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Controlling Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds For Air Quality, Brian Sawers
Controlling Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds For Air Quality, Brian Sawers
Indiana Law Journal
This Article tells a story that is true but seems completely wrong: Trees can make air pollution worse. Smog and ground-level ozone require two chemical ingredients to form: nitrous oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). On a warm, sunny day, these two precursors combine to form smog and ground-level ozone, a pollutant. While NOx are pollutants that are largely human-created, VOCs can originate with plants. In fact, emissions of just one type of VOC from trees exceed all human-caused emissions.
This Article presents new research on the impact of plants, especially trees, on air quality. The science is complicated …