What are the environmental hazards caused by automobiles?
1 Answers
Engine-powered vehicles pose the following environmental hazards: 1. Harmful gas emissions from automobile exhaust: While burning gasoline for power, cars emit carbon monoxide, which damages the Earth's protective ozone layer. Without the ozone layer, global temperatures rise, sea levels increase, and land area diminishes. 2. Automobile exhaust also has toxic effects on plants: Secondary pollutants in exhaust, such as ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate, can cause necrotic lesions and dry spots on plant leaves, while ethylene affects flowering and fruiting. Exhaust is particularly harmful to crops like sugar beets, spinach, tomatoes, and tobacco, leading to reduced yields along highways due to pollution. Methods to reduce automobile environmental pollution: 1. Promptly detect leaks. Leaks of lubricants and other fluids from vehicles significantly pollute the air, so daily inspections are necessary to identify and repair them immediately. 2. Prevent air conditioner leaks in vehicles. Conduct a thorough inspection of the vehicle's air conditioning system annually to prevent Freon leaks. Even during seasons when the air conditioner is not in use, occasionally turning it on helps maintain seals and prevent leaks. 3. Check the choke valve. A poorly installed choke valve is a major cause of automobile air pollution. If too loose, it can cause oil deficiency in the engine, making the car difficult to start; if too tight, it allows excessive gasoline into the engine, leading to the emission of unburned hydrocarbons from the exhaust pipe, polluting the air. 4. Avoid burning engine oil. Blue or blue-white smoke from the exhaust pipe indicates that the car is burning engine oil, which significantly pollutes the air and requires immediate repair.
