Potential for Environmental Impact

The reduction in the lead content of gasoline and the introduction of reformulated gasoline have been very successful in reducing automobile emissions, due to changes in gasoline composition, with further improvements in fuel quality proposed for the early decades of this new millennium. These projections are accompanied by a noticeable and measurable decrease in crude oil quality, and the reformulated gasoline will help meet environmental regulations for emissions for liquid fuels but will be subject to continuous review because of the potential for environmental impact. 

Of the two types of air emissions associated with the production of colorant and additive products (stack and fugitive emissions), fugitive emissions represent an insignificant potential for environmental impact. In 1996 facility fugitive emissions ranged from an estimated high of 691b to a low of less than lib (mass balance... 

In recent years, there have been a number of examples of such problems (Table II.). The proposed data requirements for pesticide registration prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency address this topic. This has been an extremely controversial regulatory problem. It is clearly important to know the composition of applied pesticides including the major associated contaminants in order to assess their potential for environmental impact, but as the quantitative significance of... 

The Charlotte Harbor estuarine system was chosen for this study because it is one of the largest and possibly one of the least contaminated estuaries in Florida (.7). Recently, however, the area has become one of the most rapidly developing in the united states (8). A recent review of scientific information about Charlotte Harbor emphasized the potential for environmental Impact from development euid various sources of petroleum contamination ( ). 

In addition to consequences that could affect people and property, a release could have an environmental impact. The potential for environmental impacts can be evaluated by mapping the transportation route, and considering transit through, over, or in proximity to ... 

Herbicides Truck Hazard Class 6 (toxic substance) Toxic exposure to people located along transportation routes and potential for environmental impact Medium... 

The volume of sodium to be measured from systems should be accomplished by calculations of remaining sodium. If the potential exists for negotiation, the regulator should be educated on the relative safety, costs, risks and potential for environmental impacts from the presence of bulk or residual sodium. This activity can significantly reduce the cost to decommission a fast reactor. 

A central issue in making chemistry greener is the efficiency of incorporating the reactant atoms into the product compound. Any atoms that are used in the reaction but are not part of the product are wasted, and this waste must subsequently be disposed of. If chemists can design reactions that do not have wasted atoms, there are no disposal issues and no potential for environmental impact. This type of efficiency can be measured in terms of percentage atom utilization ... 

A knowledge of the molecular composition of a petroleum also allows environmentalists to consider the biological impact of environmental exposure. Increasingly, petroleum is being produced in and transported from remote areas of the world to refineries located closer to markets. Although only a minuscule fraction of that oil is released into the environment, the sheer volume involved has the potential for environmental damage. Molecular composition can not only identify the sources of contamination but also aids in understanding the fate and effects of the potentially hazardous components (7). 

There has been active work in the development of processes that are safer and have less potentially damaging environmental impacts. These environmentally benign or green process designs typically include a life-cycle analysis to account for the long-term environmental (and economic) impact of a product or design. 

Kennicutt, M.C. II, Wade, T.L., Presley, B.J., Requejo, A.G., Brooks, J.M. Denoux, G.J. (1994) Sediment contaminants in Casco Bay, Maine inventories, sources, and potential for biological impact. Environmental Science and Technology 28,1-15. 

The selective oxidation of alkanes is a desirable prospect due to their potentially low environmental impact and the relatively low cost of raw material. Accordingly, the catalysts for such reactions are of great industrial interest. Vanadium-phosphorus oxides are one such group of compounds which have been heavily studied due to their commercial use in the selective oxidation of butane to maleic anhydride. Although the bulk phase of the active commercial catalyst is (V0)2P207, it has been reported that VO(P03)2-containing catalysts are more selective, but less active [1]. Up to a conversion of 8%, the VO(POj)2 catalysts could produce maleic anhydride and fiiran with a combined selectivity of 100%. 

In the quest for alternate energy sources, oil shale appears particularly attractive because of the large domestic deposits and because the retorting process produces liquid and gaseous fuels directly. However, the retorting process also produces large quantities of retorted shale which could pose a potentially adverse environmental impact if not disposed of properly. A mature, million-barrel-per-day oil shale industry would produce over one-and-one quarter million tonnes of retorted shale during each day of operation. 

Potential for splash/spattering of product in vial neck Lack of regulatory familiarity Potential adverse environmental impact... 

Because there is minimal vegetation or wildlife, the potential for environmental harm is reduced. While there is some vegetation and wildlife, the DOE maintains strict regulations on what can be released and has filed environmental impact statements (EIS) assessing the consequences of the release of those materials for which the site has currently been approved. 

The equally important matter of what information is produced about lead s potential for health impacts and who produces that data has been noted (Graebner, 1987 Mushak, 1992). For many years and until relatively recently, information on lead s environmental and toxicological behavior was usually generated through studies sponsored and supported by lead producers, industrial lead users, or their trade groups. 

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