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Need industry statistics for pollution in metal finishing companies

 

Hi,

I actually had a statistical question that maybe you can help me with. I'm writing a Masters Thesis For engineering and I needed to know the amount of wastes (real data) that are released into the air, land and sea from metal finishing companies in the U.S. Any help will be greatly appreciated and properly documented. Hope you can give advice. Thank You.

Patrick Ghasemi
- Richmondhill, Toronto, Canada

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The U.S. government, through the EPA and NIST, have spent tens of millions of dollars funding websites, and tens of millions of dollars funding reports on this subject. If you start at www.epa.gov and can't find it in an hour, be happy it wasn't Your tax money that was squandered.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
 

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Patrick,

I can't help you re the air emissions but surely you can glean such data from the EPA ... Even 'your' own Min. of the Environment (in Hogtown) might be of help.

But there is one thing I think you should/could consider. According to pundits, the amount of nitric acid and compounds generated yearly by thunder storms is in the thousands of tons. Probably, but I'm guessing, MORE per country than all their plating plants emit, the EPA, in particular, being pretty heavy on emissions but even your local people had, in the past, a pretty good record for reducing emissions on par with the EPA as ... and I don't know if you know this ... in Ontario they would critically analyse any 'scrubber' before accepting it to be built whereas in B.C. it was a demand that any scrubber is independently compliance tested. Personally I prefer Ontario's approach.

Cheers!

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).