Mini Project 6 - EPA Case Study Mini Project EPA Case Study Air quality is monit
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Question
Mini Project 6 - EPA Case Study
Mini Project EPA Case Study
Air quality is monitored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There are a variety of air quality factors that are monitored to ensure that the air we breathe is safe. The EPA uses national ambient air quality standards to monitor air quality and governs cities, counties and states who do not meet the standards.
Case Study:
You have become the head of your county health department and the EPA informs you that your county has failed to meet the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Your county is partly rural, but is home to a city of 200,000 people and 10 sprawling suburbs. There are several large and aging coal-fired power plants, a number of factories with advanced pollution control technology, and no public transportation system.
Write a report (450-500 words) that thoroughly addresses the following:
What steps would you urge the county government to take to meet the air quality standards? How would you prioritize these steps?
Explanation / Answer
Mini Project 6 - EPA Case Study
Mini Project EPA Case Study
Air quality is monitored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There are a variety of air quality factors that are monitored to ensure that the air we breathe is safe. The EPA uses national ambient air quality standards to monitor air quality and governs cities, counties and states who do not meet the standards.
Case Study:
You have become the head of your county health department and the EPA informs you that your county has failed to meet the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Your county is partly rural, but is home to a city of 200,000 people and 10 sprawling suburbs. There are several large and aging coal-fired power plants, a number of factories with advanced pollution control technology, and no public transportation system.
Write a report (450-500 words) that thoroughly addresses the following:
What steps would you urge the county government to take to meet the air quality standards? How would you prioritize these steps?
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) monitors the air quality in USA. EPA uses standards of National Ambient Air Quality (NAAQS) to monitor and govern cities.
EPA Case Study:
If I become the Head of my County health Department and EPA informs that NAAQS standards for ozone, sulfer dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are not met, then the steps I would like to take to meet the standards described below:
As EPA warned not maintaining air pollution quality in respect of ozone, sulfer dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in my county area. These pollutents mostly generates from fossil fuel industries, gases from transport vehicles and other factories. As my area has many large and ageing coal power plants and factories and no public transport may be causing this air pollution.I need to make a detailed study and understand it and take preventive steps to solve the problems.
Causes of Air pollution:
Based on study it is found that air pollution in the air is due to ozone, sulfer dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. It seems that excess concertation of these pollutants releasing in the area.
Sources of Air Pollution:
Based on the study, it is found that coal based power plants andparticularly the old power plants contributing in excess release of ozone,sulfer dioxide and nitrogen dioxide pollutants. Fossil fuel coal in consumption in power plants releasing these gases. The study revealed that in the absence of public transport cars and other transport vehicles also contributing in release of these pollutants in to air. Growing built up area and cutting trees also helping in the pollution.
Effects of air pollution:
It is found that many diseases related to lungs like asthma etc. are on increased phase. The effect observed more in children and old people
Prevention of air pollution:
Measured the air pollution in old and large coal based power plants. Given notices to power plants where release of sulfer dioxide and nitrogen dioxide gases more to take precautionary measures maintain their standards. Old power plants also warned to replace them with new technology and those beyond repair asked them to shut down.
In place of diesel and petrol car users asked them to convert to gas based cars to reduce air pollution. Introduced public transport buses and trains to reduce dependence up on cars.
Asked every house owner to maintain a garden with trees and plants to get sufficient oxygen air and reduce pollution.
The air pollution due to old coal based power plants was more. So taken priority steps in this industry to reduce air pollution. The introduction of new technologies, prevention of release of gases in open air and shutdown of few old coal based power plants reduced drastically air pollution of ozone, sulfer dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Based on all these steps the area has been maintaining now air pollution standards prescribed by NAAQS.