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CANCER: VINYL CHLORIDE, ASBESTOS, AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, AND MORE....
"Asbestos In The Home" - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
:EPA Bans DCPA Pesticides in First Emergency Action in 40 Years" - USA TODAY (August 7th, 2024)
Pesticides; Emergency Order Suspending the Registrations of All Pesticide Products Containing Dimethyl Tetrachloroterephthalate
(DCPA) A Notice by the Environmental Protection Agency on August 7th, 2024
"How Air Conditioning Is Warming The World" - CNBC (July 24, 2021)
COMPLTE LIES: Does not address the fossil fuel needed for fracking, obtaining the gas - that is NOT "natural". Injecting
carbon endlessly into earth.
"Balloon Release Prohibition" - Maryland State Law 2021
"Who is Polluting the Ocean with Plastic?" - The Economist (October 11, 2023)
"Why Carbon Offsets are Worse Than you Think" - DW Planet A (2022)
{Artificial Grass] BALTIMORE COUNTY, CAL RIPKEN, SR. FOUNDATION DEBUT NEW ESSEX FIELD AT RENAISSANCE PARK - Baltimore County
Government
But they did not know the vital uses - bilge
"I wonder where you are tonight, and why I'm by myself
I don't see you, does it mean you don't love me anymore?"
"The Carbon Copy: Florida is the Latest Battleground Over Fossil-Fuel Phaseouts"- Latitude Media (June 28, 2024) [Audio]
"Have We Been Doing Solar Wrong All Along?" Undecided with Matt Ferrell (February 6, 2024)
"Are Shrouded Rooftop Wind Turbines the Future of Energy?" - Undecided with Matt Ferrell (May 14, 2024)
As simple as tightening a bolt; and turning a valve closed.
"How Dying Gas Wells Are Making One Company Rich" -Bloomberg Originals (October 12, 2021)
"Russian Company Brands Asbestos With Trump's Face" - Asbestos.com and The Mesothelioma Center (2018):
"Husband Feared for 'His Life' as Wife Spiked His Soda with Roundup, Missouri Cops Say" - Kansas City Star (June 26, 202
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| BALTIMORE AT NIGHT - NASA VISIBLE EARTH |
"NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts" - NASA (June 14, 2024)
Lights Out Baltimore
"Light Pollution: The Overuse & Misuse of Artificial Light at Night" - John C. Wells Planetarium | James Madison University
"MDTA Seeks Request for Proposals From Design-Build Teams to Rebuild Key Bridge" - WBAL TV 11 (June 3 , 2024)
Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge Replacement I-695/MD 695 over the Patapsco River
BILGE = The lowest inner part, or bottom point, on a boat, designed to collect excess water. The pump inside removes accumulated
water by creating pressure or suction so that the water can be removed. Place for wastewater collection.
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| ERADICATE |
BILGE DUMPING = When a vessel illegally releases untreated, oily wastewater into the ocean.
Typically occurs far out at sea, done in secrecy, with no regulations, this pollution continues to be unchecked. Cargo vessels
and tankers illegally dump oily bilge water, which contains moe than just oil. But regarding the oil, the bilge water forms
in most modern cargo and container vessels from the heavy oil they use for fuel.
"Bilge Dumping: The Worst Pollution You've Never Heard Of" - DW Planet A (April 15, 2022)
HOW ITS DONE: "Cargo Ship Engineer Gets One Year in Prison for Dumping Oil in Ocean" - KFMD TV 8 San Diego (September 12,
2022)
"Detecting Bilge Dumping Pollution at Sea With Satellite Data" - Geo Awesome (February 21, 2024)
"Bilge Dumping: What It Is, Why You Should Care, and What Can Be Done" - Let's Talk Geography (April 24, 2024)
"Criminal Provisions of Water Pollution" - Environmental Protection Agency
"Ocean Dumping: International Treaties" - EPA
"OCEAN DUMPING IS VIRTUALLY AN EPIDEMIC"
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| ERADICATE |
BILGE WATER = A mixture of fresh water, sea water, oil, sludge, chemicals, and other fluids that accumulates in bilge wells,
the lowest compartments below the waterlines of a ship.
"Oil Pollution From Ships" - DW (2022)
Sheet: "Oil Pollution Laws: Federal Regulations Prohibit Discharge of Oil in U.S. Waters" - National Marine Manufacturers
Association
Bilge Dumping & PAH "Public Health Assessment Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard" (a/k/a U.S. Coast Guard, Hawkins Point Road) Baltimore,
Anne Arundel County Maryland EPA Facility ID: MD4690307844
"Oily Bilgewater Separators" - United States Environmental Protection Agency (November 2011)
"OCEAN DUMPING IS VIRTUALLY AN EPIDEMIC"
"BALTIMORE — Nothing seemed amiss aboard the Maltese cargo ship Aquarosa... While no one knows exactly how much is dumped,
estimates suggest that the total each year dwarfs many major spills that get far more attention. One analysis put the annual
amount at eight times the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, which emptied an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil
into Alaska’s Prince William Sound.
Most of the cases involve illegal dumping of sludge and oily bilge water, the residue from the engines. International conventions
that the United States adopted in 1980 require ships to separate out oil, then incinerate it or store it until reaching port.
The law also forbids dumping plastics.
To skirt that requirement and save money, unscrupulous crews hook up hoses, known as 'magic pipes,' that bypass the separation
equipment, then pump the oil overboard. The crews then fudge the logs, and the prosecutions often result from the falsified
record-keeping rather than the dumping. One estimate is that 10 percent to 15 percent of the roughly 50,000 oceangoing commercial
ships worldwide illegally dump oil and sludge."
ARTICLE 10 HARBORS, DOCKS, AND WHARVES - Baltimore City Code (As Last Amended by Ord. 15-435) (2021)
"What Is Hazardous Material?" - National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
"Disposal of Controlled Hazardous Substances" Title 26 of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), Subtitle 13, Chapter 01
(November 12, 2010)
Code of Maryland Regulations Title 26 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT
Biennial Hazardous Waste Reports: Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 26.13.03.06B
"Waste Containment and Disposal" - Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Regulations Under Development - Delaware
REPORT: "10 Year Solid Waste Management Plan for 2013-2023" - Baltimore City
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| Pollution Production of Plastic. |
"The FCC limit for public exposure from cellular telephones is an SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg)."
"Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC sets a safety limit for a localised SAR of 2 W/kg, averaged over any 10 g of body
tissue in a person's head and trunk, and of 4 W/kg in a person's limbs.1 In practice, standards for limiting the exposure
of the public to electromagnetic waves are based on the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation
Protection (ICNIRP)"
"Cell Phones and Cancer Risk" - National Cancer Institute | National Institutes of Health
"Bilge Dumping: The Worst Pollution You've Never Heard Of" - DW Planet A (April 15, 2022)
Air Pollution: "How Does Air Pollution Affect Our Health?" - Medical News Today (U.K.)
"According to a recent study, over the course of a year, we all ingest approximately one Barbie-doll worth of plastic."
