Last year for a course I did an environmental statement on an energy from waste facility, looking through it earlier so i thought i would post it:
Key air pollutants from the Energy from Waste incinerator
The key air pollutants that are likely to be emitted from the proposed Energy from Waste plant including their potential significance to health or the environment are:
• Organic carbon – in the forms of dioxide they can add to the greenhouse effect and monoxide can be toxic to both humans and plant life
• Hydrogen chloride – poisonous, highly corrosive and phytotoxic
• Hydrogen fluoride – highly corrosive and toxic
• Sulphur dioxide – this is one of the main constituents of smog. Depending on the level of concentration it can have varying effects on human health. It affects the respiratory system from relatively minor bronchial spasms to respiratory paralysis and death. It can also be the cause of eye and throat infections. Sulphur dioxide also affects lichens but at much lower concentrations.
• Sulphuric acid – as an emission from an incinerator stack, it is emitted in the form of small droplets which are difficult to remove form the air. The effects are on the respiratory tract in humans but as it is in droplet form it has the potential to travel further and in fact do more harm, being able to reach the alveoli in the lungs without being absorbed by the nose, throat or bronchial passages first.
• Nitrogen monoxide and dioxide (expressed as NO2) – this is another of the main constituents of smog. Nitrogen oxides can cause eye, throat and lung irritation especially in vulnerable people. Nitrogen oxides stay in the atmosphere for around one day before they are oxidized and then forms nitric acid. As a result of this process nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of acid rain.
• Particulate matter – they can cause breathing difficulties on their own but also can combine with sulphur dioxide for example and carry the gas further into the respiratory tract causing increased effects.
• Mercury and other heavy metals - mercury has the ability to build up to toxic levels in the tissue of animals such as fish for example. Mercury and other heavy metals can be poisonous in excessive amounts. Lead poisoning can lead to impaired mental ability.
• Dioxins – are toxic to humans and can also contaminate soil.
The main acid gases produced by this process are hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and sulphuric acid.
These facts are well documented in many a text book too, so i think i ll agree with the doctor
