Scientists stumbled upon a hidden airborne toxin in Oklahoma—the first detection of its kind in the Americas. #ToxicAir #MCCPs #EnvironmentalScience
https://geekoo.news/toxic-air-pollutant-detected-for-first-time-in-us-atmosphere/
#ToxicAir
The #AQHI a fundamentally useless scale for #wildfires.
Earlier this week, someone with actual science behind them broke down why and how the AHQI isn't fit for #WildfireSmoke conditions.
Article linked in my toot:
https://mstdn.ca/@likelyjanlukas/114656839640715424
#AirQuality
#AirPollution
#VOC
#formaldehyde
#ToxicGasses
#ToxicAir
#Measurement
#Scales
#usability
#functionality
#health
#lungs
#breathing
#filtration
#N95
#PPE
#respirators
Fascinating how the #ACC (American Chemical Council) and the #PlasticPolluters continue their disingenuous messaging, carefully selecting the data they present.
If you think "advanced recycling" is not polluting, ask yourself why most other petrochemical plants regularly violate emissions standards, why we have the #CancerAlley problem in LA. IN the SF Bay area, think about the fires and chemical releases and violation of emissions standards in the Richmond/Martinez refineries.
(And the report itself, as well as other info, is at https://climateintegrity.org/projects/plastics-fraud)
#PlasticPollution #AirQualityMatters #toxicair #FalseClimateSolutions
Oh. Too expensive, eh? Maybe all that money we're saving from #DOGE could go towards installing scrubbers or replacing them! (JK! #DOGESucks! #TaxTheRich!)
More Than 60 Power Plants Exempted From Federal #MercuryLimits
More stringent rules were scheduled to be enforced in 2027. Selected plants will now have two more years to comply.
By Dan Gearino
April 16, 2025
"Included in the #Trump administration’s order last week to boost the #coal industry was a two-year exemption to a rule that would have forced some of the nation’s most polluting power plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other air toxics.
"The ramifications of this exemption are beginning to sink in for people across the country who saw the mercury rule, updated and enhanced last year by the Biden administration, as a crucial part of reducing the harm of these power plants.
"The Environmental Protection Agency [#EPA] published a list of 47 plant owners and more than 60 plants that now have additional time to meet mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) that were set to become more stringent in 2027.
"The actions are part of a broader agenda in which the Trump administration aims to use executive orders to cut environmental regulations and increase electricity generation, mainly from #FossilFuels.
" 'The Trump administration has created an illegal special exemption by which polluters can go to the president and request a ‘get out of jail free’ card when it comes to the Clean Air Act,' said Howard Learner, CEO and executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a Chicago-based advocacy group that works throughout the Midwest. 'That’s legally irresponsible; it’s bad policy, and it will really harm people as a result of more pollution.'
"The exempted plants are in 23 states and include some of the country’s leading #polluters, such as the #JamesHMillerPlant in #Alabama, owned by Southern Co., and the #LabadiePlant in #Missouri, owned by #AmerenCorp.
"Many of the plants are old, such as the #TennesseeValleyAuthority’s #ShawneePlant in #Kentucky, whose oldest generating unit began operating in 1953.
"A few are relatively new, such as the #DryForkStation in #Wyoming, which opened in 2011 and is owned by #BasinElectric Power Cooperative.
"The list consists mostly of #CoalPlants, but also includes a few properties that burn #gas or #petroleum."
Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16042025/power-plants-exempted-from-federal-mercury-limits/
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/uocBf
#BadDOGE #AirIsLife #MercuryPoisoning
#ToxicAir #WaterIsLife #DirtyCoal #CoalMining #USPol #Pollution
#Arizona’s #ApacheGeneratingStation is one of 66 #CoalPlants to get #EPA exemption from Biden-era #toxic #AirPollution caps
Sammy Travis / Cronkite News
April 21, 2025
"WASHINGTON — The Apache Generating Station, one of the last remaining power plants in Arizona that use coal, is among 66 power plants nationwide granted exemptions by the Trump administration from updated standards on mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic pollutants.
Environmentalists worry that allowing plants to avoid compliance with the new standards could harm air quality, public health and the environment.
Power companies have been phasing out coal plants in Arizona for years. The last is targeted for closure in 2032, when federal rules kick in that require 90% capture of carbon emissions.
But Arizona’s intense summer heat puts a strain on the supply of electricity, and power companies have long turned to older, dirtier technology when demand peaks.
