...Pollution in Richmond, California. Pollution is the introduction of several chemical substances or energy to a natural environment witch exceeds the standard levels regulated by Countries. It can damage the ecosystem and living organisms. Some of the effects caused by pollution are respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, congestion and even death. (Anonymous, 2011) Chevron refinery in Richmond, California, opened its door on 1902. The plant has over 1,300 employees, cover 2,900 acres (12 km2), operate 30 plants and can move 340,000 barrels of raw material a day. The company has had many problems regarding the safety of their stakeholders since they opened their doors. Environmental issue is one of the biggest concerns the company has. In the early 1980s, the Chevron USA petroleum refinery in Richmond, California, was creating serious toxicity threats in San Francisco Bay. The largest of six major bay-side refineries, Chevron discharged 35 percent of the chromium and more than half the nickel from all major point sources into the northern reach of the bay in 1986. In laboratory tests, Chevron’s full-strength effluent killed at least 12 species of aquatic life exposed to it. (Karras, 1989) Because of this problem the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board demanded that the company search ways to reduce or eliminate the pollution its refinery was creating. After discussing the situation the CBE and Chevron came...
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...Air pollution affects almost everyone living in the state of California and leads to diseases and infections of the respiratory and circulatory system, causing premature deaths. Ranking as the fiftieth state out of the fifty states of America, California suffers the most of this issue with millions of adults and children being diagnosed with various diseases. For example, asthma, a condition of the lungs causing difficulty in breathing, affects about 6.3 million children and 17.7 million adults in California and is mainly caused by the large particles in the air (United Health Foundation). The average size of fine particles in the air of America is 8.9 micrograms per cubic meter, while California’s average shows 11.4 micrograms per cubic meter....
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...Every year, Southern Californians guzzle gallons of fossil fuel. As a result, air pollution is still extremely high. With little education about the issue, many citizens are unaware of the pollutants they are emitting. However, the population of Southern California could improve their actions against air pollution, and strengthen their current activities. Everyone can make a difference in this issue. Efforts should be strengthened to reduce Southern California’s excessive use of fossil fuels and increase environmental consciousness about the matter. Southern California has made some efforts to reduce air pollution, but many of these efforts will take a long time and are not doing enough to end the problem. Orange County and the surrounding regions have somewhat been improving the quality of our air through various advancements in the fields of technology and other methods (“Discover Magazine”)....
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...IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Team A SCI/362 June 29, 2011 Kenneth Rayford “EFFORTS TO REDUCE OZONE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA” The Los Angeles Basin is a plain that lies between the Pacific Ocean and mountains to the north and east. During the summer, the sunny climate produces a layer of warm, dry air at upper elevations. Southern California counties are where almost 15 million people reside. South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is a governmental organization established in 1977 to deal with the historically poor air quality in the area surrounding Los Angeles. Air pollution injures organisms, reduces visibility, and attacks and corrodes materials such as metals, plastics, rubber, and fabrics. The respiratory tracts of animals, including humans, are particularly harmed by air pollutants, which worsen existing medical conditions such as chronic lung disease, pneumonia, and cardiovascular problems. Discussed in our paper will be several key points that will highlight very important details in regards to the efforts to reduce ozone in Southern California. Topics to be discussed are; described the historical development of the issue, the stakeholder’s involvement in the issue, and the long term effects of the problem, the responsibilities that arise from the ethical position and try to find a solution to this major problem. Air pollution in California began just after World War II. Southern California has been known to have the worst air pollution in our nation...
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...like a perfect place to live from above, the Central Valley is also home to some of the worst air quality in the nation. LOCAL CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION The Central Valley contains many factors that play a role in its high levels of pollution. While this region is home to producing most of the fruits and vegetables...
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...fishing industry due to pollution in Chesapeake Bay, and then in 1969 it was found that over 41 million fish had been killed due pollution (Moyers); shortly after in 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed as a response to unhealthy water due to pollution. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the Clean Water Act has been debated for the past thirty years. The issue of clean, safe water has been plaguing our nation ever since the Clean Water Act’s passing and has been exacerbated by the surge of plastic in our consumer-driven society. There is no doubt that plastic pollution has become a huge nuisance namely in our waterways, but what has been done about it and moreover, what can be done about it? In 1983 the...