- Jimmy Kimmel "CBS Sunday Morning" March 10th, 2024
[Nearly accurate joke]
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| PLEASE VIEW WHAT IS AVAILABLE ~ COMING SOON |
"How Single Use Plastics Are Hurting Our Oceans and Warming Our Planet" - Peril & Promise | PBS (2023)
"The Plastic Industry Knowingly Pushed Recycling Myth for Decades" - "PBS News Hour" (2024)
"No Plastic in Nature Assessing Plastic Ingestion From Nature to People" - World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) | University of
Newcastle, Australia (2019)
"Recent evidence indicates that humans constantly inhale and ingest microplastic through contaminated seafood, including
fish and shellfish. Additionally, microplastics have been found in tap water, bottled water, and even commonly consumed
beverages, such as beer and salt. In fact, a new study estimates that the average adult consumes approximately 2,000
microplastics per year through salt.
Different chemicals can leach from our plastic water bottles, knives, and dermatologic products to enter our bodies. These
compounds are linked to serious health issues such as endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive
health, and cancer."
"I. Introduction
"Between 1950 and 2015, over 90% of plastics were landfilled, incinerated, or leaked into the environment. Plastic waste
is ubiquitous—from our rivers, lakes, and oceans to roadways and coastlines. It is in, 'The air we breathe, the food
we eat, and the water we drink.' One study estimates that humans ingest up to five grams or the equivalent of one credit
card worth of plastic per week. Some of the largest oil and gas companies are among the 20 petrochemical companies responsible
for more than half of all single-use plastics generated globally. ExxonMobil, for example, is the world's top producer of
single-use plastic polymers.
II. The Majority of Plastics Cannot Be Recycled—They Never Have Been - and Never Will Be
Plastics are part of a sector known as “petrochemicals,” or products made from fossil fuels such as oil and gas.
More than 99% of plastics are produced from fossil fuels.
There are “thousands of different types of plastic, each with its own chemical composition and characteristics.”
The vast majority of these plastics cannot be “recycled”—meaning they cannot be collected, processed, and
remanufactured into new products. As of 2021, the U.S. recycling rate for plastic is estimated to be only 5-6%. Despite decades
of industry promises, plastic recycling has failed to become a reality due to long-known technical and economic limitations.
III. Petrochemical Companies Created and Perpetuated Recycling as a False Solution to Plastic Waste Management
A. The plastics industry sold the public on disposability (1950s to 1960s)
B. The plastics industry promoted incineration and landfilling as 'solutions' to plastic waste (late 1960s to 1970s)
C. The plastics industry promoted recycling in response to public backlash (mid-1980s)
D. The plastics industry faced an existential crisis— 'recycle or be banned' (mid-1980s to mid-1990s)
E. The plastics industry began a coordinated campaign to sell the promise of plastic recycling (mid-1980s to mid-1990s)
F. The plastics industry made performative investments as part of its campaign to promote plastic recycling (mid-1980s to
mid-1990s)
G. The plastics industry continued its campaign despite the demonstrated limitations of plastic recycling (1990s)
H. The plastics industry backed off its commitments when its campaign proved successful and public pressure subsided (mid-1990s
to mid-2010s)
I. The plastics industry has faced renewed public pressure to address plastic waste (2015 to present)
J. The plastics industry is promoting an old technology as a new “solution” to plastic waste—“advanced
recycling” (2017 to present)
IV. Petrochemical Companies Ran—and Continue to Run—a Decades Long Campaign of Deception and Disinformation on
Plastic Recycling"
"Sodium levels in the water supply are often of concern to consumer who contact our facilities. Sodium naturally occurs
in raw waters, but the concentration can be increased due to the influence of runoff from road surface treated with rock salt
during snow and ice removal efforts. During the year 2022 the average sodium concentration measured n the finished water
from the Ashburton and Montebello Water Treatment plant were 20.4 and 20.3 respectively and are considered law."
"'There are no mandates,' Isenberg said. Rather, he added, 'There is an opportunity for everybody to win through this, be
it cost savings, reduced impact or what have you.' Lauren Mollerup, assistant maintenance administrator in Northern Virginia
for the state Department of Transportation, said highway crews already have adopted a number of best practices aimed at reducing
salt use by applying it more efficiently. Even a small change in the amount of salt applied can make a big difference,
with about 17,000 lane miles of roads and highways to treat in the region, more than enough to drive to California and
back three times.
A similar salt management plan produced in Minnesota five years ago, on which the Northern Virginia strategy is modeled, yielded
salt-use reductions of 30–70%. That translates into cost savings for taxpayers, property owners, and homeowners.
The key to judging the strategy’s success, though, will be whether and how quickly chloride reductions happen in streams.
The bottom line: A little salt goes a long way. One 12-ounce mug of sodium chloride — common table salt — is
enough to melt snow or ice on a 20-foot-long driveway or on 10 sidewalk squares.
The plan provides a menu of alternative materials and methods for preventing or clearing snow and ice. Homeowners,
for instance, are encouraged to look at spreading bird seed on top of snow or ice instead of rock salt. The seed provides
traction on slippery surfaces, and cleanup is less of a chore because birds eat most of the seed.
"There are many sources of salt in a waterbody, ranging from salt and salt brine spread on wintry roads to home water softener
systems. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to reduce levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and other pollutants from the
water before discharging it, but rarely do they remove salt. Although there are scientific methods for removing salt from
water, such as reverse osmosis, they are energy-intensive and far too expensive for most water authorities to seriously consider
using them in treatment plants.
Keeping salt out of the water in the first place, the experts say, is by far the best approach — though it’s not
an easy one. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality spent years developing a salt management strategy to reduce
levels of salt that were polluting Accotink Creek in Fairfax County. The effort aims to balance the safety benefits of road
de-icing with the harmful impact of excess salt on living resources. It spells out steps that government, businesses and citizens
can take to that end.
But winter road salt isn’t the only source of the problem. Powdered laundry detergents, from those on supermarket shelves
to homemade alternatives, often contain salt, which is then flushed with the wastewater to the nearest treatment plant or
through a septic system. Industrial cooling systems, like those used at large data centers, include salt as a disinfectant
in water. Wastewater treatment doesn’t remove salt, so it eventually makes its way to the nearest creek, river or bay.
"Freshwater Is Getting Saltier, Threatening People and Wildlife" - Scientific American (2018)
* According to University of Toledo researchers, approximately 25 million metric tons of sodium chloride are used in United
States winter season to deice roads.
* Radon, mercury, and lead, amongst others, are being found in road salts, contaminating water supplies.
* Salt "chemical cocktails", such a various brines leads the urgent need to understand how freshwater organisms respond and
are affected.
"'Current EPA thresholds are clearly not enough. The impacts of deicing salts can be sub-lethal or lethal at current
thresholds and recent research suggests that negative effects can occur at levels far below these thresholds,' said Hintz.
