Radiation pollution

The differences in environmental contaminants between our two countries are striking. In Belarus, better living through chemicals is not a lifestyle option. The economic crisis in the country is so devastating that most people can barely meet basic survival needs. Pesticides are not in heavy use, if used at all. New clothes are not affordable, let alone new carpeting. The use of preservatives, growth hormones and antibiotics in the production of food is almost unheard of. The majority of people don t own cars. On the other hand, in Belarus there are less restrictions on industrial pollution, there are no requirements for disclosure of ingredients in food and other products, and the food, air and water are contaminated by radiation pollution that will affect human health in untold ways for millenniums. 

Tolerance (Oehlmann and Markert 1997) is the desired resistance of an organism or community to unfavorable abiotic factors (climate, radiation, pollutants) or biotic factors (parasites, pathogens), where adaptive physiological changes (e.g., enzyme induction, immune response) can be observed. 

Titanium dioxide is a semiconductor and is an excellent photocatalyst for the photomineralization of water, i.e. the degradation of pollutants in water is catalysed by Ti02 in the presence of UV radiation. Pollutants which can be successfully destroyed include a wide range of hydrocarbons and halogenated organic compounds as well as some... 

A critical but poorly understood factor related to atmospheric exposure is the connection between nominal environmental conditions (e.g., humidity, ultraviolet radiation, pollution, atmospheric particles, and so on) and the actual chemistry of the environment on the material s surface. Time-of-wetness is known to be an important parameter in outdoor exposure, given that water associated with precipitation or condensation is critical to the corrosion processes. However, accurate prediction of corrosion rates depends on knowing how the water on the surface affects the concentration of all the important corrosive species. 

Wood is a renewable material that is produced through natural processes in forest ecosystems. Wood chemistry and structure are both strongly related to its degradability that is also influenced by the environmental conditions (humidity, temperature, UV radiation, pollutants). In order to fulfill the requirement of... 

Ozone, known for its beneficial role as a protective screen against ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere, is a major pollutant at low altitudes (from 0 to 2000 m) affecting plants, animals and human beings. Ozone can be formed by a succession of photochemical reactions that preferentially involve hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emitted by the different combustion systems such as engines and furnaces. 

Pollutant effects on the atmosphere include increased parhculate matter, which decreases visibility and inhibits incoming solar radiahon, and increased gaseous pollutant concentrations, which absorb longwave radiation and increase surface temperatures. For a detailed discussion of visibility effects, see Chapter 10. 

An important effect of air pollution on the atmosphere is change in spectral transmission. The spectral regions of greatest concern are the ultraviolet and the visible. Changes in ultraviolet radiation have demonstrable adverse effects e.g., a decrease in the stratospheric ozone layer permits harmful UV radiation to penetrate to the surface of the earth. Excessive exposure to UV radiation results in increases in skin cancer and cataracts. The worldwide effort to reduce the release of stratospheric ozone-depleting chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons is directed toward reducing this increased risk of skin cancer and cataracts for future generations. 

Effects of indoor air pollutants on humans are essentially the same as those described in Chapter 7. However, there can be some additional pollutant exposures in the indoor environment that are not common in the ambient setting. From the listing in Table 23-1, radon exposures indoors present a radiation hazard for the development of lung cancer. Environmental tobacco smoke has been found to cause lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Biological agents such as molds and other toxins may be a more likely exposure hazard indoors than outside. 

Clouds cover roughly two-thirds of our earth s surface and play an important role in influencing global climate by affecting the radiation budget. Cirrus clouds are one example of a cloud type whose optical properties are not accurately known. Cirrus clouds form in the upper troposphere and are composed almost exclusively of non-spherical ice crystal particles. The impact of cloud coverage on dispersion of pollution in the atmosphere is an area of great concern and intensive study. 

Outdoor air is generally less polluted than the system return air. However, problems with reentry of previously exhausted air occur as a result of improperly located exhaust and intake vents or periodic changes in wind conditions. Other outdoor contamination problems include contaminants from other industrial sources, power plants, motor vehicle exhaust, and dust, asphalt vapors, and solvents from construction or renovation. Also, heat gains and losses through the building envelope due to heat conduction through exterior walls, floor, and roof, and due to solar radiation and infiltration, can be attributed to effects from external sources. 

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