Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pollution

I Can Haz Clean Air

airguitar2 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:31:26 -0800

What is the best air filtration/purification system for a 1 bedroom apt. in Brooklyn? I'm still getting used to the difference in air quality here in NYC (I came from Wisconsin). My apartment, while great in many ways, is above a somewhat busy street, as well as an apartment of smokers below. As a result, the air seems heavy with contaminants and toxins of various stripes!

Has anyone had good experiences with an air filter/purifier/etc. for the purpose of removing city contaminants/air pollution? What works? The apt. is about 850 sq. feet.

Thanks in advance.

Enough with the honking, seriously.

banannafish — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:23:16 -0800

Why are all these trucks honking in downtown Los Angeles? FOR HOURS. So I live in Little Tokyo and for the second time in almost a month, huge semi trucks are all parking around Union Station and just laying on their horns. It is impossibly annoying and I cannot find any information online, other than a story about trucks on 11/16 in Long Beach protesting the new dock regulations.

Last time, it lasted for almost two hours, and it just started again and I'm pretty sure I'm going to go crazy if this lasts another two hours. Apparently since it's during the day, it isn't classified as noise pollution. What's the story? Actual protests or just jerky truckers?

can a block of salt really clean the air?

longsleeves — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:24:56 -0800

Will my new Himalayan salt block lamp really clean the air? For a living room night light, I bought a small lamp that consists of a seven or eight pound block of translucent pinkish-orange salt that was mined from deep underground in the foothills of the Himalayas. It sits on a wood base and is lit by a small candelabra bulb which is inserted in a space hollowed out from the bottom. These lamps are sold by various internet outlets, with various claims of beneficial properties. I don't put much credence in the more fantastic sales points I read while shopping for the best price, such as it eradicating "destructive negative energy" put out by computers and other electronics, or the that because the mineral deposit formed 250 million years ago when the earth was all pure and clean means it will cast positive feng shui over the living space.

I do wonder, though, about the assertion that when heated by the light bulb, the salt will attract and then split water molecules in the air and thus release negative ions that will bond with positively charged particles of various pollutants in the air and cause them to drop out of the air and give the room the same freshness that you notice outside following a thunderstorm. Will this lamp really purify the air to any degree? Is there any truth to that?

Swimming in the Ottawa river?

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:30:15 -0800

Is the Ottawa river good for swimming in? Specifically around the Westboro beach area. I know there is red / green flag posted on the beach, I assume for E. coli, but I am also nervous about heavy metals, crazy radioactive runoff, or other evil humours.

Mystery vials on lamp post.

lucidium — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:24:05 -0800

What are these odd little vials? They're zip-tied fairly high up to a lamp post on a main road, appear to be glass, and are about the size of a finger. They have small labels on them that are mostly hidden by the black arms.
Oddly, they don't seem to have a bottom at all, although as I couldn't get a close look they might just have a very thin bottom. I realise now I should have taken a photo from directly beneath as well, but I couldn't see anything obvious inside.

They seem far too small to be a rainmeter, which was my first thought. Some kind of pollution test perhaps?

This is in Greater London.

Thanks!

[Child Book Filter] 70s Children's Book on Pollution

gnash — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:53:45 -0800

Does anyone remember the name of a children's book that was a cautionary tale against air pollution? I remember it being a soft cover book w/ that was short and wide. Pictures of factory(s) and people getting and wearing gas masks (as well as dogs)! I can't remember the ending but hopefully my description suffices.

What happens to a candle's wax?

mstillwell — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:52:17 -0800

When a candle is burnt indoors, what happens to the wax? An amount of smoke equivalent to the mass of the candle is released as it's burnt (?)--does this manage to escape the house, or does most of it stay in the room and coat the walls, floors, ceiling, etc.?

