Salt Lake Tribune | 1971-10-10 | Page 80

1 0 F Two Divisions Of Air Pollution And Sources Ti.1 ,vuit Lake Tribune, Sunday, October 10, 191 Newsprint Recycling Expensive, Only 3 Plants In Entire Country You read every day about the great strides that are taking place in the battle for a better environment. Many columns have been written about the way industry is putting millions of dollars of time and equipment into the solving of pollution problems. Additional thousands of column inches ot space is devoted by newspapers around the country giving voice to environmental protection groups and agencies. One story that should be told in a section devoted to the environment, such as this one is, the story of what happens to all those newspapers upon which these stones are written. At first glance, the solution seems simple. Recyle the paper and use it to print on again. But s this solution feasible to an area of the United States such as Utah? Here are some things to consider. At present, there are only three newsprint mills, located in Newark, New Jersey; Pomona, California and Alsip, Illinois. They draw from the nearby areas of New metropolitan York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It costs betwwen $18 million and $20 million to build a recycling mill, and 300 tons of old newspapers a day, or about 110,000 tons a year, are required to support one. Substantial water supply is essenabout 9.5 million galtial as well as lons a day access ' to an inducstrial of sewer. About the total water requirements are clarified and reused, but the remainder contai.is substantial effluent organic matter, including fiber, ink and chemicals. An estimated 32,000 tons of consumed are newsprint annually in Utah, and if every copy of the newspaper were collected we would still be way short of .he necessary amount to sustain a mill in this area. It should be noted that the cost of collecting and transporting the used new-prito the closest mill in Pomona, California would still be prohibitive. The motives for recycling newpapers are the preseva- two-thir- nt tion of trees and reduction in disposal of solid waste. News- print is pioduced largely from waste and byproducts of the logging and lumbering operations. Only half of a sawn log can be used for lumber; the rest ends up as chips ami sawdust, both of which enter into production. newsprint Most newsprint suppliers are large, intergated forest-produ- that companies operate their forests on a sustained-yield basis, clearing old, mature and rotting woood and replacing it with healthy growth. One acre of young, growing trees produces four tons of oxygen and four tons of wood a year, while consuming 12 tons of cabon dioxide. To maintain this high oxygen production, the forests must be harvested while the trees are immature, because dying and rotting trees reverse the process and are oxygen consumers. It is desirable to preserve certain trees per se, and all major newsprint suppliers are committed to preserve their forests through forest management. t Pollution Source Inventory Lyman J. Olsen, M.D., Director of the Utah State Division of Health, announced today that the Bureau of has Environmental Health just completed updating the state-wid- e air pollution source inventory. The Air Pollution Source Dr. Olsen said, Inventory, is a determination of individual sources of pollutants and the contribution each makes to the atmosphere. These lat- est figures are the largest source of air pollution in the Wasatch Front. Dr. Olsen went on to say it is difficult to make comparisons between the 1968 and 1970 data because of two reasons : (1) More knowledge has been gained about the individual pollutants in the pst two years, and (2) the method of computing source inventories These has been refined. changes have been taken into consideration and therefore a trend is hard to detect. However, we do know the finger has been pointed at the automobile for being our largest source of pollution. Below are listed weight percentage contributions of each pollutant contributed by automobiles and other gasoline driven vehicles. The figures for the Federal Wasatch Front Air Quality Region, which includes Weber. Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Tooele Counties, are: Particulates 4.1 vx. ,, ..AiWV, AN 7 ..lx. Environment and Man Program ; INTERDISCIPLINARY UNIVER- SITY PROGRAM DEDICATED TO SERVING THE CITIZENS OF UTAH IN o CO 85.2 HC 69.9 , NOx 55.4 For Salt Lake County only, the figures are: - x; SOI 0.3 THEIR QUEST FOR ENVIRON- MENTAL QUALITY DURING A PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT AND POPULATION CHANGE. Utah State University Logan, Utah Particulates 8.1 S02 0.2 CO HC 96.9 75.9 NOx 55.2 These sta- Dr. Olsen said, tistics point out a very real contribution each of us can make toward solving Utahs air pollution problem. We can form car pools for various activities, use public transportation as much as possible, make sure our autos are well tuned and that the air pollution control device is wot king properly. Air pollution is usually divided into two divisions, particulate matter, either solid or liquid; and various gases, particularly those that react in the atmosphere to form photochemical smog. Examples of particuld'e matter are the smokes and dusts which constitute the oldest, the most obvious, and, in many parts of the world, the greatest sources of air pollution. Smoke and dust are but two kinds of a. number of minute bits of matter that are dispersed in the air from a variety of sources, both natural and Among the substances that contribute to what might be called the natural pollution of the air are such diverse materials as the dust from the soil which is lifted into the air by the wind, meteoric dust, volcanic dust and ash, salt spray, virus bacteria, spores and pollen. These existed long before man appeared ; in some instances his activities have increased the amounts of these substances in the air. e The pollutants, though they constitute a lesser portion of particulate matter in the earths atmosphere, sow almost as diverse a range of forms. Smoke, dust, mists, ash and man-mad- man-mad- fumes are but some of the names given to those particles which exist in the air in either a solid or liquid state. Although their sources vary widely, in general they are produced in one of four ways: burning or the application of heat; chemical reactions, the grinding and pulverizing of material; or through their creation in the atmosphere as a result of photochemical action. Smoke is the most obvious particulate pollutant. It is composed primarily of carbon and other combustible substances given off during the incomplete burning of a mate- rial. In many other processes where heat is applied, as in the melting of metals, the material will emit fumes which will condense in the cool atmosphere and form metallic dusts or oxides. Smoke from burning is also produced by trucks and automobiles, buses, commercial and residential agriincinerators, cultural burning and jet aircraft. Many chemical reactions, such as the making of sulphuric acid or the processing of crude oil, will cause particles to form in the atmosphere. Dusts are a large part of the particulate matter in the atmosphere. Construction and agricultural operations, which disturb the surface of the can cause large ground quantities of dust to enter the air, particularly on windy days. Industrial dusts are formed by several processes, but the most common is the giinding or pulverizing of materials. such Industries producing products as cement, chemi cals, fertilizers, pigments, ceramic goods and milled or finwood ished products are sources of particulate matter in air. Another source of particulate matter is the formation of such material in the atmosphere as a result of the Water Development The Utah State Engineer is with the general ad- charged of ministrative supervision the waters of the state. This a number of encompasses items involving appropriation, distribution, and adjudication of water. The legislature gave the State Engineer authority to administer water only on a and qualitative basis. The legislature also granted the State Engineer the authority to enter into agreements with the federal government and bipartisan programs directed toward orderly water development. Under these programs them surface stream flow's, ground wrater level in wells, the artesian pressure in ground water aquifers,' and the chemical quality of water is monitored. This data is gathered continually on a statewide basis for general and local trends. Whenever the data Indicates that there is a deterioration of a natural resource or an effect on the quantitative environment, is additional collected to effect and scope of the problem. Under the appropriation doctrine as it was developed in Utah and the western states, the early water uses and rights were recognized primarily for the purpose of accommodating the early development and expansion of the state. It has only been in recent years that it has been realized that water has a significant value for uses other than the traditional economic uses historically recognized in the West. It is now realized that in many areas water can data determine the detailed have value for recreational and scenic uses and that these uses can no longer be ignored. In the 1971 session of the Utah Legislature, certain additional duties relating to the environment were delegated to the State Engineer in considering