — as well as on pollutants like
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides — there are currently no such limits on the carbon emissions from new or existing power plants.
The communities along this corridor have long faced health impacts and pollution from these refineries, and the pollution is only getting worse as the refineries accept and process tar sands crude, which exposes residents to even greater levels of
toxic chemicals, particulate matter,
sulfur dioxide, lead, carbon
dioxide, and other harmful pollutants.
Fossil fuel electricity has only been cheaper than the more economically viable of the environmentally friendly options (for example wind and solar power) because the fossil fuel power station operators are allowed to dump their waste (carbon
dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and
sulfur,
toxic metals and particulate matter) into the atmosphere at no cost to themselves.
The plants are 100 years old, emit mercury, soot, and
sulfur dioxide, among other
toxic pollutants, and are exempt from some Clean Air Act limits.
Coal - fired power plant emissions also contain many other
toxic elements and compounds, including
sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), particulate matter, hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF), arsenic, and heavy metals like chromium and cadmium.
Coal mining and power production release
toxic heavy metals like mercury, respiratory irritants like
sulfur dioxide and particulates, and large volumes of heat - trapping gases like carbon
dioxide and methane.