The solution to excessive use of road salt isn’t straightforward, with Hintz explaining a number of approaches to curb
contamination. One solution would be to create covered storage facilities for the salt that include a concrete base and use
anti-icing liquids before a winter storm hits to prevent ice from bonding to surfaces. Hintz also recommended simply using
more efficient snowplows that better conform to road surfaces, reducing the need for deicing salt altogether. It
also may come down to adjusting expectations for how localities respond to winter weather, with researchers saying that
the public may have to, 'consider that our expectations during the winter may come at the cost of contaminating freshwater
ecosystems.'"
#3 emissions - meat
"Salt" - EPA
"Drinking Water Advisory: Consumer Acceptability Advice and Health Effects Analysis on Sodium" - Office of Water, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (2003)
POTENTIAL: Izaak Walton League of America
"Salt Pollution in Our Fresh Water: A Costly Crisis for Human Health, Infrastructure and Aquatic Life" - Abby Hileman, Izaak
Walton League of America(2023)
"The ion content of inland surface waters is determined by several natural factors, including rainfall, rock weathering, seawater
intrusion and aerosol deposits. If these natural processes are the driver of salinization, this phenomenon is called primary
salinization. However, given the strong influence of humans even on regional and global biogeochemical cycles, which have
been captured in calling the current era the Anthropocene, human activities can accelerate these natural processes. For example,
construction activities, resource extraction and changes in land cover can bring bedrock materials to the surface that are
subject to much more rapid chemical weathering, consequently increasing the transport of ions to surface waters. Also, agriculture
can produce highly saline irrigation return flows that enter freshwaters, and land clearing can bring naturally saline groundwaters
to the surface. In cold regions, salts are often applied to roads to prevent the build-up of ice and snow, which are washed
into surrounding freshwaters during snowmelt and rain. Overall, the salinization of freshwater ecosystems owing to human activities
is called secondary salinization (hereafter termed freshwater salinization), and it has been documented in a wide variety
of lakes, rivers and wetlands. At the same time, naturally saline ecosystems can be diluted owing to anthropogenic freshwater
inputs, although this has received even less attention.
Freshwater animals need to maintain an osmotic balance between the ion concentration within their cells and their body fluids,
which are strongly influenced by the salinity of the surrounding water owing to body permeability. The maintenance of this
balance is key to cellular stability (i.e. changes in osmotic pressure can cause cellular damage or death) and requires energy.
Freshwater salinization, through an increase in osmotic pressure, can have drastic effects on the fitness and survival of
freshwater organisms. In general, species richness declines along the salinity gradient in inland waters and laboratory toxicity
tests show that most freshwater species are extirpated once a certain threshold of salinity is exceeded. However, this response
largely depends on the identity of the ions, because the toxicity of ions to freshwater organisms varies. Additionally, the
interactions among ions can modify their toxicity. Besides lethal effects, salinization can reduce organism and population
fitness through sub-lethal effects; e.g. oxidative stress, delayed growth, reduced feeding efficiency, increased drift and
malformations. Moreover, it can lead to important changes in the ecosystem structure and functioning by altering trophic interactions,
biochemical cycles and leaf decomposition."
"Salt in Freshwaters: Causes, Effects, and Prospects - Introduction to the Theme Issue" - Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2019)
"The Army Corps of Engineers expects salt water to reach New Orleans drinking water in mid to late October. Louisiana
Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a state of emergency in August because of it, and in September, President Joe Biden announced
that federal disaster assistance would be available.
Vassalotti said that when he was thinking about the potential health problems facing Louisiana, he noted that much of the
research on the health effects of saltwater intrusion into drinking water is done in other countries, mostly developing nations.
'It’s kind of strange that we’re facing this now,' he said. 'But with global warming and the sea level rising,
we may be seeing more of this.'"
RECREATIONAL FISHING = Tending to fish and therefore catch and eat fish from same fishing place
COMMERCIAL FISHING = Tends to fish in multiples of places.
"MDE Issues New Fish Consumption Advisory and Guidelines " - Maryland Department of the Environment (December 7th, 2023) [Video]
Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Fish Consumption Advisories & Map
California Law amended: Making "synthetic grass or artificial turf" not be a method, not fit definition of, "drought-tolerant
landscaping," and makes a city and or county have the ability "to enforce drought-tolerant landscaping using living
plant material on residential property."
"With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride
You're toxic,
I'm slippin' under ~ With a taste of a poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know - that you're toxic?"
PLASTIC GRASS: Artificial Turf or Synthetic Grass [Common name brand Astroturf]
Plastic grass in Japanese is called "haran" or "baran." The name is a combination of In Japanese, "Ha" is leaf, and 'Ran'
is orchid.Here's Why There's "Plastic Grass In Sushi Containers: The Plastic Grass in Sushi Containers Wasn't Always Made
of Plastic" - Tasting Table (2022)
"Health Impacts of Artificial Turf: Toxicity Studies, Challenges, and Future Directions" - Environmental Pollution (2022)
The Great Bubble Barrier
"Residents Meet After Air Quality Study Reveals Presence of Coal Dust in Curtis Bay" - WJZ TV 13 (December 2023)
"Buried Lead: How the EPA has left Americans exposed to lead in drinking water" - ApmR eports
"Causes and Effects of Lead in Water" - Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
"Lead" - Occupational Safety and Health Administration
https://americanvintagehome.com/blog/need-swap-galvanized-pipes/
Approximately 9 million lead pipes carry drinking water across the country, according to estimates from the federal Environmental
Protection Agency. Under a newly proposed rule, cities and other jurisdictions will be required to replace all service lines
made out of the hazardous material within 10 years — but first, they have to find where they are.
And that’s where you come in.
Baltimore is among the cities asking homeowners to test their own pipes for lead and complete an online survey with their
results, as it races to complete a required inventory of its pipes.
The test only requires a few household items — a key, a magnet and a penny — and it will help the city identify
hundreds of thousands of uncategorized pipes.
So far, the city doesn’t have records indicating any of its service lines are made of lead, according to a joint city
and county website advertising the self-testing initiative. The most common known pipe materials are copper and galvanized
iron.
But it doesn’t know the material for many of the city’s service lines, largely because the city didn’t install
them.
Between Baltimore and Baltimore County — which also uses the city’s drinking water — 78% of all service
lines — more than 186,000 in the city and 155,000 in the county —are an unknown material, according to figures
shared by Jennifer Combs, a spokesperson for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works. Of the unknown pipes, about 93%
are on the customer-side, and bring water to individual homes, businesses and industrial properties. The remainder are on
the utility-side, which may run under streets and sidewalks.
While the 10-year timeline for identification and replacement may seem ambitious, in materials accompanying the announcement,
the EPA said it’s achievable. Cities like Newark, New Jersey; Benton Harbor, Michigan; and Green Bay, Wisconsin replaced
their lead service lines in less than 10 years, according to an EPA fact sheet.
The stakes are high. Research has shown there is no safe level of lead that can be found in a person’s blood, and remaining
lead pipes are disproportionately concentrated in low-income neighborhoods and those with residents who are mostly people
of color, according to the EPA.
Lead is a neurotoxin — a substance that alters the structure or function of the nervous system. Even very low levels
of exposure can harm a child’s intelligence, ability to pay attention and academic achievement.
