Interview with Dr.N.Kannan
Profile
Environmental
Scientist
Contact: E-mail - nkannan@freenet.de
In
Europe
it is understood that electricity requirements are going down
and particularly this is the reason why
Germany
is
closing down all
their nuclear reactors. this means generation of low cost efficient
energy sources will reduce the pollution automatically instead of
globalization, Gandhi's
localization
and local self sufficiency
will lead to less pollution - comment
References:
On Sea pollution:
1. N.Kannan (2000) Non-ortho and mono-ortho substituted PCBs in: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. volume 3 series: Anthropogenic compounds. Volume Editor: J.Paasivirta, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (Chapter 6, pp. 127-156).
2. Tatsukawa,R., Yamaguchi, Y., Kawano,M., Kannan,N. & Tanabe,S. (1990) Global monitoring of organochlorine insecticides - an 11-year case study (1975-1985) of HCHs and DDTs in the open ocean atmosphere and hydrosphere. In: Long range transport of pesticides (eds) D.Kurtz & A. Lewis. Chelsea, Michigan, USA. pp.127-41.
3. Kannan, N., Tanabe, S., Ono, M. & Tatsukawa, R. (1989). Critical evaluation of PCB toxicity in Terrestrial and marine mammals: Increasing impact of non-ortho and mono-ortho coplanar PCBs from land to ocean. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 18, 850-857.
4. N.Kannan., N.Yamashita., G.Petrick and J.C.Duinker (1998) Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Nonylphenols in the Sea of Japan. Environ. Sci. Technol. 32, 1747-1753
On Human Health:
1. Kannan,N., Tanabe,S. & Tatsukawa,R. (1988). Potentially hazardous residues of non-ortho chlorine substituted coplanar PCBs in human adipose tissue. Arch. Environ. Health. 43, 11-14.
2. Tanabe, S., Kannan,N., Okamoto, T., Wakimoto., Tatsukawa, R. & Masuda, Y. (1989) Isomer-specific determination and toxic evaluation of potentially hazardous coplanar PCBs, dibenzofurans and dioxins in the tissues of 'Yusho' PCB poisoning victim and in the causal oil. Toxicol. Environ. Chem. 24, 215-231.
3. Kannan,N., Schultz-Bull,D.E., Petrick,G. & Duinker,J.C. (1994) Toxic chlorobiphenyls in adipose tissue and whole blood of an occupationally/accidentally exposed man and the general population. Arch. Environ. Hlth. 49, 375-383.
|
ComCom:Dr. Kannan, we keep hearing nowadays more about
pollution Air/water/Noise - How grave is the situation?
Can you elaborate each type?
The situation is so grave that we have stollen the future of our
children and grand children through our apathy towards environmental
issues. Green house effect is real! Acid pollution is real! Ozone
hole is real! Transboundary pollution is real! We are not talking
about pre-caution here. We talk about salvaging here. If there is
no co-ordinated effort by International Governments, NGOs and the
public, the consequences will be grave. It is hard to breath in
cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai due to air pollution. It
is hard to bath in Ganges and other rivers. The ground water is
polluted. Noise is an issue in India where loud-speakers blare
on the onset of even a tiny function!
|
|
ComCom: What pollutants affect air quality?
If you mean anthropogenic pollutants, the major contaminants
are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Of course trace emissions of cancer causing Polyaromatic hydrocarbons,
polychlorinated di-benzo dioxins and others are detected from automobile
exhaust as well.
|
|
ComCom: Is urbanization main cause of Pollution?
Most certainly! In the Indian rural set-up there is plenty of recycling.
Indian life-style was designed 'organic' and there is recycling all the time.
On the other hand Urban growth promotes the use of synthetics, such as
plastics that are not easily degradable. The history of pollution runs
parallel with the history of Urban development and industrialization.
|
|
ComCom: What about water pollution?
It comes out of an attitude problem. Everybody thinks that 'solution for
pollution is dilution'. This leads to unquestioned discharge of Industrial
and public wastes into Rivers and seas. Dilution does not in reality solve
the problem, instead the discharge dissipates it. Since the entire globe is
surrounded by water, pollution never stops but circulates! That's all!
My research in Japan and Germany shows clearly that even the most prestine
polar waters are polluted by POPs. If so, think of inland waters that are
close to point source! Man should realise that nothing escapes out of
this 'spaceship earth'. Everything circulates. It is a 'circle of poison',
that's all. In effect both the culprit and the innocent are affected
equally, badly! This includes several species of innocent marine organisms!
|
|
ComCom: What are the harmful effects associated with noise pollution?
