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greenhouse gases with auto industry
Today, the leading cause of air pollution in the U.S. is motor vehicles, which were first mass-produced in the U.S. by Henry Ford in the early 20th century. Auto emissions also increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which in turn contribute to global warming -
Air pollution
Over five days, 14,000 residents experienced severe respiratory and cardiovascular problems. It was difficult to breathe, because of the think blanket of grey smog. The death toll rose to nearly 40. Steel and zinc smelters had long plagued the town with dirty air. -
Reducing air pollution
In an effort to reduce air pollution, the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Air Act, legislation which has been amended and strengthened in the ensuing decades -
Safe drinking water law produced
Congress passed the Clean Water Act to reduce water pollution. Various pieces of anti-pollution legislation have followed since that time and today the U.S. has relatively clean, safe drinking water compared with much of the world -
three mile island meltdown.
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in USA a cooling malfunction caused part of the core to melt in the # 2 reactor. The TMI-2 reactor was destroyed.
Some radioactive gas was released a couple of days after the accident, but not enough to cause any dose above background levels to local residents.
There were no injuries or adverse health effects from the Three Mile Island accident. -
Oil spill explosion in the ocean
An oil well in the Bay of Campeche collapsed after a pressure buildup sparked an accidental explosion. Over the next 10 months about 140 million gallons of crude spouted into the Gulf of Mexico from the damaged oil well. -
Castillo de bellver oil spill
Another torcher, the Castillo de Bellver caught fire about 70 miles northwest of Capetown, South Africa, on August 6, 1983. The blazing tanker was abandoned and drifted offshore until it eventually broke in half. The stern capsized and sank into the deep ocean, with some 110,000 ton of oil remaining in its tanks. The bow section was towed away and sunk in a controlled explosion.
The vessel was carrying nearly 79 million gallons of crude at the time of the accident -
ENS makes an entrance into the problem
Water pollution is still a problem. In 2006, the Environmental News Service (ENS) reported that “more than 62 percent of industrial and municipal facilities across the country discharged more pollution into U.S. waterways than their Clean Water Act permits allowed between July 2003 and December 2004.” -
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
This designation was made on December 19, 1994, in commemoration of the date, in 1987, on which nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. -
World Water Day
World Water Day has been observed on 22 March since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared 22 March as "World Day for Water".