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...Atmospheric Pollution As I had started my research on atmospheric pollution, I had come to find that it all coincides with global warming. Due to the gases that are being released in the air from vehicles, it starts to destroy the atmosphere. However, it is not just the gases from the vehicles, there are also gases from power plants and aerosol cans, for example, hairspray. Smokers also contribute to the pollution in the atmosphere. All of this will be discussed further into the paper. The one thing that was asked was to give a detailed description of the problem. Coming up with a detailed description was not a problem but difficult and time consuming. I have come up with a number of problems that atmospheric pollution, or global warming, has on people, animals and the world. Map Results I have found a map that shows the locations where there is air pollution. On this map, there are images of blue, purple and red dots. These dots represent the U.S. Industrial facilities that use toxic chemicals. The city and states with a high count of toxic usage had the blue and red dots next to them. These city and states are as follows: Phoenix, Arizona, Salt Lake City, Utah, San Diego, California, Los Angeles, California, Riverside, California, Bakersfield, California, San Francisco, California, Stockton, California, Sacramento, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle Washington. There are 34 city and states including Canada that are highlighted...
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...environmental issues presented in the video affect me directly because I live in California. The water is very limited due to our ongoing drought and contaminating clean drinking water only causes more issues. I do not live in Hinkley, CA so the issues of drinking water do not affect me directly in that sense. I think that there needs to be closer management over companies and their affects onto the environment. The diagram focuses on the sources of groundwater contamination. There are three areas that deal with groundwater contamination. The three areas of groundwater contamination are natural activities, direct pollution, and indirect pollution. The environmental issues discussed in the diagram affect me directly because pesticides, chemicals. and groundwater pollution are all issues in California. The issues in the diagram that do not affect me directly are the drinking water. The drinking water where I live is not the greatest, but I have my water run through two different filters to prevent any chances of contamination. Groundwater contamination spreads to many different areas quickly and should be avoided at all costs. The map is focusing on the areas in the United States where groundwater pollution is an issue. Groundwater can be significant, have saltwater intrusion, or high levels of minerals or other dissolved solids. Municipal and industrial wastes can cause groundwater pollution. Toxic industrial wastes,...
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...air and water pollutants because of its historical significance. According to the Glen Canyon Institute (2010, para. 6), Congress passed the Grand Canyon Protection Act to protect the Canyon and mitigate damages associated with building new structures within it. Big Ben National Park, located on the Rio Grande River in Texas, is another potential site for Big Rapids. The Texas Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the regulation of air and water pollution as well as waste reduction. The Rio Grande River is primarily used for irrigation and serves as the habitat for many species of wildlife. The E ... Merced River – California --- Yosemite Environmental regulations for the state of California are enforced by the California Environmental Protection Agency. The Cal/EPA enforces the state’s environmental protection laws that ensure clean air, clean water, clean soil, safe pesticides and waste recycling and reduction. If the rafting company wanted to open a location along the Merced River then the California Environmental Quality Act...
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...inert gases. Human activities can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals. There are several main types of pollution and well-known effects of pollution which are commonly discussed. These include smog, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and "holes" in the ozone layer. Each of these problems has serious implications for our health and well-being as well as for the whole environment. One type of air pollution is the release of particles into the air from burning fuel for energy. Diesel smoke is a good example of this particulate matter. The particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns or about .0001 inches. This type of pollution is sometimes referred to as "black carbon" pollution. The exhaust from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air. Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and charcoal in fireplaces and barbeques can release significant quantities of soot into the air. Another type of pollution is the release of noxious gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and chemical vapors. These can take part in further chemical reactions once they are in the atmosphere, forming smog and acid rain. Pollution also needs to be considered inside our homes, offices, and schools. Some of these pollutants can be created by indoor activities such as smoking and cooking. In the United...
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...road, water, cable, pipeline and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles and operations. Besides, transport is important because it enables trade between persons, which is essential for the development of civilizations. Article. ABOUT THE ARTICLE. From the article, California create a regulation to decrease the air pollution cause from heavy trucks. The regulation start when a group of scientists measured a thousands of heavy-duty trucks over months at a time at two San Francisco Bay Area locations. The studies conclude that heavy-duty truck are major sources of nitrogen oxides which contributes to global warming and regional changes in climate, such as precipitation and snow melting. At the same time, air pollution is linked to 100,000 premature deaths per year in the United States, according to published studies. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set emissions standards for new engines, most trucks and buses run for several decades, so the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has sought to accelerate emissions reductions with aggressive new regulations in recent years. As a result growing numbers of heavy-duty diesel trucks in California are using two control technologies, a diesel particle filter, which removes most particulate matter, and selective catalytic reduction, which targets emissions of nitrogen oxides. Besides, this regulations are...