Get New York to stop honking?

idledebonair — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:51:13 -0800

How do I get people in my neighborhood to stop honking? This may be more of a philosophical question than one with an actual solvable answer, but I'm interested in the results anyway. I live near the entrance of the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel. Every morning, and less annoyingly, around five o'clock, there is unbearable honking. Let's just assume for a minute that it is not impossible to do something about it. There are already official signs on the street that indicate a seemingly unenforced fine for honking. What would a person who lived in a working system do? Call 311? Write the King of Brooklyn? Just compromise having working windows and soundproof the wall? What is a long term strategy? Should I rally the neighbors? Form/find a community organization?

My eyes, they burn.

mecran01 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:24:31 -0800

We have a street lamp in front of our house that seems inordinately bright. We currently have cardboard in our windows to keep the light out so we can sleep at night. I don't think the city is going to turn it off if I ask, but I may be mistaken. The cheapest blinds I can find are about $70 a window. We get tired of pulling the cardboard down and putting it back up, so my kids' rooms are dark during the day and we look like we live in a crack house.

Please help me brainstorm a solution to this problem.

Some (admittedly lame) possibilities:

1. The lamp seems to be flourescent, so I might duct tape the side facing our house.

2. I'm tempted to get insulated clippers, open the access panel and cut the easily accessible power to the lamp and hope it takes six months to get repaired (ok, I won't do this for fear of blowing my hands off, but it is tempting).

3. Get a long pole and put a weighted black garbage bag over the pole.

4. Call the city and ask them what my options are.

5. Save up $700+ for light blocking blinds (ten windows)

6. Make euro-style light-blocking shutters (probably unrealistic)

7. Quit whining and live with it.

We have another lamp down the street, so it's not like the street will be totally dark. I realize that the answer is probably 5 or 7, but thought there might be a better (snark free) solution out there that I'm overlooking. Thanks.

"I've been out before but this time it's much safer in."

mykescipark — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:28:24 -0800

As an inveterate L.A. bike commuter (not to mention recently losing a close family member to cancer), this article made me wonder what sort of tests I should be having to measure the impact of particulate air pollution on my body. Recommendations? And how often? (I'm biking 30 miles a day in rush-hour traffic, year-round.)

What can I do to legally stop exploratory natural gas drilling within 1000 feet of my neighborhood?

TauLepton — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:54:33 -0800

What can I do to legally stop exploratory natural gas drilling within 1000 feet of my neighborhood? There is a local activism group, FRERC. However, they seem to be focusing on slowing the drilling down and asking the company to adhere to EPA standards. Which scares me to death.

The drilling would occur in the National Forest in Colorado. Because of the location, Dyad Petroleum Corporation would be exempt to EPA rules - such as what affects will occur to the water aquifers in this area. Thousands of residents water supply will be effected.

The drilling permits allow up to 465 drilling wells within visibility of my neighborhood. The compressors alone would be LOUD. Property values? Right.

I want to step it up. I want to make noise. Heck, I want Ed Begley to come chain himself to a tree with me.

What can I do from here? How can I utilize the 'net to call attention to this problem?

Living close to a freeway in the Central Valley: asthma for sure?

DakotaPaul — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:10:35 -0800

I have mild asthma. My wife and I live in California's Central Valley, and are considering moving to a place that's within 500 feet of Interstate 5. Would living so close to a busy freeway in the valley all but guarantee that our four month-old son develops asthma? The place we're looking at is perfect for us in many ways, but proximity to I-5 is a turnoff. Is there any way to mitigate freeway pollution. The cards are already stacked against my son thanks to my genes and the valley's sucky air quality.

Bundle or burn?

Toekneesan — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 06:47:47 -0800

Which makes more sense environmentally, heating with our waste paper or recycling it? We heat primarily with wood, and usually put junk mail, packaging, cardboard, etc. into the wood stove in the winter, rather than recycling it. I know that things using color inks can sometimes have heavy metals, so we do avoid heavily printed materials, or paper or board that has been coated. But does is it create more pollution/waste/carbon by burning this material than it would should we recycle it? I know particulate matter is another concern but other than burning efficiently, anything else we should consider to minimize the particulates we're creating?