And while symptoms of acute lead poisoning are easier to spot, the effects of mild exposure can arise years later, potentially
shaping the trajectory of a child’s life, researchers said.
“That’s one of the biggest issues with lead,” said Aisha Dickerson, an assistant professor of epidemiology
at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Even after you get rid of the main source of lead exposure,
the damage is done.”
The good news is water utilities like Baltimore’s can alter their drinking water’s alkalinity to keep it from
leaching the lead from pipes. But with its newly proposed rule, the EPA would require lead pipes be removed altogether.
“Importantly, we urge residents to not panic. DPW carefully manages the water chemistry to prevent lead pipe corrosion,”
Combs said in a statement.
‘Starting from zero’?
Take a look at the Baltimore City Department of Public Works online map, and nearly every residence has a gray dot hovering
on top — meaning the city does not know what material that home’s pipe is made of.
The lack of information surprised Natalie Exum, a researcher at Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose research
focuses on public health and sanitary engineering.
It feels like the city is “starting from zero,” Exum said. And the survey will have to be an “exact, boots-on-the-ground,
by-home inventory.” This isn’t a case in which computer models can be used to figure out where lead service lines
are located.
“Because you could be fine, and your neighbor could not,” she said.
In late January, the city and county plan to hold public meetings to demonstrate the self-testing procedure and answer questions.
The city also plans to meet with community associations about the testing, Combs said, and multilingual instructional videos
will soon appear on the lead pipe website.
The city also is placing informational inserts in water bills, and will mail ratepayers informational postcards, Combs said.
To conduct an at-home test, residents must find where their water service line enters their home, which is often in their
basement. Then, they must lightly scratch the pipe with a key or a coin, as close to the wall as possible, and note the color
that appears on the pipe. If it’s a shiny silver, it’s likely that the pipe is made of lead.
Then, homeowners should apply a magnet to the pipe. If the pipe is made of lead, the magnet will not stick. Residents are
asked to take a picture of their pipe and submit their results through an online survey on the Baltimore City and County website.
By next October, Baltimore and utilities across the U.S. are required to present a drinking water pipe inventory to the EPA.
In addition to lead pipes, utilities also will have to identify and replace certain galvanized iron and steel pipes, if they
are located downstream of a lead pipe, or were at one time. That’s because those pipes can absorb lead contamination.
Steve Via, the director of federal relations at the American Water Works Association, a nonprofit that represents water professionals
and utilities, said he suspects that the October inventories due to the EPA could contain a substantial number of “unknowns”
for many cities, due in large part to lacking data on the customer side.
Such unknowns are okay, said Eric Burneson, director of the Standards and Risk Management Division at the EPA’s Office
of Ground Water and Drinking Water. But they won’t be allowed by the time the 10 years runs out.
As utilities conduct their inventories, the key question becomes: “How do you use your records and the information from
the customer to [minimize] that number of times that you’ve got to actually go out and dig holes at the street at the
property line and disrupt everybody — disrupt the customer’s world — by putting that big truck out there?”
Via said.
Making replacement happen
Not all U.S. public utilities must replace every lead service line by 2034 under the EPA’s newly proposed rule, which
still needs to complete a public comment process before it becomes official.
Utilities in some cities will get more time, but only if they have a high quantity of lead pipes. If cities have to replace
more than 39 service lines for every 1,000 households each year — or more than 10,000 service lines in a year —
they might qualify for a deferred deadline.
But the EPA estimates that somewhere between 96% and 99% of utilities in the country won’t be eligible for such extensions,
Burneson said.
There are some “obvious candidates” that likely would qualify, Burneson said, including Chicago, Cleveland and
New York City.
Baltimore is still reviewing the EPA rule to determine its next steps, Combs said.
And a mandate to root out lead pipes is one thing. Having the funding is another.
The EPA is giving Baltimore $43 million of federal infrastructure funding to support the cost of completing the survey and
replacing service lines.
It’s likely the expansive project could cost much more. The extra funding could come from other federal funding sources
and from the state legislature, Via said. It also could come from the utilities themselves, depending on local rules on the
use of ratepayer dollars. But ultimately some of the cost might fall directly onto homeowners who still have lead service
lines, he said.
“It is different for every community and it’s not going to be just one of those,” Via said. “It’s
probably going to be a mix.”
Dickerson said she wants to be optimistic that it will be possible for Baltimore and other cities to replace all lead pipes
by the time the decade is up. But, she said, history has shown that it’s hard to be optimistic about the timeliness
of completing such federal mandates. “So much can happen within 10 years,” she said. “Something else might
become a financial priority, and that can get tossed aside.”
This article has been updated with new Baltimore City Department of Public Works information on the number of service lines
made of an unknown material.
Research has shown there is no safe level of lead that can be found in a person's blood, and remaining lead pipes are disproportionately
concentrated in low-income neighborhoods and those with residents who are mostly people of color, according to the EPA.
Lead is a neurotoxin — a substance that alters the structure or function of the nervous system. Even very low levels
of exposure can harm a child’s intelligence, ability to pay attention and academic achievement.
And while symptoms of acute lead poisoning are easier to spot, the effects of mild exposure can arise years later,
potentially shaping the trajectory of a child’s life, researchers said. 'That’s one of the biggest issues
with lead,' said Aisha Dickerson, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
'Even after you get rid of the main source of lead exposure, the damage is done. ....
The EPA is giving Baltimore $43 million of federal infrastructure funding to support the cost of completing the survey and
replacing service lines."
"CPSC Bans Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI) - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (1982)
"Fossil Fuel Racism: How Phasing Out Oil, Gas, and Coal Can Protect Communities" - Greenpeace (2021)
"To Kill Climate Rule, Trump's EPA Wants to Redefine Danger of Soot: Agency Aims to Set 'Safe' Threshold for Fine Particles"
- Journal of Science (2018)
coal fine particles worse than thought since 1999 contibuted to 1/2 a million premature deaths
" ENVIRONMENT OPINION "Pollution from Coal Plants Contributes to Far More Deaths than Scientists Realized" - Kansas Reflector
(2023)
Lead in Dishes Guide - The Good Life Designs
When Maryland unveils its latest plan for slashing its planet-warming emissions 60% by 2031 in December, environmental advocacy
groups are hoping for some changes from what was proposed initially.
A draft plan released in June was crafted by researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability.
The Climate Pathway Report, as it’s known, used computer modeling to assign shares of the needed reductions to sectors
like electricity generation, transportation, waste management and industry, estimating the greenhouse gas cuts that would
come from a suite of suggested policies.
Now Maryland’s Department of the Environment has taken the reins and, by the end of December, will transform the modeling
into a plan for the state to meet its goals, among the most ambitious in the nation. In addition to the 60% reduction, based
on 2006 levels, a 2022 state law commits the state to becoming carbon neutral by 2045.
At listening sessions about the plan at universities and community colleges around the state, conversations bounced quickly
among topics such as electric vehicles, solar panels, heat pumps and even green burials.
