Hazardous Industrial Facilities in the Environment - Report Example

Name: xxxxxxxxx Course: xxxxxxxxx Title: Hazardous industrial facilities Institution: xxxxxxxxx @ 2009 Hazardous industrial facilities Introduction A number of human activities in the environment pose great risks to both the natural resources found in the environment and the human life. The automobile industry has been attributed for being one of the largest sources of detrimental emissions that cause great harm to the environment. This paper seeks to provide an incisive and comprehensive outlook on the risks that the automobile industry poses to the environment. It will incorporate a logic tree with structural pathways that indicate the potential sources of harm and consequences that come about as a result of the automobile industry. This paper will identify scientific approaches that have been incorporated in order to quantify the selected pathways in the logic tree. It will also identify the weakness of the scientific methods used to quantify the selected pathways in the logic tree. Moreover, this paper will seek to evaluate the feasibility of controlling the environmental risks brought by the automobile industry. The likelihood and magnitude of environmental risks posed by the automobile industry will be compared with other environmental risks factors. Additionally, this paper will assess the perceptions of people in regard to the environmental risks posed by the automobile industry. Rationale The automobile industry has been ranked as one of the most growing industries in the world market. This industry essentially revolves around the manufacture and sell of motor vehicles. According to recent statistics over 71.9 million new automobile were manufactured and put to use in 2007. Recent research from the National research council indicates that environmental pollution brought about by the manufacture of automobile energy sources caused harm that can be estimated to be $120 billion dollars. These expenses were incurred as a result of damage done on agriculture, human health and other natural resources in the environment. Materials used in the manufacture of electric batteries take up a lot of energy in the course of their production and moreover harmful gases such as Lead are emitted to the environment during such productions. The findings of the report pointed out that oil are mostly relied on to facilitate transportation in automobile facilities consequently climate related damages can be attributed to the process in which oil is extracted and produced. Motor vehicles produce a number of environment pollutants that are very harmful to human life and natural resources in the environment. They include methane, green house gas that affect the ozone layer. Carbon monoxide is also produced as a result of incomplete combustion this gas reduces the oxygen quotient in the blood. Other environmental pollutants produced as result of automobile facilities include Lead, Sulphur oxides and Nitrogen oxides among many other harmful gases (Domansky 2000). Evidently, the automobile industry is a great environmental risk issue since emissions from cars kill over 30,000 people every year in the United States. Ozone pollution to a great extent come a result of pollution brought about by motor vehicles. The motor vehicle pollution comprises of 52% of reactive hydrocarbons and 72% nitrogen oxides that constitute of ozone pollutants. Emissions that come as a result of the manufacture of motor vehicles form 43% of global warming pollutants. Additionally, the manufacture of automobile rubber tires has over the course of time affected the world wide forest coverage since its production solely relies on the trees consequently the rate of deforestation has increased thus leading to poor rain patterns and the destruction of appropriate habitat for living creatures. Automobile pollutions have been attributed for increasing the risk of, lung cancer, asthma leukemia and other disorders found particularly in people who reside near busy roads and interstate highways. Report compiled from the findings of 27 scientific, peer-reviewed studies that centered on the effects of automobile emissions such as small bits of unburned metals referred to as particulate matter, soot, benzene and nitrogen dioxide point out that most susceptible heath impacts in both young and old people are from automobile exhausts. It is therefore apparent that the automobile industry is a great environmental risk issue (Domansky 2000). Logic Tree Scientific approaches of quantifying environmental risks A number of scientific approaches have been used to quantify environmental risks as presented in the logic tree. For instance, the scientific quantitative assessment of health impacts that comes as result of automobile emissions has been actualized through the estimation of the exposure distribution in the population and the selection of associated health diseases and effects. Furthermore, the scientific estimation of response exposure relationship has been incorporated to quantify the Lead health risks as presented in the logic tree. The multiplication of the total number of disease cases that come as a result of Lead emissions by the fraction of Lead related diseases bring about the number of Lead disease cases in a particular study population. This scientific method of quantify environmental risks is referred to as the Environmental Burden of Disease methodology. This quantifying methodology provides an estimation means of quantitative assessment of health effects at the population level (Prüss, Corvalán & Pastides 2001). Alternative scientific methods of quantifying environmental risks that come as a result of emissions from the automobile industry involve the use scientific experiments and analytical methods. For instance, when estimating the quantitative risks that come as result of automobile oil spills, green house effects or deforestation scientific methods that revolve around mathematical statistics, epidemiology, engineering and toxicology can be incorporated. Toxicology methodology of quantifying environmental risks particularly in automobile emissions involves the analysis of the adverse effects of toxic automobile pollutants to the environment. Other scientific methods of quantifying environmental risks include mathematical estimations, probability theories and ecological modeling. Mathematical estimations incorporate mathematical principles or operation to determine the extent of the identified risk factors. Limitations of Scientific approaches of quantifying environmental risks There exist key differences in the scope of theoretical factors that revolve around estimation of the environmental effects of automobile energy options as to whether the magnitude of risks that are to be assessed should be evaluated quantitatively or qualitatively. Furthermore, the scientific approaches of quantifying environmental risks are carried out in the framework of an estimating process or forecasting. Consequently, the accuracy of these estimations is not substantial. A number of issues tend to arise in the course of conducting scientific approaches of quantifying environmental risks. These issues include the significant role of simplifying assumptions and the adequacy of the presented information (WHO 2002). The environmental