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Chapter 19- Air Pollution
3. This article deals with a local issue.
4. Lead pollution from a nearby factory has put a small town in Indiana on a list designated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as being a violation for bad air quality standard for lead. The company Exide Technologies does not use the best control technology to control their release of lead into the atmosphere. Because of this the children and families of the town are being seriously harmed by the amount of lead in their air. Lead can either be inhaled or ingested. Once lead is in the body it is very quickly spread through the bloodstream to the whole body. This causes a wide range of health effects. In adults, ingestion of lead can cause high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and decreased kidney function. Children are at the biggest risk of lead poisoning because they are extremely vulnerable. Effects of lead in a child is reduced IQ levels, poor academic achievements, permanent learning disabilities, and bad behavior. Exposure to lead can also damage red blood cells, and weaken the immune system.
Exide is one of the largest secondary lead smelters in the world. They recycle tens of millions of batteries a year, and since they are not using the best available technology to reduce the amount of lead they release into the atmosphere, lead pollution is increasing dramatically.
5. I think that Exide Technologies should be punished for harming the lives of the families and especially the children of the neighborhoods surrounding their company. They should be doing whatever is possible to eliminate the amount of lead pollution they cause. It is unfair that the lives of people are at risk because a company does not use efficient methods in controlling their emissions.
6. Permissible(adj)- that may be permitted; Allowable
Chack.
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