Vehicle+Exhaust

Ravi, Maya, Graham, Molly's Vehicle Exhaust

=What is Vehicle Exhaust?= //Jump to Table of Contents// toc Vehicle exhaust (or tailpipe emissions) is the mixture of gases emitted from cars, buses, and trucks released after fossil fuel are combusted, or burned. Whenever fossil fuels are burned (gasoline, diesel, CNG/LNG, @Natural Gas...), gases are released into the atmosphere. According to Wikipedia, Such chemicals and pollutants in the mixture of gases include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), benzene (C6H6), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), and hydrocarbons. These contaminants often pose as a threat to both people and the environment. The [|Environmental and Human Health, INC] noted tailpipe pollutants are known to cause lung disease and cancer and seriously affect children, elders, and people with asthma.

Types of Pollution
Exhaust from vehicles primarily cause air pollution, but the gases can also harm the local watershed. The air pollution harms organisms (people, plants, and animals) more than water pollution. Because all organisms "breath" the same air, some of these gases are directly harmful to people (such as carbon monoxide) and plants (eg hydrocarbons). Other gases (like carbon dioxide) cause long term effects and sustainability issues for the citizens of Massachusetts and their neighbors. With water pollution, the biggest worry is acid rain, which is caused by Nitrogen Oxides, as stated by the EPA. However, water pollution is not a big problem anymore, because of regulation.

=History of Vehicle Exhaust= //Back to Table of Contents//

A [|graph] of carbon monoxide in US Vehicle Exhaust was introduced with cars in the late 1800s. For almost a century, when there were very few cars on the road, air pollution was not a serious issue. Starting in the early to mid-1900s, when cars became more widespread amongst the population, vehicle exhaust became a huge problem. Smog and soot, in addition to unregulated amounts of other dangerous gases, were being released into the atmosphere.

Government Involvement
Starting in the 1950s and 60s, the governments (local, state, and federal) conducted tests and determined two obvious, but important characteristics of the air pollution: a large amount of pollution comes from automobiles and air pollution travels regardless of political boundaries. A few years later in 1967, The State of California developed CARB (California Air Resources Board), and in 1970, the federal government founded the US-EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). These organizations set fourth enforceable guidelines mostly for car manufactures to help limit emmisions.

Inventions
These organizations started to introduce new standards. They first required the positive crankcase ventilation system (PVC) to limit unburned hydrocarbons from entering the atmosphere. Over the next decade, they introudced more tailpipe emissions standards and made the current regulations stricter. However, their current efforts just resulted in reduced fuel economy. To bring back higher gas mileage, the catalytic converterwas invented. Unlike the other treatment methods which use the engine to clean the exhaust, the converter treated gases after they left the engine. Located in the tailpipe, it converted harmful chemicals into safer gases. a [|picture] of smog in California //Section's Base Information from Wikipedia//

‍‍‍‍ =Stakeholders and Health Affects ‍‍‍‍= //Back to Table of Contents//

[|vehicle exhaust] affecting the young. The United Kingdom NHS reports “'Air pollution from exhaust fumes kills more than twice as many people as road accidents,' The Daily Telegraph has reported. The paper said that around 1,850 people die in traffic accidents annually, but that each year over 5,000 people will die as a result of heart attacks and lung cancer caused by vehicle exhaust fumes. ... "Long-term exposure to particulate matter (pollution) has been associated with premature death in many previous studies. By analysing the spread of people across the country, this new research provides an interesting estimate of how the UK population is specifically affected. However, although this sort of study can provide useful projections, its results are only estimates. In particular, although particulate matter has been associated with premature mortality in other studies, a definitive cause-and-effect link has not yet been demonstrated. Sources of combustion emmisions do not only come from cars. Emmisions can come from vehicle engines,power stations, fuel which is burned and manufactured in the home, and aircrafts. "When the source of emissions was analysed, transport emissions (from road and other transport) were found to be the biggest cause of death, causing approximately 7,500 premature deaths a year. Road transport alone is estimated to cause 4,900 deaths. Power generation caused approximately 2,500 and industrial emissions approximately 830 premature deaths a year. A further 6,000 deaths are caused by non-UK emissions produced in the European Union."

It is important to note that Europe uses more diesel cars than Massachusetts. Diesel pollutes the environment significantly more than gasoline. Nonetheless, other fuels, like jet fuel and ones used for power generation, are used similarly in Massachusetts and thus causes the same health concerns.

[|Vehicle exhaust] poses as a threat to many, but has a special risk towards the elderly, and children. People with asthma, Chronic Obstrctuve Pulmonady Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and cancer are in a high-risk category. In fact, air pollution kills more people than breast and prostate cancer combined, and it causes more premature deaths than traffic accidents!

