MIDTERM-B

Pollution by the Construction, and/or other industries

Name: Abhiram Sridhara, UCID: as2488, Course: EM636-PM, Prof:
Paul G. Ranky.

Pollution by the Construction Industry.

Unfortunately it is a well-known fact, that the construction industry is a
major source of pollution, stone dust pollution, air and chemical
contamination / pollution, and is responsible for around 4% of particulate
emissions. (Sadly, it is not uncommon these days to walk through a city and
get a small concrete, or sand particle in the eye because of a
construction project that only an eye doctor can safely remove... it happened
to me a few times during the past 40 years...)
Furthermore, the construction industry creates more water pollution
incidents than any other industry, and thousands of noise complaints every
year. Although construction activities also pollute the soil, the main areas of
concern are: air, water and noise pollution.
For some strange reason, the civil engineering and construction industry
often ignores any prevention methods, tools and technologies against
pollution... professionals in other industries wonder: how is it possible, that
we can build
precision hard disks, that position within 1.5 micrometers within 15 ms (15
thousands of a sec), or build Mars rovers that can execute some amazing
precision tasks millions of miles away, but we still cannot build a simple
road, or a building, or a bridge without literally killing all forms of life forms
around
the site... well, this is a tragic fact, because we could... maybe many don't
care (until they get sick themselves, but by then is usually too late...) Please
note, that this entire section is trying to change this attitude, because YES,
WE CAN
and WE MUST reduce the level / eliminate pollution in this industry too!
This is THE ONLY green sustainable future we have...

In order to help future civil engineering / construction industry project

managers reduce and even eliminate pollution, let us discuss these topics in
some more detail.
Air Pollution, and Opportunities of Prevention
Construction activities that contribute to air pollution include the following:
land clearing, operation of large and usually poorly maintained diesel
engines, demolition, burning, and working with toxic materials, stone dust
when cutting stone, or when cutting tiles, marble, or concrete and others
using a dry process, and many others.
Most construction sites generate high levels of dust (typically from concrete,
cement, wood, stone, silica) and this can carry for large distances over a long
period of time. Construction dust is classified as PM10 meaning, particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter, invisible to the
naked eye, nevertheless very harmful to the human body, as well as animals.
(It is a well-known fact, that construction dust causes cancer, most
importantly lung cancer, as well as eye damage, and others.)
Research has shown that PM-10 (Particulate Matter) penetrate deeply into
the lungs and cause a wide range of health problems including respiratory
illness, asthma, bronchitis, and even cancer. (Since many of these
illnesses occur only after several years of the contamination event, there is a
good opportunity here to dismiss this situation as false warning, call it
something else and reject any liability... but this does not change the fact,
that the above is unfortunately true... and because of that many people get ill
and even pass away...)
Another major source of PM-10 on construction sites comes from the large
diesel engine exhausts of vehicles and heavy equipment. This is known as
diesel particulate matter (DPM) and consists of soot, sulphates and silicates,
all of which readily combine with other toxins in the atmosphere, increasing
the health risks of particle inhalation.
Nature and Sources of the Pollutants...
Particulate matter is the term for solid or liquid particles found in the air.
Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as soot or smoke. Others
are so small they can be detected only with an electron microscope.
Because particles originate from a variety of mobile and stationary sources

(diesel trucks, wood-stoves, power plants, etc.), their chemical and physical
compositions vary widely. Particulate matter can be directly emitted or can
be formed in the atmosphere when gaseous pollutants such as SO2 and NOx
react to form fine particles.
Health and Environmental Effects...
In 1987, the USA EPA replaced the earlier Total Suspended Particulate
(TSP) air quality standard with a PM-10 standard.
The new standard focuses on smaller particles that are likely responsible for
adverse health effects because of their ability to reach the lower regions of
the
respiratory tract. The PM-10 standard includes particles with a diameter of
10 micrometers or less (0.0004 inches or one-seventh the width of a human
hair). EPA's health-based national air quality standard for PM-10 is 50
g/m3 (measured as an annual mean) and 150 g/m3 (measured as a daily
concentration).
Major concerns for human health from exposure to PM-10 include: effects
on breathing and respiratory systems, damage to lung tissue, cancer, and
premature death. The elderly, children, and people with chronic lung disease,
influenza, or asthma, are especially sensitive to the effects of particulate
matter.
Acidic PM-10 can also damage human-made materials and is a major cause
of reduced visibility in many parts of the US and elsewhere in the world
(examples include Beijing, Chongching, and even Shanghai and Hong
Kong).
New scientific studies suggest that fine particles (smaller than 2.5
micrometers in diameter) may cause serious adverse health effects. As a
result, the EPA is considering setting a new standard for PM-2.5.
In addition, the EPA is reviewing whether revisions to the current PM-10
standards are warranted.
Air pollution can cause asthma. This is what the US EPA
(Environmental Protection Agency) states:

