One of the major pollutants that cause acid rain. Harmful to humans and vegetation when concentrations are sufficiently high. Major sources of this pollutant are petroleum refineries, coal or oil burning power plants and diesel engines. May be toxic. Volatile organic compounds directly contribute to smog, which aggravates respiratory diseases such as asthma, particularly in the young and elderly.
Refineries are the single largest stationary source of VOCs, the primary precursor of urban smog.
EPA has estimated that oil refineries may be releasing as much as 80 million pounds of undetected VOCs from leaking valves each year. All images may be copyrighted by the stories source. While we make every effort to ensure that the content of our stories is accurate and useful, we make no warrantees to its content. Do not mass reproduce, distribute, or reuse the intellectual property on this page. Read the license and disclaimer before using info on this page.