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With all of the talk surrounding air pollution, our health, global warming and the green movement in the automotive industry, I figured that it was time for a basic explanation of the factors involved in the matter. It can be confusing for many to hear the “talking heads” on the news rambling on about carbon emissions and how they are potentially killing us and the planet. Keep in mind that I am not taking sides on this debate (even though I have my opinions), but rather, my goal is to explain why the automotive green movement came to being in regard to reducing carbon emissions. Sure, there are other sources of carbon emissions, but how do the autos we drive on a daily basis lead to air pollution and other side effects?
Internal Combustion Engines
To many, the practical use of the internal combustion engine in automobiles was the single greatest invention of the past 150 years. Believe it or not, the idea of a “constant pressure engine” was first proposed by Leonardo da Vinci in 1509, but it wasn’t actually built using gasoline as a fuel source until 1860 by Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir. The first patent for a gasoline based engine was assigned 34 years earlier to an American named Samuel Morey, but he didn’t really get it working until 1862 with some help. From that moment on, the internal combustion engine would come to dominate the planet as the single greatest means of transporting us around on land.
The combustion process that powers almost every automobile on the planet is combination of oxygen and hydrocarbons (i.e. gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc.) along with a spark or a heat source. One would think that in theory that this would be a fairly clean process, but the presence of nitrogen and sulfur atoms in the hydrocarbons leads to the air pollution that we hear so much about today.
Hydrocarbons And Pollution
The trouble with combustion engines, even modern ones, is that they are still unable to burn every ounce of fuel that makes its way to an engine. Because of this inefficiency, the remaining unburned fragments are released into the air by all automobiles, causing air pollution. Of course, the amount of pollutants released by autos has been reduced over time due to new technologies, but they still exist. Combine that with the millions upon millions of automobiles that are found throughout the world and you have a recipe for extreme air pollution.
Smog Formation
The worst air pollution from autos tends to be found in the world’s major cities where millions of inhabitants drive or take some form a public transportation that still rely on hydrocarbons as a fuel source. The most obvious effect of this pollution in major cities is smog. For those living in or near a major city, you have probably seen low-lying smog at some point in your life. Smog forms because of the remaining, un-burnt fragments of gasoline or diesel fuel reacting with nitrogen oxide (another emission) and sunlight. In the upper atmosphere, ozone is a good thing, as it protects us from the sun’s harmful radiation, but at ground level, it can cause serious health problems for people, such as irritation to the eyes, throat and nose that can lead to serious damage.
Other Emissions
Another potentially dangerous emission is carbon monoxide, which is odourless and very dangerous to our health. Carbon monoxide’s cousin, carbon dioxide, is also dangerous to our health as well as the planet’s health, as it is a greenhouse gas that traps heat from sunlight in the earth’s atmosphere. Probably the most dangerous byproduct of our combustion engines is benzene. Benzene is produced during the fuel refinement process and some is usually left over in the fuel that makes its way to our gas stations. The main hazard to our health from benzene comes in the form of various types of cancer.
Improving Your Health
If you find that your health is seriously bothered by the various pollutants emitted from autos, there are a few things that you can do to find relief. In regard to smog, try your best to stay away from it and not to breathe it in. If worse comes to worst, wear a surgical mask if you have to trek to the most polluted parts of a city to reduce your exposure. However, if you find that your health problems are continuing due to pollution, you may find it worthwhile to visit the various parks in your city more often. Many modern cities are planting more greenery in their parks to help reduce the levels of various pollutants, mainly carbon dioxide. In a sense, by visiting a park (or an area with a lot of trees) more often, you are visiting a clean air farm.
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