Nearly 26 Million Americans Continue to Live with Asthma, EPA says / SC,
IN, TX programs honored as national models for asthma care. (Release
Date: 05/07/2013.)
WASHINGTON Throughout May, as part of Asthma Awareness Month,
EPA is encouraging Americans to take simple steps to prevent asthma
attacks while
also honoring three leading asthma management programs for their efforts to
improve the lives of people with asthma in underserved communities.
The economic costs of asthma amounts to more than $56 billion per year
from direct medical costs and indirect costs, such as missed school and work
days. During President Obamas administration, EPA has made significant
progress in improving air quality. In 2012, EPA strengthened the national
standard for fine particle pollution, often called soot, which has been linked
to a wide range of serious health effects including aggravated asthma. In
2011, former EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed the Mercury and Air
Toxics Standards (MATS), which will help avoid 130,000 cases of
aggravated asthma by 2016.
Today one out of every 12 people suffers from asthma and the numbers
are increasing year after year, said EPA Acting Administrator Bob
Perciasepe. With President Obamas support, EPA has taken commonsense
steps towards cleaner air, which translates to fewer asthma attacks and
instances of other respiratory diseases. As we mark Asthma
Awareness Month, we call on all Americans to learn more about the easy
ways they can avoid asthma triggers and prevent future attacks from
happening to them or their loved ones.
Asthma is a national epidemic, affecting nearly 26 million people, including
seven million children and disproportionally affecting low income
and minority communities. The EPA is conducting a coordinated approach to
promoting scientific understanding of environmental asthma triggers and
ways to manage asthma through research, education and community-focused
outreach.
The U.S. Embassy has an air quality monitor to measure PM 2.5 particulates
as an indication of the air quality on the Embassy compound located in
Beijing, in the Chaoyang district. Pollutants such as particle pollution are
linked to a number of significant health effects - and those effects are likely

to be more severe for sensitive populations, including people with heart

or lung disease, children, and older adults.
This monitor is a resource for the health of the American community in
China. Citywide analysis cannot be done, however, on data from a single
machine.
Particulates less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5) are referred to as
fine particulates and are believed to pose the largest health risks. PM 2.5 is
a standard recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and allows us to compare against US standard measures. PM 2.5
particulates are of concern since they are small enough to directly enter the
lungs and even the blood stream.
The term "particulate matter" (PM) includes both solid particles and liquid
droplets found in air. Many manmade and natural sources emit PM directly
or emit other pollutants that react in the atmosphere to form PM. These solid
and liquid particles come in a wide range of sizes.
Particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10) pose a health concern
because they can be inhaled into and accumulate in the respiratory system.
Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) are referred to as
"fine" particles and are believed to pose the largest health risks. Because of
their small
size (less than one-seventh the average width of a human hair), fine particles
can lodge deeply into the lungs.
Health studies have shown a significant association between exposure to fine
particles and premature mortality. Other important effects include
aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease (as indicated by
increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits, and absences from
school or work, and restricted activity days), lung disease, decreased lung
function, asthma attacks, and certain cardiovascular problems such as heart
attacks and cardiac arrhythmia. Individuals particularly sensitive to fine
particle exposure include older adults, people with heart and lung disease,
and children.
Sources of fine particles include all types of combustion activities (motor
vehicles, power plants, wood burning, etc.) and certain industrial processes.
Particles with diameters between 2.5 and 10 micrometers are referred to as

