by Steven Birdwell
5. September 2010 15:00
For those of us that have spent our careers improving the quality of the environment the misinformation depicting an environmental “Armageddon” is insulting. However, without doing the research it has been hard to say to my RECON team “good job” we are making a difference. Well this series of blogs gives all of us in the industry the encouragement that we are making a difference and the data proves it. First lets look at air quality since that poses the greatest risk to the general public. The EPA primarily tracts six metrics to assess air quality:
1. Ozone (O3)
2. Nitrogen Oxides NOx
3. Carbon Monoxide (CO)
4. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
5. Particulate Matter (PM10)
6. Lead (Pb)
In general each of these contaminants is on the decline. For example, since 1970 the CO level has dropped by 73% in the US and 80% in the UK. We should be encouraged that CO levels continue to decline under current regulation, and all indications that if current regulations are allowed to run their coarse the air quality will continue to improve.
Our real challenge is developing countries are improving their standard of living at the expense of their local environment. If we want to focus on CO as a problem we need to assist Beijing, New Delhi, and Mexico City in addressing their pollution from burning coal and garbage. These developing countries are where CO posses the only real health risks. Congratulations environment industry, I would say we have won this CO battle.