Toxic Inhahler

glibhamdreck — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:22:02 -0800

Where can I learn more about professional (or semi-professional) equipment for testing the levels of indoor air toxins like carbon monoxide, radon, mold, VOCs, etc.? Here's a Talk of the Nation show that addresses the need, if it helps.

I may have discovered some illegal waste dumping. Now what?

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:52:39 -0800

How to verify and report potential illegal hazardous waste dumping? As a hobby, I sometimes take photos of abandoned buildings. A few weeks ago, I went into an old abandoned factory. Inside this place that looks like it was closed down 20-30 years ago, I discovered some brand-new looking sealed barrels that looked very out of place. They looked like the standard hazardous waste or oil barrels that you see if you do a Google image search for “oil barrel” or “hazardous waste”, but I don’t think they are oil barrels. They are blue, if that matters.

I know that it’s none of my business, but I am concerned that they have been dumped there illegally. I have not been able to think of a better reason for brand new sealed barrels to be present in this old place that, based on vegetation growth and decay, obviously doesn't get visited or used often.

My questions are:

What kind of passive equipment can I use to get a better idea of what is inside the barrels? I will probably use a Geiger counter to see if they are giving off any radiation, though I think that it’s highly unlikely to be nuclear waste. Beyond that, I don’t know what else I can do.

Is there somewhere I should report this, and can I do it anonymously?

Any other information or suggestions you can volunteer are welcome and appreciated.

Private messages and questions for clarification to ecoanonymous@gmail.com

Seeing the industrial and political landscape of the southwest

salvia — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:25:55 -0800

I'm taking a road trip through the southwest, and I'd like to see places with an interesting backstory or that show you "behind the scenes." I'm interested in places with political, economic, environmental, or industrial significance. Can you recommend some? Here's the route: Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Moab, Phoenix. I have 11 days. I've done most of this as a tourist before, so I'm interested in seeing some of the more hidden sights.

As I said, I'm interested in the politics, economics, history, environmental, and industrial factors behind the landscape. I'm still modifying the route so I can check out interesting places. Here are the kind of places I'm talking about:

- power infrastructure (Black Mesa, the Glen Canyon Dam)
- water infrastructure (aqueducts, river diversions?)
- the nuclear program (I'm missing the Trinity Test Site visitor day by a week! Should I still go to Alamogordo? Where to go near Los Alamos?)
- mining booms and busts, related pollution (Moab's uranium tailings pile; oil, gas, and coalbed methane development)
- industrial-scale production of anything from cattle to computer chips
- Native American history (the Cochise stronghold)
- prisons, military bases, and other nearly-blank spaces on the map (obviously, I can't enter, but I would like to know they're there)
- anything else related to political, economic, or cultural geographies (I really like Jake Kosek's stuff)
- wildlife protection or environmental restoration areas, current environmental disputes

I'm interested in current or upcoming issues, not just history, and I have just started trying to get up to speed about some of the work going on now. If you have anything interesting you'd like to share but would need kept fairly quiet, my email is in my profile. (I work for an environmental nonprofit, so I understand that certain information is sensitive and needs to stay fairly confidential to keep sites from being defaced or overrun with visitors, or to protect ongoing acquisitions, negotiations, or investigations.) Thank you!

Best places to stargaze in the Midwest US?

scooterdman — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:41:13 -0800

I am trying to organize a short camping trip with a friend. We would like to go somewhere in Southeastern Missouri, Southern Illinois or Southwestern Kentucky where there is little to no light pollution. Our plan is to spend some time photographing the stars, particularly the band of the Milky Way that's visible here on Earth when skies are clear. We are not locked in to those locations. I live in Columbia, MO and he lives in Bowling Green, KY, and we are trying to split the difference in terms of driving. However, if a place in this general region strikes you as particularly suitable, please suggest it anyway.

3rd floor windows show water spots

CaptApollo — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:41:37 -0800

How do I clean the outside of windows on my third-floor apartment? I have nice big floor-to ceiling windows, but I live in a South-facing 3rd floor apt; the direct sun really shows off the filthy rain 'hard water' (read: Washington DC air) stains.