At issue are Environmental Protection Agency standards known as the MATS rule, part of the Clean Air Act, which President Richard Nixon signed in 1970. Congress updated it in 1977 and 1990.
The Apache Generating Station’s waiver allows its owner and operator, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, to comply with the 2012 version of the federal standards rather than stricter caps issued by the EPA in April 2024.
The MATS rule was originally aimed at coal-burning plants. The EPA has expanded it to apply to natural gas; Apache, a 408-megawatt plant about 80 miles east of Tucson, uses both.
Natural gas generates far less toxic material and particulate matter than coal. But it does create carbon dioxide, and the Biden administration also issued rules aimed at curbing those greenhouse emissions.
[Next section talks about how UPGRADES ARE EXPENSIVE! THEN HAVE BILLIONAIRES PAY FOR THEM! OR REPLACEMENT ENERGY SOURCES!]
"President Donald Trump signed an order shortly after taking office that rolled back Biden-era EPA regulations. In April, he signed multiple executive orders promoting coal.
"His cost-cutting effort, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has also aggressively curtailed the EPA’s staff and mission."
#BadDOGE #AirIsLife #MercuryPoisoning #ToxicAir #WaterIsLife #DirtyCoal #CoalMining #USPol
@ai6yr Yikes! Isn't there an estuary in #Elkhorn?
https://elkhornslough.org/
#ToxicGases #ToxicSmoke #ToxicAir #MossLanding
"The [#LithiumBatteryFire], which is more than 300 miles away from and totally unrelated to the Southern California wildfires, was 'raging out of control Thursday night, sending up huge flames and clouds of hazardous black smoke,' according to local news reports.
"It was reported at the #MossLandingPowerPlant located in northern #MontereyCounty around 3 p.m.
"Evacuations of about 1,500 people were ordered for the area, and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office called other agencies in the county to help with the emergency.
"The facility, owned by #VistraEnergy, a Texas company, is one of the largest #BatteryStorage plants in the world, The Mercury News reported. It holds tens of thousands of #LithiumBatteries, which are used to store electricity generated from #SolarPower.
"'There’s no way to sugarcoat it. This is a disaster, is what it is,' Monterey County Supervisor Glen Church told KSBW-TV. 'This is extremely disconcerting.'
"The plant is located on the site of a now-shuttered 1950s-era PG&E Moss Landing natural gas plant, which was converted into a BESS facility in 2020. The site can store a total of 750 megawatts of energy, which is sold to PG&E, The Mercury News reported. A separate 182-megawatt battery storage plant that has 256 #Tesla '#Megapack' battery packs is also located on the north side of the site. According to The Mercury News, that facility did not appear to be burning.
"The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but past reports indicate that this is the third fire at the facility."
#California #SanFrancisco #LithiumFire #Airquality #ToxicAir
‘Out of control’: #LithiumBattery energy storage site catches fire in #California, forcing mass evacuation, reports say
Published: Jan. 17, 2025
"A major fire erupted at a battery energy storage site (BESS) in California on Thursday, forcing a mass evacuation and a call for residents in neighboring towns to shut their windows and stay indoors to avoid the #ToxicSmoke, according to recent reports."
https://www.silive.com/news/2025/01/out-of-control-battery-energy-storage-site-catches-fire-in-california-forcing-mass-evacuation-reports-say.html
#MontereyCalifornia #LithiumFire #Airquality #ToxicAir #MossLandingPowerPlant #MossLanding #BESSFires
In the "When will we ever learn" category. There is precious little you can trust that comes out of the mouths of #BigOil. And since the penalties for non-compliance are trivial compared to the profits of non-compliance, and there is no personal liability for the C-suite, there is no reason for them to do better.
#ToxicAir - the #PlasticPollution starts well before the plastic is discarded
In between #OldTownMaine and #SearsportMaine is #OrringtonMaine -- famous for its HUGE pile of trash and trash "plant" that has plagued the area for years...! And sure, human residents can stay indoors, but what about all the denizens who live outdoors! smh...
Massive fire is just the latest setback for troubled Orrington trash plant
"The past six years haven’t been kind to the trash incinerator along the #PenobscotRiver in Orrington.
"On Tuesday night, a massive fire broke out at #EaglePointEnergyCenter, formerly known as #PenobscotEnergyRecoveryCo. Orrington’s assistant fire chief, Chad Bean, said early Wednesday morning that the blaze has been contained, but it will likely take several days to fully extinguish.
