Pollution Effects of the Metal and Steel Industry in the UAE - Case Study Example

Pollution Effects of the Metal and Steel Industry in UAE Name Course Institution Date Pollution Effects of the Metal and Steel Industry in UAE Introduction The iron and steel industry in the UAE has been growing since the end of the Second World War. It was largely driven by the prospects of economic prosperity and infrastructural development. Other economic drivers included the ever-increasing demand for steel in the country, national industrialization incentives, local availability of metal deposits, and the overall desire for social progress. In recent years, metal mills have been established to produce reinforcing bars and billets from recycled scrap metals. Rolling mills can also use the billets to craet coated metal strips. The other category of steel processors are tube millers who build steel pipes for use in transporting petroleum, water and mineral gas. Mass steel production in the UAE increased significantly in the 1990s. Some notable metal industries in Saudi Arabia include the Hadeed complex, the Saudi Iron and Steel Company. Other players in UAE include the General Industrial Corporation and the Emirates Iron and Steel Factory. The steel industries in UAE are comparably large, partly facilitated by the domestic market forces in the country. Much of UAE’s steel production lineage depends on imported raw materials. The steel industry in UAE has grown to become a major sector in UAE. Other related metal industries include; Aluminium rolling mills driven by players like Dubai Aluminium Company. The growth has also brought along new environmental concerns occasioned by improper metal waste disposal. The steel industry UAE is increasingly becoming globalized due to its significance in the automobile, aeroplane, cargo ship, and construction industries. It is important to start rethinking about the steel production processes and remodel them to incorporate a sustainability paradigm. Considering the fact that steel is recyclable, metal wastes can be absorbed back into the value chain. This way, the pollutant effect of heavy metals would be eliminated in an effective manner. It would also provide a basis for proper management of material flows by reducing costs. Over the years, the steel industry has been perceived as a dirty industry mainly due to the nature of steel processing functions executed in the steel mills. The steel industry is particularly known for high-heat and high- noise operations during the metal smelting and molding processes. This often affects the immediate workers exposed to the steel processing environment. There is also increased risk of exposure to dangerous radiations emanating from sparks associated with the production process (El-Shahawi & Al-Yousuf, 1998). In most cases, workers in such environments often complain of physiological problems such as poor visual acuity, affected hearing and frequent muscle cramps. Industrial workers dealing in metal processing may be exposed to harmful heavy metals such as Lead. Once Lead gets into the blood system, an individual runs a higher risk of developing high blood pressure and other associated diseases like heart disease. There is increased levels of concern for the pollutant effect that the Lead industry in UAE is leaving on the country’s ecosystem. Metals can also seep into the ground and pollute soil and underground water sources. This is often the case in urban industrial areas with metal smelting industries. The soil is considered to be polluted if it tests positive for elements excluded from the allowable concentrations or the allowable elements test higher than normal. The two common steel making processes include the use of electric arc furnace and the use of basic oxygen (Moggridge, 2014). The iron mineral ores are heated with limestone and coke in a heating furnace to eliminate the oxygen component and create brittle iron. Further purification is conducted to reduce the carbon content. The need for large coke deposits to heat and smelt the iron ore often leaves behind severe environmental damage due to coal mining. The pollutant heavy metals can dissolve and sip into the soil. They may later be washed away into water bodies such as nearby rivers and lakes. This often occurs when urban surface water flows in areas having increased urban industrial activities like metal smelting. The surface water eventually connects to nearby drainage systems such as rivers and lakes. When this contaminated water gets to the lake, the aquatic animals are likely to ingest the heavy metals. Fresh water and marine fishes may take in Lead portions from polluted water bodies. The fishes would then serve as a conduit for human infection (Saunders, Al Zahed & Paterson, 2007). Lead may end up polluting the soil surrounding the industrial areas. Crops can then absorb Lead portions from the contaminated soil, making them in appropriate for human consumption. Lead consumption has been associated with problems such as cancer. Some hazardous components emanating from the steel and metal industry in UAE include: Copper. Copper is very important in plant and animal life due to its mineral value. It can be used to manufacture brass, metal sheets, pipes and bronze. It can get to the atmosphere through mining activities, farming activities or industrial production processes. One may get exposed to high levels of copper by drinking copper-contaminated water of inhaling contaminated air. Excess copper exposure may cause nausea, irritation of the nose, diarrhea, and kidney damage. Polychlorinated biphenyls These are chlorinated compounds- congeners- mostly used to cool transformers and capacitors. They may pollute the environment by leaking from a transformer, old fluorescent tubes, incinerators, transformer workshops, or from a dumpsite. Their main hazard is that they do not decompose easily, making them to stay longer in the environment. Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls may lead to acne, skin, rashes and liver damage (Gomes, Lloyd & Norman, 2002). Lead Mining, industrial activities, and burning of fossil fuel may emit lead into the atmosphere. It is used to produce batteries, paints and electrical solders. Its hazardous characteristic is that it does not break down. It might only change physically due to environmental conditions. This means that it could pollute air or water for a long period of time. It is known to be dangerous to human health because it can affect virtually every body system, starting from the nervous system, the kidneys and the reproductive system (Mobbs, Taib & Wallace, 2012). It is also known to affect brain development, miscarriages and sperm production. In EEE, it is mainly used in CRTs, printed circuit boards, fluorescent tubes and electrical solders. The CRT monitor has about 0.4 -3 kg of lead, making it the highest e-waste contributor of lead. It usually leaches into the underground water resources. Cadmium Cadmium occurs freely as cadmium oxide, cadmium Sulphate and cadmium chloride. It is non-corrosive. It gets into the environment from mining activities, incinerators and industrial operations. Exposure to Cadmium may cause kidney failure, vomiting, diarrhea, and lung problems (Shriadah, 1999). It is favored in electronic manufacture due to its electrical resistance, soldering characteristics, and corrosion resistance. Nickel-Cadmium batteries are used in the older laptops. Nickel may also be found in phosphorescent coatings, contacts and switches in computers, flame retardant in cables, semiconductor in printed circuit boards and plastic computer housing. Arsenic This is a naturally occurring element mostly found in organic and inorganic forms. One may get exposed to it through tasks like copper and lead smelting, burning sawdust and inhaling insecticides. It can lead to darkening of the skin, development of warts, and even death. It may cause skin cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer. It is normally used as a doping agent in transistors, making up about 0.0013% of a typical desktop computer. Nickel Nickel is often emitted into the atmosphere by industries that use coal and oil to power their operations. The industries that specifically produce nickel products as their end product at times emit some fumes into the atmosphere. Nickel can also be emitted by incinerators. Eating food that has been contaminated by Nickel of breathing nickel-contaminated air may cause serious allergic reactions. It may also cause bronchitis, reduced lung functions and lung cancer. The normal desktop computer would have about 0.85% composition of Nickel. One solution for minimizing the environmental impact of heavy metals disposed from the metal industries in UAE is to classify the types of wastes. The predication of waste qualities involves the designation and classification of the harmful or hazardous wastes. Designation is distinct from classification in that, it is used for regulation whereas classification is used for to facilitate monitoring of hazardous substances (Naser, 2013). Qualities of wastes have to be asserted thus making it easier to know the level at which the substance is harmful to the living beings. This is done through designation and classification of the wastes. After the wastes have been trapped, they should be monitored. Hazardous waste classification system detects the waste, and collects important statistics on its manifestation so as to provide further information that can help in managing and tracking its movement. This process of designation and classification of wastes enables one to identify existing types of hazardous wastes. One would also know how to regulate them. Hazardous waste possibly occurs in three main waste streams: Construction and Demolition (C& D), Commercial and Industrial (C & I) and Municipal (MSW). For instance, hazardous substances in municipal waste stream consists of electronic components such as PVS shielding on cables, and household chemicals like mineral turpentine that contain heavy metals. Electronic wastes usually contain Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium, Hexavalent and fire-deterring substances. Most of these contaminants always find their way into water bodies by entering into the convectional cycle through the atmosphere. Metal smelting is also a relatively expensive affair. This means that metal remnants left by consumers such as metal joiners and vehicle body builders are often regarded as waste. The only viable option for recycling such products is for the metal industries in UAE to adopt a recycling model tailored to collect remaining metal parts from varied client workshops for recycling. The problem with such a model is that the logistical costs of collecting the metal remnants often reduce the incentive for the metal manufacturers to invest in the venture. References El-Shahawi, M. S., & Al-Yousuf, M. H. (1998). Heavy metal (Ni, Co, Cr and Pb) contamination in liver and skin tissues of lethrinus lentjan fish family: lethrinidae (toelost) from the Arabian Gulf. International journal of food sciences and nutrition, 49(6), 447-451. Gomes, J., Lloyd, O., & Norman, N. (2002). 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