Unit 5. Environmental safety text 5.1. Industrial Pollution And Waste Disposal

domestic waste бытовые отходы

fossil fuels ископаемое топливо

increase увеличиваться, усиливаться

combustion горение, сжигание

industrial accident авария на промышленном предприятии

cause вызывать

leakage утечка

produce производить

effluent отвод сточных вод, промышленные отходы

discharge выбросы, слив

dump свалка, v сваливать, сливать

thermal pollution тепловое [термическое] загрязнение

landfill 1) закапывание мусора, отходов; 2) мусорная свалка

hazard опасность

recycle повторно использовать, перерабатывать

water supply водоснабжение; водные ресурсы

waste disposal удаление отходов

The volume of both industrial and domestic waste has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. Industrial air pollution includes the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons. It also includes sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which lead to acid rain. The largest single cause of industrial air pollutions is the electricity industry. All fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide; coal and crude oil also produce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. We must all learn to use less energy, and we should make power stations and other industrial processes more efficient. Industries can reduce sulfur dioxide emission by a process called scrubbing, or by a new coal-burning process called fluidizcd bed combustion. This eliminates 90 percent of sulfur dioxide and also reduces nitrogen oxides because the coal burns at a lower temperature. But the technology of fluidized bed combustion is expensive, and it would lead to a large increase in the cost of electricity. Air pollution from industrial accidents occasionally causes major health problems. The explosion at the chemical plant in Bhopal, India, in 1986 killed about 4,000 people and caused nerve damage in thousands more.

Water pollution from industry can occur intentionally, when factories discharge their effluents directly into rivers, lakes and oceans, or unintentionally, when accidents cause leakage of toxic waste into the water supply. Every single day, industrial effluents dump the following waste into the New York estuary: 2,600

metric tons of carbon, 870 tons of oil, grease and other petroleum products; 520 tons of nitrogen-based fertilizers; 230 tons of iron, 0.3 tons of mercury; and 0.014 tons of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs are byproducts in the production of plastics; they are highly toxic chemicals which enter human tissues via the food chain. Our bodies cannot excrete PCBs; they will continue to build up inside us throughout our lives. Another very toxic waste product is dioxin, present in bleached paper products such as disposable diapers, toilet paper and coffee filters. Factory effluents also discharge large pieces of solid waste such as disused machinery, plastic sheets and wire netting. This junk is not only ugly; both animals and ships can become entangled in the debris.

Another pollutant of water is oil. Some of it comes from accidents, some from deliberate washing of tanks at sea and some from industrial effluents. Oil coats the feathers of sea birds and the scale offish. It reduces the level of oxygen dissolved in the water. Without dissolved oxygen, the sea cannot support any life at all. As well as the fish and seagulls that we can see, oil kills millions of tiny plants and animals in the deeper layers of the ocean. Acid rain is another important cause of water pollution and the destruction of aquatic life. Yet another cause is thermal pollution. Industries which use water for cooling (such as nuclear stations) increase the temperature of nearby rivers and lakes by 5-10 degrees. Thermal pollution kills some animals and plants outright. Industries argue that it would cost too much money to cool the water down before releasing it into the environment.

Soil is polluted with artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Soil pollution also occurs when industrial waste is buried or dumped on the land, and via polluted air and water. Sulphur dioxide in the air coats the leaves of plants, blocking out the sun's light and preventing growth. Sulphur accumulates in soil. The banks of some rivers can no longer support the growth of plants because heavy metals and other toxins have entered the soil from the water. It is impossible to remove most of these toxins; in some cases it will take thousands of years for their levels to fall sufficiently for the soil to support life again.

Domestic waste is another environmental problem. "Throwaway" products such as drink cans, plastic bags and disposable diapers are all avoidable sources of domestic waste. Domestic waste is either burned in large incinerators or burned in landfill sites. Both these processes cause environmental damage. Burning garbage produces carbon dioxide, toxic fumes, soot and other airborne particles as well as an unpleasant smell. Burying garbage in landfill sites can contaminate the soil with toxic products (such as dioxins and PCBs), which then enter the water supply. Another hazard of landfill sites is the generation of explosive gases, particularly methane, when organic waste decomposes. This is not just a theoretical possibility. In 1986, gas from an old landfill site exploded underneath a house in England and destroyed it. The people who lived in the house did not even know that they were living on a former garbage dump. Other hazards of buried garbage include lead from old pipes and paint, and organic solvents. Children often play on landfill sites because they find

the trash sites more interesting than their intended playgrounds; they risk accidents, injuries and poisoning.

When people learn of the irresponsible dumping of industrial waste into rivers and oceans, they are usually horrified. But on a smaller scale, most of us are just as irresponsible with our waste. About 80 percent of all our domestic waste can be recycled. Most developed countries now have recycling centers for glass, paper, aluminum cans and plastic. But we are often too busy or too lazy to sort our trash for recycling. If we don't change our philosophy of "live now, pay later," our children will bear the burden of our throwaway lifestyle.

chlorofluorocarbon (PFC) хлорфторуглеродистые соединения (ХФУ)

carbon dioxide диоксид углерода

sulphur dioxide диоксид серы

nitrogen oxide окись азота

dioxin диоксин (сильный яд)

crude oil сырая нефть

scrubbing промывка газа

eliminate удалять, устранять

cause damage причинять (наносить) вред

fluidized bed combustion сжигание в псевдоожиженном слое

effluent discharge (waste discharge) сброс сточных вод

industrial effluent промышленные сточные воды

tank washing effluent смывки, промывочные воды

thermal effluent тепловые сбросы

garbage dump, trash dump мусорная свалка

the town dump городская свалка

effluent сброс, отвод сточных вод (после очистки нечистот);

промышленные отходы estuary эстуарий, дельта; устье реки

grease смазочный материал

fertilizer удобрение

excrete выделять,

Syn: throw out; excreta сущ.; мн.; выделения, испражнения

bleach выбеливать

bleached paper беленая бумага wire netting проволочная сетка

debris мусор, обломки

junk хлам; отходы, отбросы

disposable diapers одноразовые салфетки, детские пеленки

scales offish чешуя рыб

aquatic life водная флора и фауна

incinerator мусоросжигатель

incinerate сжигать

airborne particle пылинка; частица аэрозоля