whether to approve or reject an application to appropriate water. The legislature added to the existing criteria the requirement that the Engineer consider whether the proposed appro- changes other materials, particles 0.2 source. Because of their effects, some gases produced by our industrialized, urban civilization are regarded as air contaminants. The most important of these are oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, hydrogen sulfide, and oxidant. All of these can cause discomfort and illness in persons exposed for various time periods at certain con- centrations. In addition, they can in some cases cause visie bility impairment and dm-aglife. plant to in 0.8 check QtH lost SpCUU Whole Earth Catalog: An access of tools for the environment., Whatever Happened to the Fresh Air? By Katherine and Peter Montague Mercury takes c close and sober look at what Senator Philip Hart has called "perhaps the greatest environmental crisis in our history." J Mercury natural stream environment. Also, the legislature afforded some protection to the natural stream environment by Ecological Citizen By Dirck Van Sickle. as an individual and in local Whatyou con do action groups to preserve and improve our en- vironment. QThe Chemical Feast by James S. Turner Food Ralph Nader's Study Group Report on the and Drug Administration, Th requiring the submission of plans and the approval of the State Engineer before allow'-inthe relocation or alteration of the natural stream channels in the state. While this legislation does not encompass changes made for the purpose of using Water for flood or erosion control, it nevertheless is the first significant step by the State of Utah to afford some level of to our natural protection stream environment and is also a recognition of the vast public interest which exists in w a t recreational g I Everyman's Guide to Ecological Living byG. by G. Cailliet, P. Setzer, M. Love The Quiet Crisis by Stewart L Udall This book is dedicated to the proposition that men must grasp completely the relationship between human stewardship and the fullness of the American earth. QThe Last Horizon by Raymond F. Dasmann When the last of earth's wild places vanishes, where will man go for escape? Sam Wylers Forecast Forecasts of timber needs (based on housing projections) vary. The low figure is 21.3 Lillion cubic feet by the the highest, 26 year 2,000 billion cubic feet. Come in or order by moil. zion book score IMPORTANT ,.2. Add 4 Sola To Remittance tncloied In Utah !j Charge in Salt Lok Add 4 Vi my regular account 328-258- 6 ' i 1 ' i 3 v t Friday, September 241971, J. P. OKeefe, general manager, Utah Copper Division told the On Salt Lake Exchange Club, It will take an awfuT lot of money, construction, headaches and heartaches, but we will fully comply with federal primary ambient air standards by April 1. 1975. Kennecott people care about pollution. And for years weve been doing something about Recognition of our efforts is summarized in the June 21, 1971 issue of METALS WEEK magazine, . . . Utah Copper Division is the best equipped U. S. copper smelter in terms of sulfur recovery. it METALS WEEK also had this to say: In the general clamor for controls, the problems of one company or one industry tend to become obscured, and communication becomes difficult. Perhaps what is needed now is a greater willingness on the part of all industry, on the part of government, and on the part of the public to listen to the other guys side of the story. Given that, the U. S. drive for pollution control should produce results that are in the best interests of everyone concerned. EScnnccott Copper Corporation Utah Copper Division daily Coy 254 SOUTH MAIN, SALT LAKE CITY SttiON book CUP AND MAILtTHISAD oook 6 Well get there 5 p - m. s2 " , am. to $1 25 this state. 4 Place Ycur Classified Advertising from 8 . by Michael Treshow The author is a professor of biology at the Uniof air versity of Utah, who expresses the costs pollution. 4 4 ; New Ecological Books priation will unreasonably affect public recreation or the in asso- micron size are which extremely range, effective in reducing visibility. A micron is a unit of measure 125, 000th of an inch long. Some of the solid materials emitted from industrial processes and auto exhaust are much more toxic than others. These include such substances as lead, beryllium, asbestos, cadmium, fluoride and arsenic. Except for lead compounds emitted by auto ex the State activities haust, most of those are ciated with specific industries and are usually of concern of the only in the vicinity photochemical processes that occur during periods of oxidants smog. The gases which undergo photochemi cal produce, among KENNEcOTT PEOPLE CARE - .