Ozone
[|Science how stufff works] describes the different types of ozone:

"** Ozone is "good" when it is in the stratosphere. ** The stratosphere is a layer of the atmosphere starting at the level of about 6 miles (about 10 kilometers) above sea level . The stratosphere naturally contains about six parts per million of ozone, and this ozone is very beneficial because it absorbs UV radiation and prevents it from reaching us (see How Sunburns and Sun Tans Work for a description of the damage that UV radiation can cause to skin). Check out [|this page]for a good description of the chemical reaction that allows ozone to absorb UV light.


 * Ozone is "bad" when it is at ground level. ** Ozone is a very reactive gas that is hard on lung tissue. It also damages plants and buildings. Any ozone at ground level is a problem. Unfortunately, chemicals in car exhaust and chemicals produced by some industries react with light to produce lots of ozone at ground level. In cities, the ozone level can rise to a point where it becomes hazardous to our health. That's when you hear about an ozone warning on the news."

"The ozone layer helps to protect life on earth from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, but human activities have contributed to the accelerated depletion of this protective shield. Substances that contribute to ozone depletion usually have high concentrations of chlorine or bromine atoms and include chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, halons, methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform. Vehicle emissions contain few chlorine- or bromine-heavy substances, and therefore have little effect on ozone depletion. Even though they are not good for human health, hydrocarbons are recognized by the EPA as having no ozone depletion potential." [|National Geographic]

=Environmental Impact and Case Study= //Back to Table of Contents//

Environmental Impact

 * media type="youtube" key="MoGCU8q7zFo" height="283" width="504" align="right" ||
 * This video describes the health risks from air pollution and the damage from road vehicles ||

According to [|Volunteer Oil], " Emissions from vehicles have a strong impact on the environment, some of the biggest pollutants released into the atmosphere are:

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 * **Hydrocarbons**: Causes liver damage, and even cancer. Are known foe smog in urban areas
 * **Carbon monoxide**: reduces the bloods ability to transport oxygen
 * **Nitrogen oxides**: destroys the ability to resist an infection of the airways
 * **Particles**: the smoke that comes out of the exhaust pipe, like smoking it can cause lung damage to humans and animals
 * Sulfur oxides : affects the lungs, and at high levels can cause heating of the nose and the throat, difficulty breathing and airway obstruction"

Case Study Environmental and Human Health, INC conducted a case study of vehicle exhaust in Connecticut. The same findings are true even in Massachusetts. They concluded that serious illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and asthma, are caused by exhaust pollution. Children and Elders are at high risk, especially those areas which exceed federal standards. We are also using more fuel and traveling more miles with cars that do not have higher gas mileage. The combination of these events contributes to the amount of disease caused. A full report is available on their website.

=Benefits and Liabilities of Regulating Pollutants= //Back to Table of Contents//

Vehicle Exhaust results from burning fuels such as gasoline or diesel. Pollutant regulation would regulate the amount of contamiennts that are released into the atmosphere when vehicle fuels are burned. Ideally, we would like to not burn any fossil fuels, but that goal is unrealistic and far-fetched. That is why there are benefits and liabilities to regulating pollutants released from these fuels.

Benefits of Regulation

 * With the many injuries and diseases resulting from vehicle exhuast (see stakeholders and health effects), regulation is necessarry for human health.
 * Regulation will reduce and help monitor the amount of pollutants entering the atmosphere for health and statistical purposes.
 * We still have challenges to overcome, as with hydrocarbons still being released. Ozone gas in the troposphere, which are formed by hydrocarbons, are extremely dangerous to human health. New and improved regulation will help fix these problems.
 * Fuel standards with high fuel economy requirements will reduce the amount we spend on gasoline as well as help the environment and human health.

Liabilities of Regulation

 * It costs money to regulate an industry. Some argue that tax dollars are being wasted.
 * The current standards are fine. New regulation might not be necessary and would only waste more time and money. We are moving away from gas to electric, so why is more regulation necessary?
 * Industries and Corporations, especially the fuel and automobile industries, will create products that directly save the consumer money. Regulation is not necessary for greater efficiency standards.
 * We could just wear gas/nose pads instead that filter the air we breathe. That way more costly removal techniques are no longer necessary

=‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍Current Laws ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍= //Back to Table of Contents//

Massachusetts state law requires that all vehicles operating on state roads must have a muffler to reduce sound and an exhaust system to reduce vehicle exhaust. The mufflers cannot be altered or changed in any way. "No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any way which motor vehicle is equipped (1) with a muffler from which the baffle plates, screens or other original internal parts have been removed and not replaced; or (2) with an exhaust system which has been modified in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the exhaust. No person operating a motor vehicle shall sound a bell, horn or other device, nor in any manner operate such motor vehicle so as to make a harsh, objectionable or unreasonable noise, nor permit to escape from such vehicle smoke or pollutants in such amounts or at such levels as may violate motor vehicle air pollution control regulations".

