chem summative

Industrial processes, such as manufacturing batteries and car parts, produce harmful air pollutants, including photochemical smog. This smog is formed when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It can cause eye irritation and respiratory problems. Examples of high smog density areas are Los Angeles and China. The Great London Smog of 1952 caused serious health issues. Some countries have implemented laws to limit pollutant output, but more needs to be done. Individuals can reduce smog by driving less, using low VOC products, and avoiding gas-powered appliances. Real change comes from advocating for stricter regulations. Welcome back everyone to the Primordial Soup. I'm sure you all remember our feature focus on the element lithium, all the way back in grade 9. Tough to believe that it's been three years. We all know that lithium is used in batteries, but how does that process affect the environment? Well, that's a perfect segue to today's topic, analyzing the effects of industrial processes on air quality. You may be wondering, what exactly is an industrial process? Well, to put it simply, it's a broad term used to refer to a plethora of processes which involves chemical, physical, electrical, and mechanical steps to aid the manufacturing process, right? These types of processes are used in a lot of different things, mostly heavy manufacturing. For example, stuff like batteries, like we previously mentioned, and car parts all make use of industrial processes. Overall, they are a type of process that takes raw materials and makes them into something useful. Unfortunately, a side effect of industrial processes is that it kicks up a lot of harmful air pollutants. Today, we're going to be talking about a big one, smog. Photochemical smog, to be exact. Photochemical smog forms when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides and at least one VOC in the atmosphere, right? VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. It creates a noxious, grey-brown haze. It's most visible in cities during summer, around afternoon. It's called photochemical smog because it needs to react with the sun's ultraviolet rays to form. And that's why it's more prevalent around the summer, around noon, right? Because that's where UV is the strongest. This stuff can be pretty harmful. In the short term, it can cause a lot of negative effects. For example, not only does it reduce visibility, when combined with hydrocarbons, a type of volatile organic compound found in crude oil, natural gas, and coal, it can cause serious eye irritation and can cause respiratory problems and worsen respiratory ailments. There is evidence to prove that it may also be a cause of respiratory ailments. A famous example, a famous location of high photochemical smog density is the Los Angeles Basin in California. Another famous example of a high density area is China, boasting the highest amounts of air pollution in the world. A famous example of a non-photochemical smog is the Great London Smog of 1952, where Londoners burned coals to warm their homes in December. This smoke then mixed with a lingering fog that was hovering over the city, creating a noxious smog that completely swamped the city for five whole days. It caused a 48% increase in hospitalization, a 163% increase in respiratory diseases, and a 20% increase in asthma in newborn children at the time. Now this is an example of regular smog, not photochemical, but it proves the lethality of smog and the danger it poses. With all of this, quite frankly, scary news, what's being done about it? Well, there's a couple of things. A couple of countries, like the United States, have introduced laws about how much pollutants a factory can output a day and when they can do it. This helps, sure, but some argue that it's not enough. Some things that you can do to reduce it, right, is driving less, you know, walk, bike, take the bus, whatever you can do to avoid burning that fuel. Avoid products with high volatile organic compound counts, like using low VOC paints instead of regular old house paint. And avoid gas-powered appliances. You know your gas-powered lawnmower? Perhaps switch it up for the electric alternative instead. Now, of course, consumer usage is only a drop in the bucket compared to industrial output. As we previously mentioned, industrial processes are a major factor. Real substantial change comes from petitioning to your local government about these laws, right? Changing these rules and regulations about photochemical smog. Get the word out. Talk to your friends, family, whoever can make a change. That's how you make a real difference in this problem. This has been the Primordial Soup. As always, I'm your host, Max. Thank you for listening.