Is your factory making people sick? The importance of controlling industrial air emissions

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Is your factory making people sick? The importance of controlling industrial air emissions

For years, it’s been widely known that industrial air emissions pose an environmental hazard. But what is less discussed is how these emissions can negatively impact our health. The damage doesn’t stop there — it can also affect the business’s staff, costs and potential revenue.

How do you know if your factory is making people sick, and what can you do about it? MACH Engineering has created this guide to help factories control their air emissions.

What Is Factory Air Pollution?

Factory air pollution occurs when harmful gases are emitted as a result of factory operations. These gases can cause several harmful effects on the environment, local people and, ultimately, the business. The most common factory air pollutants are:

• Particulate matter (PM), which is any droplet suspended in the air. PM10 and PM2.5, which are particles smaller than 10 and 2.5 micrometers, respectively, can enter the body and cause health problems.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are various chemical compounds that contain carbon. These compounds can easily evaporate at room temperature and dissolve in water. While 90% of the world’s VOCs are produced by plants and play an important role in regulating our atmosphere, human-made VOCs are usually more toxic.
• Nitrogen oxides, which are emitted by burning fossil fuels. These highly reactive gases can react with sunlight and oxygen to create smog, and with water to create acid rain.
• Sulfur oxides, which are emitted by burning coal, diesel and oil. These chemicals can also cause smog and acid rain.
• Lead, which is emitted by burning coal, oil and waste products containing lead. Lead particles can enter the human body and cause several health problems.

What Are the Impacts of Factory Air Pollution?

Factory air pollution can have many widespread effects, often seen in the following areas.

1. Health Impact

Air pollution can affect almost every part of your body, such as your heart, lungs and brain. There are many health risks associated with factory air pollution when it’s inhaled, such as cell mutations, immunosuppression, oxidative stress and inflammation. If the particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream via the lungs, they can cause inflammation and carcinogenicity throughout the entire body.

Factory air pollution can cause many specific health problems, particularly stroke, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease and pneumonia. It’s also been linked to other cancers, neurological diseases, diabetes and cognitive impairment. Additionally, there’s evidence that air pollution can increase the risk of babies being born with low birth weight or small for their gestational age.

Air pollution can be particularly harmful to people who are young, old, pregnant or have comorbidities.

2. Environmental Impact

Air pollution from factories can have many negative and far-reaching effects on the environment, such as:

• Deposition, which is when air pollutants undergo chemical reactions before they’re deposited on the environment’s surface. When deposited in water or soil, these pollutants can cause imbalanced ecosystems and negatively affect biodiversity, damaging plants and animals.
• Acid deposition, more commonly known as acid rain, which can damage crops and other plants, animals and their habitats, natural ecosystems and human-made buildings. It can also acidify soil and water, further affecting ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Nitrogen deposition, which can lead to ecosystems becoming too nitrogen-rich. This can create an ecosystem imbalance and reduce biodiversity as plants that thrive on nitrogen outgrow other plants. It can also cause algae blooms in water bodies, which can negatively impact the water quality and biodiversity.
• Ground-level ozone, which leads to health issues and disrupts photosynthesis in plants when it’s at ground level. While ozone isn’t directly emitted by factories, it’s often created when nitrogen oxides react with VOCs.

All of these environmental effects can have an indirect impact on our health, too. Acid rain can lead to increased levels of heavy metals in our drinking water, and our exposure to contaminants can grow via biomagnification. By reducing the quality and quantity of the food we eat, from crops to livestock, air pollution can further damage our well-being.

3. Business Impact

The health issues that factory air pollutants cause will affect factory workers, perhaps more than anyone else, due to their regular and close proximity to the pollutants. Any business with employees who are regularly ill or are more likely to face serious health issues will likely experience higher absenteeism. Employee turnover rate may be higher, too. This increased absenteeism and turnover rate can make it difficult for factories to operate at full capacity, since staff regularly need to be covered, replaced and trained.

Air pollutants within the factory can affect sensitive equipment, too. Airborne particles can corrode and abrade parts, leading to increased maintenance and more frequent part replacement. These particles can also clog ventilation systems and settle on machine surfaces, which can lead to overheating, malfunctions and reduced efficiency.

Factories that heavily pollute the air could also face legal challenges. Whether these challenges are brought by agencies that enforce antipollution laws or by people negatively affected by the emissions, they can lead to fines, lawsuits and operational shutdowns. Many companies have been fined or faced other consequences for violating environmental laws on air quality. It can also damage the brand reputation and community relations, which might affect the business’s ability to sell its products.

All of these effects can impact the business’s ability to continue operations and lead to increased costs.

Air Pollution Laws That Factories Must Follow

Several laws have been enacted to ensure factories and other sources of industrial pollution take the necessary steps to reduce their emissions. The main ones that affect factories are:

1. Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act (CAA) is a federal law that was introduced in 1970. At that time, air pollution was a massive concern. Environmental controls have led to improved air quality in the decades since, but the CAA remains as important as ever.

The CAA lists the pollutants that require regulation. These hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) must be closely controlled by the factory to restrict their emissions, with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) providing specific regulations for various industries.

The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) provide acceptable levels of different air pollutants. A factory won’t be solely responsible for ensuring these standards are met since there will be many contributing factors. However, that factory must play its part in keeping emission levels down and monitoring them through continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS).

