Volatile organic compounds
(Redirected from VOCs)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
{{#badges: CoalSwarm}} Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) refer to organic chemical compounds which have significant vapor pressures and can affect the environment and human health. VOCs are released from man-made sources such as gasoline (petrol), paints, solvents, pesticides, and biogenic sources, such as pine and citrus tree emissions.[1][2]
VOCs can react with nitrogen oxides (NOx) released from sources such as coal plants to form smog - photochemical smog is the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides and VOCs in the atmosphere, which leaves airborne particles (called particulate matter) and ground-level ozone (smog).[1]
Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "What is Smog?", Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, CCME.ca
- ↑ "Coal Power: Air Pollution," Union of Concerned Scientists, accessed September 2010
Related SourceWatch articles
- Air pollution from coal-fired power plants
- Health effects of coal
- Climate impacts of coal plants
- Mercury and coal
- Sulfur dioxide and coal
- Global warming
- Environmental impacts of coal
- External costs of coal
- Federal coal subsidies
- Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources 2002-2008
- Retrofit vs. Phase-Out of Coal-Fired Power Plants
- Coal waste
- Coal sludge
- Fly ash
- Heavy metals and coal
- United States and coal