But a few key recommendations emerged. Namely that — unlike the university’s report — the final report should
recommend Maryland stop classifying trash incineration and the burning of biomass as renewable energy. It’s a categorization
many environmental groups battled in the legislature for years because of air pollution concerns.
They feel the final report also should include a sharpened target — beyond goals to sell more electric cars —
for reducing car travel.
In addition, they say the final report needs to be more specific about the pace of transitioning from gas to electric heating
and appliances in buildings and homes, and how to help low-income Marylanders afford that transition.
Those are among the host of comments backed by a coalition of Maryland environmental, transportation, labor, faith and civil
rights groups called Climate Partners.
In a statement, Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman Jay Apperson said “the department is carefully reviewing
the feedback it received and will consider these recommendations as it develops a comprehensive climate action plan to submit
to the Maryland General Assembly at the end of this year.”
The University of Maryland Center, for its part, is “dedicated to ensuring that the state, as well as Maryland cities
and businesses, have the best available research to support their efforts to reduce harmful pollution and maximize the benefits
of the clean energy economy,” said Kathleen Kennedy, an assistant research professor who was the lead author of the
Climate Pathway report.
From the perspective of advocacy groups, this is a critical time to bend the state’s ear: the document released in December
could guide state policymakers for years. There is also optimism that Gov. Wes Moore’s administration will be receptive,
given the Democratic governor’s willingness during his first year in office to sign onto ambitious climate promises.
“We want to take advantage of having an administration that has set and articulated very ambitious goals that we support,”
said Ruth Ann Norton, president and CEO of the Baltimore-based Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, part of Climate Partners.
For example, Moore was quick to advance a policy to require new cars sold in Maryland be zero emission by model year 2035.
It’s a policy that Maryland was required by state law to adopt, because the state follows California’s emission
standards, but one previous Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, delayed.
Also, Moore delivered remarks at this year’s Climate Week conference in New York City, and later that week signed onto
a multistate commitment to work on phasing out fossil fuel heating and cooling in new buildings by 2027, and to deploy 20
million electric heat pumps by 2030.
But legislators’ previous efforts to bar fossil fuel heating and cooling in new buildings have sputtered in Annapolis.
Among the recommendations from Climate Partners is that the state halt the expansion of natural gas infrastructure and end
subsidies for gas equipment in homes. The group also is calling for a zero-emission appliance standard by 2027. That would
require newly installed HVAC systems and water heaters to be electric, whether they’re installed in new buildings or
as replacements. Under the University of Maryland pathway, this standard would be implemented in 2030.
“Maryland needs a concrete plan and timeline to transition from gas and coal and oil and trash incineration to clean
energy,” said Josh Tulkin, director of the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club.
Jose Coronado-Flores, a research and policy analyst for CASA Maryland, helped hold informational sessions about the University
of Maryland climate plan in Spanish for immigrant communities.
Among the takeaways that emerged was a need for protections for people with low incomes in affordable apartment buildings,
as those buildings shift to electrification, he said. As the state pushes the owners of large buildings like apartment complexes
to retrofit properties with electric heating and cooling, there need to be assurances that rent will not skyrocket, he said.
“Let’s say that an entire apartment complex gets retrofitted and weatherized. Now, the rent goes from $1,200 to
$2,000, displacing everybody who lives there,” he said.
On incineration, the plan also falls short, said Greg Sawtell of advocacy group South Baltimore Community Land Trust, which
has dedicated years of effort to protesting the trash incinerator near Westport.
The University of Maryland report notes negative health effects of incineration, but does not expressly recommend its exclusion
from the state’s renewable energy program — which incentivizes the practice — nor suggest phasing it out.
Though leaders in Baltimore {City} and Montgomery County, the site of the state's other waste incinerator, have stated hopes
to close the facilities in future years the report does not model the impact of their closure on air pollution coming from
the waste sector, which Climate Partners called “surprising.” Baltimore City's current contract to continue sending
trash to its incinerator lasts until 2031.
“The report could have simply acknowledged the issue and been straightforward about it — and not doing that is
a huge missed opportunity,” said Sawtell, who is Zero Waste Just Transition director at the Land Trust, which is not
a Climate Partners member.
In discussions about Maryland's waste management, the report points to a need to increase the composting of organic materials,
but didn't include incineration on a list of potential obstacles, Sawtell said. Since incinerators like the WIN Waste plant
in South Baltimore have contracts with localities such as Baltimore, they must continue to receive and burn a certain amount
of waste, potentially limiting the amount that could be diverted to composting.
In the transportation sector, Brian O’Malley, president and CEO of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, said
he worries that Moore’s Department of Transportation is “not making the hard choices yet” about how to allocate
transportation spending. It remains committed to road building and widening, which public transportation advocates believe
encourages more car travel.
For instance, the transportation department has said it will seek federal funding to help widen parts of Interstates 495 and
270, including with toll lanes.
Climate Partners also is calling on Moore's administration to abandon widening plans, as well as a Hogan-era plan for a third
span of the Bay Bridge.
“I saw a more stark change when Gov. [Larry] Hogan took over from Governor Martin O'Malley than I have so far in transportation
spending in the transition from Governor Hogan to Governor Moore,” said O'Malley, who is not related to the former governor.
The group also is hoping for a statewide goal to trim the car travel mileage by 20% from 2019 levels by 2030.
In the Climate Pathway Report, car travel was estimated to increase by an average of 0.6% annually from 2020 to 2030 with
the new policies suggested — an improvement from a 2% annual increase with the state’s current policies in place.
The advocates feel the climate plan relies too heavily on a slow-moving transition to electric vehicles, rather than encouraging
the reduction of trips taken by car — by, for example, making communities more walkable and bikeable and strengthening
transit options.
“If all we do is get everyone to change their combustion engine car to an electric engine car, it won't be enough to
meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets and stave off the climate crisis,” O’Malley said. “We also have
to drive a little less.”
"Whiskey bottles, and brand new cars
Oak tree - you're in my way
There's too much coke and too much smoke
Look what's going on inside you
Ooh that smell
Can't you smell that smell
Ooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you"
DIRECTORY OF POLLUTIONS AND CONTAMINATIONS
This page will list Air, Soil, Water, Noise, Light, Sensory, and more types of pollutions and contaminations. Many materials,
chemicals... cross contaminate, going into air and then landing in water....
THE POLLUTIONS DIRECTORY [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
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"If I could make a wish
I think I'd pass
Can't think of anythin' I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound
Nothing to eat, no books to read ....
Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe
And to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
Yes, to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe"
AIR POLLUTION
AIR PARTICLES - VISUALIZATION OF WHAT AIR POLLUTION LOOKS LIKE:
"Air Pollution: Everything You Need to Know" - NDRC
"What Causes Air Pollution?" - NASA
"Air & Water Quality Rankings: Assessing Threats to Healthy Air and Water - U.S. News and World Report Magazine (2022) [Maryland
16: 29 - 14]
"Pollution Rankings: Measuring Exposure to Pollution and Related Health risks - U.S. News and World Report Magazine (2022)
[Maryland 16: 21 - 11]
"That Ear-Splitting Leaf Blower? It Also Emits More Pollution Than a Car: Blowers & Related Devices Are Dirty Because Many
Use Two-Stroke Engines" - The Wall Street Journal (2017)
"Regulations for Emissions from Vehicles and Engines" - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
"Regulations for On-road Vehicles and Engines" - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
"Regulations for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions" - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
"Regulations for Emissions from Small Equipment & Tools" - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
[Notice how it pretty much levels put at year 2040 - Shows that there is no such thing as going to "Zero" Emissions
as being touted.]