Ladder is out of the question, but I do have a balcony outside some of the windows. The others are ~ 6 feet away and only open ~1/2 a foot.

If I had a hose, this question would be moot, but I don't. I have an extension pole for a squeegee, but that's only half the solution.

Surely there's an easy way to clean hard-to-reach windows?

Google says I should clean my registry

Webstat Pollution is Driving Me Insane

Medieval Maven — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 09:02:08 -0800

Blogger is polluting my webstats. Hivemind, please hope me. I run a site outside Blogger, and my stats are completely polluted by one person's blog, which IS a Blogger site. I know it's not hotlinking. 1) we have that disabled and 2) I know the person and he isn't the type to hotlink. I know that he has a text link to us on his site, and he's linked to us in past posts, but nothing to justify 99% of our traffic being recorded as being from his site. I don't want him to delink us (rude, and he's part of the group affiliated with the other site).

I have no idea why he's hitting us so much, and it's really out of control. I can see in the stats hits from individual posts that have notihng to do with us (ie, there is no link in the post text to my url).

Any ideas of how to stop this? I need to see the actual traffic being driven to my site, and what I'm getting right now is trash.

Coppery/iron-like smell in the air after it rains?

shivohum — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:21:59 -0800

Where I grew up in a suburb of LA, a coppery/iron-like smell, reminiscent of pennies or blood, would always waft unpleasantly through the air after it rained. I could never locate its source. Has anyone else had this experience, and what causes this?

No smoke or smell from crematoriums?

esereth — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:54:53 -0800

How come there is no smoke or cooking flesh smell coming from crematoriums? And if a technology exists to clean this smoke, why isn't it more widely used to prevent general air pollution?

Living downwind of a power plant?

Bighappyfunhouse — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:45:38 -0800

I just rented workspace/artspace which is directly downwind of the huge coal-fired power plant. (Didn't realize it until after I signed the lease). Short of moving, what steps can I take to minimize the negative health effects of the situation.

chicagofilter: that noise is driving me nuts. what can I do about it?

krautland — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 16:03:49 -0800

chicagofilter: that noise is driving me nuts. what can I do about it? I recently moved into a swanky new apartment complex in downtown chicago. it's by all means perfect. supermarkets, restaurants, dry cleaner and other businesses are right in the building, the elevators are fast and the views are stunning. coming from manhattan, it's also dirt cheap. it almost was as if the building was challenging me to find something to hate it for.

of course I did find something and it's driving me nuts. it's a humming sound. a loud one. like a giant vacuum or the apu of a 757. it's the air condition attached to the parking garage of a business high-rise next to my building. it runs on weekends, it runs at night. it drives me loco. the dark, ominous humming sound is impossible to ignore. did I mention it's loud?

so. I need to do something. I can't concentrate in here. do you think I should (a) write the building managers and actually hope anything will happen, (b) write the city and hope anything will actually happen (are there laws on acceptable noise levels?), (c) write my building manager and hope anything will actually happen, (d) move out or (e) buy a handgun?

Does it filter out the flouride?

andifsohow — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 18:57:32 -0800

Calculate the overall lifetime dollar value of using a Brita (or similar filter) versus the costs and savings, including general impact on healthcare costs, etc, associated with using tap water. Obviously there are any number of factors which can't be accurately projected, including but not limited to where you are, inflation, the availability of Brita filters, etc. I was inspired to ask while pondering whether a Brita was worth it's while, or if they just have me convinced they are.

Training / running in smog - should I even run?

arrowhead — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 04:27:41 -0800

Training / running in smog - should I even run? I live in a housing area, where I run a few times a week to train for the occasional 10k's and half marathons. Problem is, the most convenient area to run is actually following the main roads where there are lots of cars. Naturally, when running, I'd inhale a lot of fumes from cars and bikes.

Question is: How detrimental is it to my health? Can I expect lung cancer in the future? Are the chances higher as compared to if I was a smoker? Am I actually better off not running in the first place?

Assume that I don't have an alternative place to run, and stationary machines are out of the question.