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Argueably, some of the biggest scams in the automotive world are Pollution Control and the replacement of R-12 refrigerant. Obviously, pollution control devices are meant to do just that - control the output of pollution causing products. Unfortunately, these devices are trying to cure the wrong thing. The replacement of R-12 refrigerant was due to the claimed Ozone damaging properties. While R-12 does damage Ozone, the incredibly small amounts released by cars could in no way harm the Ozone layer of the Earths atmosphere any more than by natural causes. If a little bit of thought were put into each of these topics, the truth could easily be seen.
The internal combustion engine has been around for a long time. Starting many years ago, someone decided that cars were causing too much pollution. This is understandable as it could be seen in the air. This is a very key point - it could be seen. It was decided that the pollution causing properties were the natural byproducts of combustion - carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, Hydro Carbons, etc... This was where the mistakes would go beyond expectation. Quickly added to cars were Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGT), Thermactor (Smog Pump), Catalytic Converters, and the many other thing that help these items to function.
Without a doubt, modern cars are much cleaner burning than the cars of yesterday. Unfortunately, the clean burning properties are far more related to modern technology than to those so called "pollution control" devices. In the same way that technology has given us far greater fuel economy, the cleaner burning properties are much closer related to this greater efficiency. Regardless, the fact is that the properties of combustion haven't, and never will, change. They don't need to.
Obviously, cars release many relatively harmful things such as carbon monoxide. The important thing to remember is that so do all living creatures, especially those who smoke. The biggest environmental problems related to cars are the use of harmful fluids for the engine to run, and the release of solids through the exhaust. We can recycle the fluids, but what can be done about the solids output through the exhaust? This is where the true question comes into play. No one has yet to make an issue of this, the main pollution problem behind so many issues. Most people understand how disturbing cigarette smoke can be, but most don't know why. It's not so much from the gasses, but from the solids. These solids are what cause most of the health related problems connected with smoking. Let me stress that it's far more the solids and not so much the gasses being released by the cigarette that are considered offensive by others. As an example, when a smoker enters a room, its not the gasses you smell, but the remaining solids. Most of the gasses being released by the cigarette (just like with the car) are the same being released by the smoker as he or she breathes. Look at the use of a filter in those same cigarettes, it's trying to filtering the solids and not the gasses. In this same way, it's the solids output of cars that causes the "real" problems.
As those who are in the automotive field can relate, many of yesterday's pollution control devices are slowly being done away with. For one, no longer is air being pumped into the exhaust manifolds (Thermactor). GM is one company that made wide use of this concept. They have also highly profited from this equipment as it was often in need of repair - at the owner's expense. Since the day pollution control devices were installed, they have been a major cost of maintenance. This is one of the key reasons that they still exist. If the truth was released to the public, it would cost the auto makers a lot of money that they don't want to lose. Anytime mistakes of this magnitude are made, the truth can never be accepted. The costs would just be too high. Another reason that these devices are starting to disappear is the fact that they cost power and efficiency. How can a car be expected to release less pollution if it has to work harder to make the same power. Being more efficient means getting better mileage. The greater the mileage, the less pollution output. These are such simple concepts that it's amazing that they weren't being used any earlier than they finally are.
There are many reasons that cars have become more efficient and environmentally friendly. Much of this has to do with a greater understanding of just how the internal combustion engine works. The use of better fuels also helps. Technology has truly done wonders in this area. Unfortunately, we are back to the real problem - solids. It's the solids released by car's exhaust that cause the real problems. These are the things that are seen in the air as "smog' and are considered pollution by most standards. The solution to the problem is very different than what is currently being done. In order for a car to be "solids friendly," it must be in good tune and burn good fuels. By this I mean that cars should no longer be offered in diesel form. While diesel has its place, it's not in cars. Also, the 100,000 mile myth should also be done away with. There is absolutely no way for any car to go 100,000 miles and still be in truly clean burning condition. Better fuels would also help a great deal. If a fuel can be made to burn cleaner and offer better engine cleaning properties, this would make things much easier for the auto makers to work around. This would also make life much easier for all cars, and not just new ones. There are so many things that could be done to fix the real problem, but again, the real problem has yet to be addressed. That is, other than by MotorSports Digest.
Doing away with so many of the ridiculous pollution control devices currently being used could save everyone much more money and heart ache. Applying a solution to the true problem would be the biggest step to solving the problem. Until this can be done, things will only get worse and it will continue to cost you more than just money.
For the longest time, people have been concerned about the environment. Several years back, a new sense of awareness was established regarding the Ozone layer. It was noticed that holes were forming in the Ozone layer and it appeared to be depleting itself. Someone quickly started looking for causes and made some interesting discoveries. It was found that, along with many other causes, R12 refrigerant had ozone depleting properties. Even though R12 is heavier than air and will remain at ground level and could never harm the Ozone layer, that wasn't important to those that were making the big decision. Unfortunately it took very little convincing and the auto makers were forced to make a switch to a new refrigerant. From this point on, R12 was to slowly become a thing of the past, and raised the price of R12 more 2000 percent. As simple as this sounds, that's pretty much it. Very little thought was put into any of these decisions. Environmentalists are very quick to point blame, but very irrational with their thinking. As with far too many topics, it only takes a few who speak up and make a big fuss to get things changed - regardless of whether it's a good idea or not.
Science has shown that the Ozone layer goes though phases, like most things in nature. It has also been proven that there are many other, far more important factors that determine the condition of the Ozone layer. Things like volcano eruptions and cows cause more damage to the Ozone layer than every car ever built releasing its R-12 could ever accomplish. It has also been proven that each and every cow on the earth releases more Ozone depleting gases than a car, or it's R-12. could ever do. Understandably we aren't going to do away with cows, not that the environmentalists wouldn't like that idea I'm sure, but this is the perfect example of how nature has it's own checks and balances. Again, there are forces in nature that we don't completely understand - Ozone is one of them.
To show just how far off the thinking behind these environmental "wacos" really is, look at some of the things they have been trying to get accomplished - all in the name of the Ozone. Starting some time in the next few years, the current asthma inhalers are to be done away with. They are said to be damaging to the Ozone. Put aside the fact that they help people to breath and save lives, but think about how ridiculous this sounds and how very unlikely this will effect anything. This was the same reasoning that did away with R-12 refrigerant. I stress this example because people actually believed the R-12 scare and it takes something like the inhalers to put things into perspective.
One final note on Ozone that is also very interesting. While the true purpose of Ozone is something that few completely understand, it has been proven that it actually harms people. Tons of Ozone producing devices have been sold over the last few years, and the sale of these products goes back to how we don't understand things nearly as well as we think we do. We are all told that we need Ozone and how we are destroying it. This makes many think it's actually something we should have more of, especially around the house. This concept is way off. Ozone has been proven to actually be hazardous to our health. Don't get me wrong, Ozone is important and has its place - way up in the atmosphere. In fact, it is the ground level Ozone that is the new excuse the government (EPA) is using to force cities all over the country to require emissions testing. Jokingly, perhaps it's the lack of R12 use that has brought about the increase of ground level Ozone.
Either way, my point is that we shouldn't make quick uneducated decision on things we know very little about. Just because a few people make a big fuss over something, doesn't mean that irrational decisions should be made. This is how big mistakes are made. As we all know, once these decisions are made, they are all too often next to impossible be taken back. This is why it's so important to make the correct decision the first time. That is my main point - that the correct, educated decisions to need to be the ones making changes, not quick, emotional ones.
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