Nose Apparatus for Air Pollution - It's come to, An "Everyday" Use
Be Nosy Limited - "Dragons' Den" United Kingdon [S18E07] [1:34 Start] (2021)
Interview with Nosy Founder, Carina Cunha - Crimson Education (2021)
§7651j. Excess Emissions Penalty - For Emitting Sulfur Dioxide or Nitrogen Oxides 42 U.S.C. United States Code, 2011 Edition
Title 42 - THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE | Air Pollution Prevention and Control | Acid Deposition Control | U.S. Government
Publishing Office
TIRES TYRES EVERYWHERE
TRASH PLAN
TRASH COLLECTION CHOICE
TRASH ALTERNATIVES
THE FOREVER CHEMICALS: PAHS &: PFAS
MARYLAND
"Hogan Administration Pausing State's Participation in Multi-State Alliance for Strictest Vehicle Emissions Standards" - Maryland
Matters (December 13th, 2022)
It's As If They're Poisoning Us - "The Health Impacts of Plastic Recycling in Turkey" - Human Rights Watch (2022)
SPACE/SKY TRASH: Balloons..... [Coming Soon]
SOIL POLLUTION
"Lead Away!" - "Sesame Street" (1996)
"Lead Away Update" - John Oliver with "Sesame Street"(2016)
"Particle Pollution and Cardiovascular Effects" - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
"Lead" - "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" (2016)
"Magnesium Oxide" Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet" - State of New Jersey
THE POLLUTIONS DIRECTORY
What's on your shoes?
"Stepping into the Shoes on/Shoes off Debate" - "CBS Sunday Morning" (2023)
THE FOREVER CHEMICALS: PAHS &: PFAS
WATER POLLUTION
"We fell right in way over our heads
But we didn't go near the water
A love ran deep so young and sweet
And the nights got hotter and hotter
We're sure enough gettin' our feet wet mama
But we didn't go near the water"
VISUALIZATION OF WHAT WATER POLLUTION LOOKS LIKE:
Baltimore Floatilla: 5 Mile Paddle and Rally for Clean Water [In month of June]
"Lead" - "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" (2016)
THE FOREVER CHEMICALS: PAHS &: PFAS
MATERIAL POLLUTION
[Includes trash]
TIRES TYRES EVERYWHERE
"Plastic Pollution Investigation into to Coca Cola's 'Recycling'" - Premieres Lignes Production (2023)
"Globally, an estimated 20 million informal waste pickers {trash scavengers} are responsible for more than half of all
plastic waste collected. Now, a 30-year fight for fair wages and legal protection has culminated in these workers' first international
union." This documentary film in Indonesia explores their essential role in how the world handles trash.
TRASH PLAN
TRASH COLLECTION CHOICE
TRASH ALTERNATIVES
THE FOREVER CHEMICALS: PAHS &: PFAS
SENSORY POLLUTION
BALTIMORE SKY
"HOW ANIMALS PERCEIVE THE WORLD: Every creature lives within its own sensory Bubble, But Only Humans Have the Capacity to
Appreciate the Experiences of Other Species. What We've Learned is Astounding." - The Atlantic Magazine (2022)
"Sensory pollutants - including anthropogenic noise, artificial light at night and chemical contaminants - disrupt the sensory
processes of wildlife across the evolutionary spectrum. Anthropogenic noise impairs hearing and acoustic communication in
groups as diverse as insects, fish, frogs, birds and mammals, impacting behaviour, reproductive success and the detection
of predators and prey. Artificial light at night disrupts natural photoperiods and changes the spectral properties of nocturnal
light, with far-reaching impacts on the physiology, behaviour, ecology and evolution of animals and plants. Globally,
its effects are expected to increase further with the move from sodium lamps to coolwhite light-emitting diode (LED)
lamps for roadway lighting.
Chemical pollutants disrupt olfaction (smell), including chemical communication between individuals of the same species and
the olfactory detection of predators. Many chemical pollutants also act as endocrine disrupters, affecting invertebrates
and vertebrates alike with significant consequences for development, behaviour and fitness."
"'Sensory Danger Zones': How Sensory Pollution Impacts Animal Survival" - University of Michigan (2020)
"How to Minimize the Impacts of Sensory Pollution on Animals" - Purdue University (2020)
"POLLUTION: A SENSORY OVERLOAD" - The Reporter (2022)
"Sensory Pollution Sources in Buildings" - Indoor Air - NIH (2004)
"Light and sound pollution can dramatically alter how wildlife behave and jeopardize animal conservation. Bright lights
can confuse sea turtles heading to the coastline. Noisy roads can interfere with mating songbirds."
MARYLAND'S LIGHT POLLUTION LAW (so far):
Maryland State Finance and Procurement Code Ann. §14-412
"Prohibits the use of state funds to install or replace a permanent outdoor lighting fixture on the grounds of any state building
unless (1) the fixture is designed to maximize energy conservation and minimize light pollution, (2) the fixture emits only
as much light as necessary for the intended purpose and (3) a restricted up-light fixture is used when the output is more
than 1,800 lumens. Exceptions may apply."
PARTICULATE MATTER(PM) POLLUTION
"Particulate Matter (PM) Basics" - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
NATURALLY OCCURING IN MINUSCULE AMOUNTS:
RADIATION AND RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTAMINATIONS: COAL
[Seek "Energies"]
THE FOREVER CHEMICALS: PAHS &: PFAS
POLLUTION CONTAMINATIONS: OIL
[Seek "Energies"]
Example: "The Troll Army of Big Oil" - Climate Town (2023)
Hotter Air is Thinner: "Global Warming Could be Juicing Baseball Home Runs, Study Finds" - National Public Radio (2023)
Marcellus Shale - Department of the Environment [Last updated: 2016] Oil and Gas Exploration through Wells [Fracking]
"Yasuni National Park is inhabited by the Tagaeri and Taromenani, who live in self-isolation. In 1989, it was designated a
world biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO. Encompassing
a surface area of over 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres), it boasts 610 species of birds, 139 species of amphibians,
and 121 species of reptiles. At least three species are endemic.
With over 90% of the ballots counted by early Monday, around six in 10 Ecuadorians rejected the oil exploration in Block 43,
situated within Yasuni."
