May 15, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

YES! Weekly

Amy Kingsley
Staff writer

Belews Creek, a coal-fired steam station just northwest of Greensboro, spewed more of the gases that contribute to respiratory problems in 2006 than any other power plant in North Carolina, according to preliminary data released by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Duke Energy-owned power plant, which is the second largest in the state, emitted 95,296 tons of sulfur dioxide and 21,179 tons of nitrogen oxide last year. The gases contribute to ground-level ozone and soot, byproducts linked to asthma attacks and decreased lung capacity….(Full Story — off-site; note: it requires 47,648 tonnes of sulphur to be burned to produce 95,296 tonnes of sulphur dioxide)

Posted in Community & Industry, Nitrogen-Oxides, Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »

May 12, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

Billings Gazette

By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press

State and federal regulators say a proposed $700 million coal-fired power plant near Great Falls meets the environmental standards needed to qualify for a government loan….
Environmental groups and some Great Falls residents had fought the project based on its high cost and projected pollution emissions. Those include 437 tons annually of sulfur dioxide, 805 tons of nitrogen oxides, 40 pounds of mercury and 2.1 million tons of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming….(Full Story — off-site)

Posted in Nitrogen-Oxides, Heavy-Metal Poisoning & Pollution, Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Related Construction Costs, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »

May 9, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

Daily Mirror, e-edition

Of all the rapidly developing countries, China is the most fascinating. The country is vast, its history and culture right up to Maoist times exotic, it’s present rate of development dizzying, and it’s poised to be the next superpower. Goods made in China, cheaper than Japanese products, have found a place in most households across Asia and Africa.

Behind this happy picture, however, there is a less evident and highly disturbing tale of environmental disaster. Chinese leaders are finally showing signs that they know what’s happening. In the 11th five-year plan, the economic policy blueprint approved in 2005, they announced a change of emphasis that in some ways admitted knowledge of the degree of environmental degradation behind China’s great leap forward in industry during the past two decades….(Full Story — off-site)

Posted in Acid Rain, Pollution: Health Issues, Community & Industry, Nitrogen-Oxides, Heavy-Metal Poisoning & Pollution, Hydrogen-Sulphide, Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »

May 8, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

GNN (Guerilla News Network)

Weapons of Mass Distraction

Death From Above: Acid Rain in Buenos Aires

Well guess what? Not only we’re back to the turbulent years of the 1970s, we also have reports of major levels of a very dangerous type of pollution, also from those crappy years.

Just last week many residents of the city of Buenos Aires (BA) (the capital of Argentina and biggest city of the country) reported massive cases of acid rain, a [type] of pollution known for being highly [corrosive - the term used in the original article is “abrasive”] to materials, extremely dangerous to living creatures and, yep, a big source of CANCER.

Now, why there’s acid rain in BA? after all there’s a source for everything, specially pollution…

The thing is, one of the main sources of acid rain is sulphur. When sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are emitted into the atmosphere, these undergo a chemical transformation and are absorbed by water droplets in clouds. The droplets then fall to earth as rain, snow, mist, dry dust, hail, or sleet.

The result? A rain of death….(Full Story — off-site)

Posted in Pollution: Health Issues, Acid Rain, Nitrogen-Oxides, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »

November 22, 2006 by Walter Schneider.

…a growing number of studies by the EPA and others are demonstrating that mercury tends to accumulate downwind of large mercury air emissions sources, such as coal-fired plants. The Smokies are already heavily affected by power plant emissions such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides….(Full Story off-site)

Posted in Nitrogen-Oxides, Heavy-Metal Poisoning & Pollution, Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »