Chlorinated Hydrocarbons: Air Pollutants Or Not?

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) are compounds that contain chlorine, carbon and hydrogen. They are commonly used in industrial processes such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics and solvents. CHCs are known for their stability and persistence in the environment, making them a type of persistent organic pollutant with potential toxicity to humans and ecosystems. They can become a type of air pollution during the combustion of fuel sources, but the most common cause of CHC contamination is the spillage of crude oil or other industrial commodities.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are a generic term for compounds containing chlorine, carbon and hydrogen

The most common cause of hydrocarbon contamination is the spillage of crude oil or other industrial commodities. This can occur on oil platforms and tankers, as well as through agricultural runoff and stormwater discharge. Hydrocarbons can also become a type of air pollution during the combustion of fuel sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels. If you live in an area contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons, you can improve air quality in your home by ensuring there is enough subfloor ventilation.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are commonly used in industrial processes such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics and solvents

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are compounds that contain chlorine, carbon and hydrogen. They are commonly used in industrial processes such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics and solvents. Chlorinated hydrocarbons are known for their stability, lipid solubility and persistence in the environment, which makes them a type of persistent organic pollutant with potential toxicity to humans and ecosystems. They can enter the environment through oceanic and atmospheric transport processes, and can be distributed globally. They are resistant to chemical or biological alteration in the environment, but can be altered through physical-chemical processes, microbial transformation and degradation, and animal enzyme modifications or transformations.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons can become a type of air pollution during the combustion of fuel sources, but the most common cause of hydrocarbon contamination is the spillage of crude oil or other industrial commodities. This can occur on oil platforms and tankers used to transport the raw materials, but also through agricultural runoff and stormwater discharge. The effects on the environment and the natural world can be disastrous, and humans are also potentially at risk from elevated levels of hydrocarbon pollution.

Some chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as the industrial chemicals PCBs and chlorinated pesticides such as DDT, are considered pollutants because they entered the environment, including the oceans, in the 1940s to 1970s. These compounds are persistent in the environment and most bioaccumulate in the food chain.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are persistent organic pollutants with potential toxicity to humans and ecosystems

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) are compounds that contain chlorine, carbon and hydrogen. They are commonly used in industrial processes such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and solvents. CHCs are known for their stability, lipid solubility, and persistence in the environment, making them a type of persistent organic pollutant with potential toxicity to humans and ecosystems.

CHCs are resistant to chemical or biological alteration in the environment, but they can be changed by physical-chemical processes (e.g. sorption-desorption, transfer from water to air), microbial transformation and degradation, and animal enzyme modifications or transformations. For example, the mixture of chlorobiphenyl congeners found in a lobster was dramatically different from the original mixture discharged in a nearby effluent from a capacitor manufacturing facility.

CHCs are considered pollutants because they entered the environment, including the oceans, in the 1940s to 1970s and became distributed globally by atmospheric and oceanic transport processes. These chemicals have been detected in deep ocean water. The most common cause of hydrocarbon contamination is the spillage of crude oil or other industrial commodities, which can occur on oil platforms and tankers, as well as through agricultural runoff and stormwater discharge.

If you live in an area contaminated with CHCs, you can improve the air quality in your home by ensuring there is enough subfloor ventilation.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are resistant to chemical or biological alteration in the environment

Chlorinated hydrocarbons can become a type of air pollution during the combustion of fuel sources, but the most common cause of hydrocarbon contamination is the spillage of crude oil or other industrial commodities. This can occur on oil platforms and tankers used to transport the raw materials, but also through agricultural runoff and stormwater discharge. The effects on the environment and the natural world can be disastrous, while humans are also potentially at risk from elevated levels of hydrocarbon pollution.

Even though chlorinated hydrocarbons are among the chemicals more resistant to chemical or biological alteration in the environment, there are physical–chemical, microbial transformation and degradation, and animal enzyme modifications or transformations, that change the mixture of compounds as the chemicals move through the environment. For example, the mixture of chlorobiphenyl congeners found in a lobster was dramatically different from the original mixture discharged in a nearby effluent from a capacitor manufacturing facility.

Hydrocarbons can become a type of air pollution during the combustion of fuel sources

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) are compounds that contain chlorine, carbon and hydrogen. They are commonly used in industrial processes such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics and solvents. They are known for their stability, lipid solubility and persistence in the environment, making them a type of persistent organic pollutant with potential toxicity to humans and ecosystems.

CHCs are considered pollutants because they entered the environment, including the oceans, between the 1940s and 1970s and became distributed globally by atmospheric and oceanic transport processes. This resulted in these chemicals being detected in deep ocean water.

CHCs are also persistent in the environment and most bioaccumulate in the food chain. They can be found in areas contaminated with CHCs, and it is possible to improve the air quality in homes in these areas by ensuring there is enough subfloor ventilation.

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