S. by the EPA's recently establish regulations. Hydrocarbon is a collective term for the several combinations of hydrogen and carbon that cause environmental problems. Also known as "air toxins" these compounds cause lung irritation, cancer, birth defects, and a unique problem concerning the formation of ozone smog in the lower of the atmosphere. If this ozone were to be formed in the upper atmosphere where it is badly needed this surcomstance would be considered a joyous one however since this ozone is inhabiting the wrong level of the atmosphere it causes us to be more susceptible to respiratory complications (ACEEE 2003, 1). Vapor seeps out due to the imperfect sealing of the fuel tank, pipes and hoses, as well as other components leading to the engine. HCs also comes out the tail pipe as a result of the less-than-perfect gaseous clean up of the catalytic converter that fail to clean hydrocarbons. Carbon Monoxide is a direct health hazard that impairs the flow of oxygen to the brain as well as other parts of the body by combining with the hemoglobin in our blood. Large amounts of CO are produced when the vehicles are starting up when the engine is cold. Motor Vehicles are responsible for roughly 60 % of CO emissions nationwide. Taking all of these problems in to account and since there is an estimated 600 million cars and trucks in the world (ACEEE 2003, 1) clearly something has to be done. To sum up this section all of these problems only make up about on fourth of the problems of this issue. However these all the most important ones that call us to action. Because of the problems of ozone smog, global warming, cancer, glaciers melting, islands disappearing, CO poisoning, birth defects, and lung irritation not only is it clear that our environment need a drastic change in order to stay healthy but we need it as well.
What is being done now.
Even though there is a lot of work to be done in the area of emissions in order to secure the environment of future generations there are some great efforts that are taking place in our present that have proven to be very helpful.