Dr. William H. Stewart, former U.S. Surgeon General stated: "Calling
noise a nuisance is like calling smog an inconvenience. Noise must be
considered a hazard to the health of people everywhere. When considering
the impact of noise on health, in his keynote address to the 1968
Conference on "Noise as a Public Health Hazard" Dr. Stewart added:
"Must we wait until we prove every link in the chain of observation?...
In protecting health, absolute proof comes late. To wait for it is to
invite disaster or to prolong suffering unnecessarily."
As far back as 1930, the Noise Abatement Commission of New York City
reported the following effects of noise on humans:
1. Hearing is apt to be impaired in those exposed to constant loud noises.
2. Noise interferes seriously with the efficiency of the worker. It lessens
attention and makes concentration upon any task difficult.
3. In the attempt to overcome the effect of noise, great strain is put upon
the nervous system, leading to neurasthenic and psychasthenic states, and
necessitating frequent recuperation in the country to maintain mental
efficiency and alertness.
4. Noise interferes seriously with sleep, even though in some cases it appears
that the system is able to adjust itself so that wakefulness does not result.
5. It is well established that, in addition to these other evil effects, the
normal development of infants and young children is seriously interfered with
by constant loud noises.
|
|
ComCom: What kinds of air pollution are produced by automobile sources? Is CNG vehicle a better solution?
This not my field. Cory Iannacone summarises Automobile Pollution in the
following words,
"There are four main sources of where pollutants come from in an automobile. The first source is referred to as diurnal. On a hot
day, the sun will heat the gas tank of a car. This in turn causes gasoline vapors to vent from the fuel tank. Running losses simply
occur because when the car is running it's engine becomes heated. This in turn causes the engine and exhaust system to vaporize
gasoline. After a car is turned off and parked, gasoline continues to evaporate into the atmosphere because the engine is still hot
from running. This source is referred to as a hot soak. And lastly, when you refill your fuel tank, because there are always vapors in
your fuel tank, some are forced out in the refueling process. (http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW/05-autos.htm)
Before we can look at ways of solving the problem of automobile pollution, we should first try and understand why we have the
problem of this pollution and how it occurs. Automobile pollution is a direct result of the combustion process (what we call
exhaust) and also from the fuel being evaporated into the atmosphere. When we put gasoline into our car, we are putting a mixture
of hydrocarbons into our car which contain hydrogen and carbon atoms. What was intended to happen is the oxygen in the air was
supposed to convert all of the hydrogen in the fuel to water and all of the carbon in the fuel to carbon dioxide. But what really
happens is that there are hydrocarbon atoms left over from the combustion process because they do not burn or only burn partially.
Other pollutants that are given off through the emissions of automobiles along with the hydrocarbons are nitrogen oxides, carbon
monoxides, and carbon dioxides.(http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW/05-autos.htm)
Independent tests show that CNG ground support vehicles reduce emissions up
to 80% over conventional (propane) vehicles, and CNG forklifts can have up
to 95% less CO, 70% less Hydrocarbons and 53% less NOx than conventional
(propane) vehicles. Of course, this is not my field of research and I do
not know much about its safety. In my opinion, CNG is again a non-renewable
source compare to solar energy. More research on solar will be over all
beneficial.
|
ComCom: What is an air pollutant and what are toxic air pollutants?
Anything in excess can pollute air easily. For example, the harmless polen
of flowers could be a pollutant when released in excess, causing allergy to
people. But we are not concerned about such occational events, instead toxic
substances that are constantly released from Industries, automobiles,
incinerators and human activity that cause permanent damage to human
health now and in the future.
|
|
ComCom: Four pollutants - sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx),
mercury and Carbon Monoxide are talked about as most harmful - what are
the major sources causing these pollutants, how to prevent it?
A US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)'s report states that "
National air quality standards have been set for six principal air
pollutants (also referred to as "criteria pollutants"): carbon monoxide
(CO), lead (Pb), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), particulate matter
(PM), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)."
|
|
ComCom: What are healths Effects Associated with theses four pollutants?
Exposure to air pollutants is associated with numerous effects on human
health, including increased respiratory symptoms or decreased lung function,
hospitalization for heart or lung diseases, or premature death. Because children's respiratory systems are still developing, and they breathe even more air per pound of body weight, they are generally more susceptible than adults to environmental threats.
Imagine this situation in India where considerable population lives on
the roadside gutters!
Air pollution, such as acid rain, ground-level ozone, and air toxics,
can also significantly affect ecosystems. Certain pollutants (such as
some metals and organic chemicals) that are emitted from industrial
sources can be deposited into water bodies and magnified through the
food web, adversely affecting fish-eating animals and humans.
|
|
ComCom: How do particles cause harm to human health?
