Business screen magazine (1971)

About Air Sultur dioxide peroxyacylnilrates electrostatic precipitators catalytic converters a strange melange of words that are pan of the basic vocabulary lor the struggle lor clean air now being waged THE SECOND POLLUTION, a 21 -minute lilm in color. oHers a guide to how goes the battle lor clean air -providing both a tour ol battlegrounds such as Los Angeles and a close look at some weapons now in use To say that the tiattle lor cleaner air now being lought is both complex and very Irustrating is still to understate the diHiculties We have made tremendous progress the counts ol particulates or dust particles in the air are down, growth ol sullur dioxide and cartxxi monoxide levels is being checked However, the problem is lar Irom tiemg resolved Los Angeles, the tDest known entry in the war against pollution, still encounters more days ol smog than not throughout the year THE SECOND POLLUTION examines what Los Angeles has done, provides a close-up ol both its monitoring and enlorcement methods, and points out that Los Angeles's smog problem is no longer unique, being common to rrxasl ma|or cities in the world Ttie source ol smog is the car now contributing some 60 percent ol our air pollution problem THE SECOND POLLUTION reports on what is now being done to give the internal combustion engine some clean respectability, most notably in the lorm ol catalytic converters, devices that are intended to translorm hydrocarbons carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides to carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen gas The lilm points out current uncertainties on the catalytic converters whether, in tact, they will be able to cope with the see-saw chemistry ol the internal combustion engine -a chemistry that sees hydrocarbons come down as the engine warms up while nitrogen oxides start to rise Alter the car, the major problem comes Irom what we burn to create our Energy -notably sullur-containing coal and oil THE SECOND POLLUTION looks at how Chicago has coped with what was once an mlamous pollution problem, a problem helped not the least whit by the unsolicited contributions Irom the pearby Indiana steel mills Switching commercial and domestic Incinerators Erom coal to gas. tough monitoring ol stack emissions, systematic checking ol itreet pollution levels, and rigid enlorcement standards have given Chicago an bpbeat outlook on its problem However, problems do remain For example, the pullur that IS an inherent pan ol coal continues to be a mapr pollutant source as it oxidizes during combustion to sullur dioxide Two ways to remove the sullur re now t)eing tackled removing the sullur before combustion through coal gasiicalion, and taking the sulfur out alterwards by stack-gas clean up THE SECOND POLLUTION looks at both methods the Hygas pilot gasification plant being built by the Institute ol Gas Technology, and the use ol magnesium oxide to rekiove sullur oxides Irom the stack gas ol an oil-burning Boston Edison power plant An added lillip to the latter process is that the sullur can be removed and ranslormed into saleable sulluric acid, making money lor the chemical producer jnd possibly inching Boston Edison closer to a net payoH on pollution control Industry remains responsible lor about 17% ol our air pollution But the /ariety and sources ol industrial pollutants are perhaps more critical than the amount Each type ol plant requires novel clean up methods— ranging Irom Slectrostatic precipitators to scrubt>ers to baghouses to completely new techniques such as continuous processing, that reduce the amount of pollution rented THE SECOND POLLUTION examines how two industries -steel and pulp jnd paper are dealing with their unique pollution problems It records the progess that s been made and points out what needs to be done I But beyond control technology, more basic diHiculties remain the need lor cooperation among neighbors divided by political lunsdiction, the clashing nterests ol more people who want more energy and more cars against the environmental drive to clean up the air. and. Iinally. the need to realize that the juahty ol air we want is really up to us THE SECOND POLLUTION shows what tappens to New York's skyline when New Jersey permits dump burning It shows •ne air pollution problem of Washington D C , which has little industry, but a burjeoning relatively affluent population demanding and getting the conveniences >l lileincluding an airport remarkably close to the heart ol town Finally, it ihows the problem ol Steubenville Ohiothe city with the dirtiest air in the .'iiiritry-and what can happen as a conglomeration ol industry and utilities .-.helms the cleansing powers ol the air THE SECOND POLLUTION offers no miracle cures to our air pollution '.■ms It does offer an objective report on what has tieen done, what remains I the choices we have to make il we want our air clean and our About Those Other Pollutions lafi ml&Mta investigates water quality man agement problems and solutions by mumcipalitiai *'u and industry throughout America " MlatiM this lilm is about the people am . their cars and their industries and the dirty air ttii *^ have to breathe I*"'' shows how mismanagement o tM solid waste by communities can foul up the land, ai ^i and water -g, •W; These are the basic three pollutions wafer, an anc land But, man skunks himself up in other ways Urban Sprawl shovire how a simple plan ol cor* ^j trolled urban development could prevent massivt^j damage to the natural environment , Mud describes the "worst pwllutant ' urt)an erosior t ; ' and sedimentation which steals the soil to clog lakes»_,estuaries and streams L The Green City proposes that green space and oper^ space can be protected in urban areas for the benefi | v of the people. tV.. • Youth = Action " displays some of the young at work trying to protect the environment and make t earth a decent place to live i ^ b And then there are others three on recycling sever j... on solid waste management several on water quail) and water resources management Write lor our Film I THE SECOND POLLUTION is a documentary product 1 Stuart Finley Inc . Falls Church. Virginia, the major ducer of environmental films in the United States It \ directed by Stuart Finley, photographed and edited Theodore Jones, and wntten by Norman Melzger THE SECOND POLLUTION takes an objective, nontech^ [ meal look at our air pollution problems, making it suitable^ for a variety of audiences and purposes • CIVIC and science classes at the secondary level • environmental groups I it • local action groups j fg • industrial education i] • libraries serving the general community • adult education classes • earth day events The 2nd Pollution -2^ minutes, color-$300 STUART FINLEY. INCORPORATED 3428 Mansfield Road ^^ Falls Church, Virginia 2204V (703) 820-77(y: ■I ..JL