A Small Price for a Healthy Nose


by Evangeline Austero - Date: 2007-01-13 - Word Count: 559 Share This!


Flat, pointed, long, rounded, surgically altered, no matter what your nose looks like, you have no choice but to love it, because it's the only nose you have. Your respiratory system depends on the nose for it to function. Unfortunately, what with all the air pollution the planet is enveloped in, taking care of your nose (and your respiratory system) means more than just cleaning it out. Nowadays, you have to make the air around you cleaner too.

Wikipedia.org defines air pollution as "a chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere." Our defective atmosphere is largely due to air pollution, and we are now experiencing0 its effects (e.g. global warming).

According to the World Health organization, approximately 4.6 million people die annually with causes that are directly linked to air pollution. In fact, more people die from respiratory problems caused by air pollution than from car accidents. Some diseases directly related to air pollution are asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, diseases with the lungs and the heart, and some respiratory allergies. Some major casualties caused by extreme air pollution over the world includes the 1984 Bhopal Disaster in India, The Great Smog of 1952 in the United Kingdom, and the anthrax spores leakage of 1979 in Sverdlovsk.

A lot of stationary sources are commonly identified with air pollution such as factories, petroleum refineries, and other industrial sources. But the majority of contributors to air pollution are not stationary but mobile sources: vehicles. Directly released air pollutants is the kind that is emitted from a source directly into the air. Examples of these are carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, which are both produced through combustion. In lieu with the aim to keep the humankind healthy, the government imposed some air quality standards such as the Clean Air Act in the US. These measures aim to reduce the presence of some air pollutants.

The clean air act was enacted by the government of the US through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The Clean Air Act significantly decreased air pollution and boosted the strength of its regulation. These measures include initial regulatory laws, expanding the coverage of the air pollution prevention act to other sources, increasing fuel efficiency, use of cleaner fuels, and utilizing electric vehicles. Some European nation followed these initiatives.

In 1975, catalytic converters were introduced far and wide on series-production vehicles in order to adhere to the severe regulations on auto exhausts. Catalytic converters are devices that are used to reduce the toxicity of the fumes that are caused by internal combustion engines. A catalytic converter's primary goal is to provide an environment wherein toxic emissions could be converted to less harmful gases through a chemical reaction.

Catalytic converters bogs down when lead is present due to catalyst poisoning. So using unleaded gas is a must when your vehicle is equipped with a catalytic converter. Catalyst poisoning means that a substance in the engine exhaust coats the catalyst's surface and this prevents further exhaust access to catalytic materials. Some common catalyst poisons are led, silicon, phosphorous, manganese, sulfur and zinc.

Since its introduction, catalytic converters are proven to be effective and reliable devices when in comes to toxic tailpipe emission reduction, and the great thing is that they don't cost much and they are easy to install. A small price to pay for cleaner air, isn't it?



Related Tags: combustion, catalytic converters, air pollution, clean air act, catcon, toxic gas reduction

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