LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Pollution: Pollution Control
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Pollution control is a term used in environmental management. It means the control of emissions and effluents into air, water or soil. Without pollution controls the undesirable waste products from human consumption, industrial production, agricultural activities, mining, transportation and other sources will accumulate or disperse and degrade the natural environment. In the hierarchy of controls, pollution prevention and waste minimization are more desirable than pollution control.
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EV&AE(SAE Congress, FCEVs Brew Coffee, Not Pollution) [POSTed on the Internet Alternative Energy List and Electric Vehicle List News. For Public Renewable Energy & EV informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.] --- {EVangel} FCEV - PR Newswire (PRN) Fuel Cell Vehicles Brew Coffee, Not Pollution, Says Automotive Research Scientist 01/26/99 (Copyright (c) 1999, PR Newswire) WARRENDALE, Pa., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- On-board coffeemakers, 110/220- volt plug-ins for power tools, programmable climate-control systems that eliminate entering hot cars in summer and cold ones in winter...these are just a few features that car owners may one day enjoy thanks to fuel cell technology. Fuel cells, electrochemical devices that convert energy directly into electricity without combustion, produce electricity, heat and water, but no pollution. Because a fuel cell car is an electrical power generator, it provides a substantial amount of power at any time. The vehicles' high power voltage allow designers to stretch their imaginations and offer unconventional options such as coffeemakers.
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Pollution does not stay in one place but is moved around the world by air and water, as well as by living organisms. Even in Antarctica, birds and marine mammals show traces of pollutants such as DDT and PCBs. Some pollution is deliberately moved abroad. Companies restricted by pollution control regulations at home, sometimes move their plants to other less restrictive countries, as was the case with the plant involved in the Bhopal chemical disaster. Or while remaining at home, they may sell products abroad, that are classed in their own countries as too dangerous for sale, such as banned pesticides. In some cases hazardous waste may ... be shipped abroad, generally from industrialised countries to developing countries willing to accept such waste for a fee, despite the hazards (see Enviro Facts "Toxic Waste").
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Air pollution is regulated by the federal government. The Clean Air Act was originally enacted in 1970 and was extensively amended in 1977 and again in 1990 (42 U.S.C.A. §§ 7401-7626; Pub. L. No. 95-95 [1977 amendments]; Pub. L. No. 101-549 [1990 amendments]). Under its provisions, every stationary and mobile pollution source must comply with emission standards as a means of cleaning up the ambient air quality in the area. This has meant that automobile emission control systems have been created and improved to meet more stringent air quality standards. Coal-burning electric power plants have been required to install filtration systems on their smokestacks, and manufacturing facilities have had to install equipment that "scrubs" polluted air clean.
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Because of the many environmental tragedies of the mid-20th century, many nations instituted comprehensive regulations designed to repair the past damage of uncontrolled pollution and prevent future environmental contamination. In the United States, the Clean Air Act (1970) and its amendments significantly reduced certain types of air pollution, such as sulfur dioxide emissions. The Clean Water Act (1977) and Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) regulated pollution discharges and set water quality standards. The Toxic Substances Control Act (1976) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976) provided for the testing and control of toxic and hazardous wastes. In 1980 Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)... known as Superfund, to provide funds to clean up the most severely contaminated hazardous waste sites. These and several other federal and state laws helped limit uncontrolled pollution, but progress has been slow and many severe contamination problems remain due to lack of funds for cleanup and enforcement.
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Categorizing pollution in terms of the four sectors of industry, energy, transportation, and agriculture obscures the fact that some of the most important sources of pollution are intersectorial. As just one example, the Aswan High Dam provides Egypt with an important hydroelectric source and is effective in controlling flooding and providing irrigation for agriculture. But by retaining silt it decreases the nutrient load to the Nile Delta, which leads to a much heavier requirement for chemical fertilizers for agriculture as well as loss of sardine and salmon fisheries. The lack of the flushing effect of Nile floods has led to increased salinization of the land and has optimized breeding conditions for snails that carry schistosomiasis, an ancient scourge of this area. Similarly, the use of wood for local energy in developing countries is more than just a potential source of indoor and outdoor air pollution. Loss of forests can lead to soil erosion, flooding, and desertification, and have a negative impact on global climate.
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