"Mapping of No-Drill Areas in Ecuador's Amazon Can Be Scaled for Entire Rainforest: Study" - Mongabay (February 2023)
"Ecuador Referendum: Voters Reject Oil-Drilling Project in the Amazon" - Al Jazeera (August 2023)
POLLUTION CONTAMINATIONS: NUCLEAR
[Seek "Energies"]
POLLUTION CONTAMINATIONS: CHEMICALS
[Seek "Energies"]
TIRES TYRES EVERYWHERE
THE FOREVER CHEMICALS: PAHS &: PFAS
A Message From Russell Means in Gallup, New Mexico (1993)
"Every Known Climate Projection, and Which One Might Really Work!" - Just Have a Think! (2023)
LIGHT POLLUTION
BALTIMORE SKY
THERMAL POLLUTION
"Thermal Pollution" - Science Direct [Many articles]
"In California, Some Songbirds Face Climate Challenges: Precipitation and Warm Temperatures Can Cause Reproductive Issues
for Cavity-Nesting songbirds - The Wildlife Society (2023)
NOISE POLLUTION
NOISE POLLUTION PAGE
"Yanez’s voice catches when she shares that she can no longer have children because of the chemotherapy. Her eyes well
up as she looks down at the brown shag rug beneath her feet. Around the living room are five large stuffed animals and a collection
of small figurines, including a tiny childlike angel with its hands clasped in prayer.
Yanez’s story is not unique to Orellana and Sucumbíos Provinces in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. Despite having cancer
rates higher than Ecuador as a whole, the area has no oncology center. Women make up the majority of cases, about 72 percen0,
which researchers link to their washing clothing and other household goods in contaminated river water. ....
The Siekopai’s descriptions of 'buen vivir' {good living in balance with nature} are backed up by anthropological studies
showing that before Texaco’s arrival in the region in the 1960s, the Indigenous peoples here had access to plentiful
amounts of food and more leisure time than most in the modern Western world.
Lusitande, who has childhood memories of that life, said that after Texaco began operating in and around the Siekopai’s
traditional territory, the locals began contracting illnesses that their traditional medicine couldn’t treat.
To pay for Western medicine and associated travel costs, some of the Siekopai have taken to growing palm oil trees and logging
in San Pablo de Kantesiya. Like crude oil, an international thirst for palm oil, an additive to consumer products from body
lotions to pizza dough, has changed things here. Just outside the village, palm oil plantations have overtaken swaths of what
once was biodiverse forest belonging to the Siekopai.
Together with emissions from gas flares, the Aguarico and other rivers and streams have transported pollution from oil operations
onto the Siekopai’s land, contaminating crops and other plants."
SALT POLLUTION
"Twenty years ago, all we had were case studies. We could say surface waters were salty in New York or in Baltimore’s
drinking water supply. We now show that it’s a cycle — from the deep Earth to the atmosphere — that’s
been significantly perturbed by human activities." - Distinguished UConn Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Research
Professor Gene Likens and Emeritus at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
"Anthropogenic activities have accelerated the processes, timescales and magnitudes of salt fluxes and altered their directionality,
creating an anthropogenic salt cycle. Global salt production has increased rapidly over the past century for different salts,
with approximately 300 Mt of NaCl produced per year. A salt budget for the USA suggests that salt fluxes in rivers can
be within similar orders of magnitude as anthropogenic salt fluxes, and there can be substantial accumulation of salt in watersheds.
Excess salt propagates along the anthropogenic salt cycle, causing freshwater salinization syndrome to extend beyond freshwater
supplies and affect food and energy production, air quality, human health and infrastructure."
"The study, led by researchers from the University of Toledo and Queen’s University in Kingston, found that even at
salt concentrations well below ranges that government regulators have deemed safe and protective of freshwater organisms,
significant damage is being done to freshwater lakes. 'It's clear that salt pollution in freshwater lakes, streams, and wetlands,
even when constrained to levels specifically chosen to protect the environment, threatens the biodiversity and overall function
of freshwater ecosystems. This is a global problem that has the potential to impact ecosystems and human health,' said study
co-author Rick Relyea, an expert in the impacts of road salt on freshwater ecosystems, and director of Rensselaer’s
Darrin Fresh Water Institute. ....
'Salt pollution occurring from human activities such as the use of road de-icing salts is increasing the salinity of freshwater
ecosystems to the point that the guidelines designed to protect fresh waters aren’t doing their job,' said Dr. Hintz.
'Our study shows the ecological costs of salinization and illustrates the immediate need to reassess and reduce existing chloride
thresholds and to set sound guidelines in countries where they do not exist, to protect lakes from salt pollution.'"
[Various - Will be separate pages]
"Rapid Warming is Probably Behind a Spike in Mercury {emissions} Levels in Svalbard Polar Bears" - Artic Today (2020)
METALIC POLLUTION
LEAD
"Lead" - "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" (2016)
"Environmental Racism" - "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" (2022)
"Carbon Offsets" - "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" (2022)
"Global Mercury Emissions to the Atmosphere From Anthropogenic and Natural Sources" - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics -
European Geosciences Union (2010)
Mercury Emissions: The Global Context [How does mercury threaten our health?] - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
"Air Contamination by Mercury Emissions and Transformations" - Water, Air, and Soil Pollution (2017)
"Mercury in U.S. Coal -- Abundance, Distribution, and Modes of Occurrence" - U.S. Geological Survey - U.S. Department of the
Interior (2001)
"HOW Mercury Poisoning Works" - Moms Clean Air Force
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| NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE ~ NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH |
"Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and Cancer Fact Sheet" - National Cancer Institute - National Institute of Health (NIH) [Radiation]
CARBON EMISSIONS POLLUTION
"'Around four million years ago, during the Pliocene Climatic Optimum, carbon dioxide levels were similar—close to or
above 400 ppm, per NOAA. The earth was seven degrees hotter, ice caps at both the North and South Poles nearly completely
melted and sea levels were 16 to 82 feet higher, high enough to submerge many major cities,' the administration says. Paleoclimatologists
can learn about past climates by looking at tree rings, ice cores, and mineral and element compositions in sediment core samples
as well analyzing plant and animal remains. Particularly useful are forams and diatoms, shelled creatures that frequently
record climate conditions in the compositions of their shells.
'Carbon dioxide is at levels our species has never experienced before,' Pieter Tans, senior scientist with NOAA’s Global
Monitoring Laboratory says in the statement. 'We have known about this for half a century, and have failed to do anything
meaningful about it. What’s it going to take for us to wake up?'"
ICE ICE BABY
ENERGIES: BALTIMORE USES
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director, Atmosphere/Energy Program
Senior Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment
Senior Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy
Co-Founder, The Solutions Project, 100.org, and the 100% Clean, Renewable Energy Movement
Professor Jacobson - Massachusetts Institute of Technology - School of Science
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How energies pollute:
Fossil-fuel combustion by-products are the world's most significant threat to children's health and future and are major contributors
to global inequality and environmental injustice. The emissions include a myriad of toxic air pollutants and carbon dioxide
(CO2), which is the most important human-produced climate-altering greenhouse gas. Synergies between air pollution and climate
change can magnify the harm to children. Impacts include impairment of cognitive and behavioral development, respiratory illness,
and other chronic diseases—all of which may be - seeded in utero and affect health and functioning immediately and
over the life course. By impairing children's health, ability to learn, and potential to contribute to society, pollution
and climate change cause children to become less resilient and the communities they live in to become less equitable. The
developing fetus and young child are disproportionately affected by these exposures because of their immature defense mechanisms
and rapid development, especially those in low- and middle-income countries where poverty and lack of resources compound the
effects. No country is spared. ....
childhood ADHD and ASD have been associated with early-life exposure to air pollution; these disorders may persist into
adulthood, affecting professional and personal life and increasing the costs of healthcare for individuals and families. There
is empirical evidence that early childhood exposure to air pollution is linked to lower scores on IQ and other intelligence
tests, with long-term economic consequences in terms of lifetime earnings. ....
