From: Gary Miller (garymiller@starband.net)
Date: Mon Feb 03 2003 - 15:55:53 MST
>> Certainly NOT true, the atmospheric irritants emmited by the
combustion of coal, including
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) - respiratory disorders, impaired breathing
Nitrous oxide (NOx) - respiratory disorders, infections, pulmonary
diseases
Carbon monoxide (CO) - fatal angina, various other effects
Ozone (O3) - respiratory disorders, impaired breathing, asthma, edema
Particulate matter (PM10) - various toxic particle (organic matter,
carbon, mineral dusts, metal oxides and sulphates and nitrate salts)
effects, main
mortality factor due to fossil fuels
Toxic substances, heavy metals - specific substance effects
are estimated by the the WHO in its 1997 report on sustainable
development, to account for 6% of the total 50 million annual global
deaths. That's approximately 3 million deaths *every year* from
atmospheric pollutants released from the combustion of fossil fuels.
These are real people dying real painful deaths every year. 3 million.
Outdoor air pollution in the U.S. due to particulate pollution alone was
estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1997 to cause
at least 20,000 premature deaths each year. 3rd world countries, many
of which cook on wood or dung fired stoves, fare much worse.
(3) The by-products of coal mining can be put back without any hazard
for the biosphere.
Except for the billions of tons of harmful chemicals and radioactive
uranium dumped into the air. Sure you got your facts straight on
nuclear power?
===================
I was under the impression that anyone who burned large volumes of coal
now was required to have
scrubbers in their smoke stacks that remove particalate matter from the
emissions.
I could agree with the danger in third world countries but we had the
technology for several years to clean up the emissions.
Do you know for a fact that the coal burning power plants do not use
this technology?
I know the scrubbers are expensive but I would be surprised if the EPA
was not requiring this now.
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