Investigate

Big Question:

Q. How does mass production affect the world? A. Mass production affects the world in a lot of different ways. It can pollute and damage the environment and setting up the energy source has it’s toll as well. There is actually no need for having a lot of factories producing the same item as it just wastes materials and creates unnecessary pollution and garbage. We have also seen the effects that smog and chemicals can affect workers and the amount of things which can prove fatal to human beings. Harmful to human beings yet made harmful by us! It is like we are creating our own problem and having no way out of the mindset that we are a better person by what we have instead of what we give. If everyone thought about their footprint and how they are actually going to affect the world by what they do I believe that most factories would be eliminated in a relatively short period of time. Key Question:

Q. How does the waste from the factories affect the environment? (Hylton) A. the waste from factories pollute the environment in many different ways e.g kill plants,pollute rivers and poison the ground making it hard for things grow. If things don't grow properly they will eventually die. and if heaps of tress and plants die the land around will eventually become all dried up. if rivers and lakes keep getting%Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 polluted it will become to toxic for things to live in it. Q. Are there any cheap environmentally friendly energy sources? (Jacky) A. Yes there are. Biofuel is another choice of environmentally friendly energy source. But Biofuel also leads to air pollution similar to fossil fuels. Q. How do we reduce the amounts of smog in the atmosphere? (Keniel) A. Drive less: Auto emissions contribute directly to smog. In Canada, cars account for 19% of the nitrogen oxides (NOx), 37% of the CO and 23% of the volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene) released each year as a result of human activity. At home: Be energy efficient. Monitor your energy use and try to reduce your consumption by turning off lights, updating some of your household appliances and products to low-energy models, and using your air conditioner wisely during the summer months. **?** A large proportion of the New Zealand energy supply comes from burning fossil fuels, a major contributor to smog. By cutting down your electricity use, you are cutting down on smog. Energy-efficient, compact fluorescent light bulbs require less energy and last 10 times longer than regular bulbs. Purchase "green power" to meet your home's electricity needs. Green power is energy that is generated from renewable sources, such as water, solar energy and wind. Green power does not create harmful smog emissions.

Reduce your outdoor use of VOC-releasing products such as oil-based paints, lawn pesticides, car cleaning solvents and waxes. These products dry through evaporation of the contained solvent, releasing strong-smelling VOCs, which contribute to smog formation.

Cut down on the use of small engine motors. These engines, which usually run on gasoline, are used primarily in lawn and garden equipment, such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers, chain saws, and lawn and garden tractors. Small engines at or below 19 kW (25 hp) contribute about 20% of VOC emissions and 23% of CO emissions from mobile sources. Manual push mowers available today are lightweight, at only 7-14 kg, versus the 20-30 kg models of the past, and feature metal handles instead of wood. Ideal for cutting small lawns, they are quiet, store easily and require no fuel.

Supporting Questions:

Q. Are there other environmentally friendly energy sources apart from solar, wind and hydro powers? (Jacky) A. Biofuel,Geo thermal and hydrogen are other environmentally friendly energy source. Q. Out of the environmentally friendly energy sources which of them are the most dependable and cost effective? (Jacky) A. Biofuel,Geothermal and hydroelectric are the most dependable. But biofuel leads to air pollution similar to fossil fuel. Geothermal power requires locations that have suitable subterranean temperatures within 5 km of surface. The constructing of the hydroelectro dams can have a serious environmental impact on the surrounding areas. The amount and the quality of water downstream can be affected, which affects plant life both aquatic, and land-based. Because a river valley is being flooded, the local habitat of many species are destroyed, while people living nearby may have to relocate their homes.

Q. What type of waste comes from factories? (Hylton) A. The waste that comes out of factories depends on what the factory produces. Some of the common pollutants are Phosphates: Which is a inorganic chemical. Asbestos: A fibre with which they make theatre curtains or fire proof gloves. Mercury:A highly toxic metallic element. Nitrates: A fertilizer that consists of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate. Caustic Soda: A white, deliquescent, water-soluble solid.Usually in the form of lumps, sticks, chips or pellets. That upon solution that in water genrates heat and becomes acidic. Petrochemicals: a Chemical substances obtained from petroleum or natural gas as gasoline kerosene or petrolatum. Q. What effects does pollution from factories have on the natural environment? (Hylton) A. The waste from factories could poison food crops, the wild life become sick by eating the poisoned food crops and then we eat the animals and we get poisoned. The fuels from factories produce carbon dioxide and other chemicals. They are then released into the air this produces acid rain which can burn through clothes, kill plants fish, trees and animals. Some chemical wastes from factories do not break down in nature and they last for hundreds and thousands of years poisoning the ground. If the waste from a factory gets to a river,lake or sea it can poison the water and make it toxic for animals and people to drink and swim in. It can also produce a thick layer of algae and slow down the flow of water. Q. What different diseases can you receive from being in contact with smog? (Keniel) A.  Cancer, black and brown lung diseases, asthma, lung cancer, mesothelioma Q.W hat are the effects on workers who are in contact with toxic chemicals? (Keniel) A. Asbetos can create cancer, lead can poison, mercury can poison by touch, taste or inhaling. H ydrofluoric acid is an acid which can be fatal though one may not feel so much pain. Chlorine gas’s effects range from cough, spewing, lung damage to death. Methanol can cause blindness. %%