Human activities emit about 35 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year, primarily from energy
use. ....
A major environmental injustice is that children, who are dependent on adults and did not create the problems, bear the
brunt of the impacts of air pollution and climate change. It is a further injustice that children in low- and middle-income
countries as well as lower-income communities and communities of color in high-income countries like the US are disproportionately
affected. ,,,,
The same factors contribute to disparities in the impacts of climate change. It is the poor who are most often forced
to live in areas that are especially vulnerable to extreme flooding, drought and other impacts of climate change. Poor children
are also less buffered and less resilient in the face of climate change: “a child living in poverty or deprived
of adequate water and sanitation before a crisis will be more affected by a flood, drought or storm, less likely to recover
quickly and at even greater risk in a subsequent crisis”. Pre-existing inadequate nutrition, lack of adequate social
support, and psychosocial stress due to poverty magnify the effects of both climate change and air pollution. Worldwide, the
number of children living in poverty is staggering: one billion children, almost half of the 2.2 billion children below 15
years of age, are living in poverty. <U>In the US</U>, the world's most prosperous country, the <U>child
poverty rate is a shocking 22%</U>. .... Co-exposure of pregnant women to air pollution and social stress or hardship
due to poverty significantly increases the adverse effect of air pollution on children's IQ and behavioral problems including
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). .... In our NYC research, <U>combined prenatal exposure to Polycyclic
Aromatic Hydrocarbons</U> (PAHS) <U>and material hardship was associated with a significant reduction in</U>
the <U>IQ of children<//U>. ,,,,
In children under 5 years old, 1.7 million deaths are attributed to pollution and environmental risks in general; with
air pollution linked to 600,000 of these deaths each year, largely due to pneumonia. .... according to the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), under-5 mortality could be 50% higher than; or even double current estimates
by 2050 as a result of outdoor air pollution. It is predicted that by 2050 outdoor air pollution will become the leading cause
of child death. However, millions more children are affected by chronic illness, including respiratory illness other than
pneumonia and effects on physical and cognitive development. ....
Most of the studies on traffic-related pollutant exposure have reported associations with decreased mental and psychomotor
development. Several studies found that the two traffic-related pollutants were associated with reductions in children's memory
and IQ, after socio-demographic factors were taken into account. Exposure to traffic pollution in childhood has also been
<U>linked to slower brain maturation</U>. ....
Air pollution, mainly PM2.5 or traffic-related pollution, has been associated in a number of studies with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD). .... In Mexico City, researchers have reported distinct brain changes that have been associated with adult
neurodegenerative disease in children living in high air-pollution areas. ....
prenatal exposure to PAH measured by personal air-monitoring or biomarkers of PAH exposure in cord or maternal blood was
associated with developmental delay, reduced IQ, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and inattention, ADHD, deficient maturation
of emotional self-regulation capacity, and poorer social responsiveness in childhood. Significant interactions were observed
between prenatal PAH and material hardship due to poverty on child IQ and between prenatal PAH and maternal psychological
distress on mood-related problems. More recently, significant combined effects of PAH and material hardship have been observed
on ADHD outcomes. MRI brain imaging of a subset of children in the NYC cohort showed significant correlations between measures
of prenatal PAH exposure and distinct anatomical changes. ....
maternal exposure to particulate pollution was associated with low birth weight at term. Racial disparities exist. In
the US, preterm birth rates are 7.4% among Non-Hispanic white infants compared to 17.2% for Non-Hispanic black infants. Both
social and physical environmental factors contribute to these disparities. These effects are costly to society and individuals.
In the US alone, PM2.5 caused an estimated 15,000 preterm births in 2010, costing about $5 billion in medical care, special
education services and lost economic productivity for that single year's cohort. ....
Climate change impacts the development of children's brains in many ways. Malnutrition during the first 1000 days causes
stunting of the brain and body, with associated reduced neurodevelopmental and cognitive function in children and subsequent
decreased ability to learn and be economically productive. .... Stress from extreme weather events also contributes to neurodevelopmental
and mental health problems in children. ....
The psychological and emotional impacts of climate change include the acute, traumatic effects of extreme weather events,
mental and emotional distress resulting from direct experience or anxiety about future risks, chronic stress from heat, drought,
forced migrations, and climate-related conflicts, and the stress of adjustment in the wake of weather-related disasters. Migration
and population displacement as a result of social and political instability due to climate change affects the mental health
of children in low-income. ....
There is an increasing body of evidence that early-life exposures to air pollutants, nutritional deprivation, and stress
can result in transgenerational impacts, possibly via the transmission of epigenetic changes. Combustion-related PAH have
been shown to alter epigenetic marks in newborns, potentially dysregulating genes involved in disease pathways. ,,,,
The WHO [42] describes a number of policies in transport, urban planning, power generation and industry that are known to
be effective in reducing emissions of fossil fuel-related air toxics and CO2:
* Clean technologies that reduce industrial smokestack emissions; improved management of urban and agricultural waste, including
the capture of methane gas emitted from waste sites as an alternative to incineration (for use as biogas);
* Shifting to clean modes of power generation; prioritizing rapid urban transit, walking and cycling networks in cities as
well as rail inter-urban freight and passenger travel; shifting from heavy-duty diesel vehicles to low-emission vehicles and
fuels, including fuels with reduced sulfur content;
* Improving the energy efficiency of buildings and making cities more compact, and thus energy efficient;
* Increased use of low-emissions fuels and renewable combustion-free power sources (like solar, wind, or hydropower); co-generation
of heat and power; and distributed energy generation (e.g., mini-grids and rooftop solar-power generation).
The regional initiative to reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions in the north-eastern states (US) known as the Regional Greenhouse
Gas Initiative (RGGI) placed a regional limit on the amount of CO2 that power plants can emit and instituted a cap-and-trade
policy. A 2017 analysis found that RGGI created major benefits to public health and productivity including the avoidance of
300–830 early deaths among adults; 39,000–47,000 lost work days; and 35–390 non-fatal heart attacks. The
total health-cost savings from RGGI to date are estimated to be $5.7 billion.
Consideration of the full impacts of fossil-fuel pollution and our carbon-based economy shows that unless strong action is
taken now, our children and their progeny will inherit an increasingly unsustainable and unfair world in which they, their
families and communities will not be able to survive, adapt, grow and transform where needed."
SOLAR COSTS
WIND
GEOTHERMAL
ENERGIES: BALTIMORE USES
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