any concern for the air in this area re coal? (Knoxville: environment, credit)

[12buttons]

from article on coal...

When coal is burned as fuel, it gives off carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas that is linked with global warming. Burning coal also produces emissions, such as sulfur, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury, that can pollute the air and water. Sulfur mixes with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide (SO2), a chemical that can affect trees and water when it combines with moisture to produce acid rain. Emissions of nitrogen oxide help create smog, and also contribute to acid rain. Mercury that is released into the air eventually settles in water. The mercury in the water can build up in fish and shellfish, and can be harmful to animals and people who eat them. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act require industries to reduce pollutants released into the air and the water.

TN needs to clean up its act. THis plus all the spores and pollen and chemical big "dirty industry" in kingston JC and bristol! YIkes no wonder TN has so many asthma capitals in the country ..Knoxville has the added plus of a possible nuclear accident and has been close to the top of the asthma charts nationally...is there a part of TN thas has clean air? THe smokies they say are dying due to the pollution - even Ashville blames TN for its bad air....Nashville is a mess due to traffic off 65 and the residue from the Ohio river valley and the TVA...okay enough of the scary stuff....hope I didn't upset anyone but I am looking for answers not asking for trouble by moving someplace that compromises the air so much. I know if you own a house in this area you will defend it and I can understand why...and tell me I am all wet and that your grandmother lived to be 400 and smoked a pack of day.

[ljay42]

Sounds like some dangerous stuff...



Carbon dioxide is produced by all animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms during respiration and is used by plants during photosynthesis. This is to make sugars which may either be consumed again in respiration or used as the raw material for plant growth. In its solid state, carbon dioxide is commonly called dry ice. (wikipedia).

Climate change is a natural process of this planet. Put the kool-aid down and start thinking for yourself.



(...or, it could be real, we could be causing it, and the planet could go up in flames. But if it does, it's clearly Gods will so either way have another drink and stop worrying people to death about it).

[fallfanatic]

Originally Posted by ljay42

Sounds like some dangerous stuff...



Carbon dioxide is produced by all animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms during respiration and is used by plants during photosynthesis. This is to make sugars which may either be consumed again in respiration or used as the raw material for plant growth. In its solid state, carbon dioxide is commonly called dry ice. (wikipedia).

Climate change is a natural process of this planet. Put the kool-aid down and start thinking for yourself.



(...or, it could be real, we could be causing it, and the planet could go up in flames. But if it does, it's clearly Gods will so either way have another drink and stop worrying people to death about it).

Thank You ljay42 for answering this... I debated for about 4 hours yesterday as to weather or not to reply. I just kept coming back to it and would decide not to say anything. I didn't want to offend the op or hurt his/her feelings, but it seems like every post I come across by them is the same thing, just worded differently. I feel bad for them, they seem so unhappy. Anyways, just wanted to thank you for saying what I couldn't bring myself to say.

[NorthernLights]

I have a graduate degree in environmental science and have researched climate change and mankind's contribution to it for a decade now. Mother always told me not to discuss religion or politics and sadly this scientific debate over possible theories has become both political and religious so I refuse to share the results of my research with almost anyone anymore. That said, the biggest air concern in NE TN I have found so far is pollen, other pollutants that occasionally register are things like ground level ozone probably from natural causes like pine trees etc. along with the pollen. There are sites that claim NE TN is not a good place for people with breathing problems due to pollen etc.
Coal is a tremendous source of airborne pollutants of all types and I personally would like to see it's use diminished but when the activists put the kibosh on nuclear energy development after TMI and Chernobyl it left America no alternatives that actually work at the present time. I feel that this thread probably belongs on one of many other websites dealing with the environment and energy so I will say no more on climate change here. I will tell you this. Grandfather mountain was bald in the late 80s when I visited there, covered with nothing but dead balsam trees. I have photos to prove it. The only living flora up there then was the lichen growing on the skeletons of balsams. It was a double whammy of the wooly agelid and acid deposition from Mid-western coal plants they claim. Both have improved [and I know that statement will cause someone to spin out] and the trees are coming back nicely. Mother Nature is much more resilient then people give her credit for and ultimately she will shake us off like a bad cold and keep going just fine.