"That’s in part because firefighters, who came from as far away as Levant and Eddington, have been unable to safely enter the 200-by-400-foot building where the blaze is burning on the tipping floor.
"In the meantime, Orrington and #HampdenMaine residents have been advised to keep their windows closed because of the significant smoke given off by the fire.
"While a cause isn’t yet known, the facility’s owners said #LithiumIon batteries likely sparked the conflagration."
#Maine #MaineNews #TrashFire #ToxicAir #Pollution #LithiumBatteries #LithiumFires #ToxicSmoke
Just to be clear - Episodes of egregious air pollution are all part of the "operations as planned" for oil refineries - because the outages that require this response are not all that rare, and are a planned activity if an outage occurs. But trust us, say the oil majors, because we operate with community health and safety as a priority.
These flares are toxic for both health and climates
Um, Happy #Diwali?
#Delhi AQI: Toxic #haze in #India capital after Diwali festival
November 13, 2023
"People in the city burst crackers late into Sunday night despite a ban on fireworks due to high #pollution levels.
"Delhi has been battling #ToxicAir for weeks, with the government announcing an early winter break for schools in an effort to protect children.
"The city has high pollution through the year due to factors including #vehicular emissions and dust.
But the problem becomes worse in winter as farmers in neighbouring states burn crop stubble. Low wind speeds also trap pollutants - such as those produced by firecrackers - in the lower atmosphere, making it hard to breathe.
"On Monday afternoon, according to the federal government's Safar app, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 445, with some places recording readings above 520. The AQI measures the level of PM 2.5 - fine particulate matter that can clog lungs and cause a host of diseases - in the air.
"Levels between 101 and 200 are considered moderate, while those between 201 and 300 are poor. Between 301 and 400 is categorised as 'very poor' and a figure higher than 400 is considered 'severe'.
The World Health Organization's guidelines say that exposure to PM 2.5 over a 24-hour-period should be limited to 15 micrograms per cubic metre - but Delhi's AQI in some parts is 30 times higher than the recommended level.
"Lung specialists say breathing the capital's toxic air is akin to smoking 25-30 cigarettes a day.
"Prolonged exposure to high levels of pollution can cause discomfort and breathing difficulties for people. It can also trigger skin and eye irritation and cause severe neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, lung capacity loss, emphysema, cancer, and increased mortality rates.
"India's Supreme Court has banned the use of firecrackers during Diwali, only allowing 'green crackers' or those with reduced emissions. The Delhi government has also banned firecrackers during Diwali for the past few years, but there is little enforcement of the rule.
"The ban on fireworks has also developed political tones, with some arguing that it is an attempt to target Hindu festivals.
"On Monday, Delhi's environment minister Gopal Rai alleged that leaders from the #Hindu #Nationalist #BharatiyaJanataParty (#BJP) - which is in power nationally but in the opposition in Delhi - had 'incited' people to light firecrackers."
Full article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-67400426
#AirPollution ☣️ #ToxicAir ☣️ #Incinerators
💨🔥💨🤢💨🔥💨🤢💨🔥💨🤢💨🔥💨
🔥 ☠️ Falsely denying incinerator health risks undermines public trust, stifles debate, blocks measures to reduce pollution, harms public health, and increases costs to society.
📖 Read ‘Incinerators & Health: Fact or Fiction?’ at:
It looks pretty but it’s really not worth it friends https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/06/indoor-wood-burning-raises-women-lung-cancer-risk-study #woodburning #toxicair #pollution
@cultdev #Toxicair #endangers 600 million people in #SouthAsia. The Air Quality Life Index, released by the Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago, in September, describes South Asia as "consistently the most #polluted region with the people there seeing their lives shortened by an average of five years relative to what it would be if the region met the #WHO guidelines." https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/the-index/
Revealed: almost everyone in #Europe is #breathing #ToxicAir. Guardian investigation finds 98% of Europeans breathing highly damaging #pollutedair linked to 400,000 deaths a year. #FossilFuels #PublicHealth #crisis fine #particulate #pollution #traffic #industry #domesticheating #agriculture https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/20/revealed-almost-everyone-in-europe-breathing-toxic-air
Revealed: almost everyone in #Europe is breathing #ToxicAir | #AirPollution | The Guardian
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