The current Massachusetts state law helps enforce other regulations and supports the MVS. Massachusetts Vehicle Test rules and regulations regarding emissions help enforce the emission standards.

=Fun Facts= //Back to Table of Contents//

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 * Most vehicle exhaust contains nitrogen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide
 * From the YouTube video below, Vehicles cause 70% of air pollution in open areas and can cause LUNG DISEASE, CANCER, and HEART DISEASE
 * The [|LA Times] reports v ehicles with diesel engines pose a bigger risk to lung cancer and other problems. However, very few cars use diesel. Diesel exhaust is mostly from trains and trucks.
 * In the United Kingdom, the [|Global Post] noted how c ar pollution is twice as more deadly than car accidents in the UK
 * NOx, hydrocarbs, and particulates are byproducts from combustion
 * In 2006 according to [|ucsusa], it was found that cars and other road transportation caused over half the emissions of carbon monoxide, more than a third of nitrogen, and nearly a quarter of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere
 * Due to a change from leaded to unleaded gasoline, car pollution has significantly decreased over the past few years. This change is also due to the law which prohibits the use of cars without mufflers, or with mufflers that are altered.
 * [|Most toxic substances]are only dangerous when a certain level is exceeded. Your medicine cupboard is full of chemicals which are beneficial if taken as prescribed by your doctor but which will kill you if you swallow the whole bottle. Many everyday items are poisonous if taken to excess — Vitamin A, for example, is an essential part of your diet, and lack of it is what kills hunger strikers. A Polar Bear's liver, on the other hand, contains a lethal dose of Vitamin A!Four of the pollutants described above (Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, Sulphur Dioxide, and Ozone) are like this — there are accepted levels at which no harmful effects are observed even in sensitive population groups. For the other three (Benzene, 1:3 butadiene and particulates) there is no way of proving they are safe at any level, so the experts set standards where the risk to health are "exceedingly small" — in other words they can't actually measure it!

=Conclusion and Solutions To Keep Our Earth Healthier= //Back to Table of Contents//

Our society revolves around using vehicles that burn traditional fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. Unfortunately, these common and cheap fuels pollute the atmosphere and environment with a mixture of gases know as tailpipe emissions. The gases include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), benzene (C6H6), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), and hydrocarbons. They are known to cause serious health affects to people and damage the envirnoment.

Solutions
A solution to the vehicle exhaust problem is using a mixture of alternate and traditional fuels for cars, buses, and trucks. A few alternate fuels include ethylene, bio-gas, bio-diesel, natural gas, electricity, and compressed air. Alternate fuels can either be mixed with traditional fuels are used exclusively. The video below describes the pros and cons of a hybrid car (a car that uses a mixture of gas and electricity).

__Pros__ and __Cons__ of hybrid cars
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For trucks, buses, and trains, a diesel-hybrid system would not be as effective for solving contamination problems. Diesel, an extremely dirty fuel, has more alternatives than gasoline, including Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). CNG, which has similar emissions to natural gas, is not as harmful to people, especially children and seniors, and the environment. Many public transit buses use CNG instead of diesel. The video below describers the benefits of CNG powered school buses.

CNG for school buses
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=Links= //Back to Table of Contents//

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 * [[image:http://craziestgadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/exhaust-jack.jpg width="315" height="253" align="left" caption="When will the ball pop? Or will the car tip first?" link="http://__http://www.ehhi.org/reports/exhaust/__"]][|Enviormental and Human Health Inc.] the first part of this article has general information about the pollutant, the second part of about Connecticut, but it still has useful information
 * [|Envoirmental Protection Agency] overview of possible pollutants and where they come from. Also a little bit about how the problem has been assessed
 * [|BBC Health] what are the repercussions of the pollutant. Has information about studies done in Europe
 * [|Massachutts vehicle test] about what Mass. tests in vehicles and why
 * [|School bus contamination] school buses in mass. are diesel engines good or bad
 * [|Exhaust removal] how to remove the exhaust, and the possible side effects
 * [|car exhaust and contaminants] this website goes into depth about gas exhaust, the types of contaminants, and the severity of these contaminants and if they pose a threat to people.
 * [|helping gas pollution] website talks about how to help get rid of vehicle pollution

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 * [|Science how stuff works]talks about how the ozone is good vs. bad
 * [|National Geographic] describes good and bad ozone