Factories that are creating new major pollutant sources or modifying existing ones will have to adhere to Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations. These regulations require factories to install the Best Available Control Technology (BACT), carry out an air quality analysis and an additional impacts analysis, and involve the public in the plans.

To comply with the CAA, factories must regularly report on their emissions. They must also apply for CAA permits, which vary depending on the factory’s location.

2. Occupational Safety and Health Act

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 requires employers to protect their workers from various hazards, one of which is unclean air. Employers must provide sufficient indoor air quality for their employees to protect them from the health issues that poor air can cause.

For most businesses, this will involve adequate ventilation, but factories must also consider how they can reduce or contain any air pollutants. They may have to change their processes or enclose equipment. It could also require rotating workers to minimize their exposure to pollutants and providing personal protective equipment.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets permissible exposure limits (PELs) that workers can be exposed to. These limits vary depending on the substance, but they can tell factories if they’re exposing their staff to dangerous levels of harmful air pollutants.

3. State Laws

While OSH is a federal act that affects all of the U.S., many states have implemented their own laws on indoor air quality. However, these state laws don’t replace OSHA regulations, and must be at least as effective as OSHA in protecting workers. They must also be approved by OSHA.

Currently, seven of these state plans only cover state and local workers, while 22 more also cover private-sector workers.

How to Reduce Your Factory’s Air Pollution

There are several key steps that every factory should take to reduce the amount of air pollution it produces. Some of the most effective factory air pollution solutions are:

1. Use Cleaner Production Materials and Energy

Many factory air pollutants are emitted by burning certain fuels, such as coal, oil or diesel. By replacing these fuels with renewable energy that burns more cleanly, factories can reduce their emissions.

Factories should also use alternatives to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are commonly used in air conditioning, refrigeration and foam blowing. These compounds can warm the planet 3,790 times as much as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

2. Install Filtration and Wet Scrubber Systems

To prevent harmful emissions from escaping into the atmosphere, factories should install filtration and wet scrubber systems. These systems can destroy or neutralize acidic gases, VOCs, HAPs and PM and prevent them from escaping into the atmosphere. There are many different types of wet scrubbers available, including:

• Packed bed scrubbers
• Venturi scrubbers
• Orifice scrubbers
• Spray towers
• Cyclone spray chambers

3. Upgrade and Maintain Equipment

Inefficient or poorly maintained equipment can lead to higher air pollutant emissions, as machines with a buildup of grease or other pollutants are more likely to catch fire and release toxic gas into the atmosphere. Less efficient machines also use more electricity, which indirectly increases emissions at power generation facilities. Newer equipment designed with reduced emissions in mind will also be more effective at capturing any emitted pollutants.

To ensure equipment is effectively cutting down on emissions, factories should install sensors on their machinery. These sensors can measure emissions from the machine, allowing you to analyze your factory’s emission sources.

These steps can help factories comply with environmental laws while reducing their costs in the long run.

4. Teach Best Practices to Your Employees

To remain compliant with the different regulations, your team must know the best practices for improving air quality in factories. They must also understand the importance of applying these practices.

Factory employees need to be trained in the industry’s best practices during their induction. They should also receive regular training to ensure they stay up to date with evolving practices.

5. Hire a Third-Party Consultant

A third-party consultant can provide an unbiased and fresh set of eyes over your processes and equipment. If they’re experts in the field, they should be able to give you valuable advice on how you can reduce the air pollutants that your factory emits.

Factory Air Emission FAQs

Factory owners and managers often want to know more about factory air emissions and how they can reduce them. These are some of the most common questions they ask.

1. What Types of Air Filtration Systems Are Available for Industrial Settings?

There are several industrial air filtration systems available, which can help keep indoor air healthy and clean, such as:

• Ventilation bag filters
• High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters
• UV light filters
• Carbon filters

One 2019 study found that carbon filters, especially bamboo-based filters, are particularly effective at removing VOCs from the air. This makes them ideal to use in factories.

2. Which Industries Produce the Most Air Pollution?

Many industries pollute the air, but some do so on a larger scale than others. The industries that produce the most air pollution are the energy, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture sectors.

3. What Are the Main Types of Air Permits a Factory Needs Under the Clean Air Act?

The main types of air permits that factories will need to comply with the CAA are:

• Construction permits, such as the preconstruction or new source review permits.
• Operating permits, PSD and Title V permits, which outline the factory’s obligations.
• General permits, which are required for smaller-scale activities.

4. What Are the Other Benefits of Air Pollution Control Technologies?

Besides helping factories lower their emissions and remain compliant, air pollution control technologies can:

• Prolong equipment lifespan.
• Protect workers’ health.
• Reduce turnover and staff sickness.
• Cut operational and noncompliance costs.

The Importance of Controlling Factory Air Emissions

Factories emit many types of air pollutants that can damage our health, the environment and the factory itself. If these pollutants reach unacceptable levels, the factory could violate several environmental laws and face various consequences, including sick staff, fines and reputational damage.

Fortunately, there are multiple ways to reduce the number of emissions that factories produce, such as educating employees, and installing filtration and scrubbing technology. Factories can also monitor their emission levels, ensuring they’re not exceeding acceptable levels.

This story was produced by MACH Engineering and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.