"coarse." Sources of coarse particles include crushing or grinding operations,

and dust from paved or unpaved roads.
Air pollution in facilities and the combustion hazard
How do you know if your facility is at risk? Even if there has never been a
problem before, this is no guarantee of future safety.
The level of hazard can change from day to day and even from moment to
moment whether due to the introduction of a new process, a temporary
lapse in housekeeping, or a static electricity discharge caused by improper
grounding. It takes ongoing vigilance and management of change to identify
conditions in your plant that might cause a potential safety problem.
In January 2003, an explosion at the West Pharmaceutical facility in
Kingston, North Carolina killed six workers and injured 38 others, including
two firefighters. The culprit: inadequate control of dust hazards at the plant.
Only a month later, in February 2003, another explosion and fire damaged
the CTA Acoustics manufacturing plant in Corbin, Kentucky, fatally injuring
seven workers. Investigators found that resin dust, accumulated in
a production area, was likely ignited by flames from a malfunctioning
oven, triggering the explosion.
The most famous combustible dust explosion in the past decade and the
one responsible for re-focusing the national spotlight on this issue was the
February 2008 accident at the Imperial Sugar Companys Wentworth,
Georgia refinery.
A dust cloud explosion triggered a fatal blast and fire that killed 13 workers
and injured 42 others, generating a storm of media attention and government
scrutiny.
These are by no means the only fatal explosions to occur in
U.S. manufacturing plants, though they are the three deadliest to be
investigated.
In the U.S. alone in the 25 years between 1980 and 2005, the
Chemical Safety Board reported 281 explosions caused by ignited
combustible dust. These explosions resulted in 199 fatalities and 718

injuries. Combustible dust explosions over the past decade in U.S. plants are
blamed for well over 100 fatalities and hundreds more injuries.
Sadly, experts believe these accidents could have been prevented if the
companies involved had followed best practices for fire and explosion
protection... (And most importantly using preventive methods!)
Regarding explosion protection, the first step in a hazard analysis
is determining whether your dust is explosive. Many commercial test
laboratories offer a low-cost test to establish whether a dust sample is
combustible. If the test is positive, then the explosive index (Kst) and the
maximum pressure rise (Pmax) of the dust should be determined by ASTM
E 1226-10, Standard Test Method for Explosibility of Dust Clouds.
Water Pollution, and Opportunities of Prevention
Sources of water pollution on building sites include: diesel and oil, paint,
solvents, chemicals, cleaners, heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, led
and other harmful materials and chemicals, construction debris, dirt, and
others.
When land is cleared it causes soil erosion that leads to silt-bearing run-off
and sediment pollution. Silt and soil that runs into natural waterways turns
them turbid, which restricts sunlight filtration and destroys aquatic life.
Surface water run-off also carries other pollutants from the site, such as
diesel and oil, toxic chemicals, and building materials like cement. When
these substances get into waterways they poison water life and any animal
that drinks from them.
Pollutants on construction sites can also soak into the groundwater, a source
of human drinking water. Once contaminated, groundwater is much more
difficult to treat than surface water.
When people are starving to death from lack of food, do
you trust these people to prevent death from lack of water?
Even now, even as people are starting to catch on to the bleak future that lies
ahead, aquifers are being drained as fast as possible. The Southwest is a
story of particular tragedy, but lessons learned from the Colorado River

grab are totally forgotten. It was just named the most endangered waterway
in America in 2013.
Las Vegas is sucking Lake Mead dry (its dropped 100 feet since 2000), and
this city was just granted groundwater rights in Spring, Cave, Delamar, and
Dry Lake valleys.
Native American tribes lost their land. But they still hold on to a lot of water.
Many tribes maintain water rights, and some are trying to assert their claims
while they can. To date, reservations are able to hold on to their water
reserves, but this could change quickly. One need only look at what is going
on in Montana. Tensions are high.
But holding water is not enough, though. Contamination is a major threat,
and prevention is the key, as with so many other challenges. The Keystone
XL pipeline relates to the largest aquifer in America, the Ogallala, and tribal
leaders are uniting against it. Meanwhile, tribes like the Cree are suffering
terribly from mining.
There are many ways to get involved. As aptly expressed by Winona
LaDuke (Anishinaabe) on the occasion of this Earth Day, it's time to stop
being extremists. Check out her non-profit, Honor Earth.
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been
hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to
breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money." ~ Cree
Prophecy ~
To summarize, the USA EPA has an excellent site with some accurate
information about water pollution, as well as water pollution prevention,
here:
http://water.epa.gov/polwaste). They clearly support clean water and
prevention, as follows:
'Water pollution prevention and control measures are critical to improving
water quality and reducing the need for costly wastewater and drinking
water treatment. Because water pollution can come from many
different sources, a variety of pollution prevention and control measures are
needed.