costs of the information derived from the scientific approaches of quantifying environmental risks are essentially great. The aptitude and limitations of the various quantitative methods such as mathematical estimations, probability theories and ecological modeling are costly. In addition these methods could have adverse environmental and health implications. Since some of these methods could involve the use of sophisticated apparatus and technology that could in turn be hazardous to the environment and human life. Quantitative modeling draws bouts of uncertainty as far as decision making is concerned (Prüss, Corvalán & Pastides 2001). Axes of further research on scientific approaches of quantifying environmental risks have over course of time failed to come into consensus on the best ways of drawing conclusions of quantifying environmental risks. In reference to the applicable standards and regulations of decision making in the quantification of environmental risks it is apparent that these scientific approaches involves the proper identification of main steps such as quantification modeling of the uncertainty sources of an inverse approach . The propagation of the pre-existing environmental risk factors that come as a result of harmful automobile emissions are hardly addressed during the process of estimating environmental risk factors. Moreover, there is a lack of consensus when using distinct method s of estimation to establish acommon environmental risks factor brought about by the automobile industry. For instance, when using numeric design to quantify environmental risks the results vary with the finding s of scientific computing approaches (Covello & Miley 1993). Feasibility of automobile risk control In an effort to curb the environmental risks brought about by the automobile industry a number of countries are slowly introducing legal regulations that aim at minimizing the automobile environmental risks. For instance in the United Kingdom the Department of Environment, Food and Rural affairs has established policies on automobile pollution management. The United States legislation body on the other hand has enacted a series of clean air Acts that are geared towards minimizing and controlling emissions from the automobile industry. The impact of these regulations has been fruitful in minimizing the environmental risks brought about by the automobile industry. According to scientific quantitative statistics, Lead and carbon monoxide emissions in the United States fell from 197million tons to 89 million tons between the year 1970 to 2006. In the United Kingdom Nitrogen oxide emissions from the automobile industry fell from 27 million tons to 19 million tons as a result of the introduced policies on automobile risk control. Moreover, the United States enacted the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act in 1965. This Act stipulated emission standards and regulations on light-duty vehicles. The Act called for a 56% reduction of carbon monoxide and a72% reduction of hydrocarbons that come as a result of emissions from the automobile industry. Environmental activists have embarked on a mission to educate the public on the harmful effects emissions that come from the automobile industry to the environment and how these environmental risks can be controlled and minimized (Pierce, Weiner & Vesilindi 1998). Additionally, experts in the automobile industry have devised new energy sources that are less toxic and harmful to the environment. Moreover, the newly produced fuel sources have increased fuel efficiency. In spite of the continuous efforts geared towards minimizing and controlling the environmental risks brought about by the automobile industry, the automobile industry is continuously experiencing growth as more motor vehicles are increasingly being manufactured. Consequently, environmental pollutants have increased as a result of pollutants originating from motor vehicles. Comparison between automobile industrial pollution and other environmental risk factors. Besides pollutants from the automobile industries there exist other environmental risk factors. Some of these risk factors include acid rain or run offs that come as a result of acid air borne pollutants. These pollutants are highly destructive to the environment. Unlike the pollutants from the automobile industry acidic pollutants cause great environmental problems that cannot be seen. Over the course of time scientific studies have been directed towards the actual causes of acidic rain. A number of scientists attribute human activities or production as the main cause of acidic rain. However, unlike the automobile environmental risk factor s acidic rain is caused natural. Intensive research conducted has proved that the surfacing of acidic rain varies from one area to the other. For instance, in third world countries whereby the level of pollution is low the surfacing of the acid rain tends to be high. Nonetheless, given the fact that acid rain spread fast this is inherently a global issue.The effects of acidic rain to the environment are indeed stifling to the environment. Acid rain contributes the acidification of streams and other water bodies. Furthermore, acid rain drastically damages the forest cover and soil quotient at high elevations. It also accelerates the decay and corrosion of building structures and paints. In addition, acid rain contributes to health degradation. Perspectives on the automobile industry as an environmental risk factor The automobile industry has been ranked as one of the most growing industries in the world market. According to recent statistics over 71.9 million new automobile were manufactured and put to use in 2007. It evident that motor vehicles are trendy and popular means of facilitating movements. Despite the fact that people are concerned about their environment few stop to think about the effects of motor vehicles to their environment. In comparison to other environmental risk factors many barely consider the automobile industry that greatly contributes to environmental pollution. Scientific methods used to establish the perception of people on the automobile industry as an environmental risk factor incorporates qualitative and quantitative risk estimates. Additional statistical data analysis has been used to establish the findings. This quantifying and qualitative methodology provides an estimation means of assessing the magnitude of environmental risks that come as a result of the emissions from the automobile industry (Covello & Miley 1993). Bibliography Covello, V & Miley, W, 1993, Risk assessment methods: approaches for assessing health and environmental risks. Springer publishers, New York. Domansky, L, 2000, Automobile industry: current issues. Nova publishers. New York. Pierce, J, Weiner, R & Vesilindi, A, 1998, Environmental pollution and control, Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers. New York. Prüss A, Corvalán C& Pastides H, (2001) Methodologic Considerations in Estimating Burden of Disease from Environmental Risk Factors at National and Global levels, International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 7:58-67. Retrieved on November 22, 2009, WHO, 2002, World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy life, WHO, Geneva, Retrieved on November 22, 2009 Read More