The Chemical Industries: The Chemical Industry and the Environment
Waste minimization and recycling are two of the techniques commonly used to improve environmental quality. They reflect the chemical industry's acknowledgement of its growing responsibility toward the environment and communities in which it conduc...
Pollution Prevention: Clearing the Air: Reformulated Gasoline
The oil industry has traditionally challenged many environmental regulations. So, in 1989, when California's South Coast Air Quality Management District proposed sweeping changes that would lead to the elimination of gasoline fueled cars in Souther...
Physical Treatment Technologies: Waste and Emissions Standards
In the past, when the waste load was light, nature's ways of purifying itself were sufficient. However, the amount of waste generated by contemporary society has overburdened these restorative powers. As a result, regulations now control the quant...
Rise and Fall: Population, Urbanization and the Environment
Much of the change that has occurred in many cities over the past century has come about as a result of the interplay among three factors: population shifts, the environment, and urbanization.
Air Pollution Through the 1960's
Scientist and climate change expert Michael Oppenheimer talks about the increase in air pollution in the United States and elsewhere through the 1960's. He notes that this increase was in large part responsible for legislation aimed at restricting t...
Introduction to Waste Stream Management: Block Flow/Mass Balance Analysis
The first step in controlling wastes is understanding where and how they are generated. Engineers and environmental managers use a tool called a block flow diagram to make sense of complex industrial processes. They also use a technique called mas...
Clean Air Act of 1970, The
Scientist and climate change expert Michael Oppenheimer talks about the Clean Air Act of 1970, which he says mandated a slew of controls on automobiles, smokestacks and other sources of air pollution.