The articles I read covered coal mining and some of the effects that it has on the environment. One such effect is coal combustion waste. This is the nation's second largest waste stream after municipal solid waste. Rain hits the waste that is dumped in landfills and allows the toxic metals to be leached into the soil. Another example is mercury pollution. Mercury is used sometimes to extract coal from rocks and accounts for 41 percent of mercury pollution in the country. Also, a huge issue is air pollution from coal. Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides,a d heavy metals are all released in the air and can cause acid rain, smog, and diseases of people and animals alike.
In class we did an activity that involved mining for chocolate chips. Our group made such a huge mess we ended up $384 million in the hole. Its not surprising to see how companies may want to loosen regulations and how people may into care about the environment when money is involved. We also discussed real world examples of leaching occurring in many old landfills that exist because of coal mining. Some of these areas will effectively be poisoned in the years to come.
A question I have is about acid rain. If a lake can become acidic enough to kill a flock of birds, which areas are most likely to eventually rain water that is just as acidic? Will West Virginia ever have true acid rain?
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