Hot Topics Everyday Environmental Concerns

by Abbasi, S. A.; Krishnakumari, P.; Khan, F. I.

• ISBN13: 9780195645347
• ISBN10: 0195645340
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-01-27
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Acid rain, global warming, ozone holes, and radioactive waves are no longer issues discussed on a purely academic level but very real dangers and threats, many of them actualized in some parts of the world. Our understanding of the environment and its degeneration has undergone a tremendous change since the sixties when phrases such as "the greenhouse effect" gained currency. Hot Topics addresses the change, explaining in detail environmental terms that are becoming a genuine part of everyday life. What are the likely impacts of a warmed earth? Why is the ozone hole predominantly at the Antarctic? How is radioactive waste treated and transported? And what are the basic components of a hazard control system? These questions and more are covered in detail in eight decisive and understandable chapters that integrate case histories and illustrations wherever possible, making this book appropriate for a wide audience. Professionals, graduate students, and researchers will benefit from the its precise examination of major contemporary environmental processes and issues, and general readers will be fascinated by its direct answers to key questions that will enable a better grasp on our changing world.

Author Biography

F.I. Khan heads the Computer-aided Environmental Management unit of the CPCET.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	xi
List of Tables	xiii
Foreword	xv
Preface	xvii
The Greenhouse Effect	1	(31)
The earth's radiation balance	3	(12)
Global warming and the greenhouse effect	15	(1)
Climatic models and their forecasts	16	(6)
Likely impact of a `warmed' earth	22	(3)
Policies needed	25	(7)
Acid Rain	32	(39)
A brief history of acid rain	34	(3)
Origin of acid rain	37	(5)
Chemistry of acid rain	42	(3)
Distribution of acid rain	45	(5)
Impact of acid rain	50	(13)
Acid rain---international perspectives	63	(1)
Control measures	64	(2)
How big a threat is acid rain?	66	(5)
The Ozone Hole	71	(31)
Different atmospheric layers	71	(4)
Significance of the ozone layer	75	(1)
The ozone hole	75	(1)
Factors accelerating ozone depletion	76	(5)
The ozone depletion theories	81	(2)
Environmental effects of ozone depletion---an overview	83	(8)
The global ozone depletion trends	91	(1)
Why is the hole predominantly at the Antarctic?	92	(2)
Ozone depletion control strategies	94	(1)
Substitutes of CFCs	94	(2)
Monitoring the ozone layer	96	(3)
Conclusion	99	(3)
Hazardous Wastes and Their Management---I	102	(22)
Definition, Characterization, Treatment and Disposal
Hazardous Wastes	102	(2)
Health hazards	104	(2)
Hazardous waste generation	106	(1)
Hazardous waste characterization	107	(3)
Hazardous waste management	110	(1)
Site selection	111	(1)
Design and construction	112	(6)
Radioactive wastes	118	(1)
Treatment of radioactive wastes	119	(3)
Conclusion	122	(2)
Hazardous Wastes and Their Management---II	124	(5)
Handling, Storage and Transportation
Transportation of hazardous wastes	124	(2)
Storage	126	(1)
Conclusion	127	(2)
Disaster Management---I	129	(26)
An Overview
Need for disaster forecasting and risk assessment	129	(2)
Case histories of major chemical disasters with special reference to their impact on environment	131	(11)
Basic components of a hazard-control system	142	(1)
Techniques of risk assessment	143	(8)
Emergency control and disaster planning	151	(1)
Typical sequence of studies normally conducted for risk assessment of an industry	152	(3)
Disaster Management---II	155	(27)
A Case Study
Introduction	155	(3)
Prevention and control of accidents	158	(1)
MAXCRED---the package	159	(1)
Nature of likely accidents	160	(5)
Case study	165	(6)
Hazard quantification	171	(8)
Conclusions	179	(3)
Water Treatment	182	(23)
Disinfection
Chlorine as disinfectant	183	(3)
Other disinfectants	186	(9)
Concluding remarks	195	(10)
Index	205