Releases regions surrounding

Any industrial system can be represented by a system boundary that encloses aU the operations of interest. The region surrounding this boundary is known as the system environment (fig. 4.1). The inputs to the system are all raw materials taken from the environment, and the outputs are waste materials released back into the environment. 

I he contents of the sewer systems that underlie 1 most municipalities must be treated before being released to a body of water. The level of treatment depends in great part on whether the treated water is released to a river or the ocean. Wastewater destined for a river requires the highest level of treatment for the benefit of communities downstream. However, in a facility located in a region surrounded by very deep ocean water, as is the facility shown in Figure 16.21, treatment requirements are less stringent. 

Dose rates in the regions surrounding Reactor IV were highly variable due to distinct plumes of radioactive fallout released subsequent to the explosion. The first plume, designated the Western Trace, yielded doses in excess of 6Gyh in some areas, resulting in the death of over 400 ha of pine Pinus sylvestris) forest. Radiation doses to firemen and reactor personnel exposed shortly after the explosion... 

In the mid-nineteenth century, streetlights were fueled with natural gas. Occasionally the pipes leaked, releasing gas into the atmosphere. On some of these occasions, the leaves fell from all the shade trees in the region surrounding the gas leak. 

Nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, in 1979 and Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986 had a devastating effect on public opinion in the United States and, to a smaller degree, elsewhere in the world. At Three Mile Island only about 50 curies of radiation were released to the environment and there were no casualties. The explosion at Chernobyl was a very different story. About 100 million curies were released, leading to at least 31 fatalities. Moreover, 135,000 people were permanently evacuated from the region surrounding the reactor. Since then, all the other reactors at Chernobyl—three, in addition to the one that exploded—have been permanently shut down. 

Reports on volatile toxins originate primarily from studies on plants found in more arid regions of the world. Among the genera shown to release volatiles are Artemisia, Eucalyptus, and Salvia (4). When identified, the compounds were found to be mainly mono- and sesquiterpenes. Work of Muller and associates (13) has indicated that vapors of these compounds may be absorbed by surrounding plants, and that the chemicals can be absorbed from condensate in dew, or by plant roots after the compounds reach the soil. ... 

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