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...people and sick people were impacted hugely by smog and pollution especially in California. The minor symptoms which were found after conducting the research were minor coughs, sore throat, and head colds. Scientist believes this is connected to everyday exposure to ground level ozone. The study did find that there were more visible problems like asthma. Researchers determined that the problems of asthma were far likely to occur in places like southern California. Southern California has the highest level of smog in any area of the country. The fundamental connection of the article supports the conclusion that smog is dangerous to both humans and wildlife. The significance of this article cannot be overstated in that it has been continuously cited in government studies and academic studies. The hypothesis of my studies is to determine that exposure to ground level ozone is instantly connected to health problems in people. The hypothesis is to examine individuals exposed to smog and the disorders that are associated with the effect of the ozone. The one thing that is verified and is not duplicated is the research. The research determined what conclusion came out of the pollution research. One thing that was evident was that the scientists were able to duplicate other experiments and come up with the same results. Because of this study researchers were able to use this tool as evidence that pollution...
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...Owens, Anthony Period. 2 Government December 14, 2014 Global Warming Global Warming is a serious situation. Its nothing to overlook. Our world is looking at detrimental effects in the future if Global Warming continues to increase. Effects like, Coastal Flooding, where glaciers are melting all over the world and ice shelves are breaking off of the Antarctic continent. Or effects like Extreme Weather, whereas warmer air masses can hold more moisture. that’s why we’ve been seeing more tornados, typhoons and hurricanes over the past few years. And the most predominant effect, Increased Drought and Famine, where although much of the impact from climate change and its effects on water is related to the increase in storms and coastal flooding described above, one thing a lot of people don’t realize is that there is an associated change in the distribution of water on the planet overall. Some areas get too much water, but some aren’t getting enough , leading to the increase of drought and famine. Scientist’s studies shows that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels, oil, coal and gas, which traps heat and acts like a blanket to warm the planet. The more gas we emit into the air, the more heat is trapped, which means the earth gets hotter and hotter. The importance of this is crucial because the hotter the world gets, the faster the world dries up and soon we will be in the worst drought ever. There are many things that needs to be done on...
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...A Case Study on the California High Speed Rail System (CAHSR) - Is It Feasible? By Hardeep Ramesh, MS ISE Engineering Economics (ISE 460) University of Southern California December 3, 2010 Abstract: California High Speed Rail (CHSR) system is a mega project planned by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CA HSRA), connecting the major metropolitan areas of California. The project finalized in mid 2000, is estimated to be one of the most expensive of its kind. It is in the lines of the high speed rail systems existing in France, Japan and China. The cost of the total project, which will cover around 800 miles, is estimated to be around $45 billion as of 2008. At this time of economic instability and no proper funding expected the big question is that - is the project economically feasible? This case study evaluates the financial benefits of the project. It will show the various sources from which the project will be benefited. Since it is a public investment if the total benefits are more than the total costs it is said to be economically feasible. This case study uses the benefit-cost analysis as an evaluation to establish this. It uses only the benefits and costs which are quantifiable and those which are not duplicative. Introduction: California’s burgeoning population and increasingly congested highways and airports demanded new transportation solutions. Highway construction The California High Speed Railway...
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... Mr. Jorge Rifa’ City Council and Administration. 2535 Commerce Way Commerce, California 90040 Dear Mr. Rifa’ and Councilmember’s: I understand the concerns of the quality of air and environmental safety of your resident’s has been a priority on your list of concerns. I recognize and appreciate the efforts the City of Commerce has done by addressing the concerns of the added pollution caused by the trucking traffic and railroad yards. I understand there has been many letters written from the City of Commerce to the Los Angeles City Council regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that was prepared for the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) project which addresses the potential growth of the railroad yards that is needed to accommodate the increased rail and container traffic. The increase in traffic will also increase the poor quality of air emitted in the City of Commerce. The lead agency is the public agency which has the principal responsibility for approving a proposed project such as the SCIG. The railroad yards and trucking transportation is the main industry of this city that increases the revenue, but the environment must be a safety priority to your residents. How can the city continue to increase their revenue without continually putting the residents at an increase in health risk due to the smog and carcinogen causing pollution from the trains and trucking industry? The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is...
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