Particles play a major role in the transportation of pollutants. Several of the persistent pollutants are organic in nature and they partition preferably with particles either from water or from air. Hence particles play a major role in the transport of pollutants. When inhaled these particles adsorb to the alveolei and cause health effects. Particles are easy substrata for many other pollutants including biological ones.
|
|
ComCom: How is smog formed?
Under the right conditions, the smoke and sulfur dioxide produced from
the burning of coal can combine with fog to create industrial smog.
In high concentrations, industrial smog can be extremely toxic to
humans and other living organisms. London is world famous for its
episodes of industrial smog. The most famous London smog event
occurred in December, 1952 when five days of calm foggy weather
created a toxic atmosphere that claimed about 4000 human lives.
Burning of fossil fuels like gasoline can create another atmospheric
pollution problem known as 'photochemical smog'. Photochemical smog is a
condition that develops when primary pollutants (oxides of nitrogen and
volatile organic compounds created from fossil fuel combustion) interact
under the influence of sunlight to produce a mixture of hundreds of
different and hazardous chemicals known as secondary pollutants.
Development of photochemical smog is typically associated with specific
climatic conditions and centers of high population density. Cities like
Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, and Vancouver frequently suffer episodes
of photochemical smog. I am sorry, I am not very familiar with similar
situation in India. I would like to read reports of 'thermal inversion'
and other somg effects in India.
|
|
ComCom: What is acid rain?
"Acid rain" is a broad term used to describe several ways that acids fall out of the atmosphere. A more precise term is acid deposition, which has two parts: wet and dry.
Scientists discovered, and have confirmed, that sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the primary causes of acid rain. In the US, About 2/3 of all SO2 and 1/4 of all NOx comes from electric power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels like coal.
|
ComCom: What causes indoor air quality problems and how one can find out whether he has a problem?
I have carried out indoor air pollution studies of Polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) using semi-permeable membrane device. Electrical equipments such as
transformers pollute indoor air with PCBs. This can happen at a household
or at a factory. The problem in a factory could be worse depends on the
type of chemicals manufactured and the cleanliness of the production methods
|
|
ComCom: Exploitation of forest resources, how far this affects?
Forests are considered the lungs of the planet earth. They not only
physically filter air and noise pollution but filters out carbon di
oxide to produce oxygen. The heavy loss of forest canopy in any
country is a major environmental issue to consider. In a country like
India where the forest coverage had been systematically reduced from
pre-indepence times to today is an environmental issue. Unfortunately,
it does not appear in any political agenda of any party and there is
no sign of green politics in India!
|
|
ComCom: Is the Ozone Hole really a hole? What is ozone depletion?
Yes, it is indeed a real hole. In every spring over the Antartica, 8.2
million square miles of a hole is created. That is larger than the United
States and Canada combined!
Humans have damaged the ozone layer by adding molecules containing chlorine
or bromine that lead to ozone destruction. The largest group among these
are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). At ground level, these molecules are stable
and have many uses in industrial and domestic applications. However,
when they are released into the atmosphere, they drift up to the
stratosphere, pushed by winds and atmospheric mixing.
At that high altitude, energetic light rays (UV-C radiation) can
break down such molecules in a reaction that liberates an atom of
chlorine (Cl). This chlorine atom can react with ozone and break
it down to chlorine oxide and O2. Chlorine oxide will break down
as well, releasing the Cl to go on destroying ozone. In fact, one
Cl can destroy up to 10,000 ozone molecules!
|
|
ComCom: What is green energy? Where one can get more information about it?
Solar energy, wind energy, biomass, hydropower and geothermal are all forms
of renewable energy which are green and sustainable. Green Politics in
Europe has improved the awareness of the public towards environmental
issues. Solar terrace and Terrace gardening are common in most houses in
Germany. Denmark has demonstrated the possibility of 'Green Industry'
by recycling the industrial waste of one industry to another as a source
material for another product. There are several dedicated websites on
'Green Energy'. Low-Impact Living Initiative (LILI) is a non-profit
making organisation dedicated to helping protect the global environment
by researching and promoting sustainable, low-impact alternatives to
various aspects of everyday life - http://www.lowimpact.org.uk. Some
other web sources of interest are: http://www.crest.org/index.html,
http://www.ucsusa.org/index.html,
|
|
ComCom: Secondhand Smoke/Environmental Tobacco Smoke How they affect?
Tobacco smoking is injurious to health. This is a well proven case.
So it really does not matter wheather one smokes or not but what is
important is whether one inhales the smoke of tabacco. Thus 'passive smoking'
in public places is injurious to the health of non-smokers and children.
|
|