Sustainable Green Infrastructure / Low Impact Development

Green infrastructure and low impact development approaches and
techniques help manage water and water pollutants at the source, preventing
or reducing the impact of development on water and water quality. Learn
about these cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly
approaches to wet weather management.
Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads
States, territories, and tribes must protect water bodies and to address water
bodies that do not meet water quality standards (i.e., impaired waters). Find
information on regulations, guidance, and technical resources relating
to impaired waters and TMDLs.'
The civil engineering and the construction industry, as all others, must
prevent water pollution for the future of life on Earth! This is really
important, even if some ignore it and think, that we have enough water to
waste... well, we don't!
Noise Pollution, and Opportunities of Prevention
Construction sites often produce a lot of noise, mainly from vehicles, heavy
equipment and machinery, hydraulic and pneumatic drilling and digging
equipment, blasts and explosions, but also from people shouting early
morning, or late night, and even radios turned up too loud.
Excessive noise is not only annoying and distracting, losing focus, but can
lead to hearing loss, high blood pressure, sleep disturbance and extreme
stress in adults as well as increasingly so with children and the elderly.
Research has shown that high noise levels disturb the natural cycles
of humans as well as animals and reduces their usable habitat.
Let me share with you this. As a rescue diver I often see sharks in the
ocean... swimming freely as part of our marine life on Earth.
They are amazingly beautiful animals and we love them; respectfully. Sharks
are the janitors of our oceans. They are VERY IMPORTANT for all of us
human beings, as well as for other marine life, animals and nature as a
whole.

They have extremely sensitive hearing. They can identify much lower
sounds than human ears can detect, and some can hear sounds more than 700
feet away. Some scientists think hearing is typically the first sense sharks use
in detecting their prey.
Measures to Prevent Pollution
Good construction site design, implementation, education and practice can
help to control and prevent pollution. The first step is to prepare
environmental risk assessments for all construction activities and materials
likely to cause pollution.
Specific measures can then be taken to mitigate the
following risks:
To prevent erosion and run-off, minimize land disturbance and leave
maximum vegetation cover. (Note, that there are natural ways of
preventing erosion by planting the appropriate flowers, bushes and
trees, as well as by
landscaping.)
Control dust through fine water sprays used to dampen down the site.
(Note, that this is a very simple, low cost and realistic solution in most
cases when stone, marble, or concrete must be cut. It even extends the
life of the blade of the saw! ... not to mention the lunges of the people
around the area...)
Screen the whole site to stop dust spreading, or alternatively, place
fine mesh screening close to the dust source. (Keep in mind that the
best solution is to capture dust / prevent dust at source!)
Cover skips and trucks loaded with construction materials and
continually damp down with low levels of water.
Cover piles of building materials like cement, sand and other powders,
regularly inspect for spillages, and locate them where they will not be
washed into
waterways or drainage areas.
Use non-toxic paints, solvents and other non-hazardous materials
wherever possible.
Segregate, tightly cover and monitor toxic substances to prevent spills
and possible site contamination. (Of course, as always the best
solution is to completely prevent access to toxic chemicals.)

 Cover up and protect all drains on site.

Collect any wastewater generated from site activities in settlement
tanks, screen, discharge the clean water, and dispose of remaining
sludge according to environmental regulations.
Use low Sulphur diesel oil in all vehicle and equipment engines, and
incorporate the latest specifications of particulate filters and catalytic
converters. (Even better: use electric cars and trucks, then there is no
diesel oil contamination!)
No burning should be authorized of any materials on site.
Reduce noise pollution through careful handling of materials; modern,
quiet power tools, equipment and generators; low impact cutting and
splitting technologies; and wall structures as sound shields.
Is the above only a dream, and therefore cannot be done...? I would dispute
that... just look at many other industries, that are dozens of years ahead
the civil and construction industry, making tons of money and following
green sustainable practices...
IT CAN BE DONE, and it MUST BE DONE for our future!
References:
E-Pack by Prof. Paul G. Ranky.
Wikipedia.
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