Environmental Regulations Essay

Today’s society demands its industries to be more sensitive to the needs of the environment. With the increasing preference for raw materials and resources, the questions of sustainability and efficiency come into the picture as many producers seek to maximize the way these resources are used. Like any other resource, galvanized steel has undergone numerous changes that had made it both environmentally green and adaptive to the needs of society. In the end, by both catering to needs of nature and harnessing new ways to improve, industries can maximize cost effective exhaustion of raw materials and create a consensus for adaptability. Understanding the Development and Need Since the industrial revolution, steel has been considered an important commodity among states and many industries. It is the primary component in creating structures and developing new mechanisms that can help man. Seeing this, it has helped man traverse the century creating new advancement in different areas such as automobiles, construction, household appliance, etc. However, with the rapidly increasing exhaustion of man in its natural resources, there is a call for an increase in sustainability and efficiency in using and tapping resources such as steel. As time progressed, it has also given man time to generate and perfect the creation of new steels that are both stronger and effective than their predecessors. An example of this is galvanized steel. Though to generate other resources often create many adverse effects in the environment, it can be argued that galvanized steel is considered ‘green’ because of using natural methods and tapping into one element that is considered environmental friendly; zinc (International Zinc Association, 2008). Helping Reduce the Cost of Consumption and Production With today’s increasing and developing technology, man continuously finds ways to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of how things are done. This also applies in galvanized steel industry as many look into ways of reducing the possible cost brought about by corrosion and other risk factors associated in the process. One example of this development is the creation of the Life-Cycle Cost Calculator (LCC) to actively determine what anti-corrosion system best suites you in the long run (Galvanizing Cost, 2008). Under this system, it helps calculate the maintenance and total cost that can be incurred given several economic conditions such as inflation and interest rates. Seeing this, the LCC is just one of the ways that the galvanized steel industry has been committed in creating effective and efficient ways of building. By using active data and interpreting it accordingly to the needs of a specific industry, they can maximize the capability of the steel while at the same time reducing the risk of corrosion and further exhaustion. This in turn can generate better allocation of galvanized steel in areas that need it most. Understanding what Zinc is Since the primary component of galvanized steel is Zinc, it is essential for individuals to decipher the importance of such element to fully understand why it is considered to be ‘green’ in both application and in its creation. One important thing to understand about this element is that Zinc is an earth element that can be recycled over and over without worrying about losing its physical or chemical properties (International Zinc Association, 2008). At the same time, this element remains to be abundant as it is considered to be the 27th most common element on the earth. Another important idea to point out is that in determining the level of reserves looks into the amount of information scientists have gathered in a specific place and using a particular technology. â€Å"The term ‘reserves’ denotes only what has been mapped and measured today and what can be exploited using current technology† (International Zinc Association, 2008, p. 1). With these, such resource is highly sustainable in the environment because of its ability to both its protection and enabling social progress. Zinc’s Impact The presence of Zinc remains to be an important component for both man and the environment. Many scientists have argued that this element remains to be an essential component for life in many species and organisms. That is why this element should be taken adequately to fully sustain our needs. â€Å"When uptake is too low, deficiency occurs and adverse effects can be observed† (International Zinc Association, 2008, p. 1). On the other hand, too much exposure on this can lead to toxicity and poisoning. With the right amount, zinc can help improve health and wellness of man and the environment. In particular, Zinc has properties that is significant in man’s health and can cater improvements in growth, fertility, immune system and vision (International Zinc Association, 2008). Likewise, if one shall study a person’s anatomy, Zinc is present in different areas of the body particularly in organs, tissues, and bones. To gain the proper amount of Zinc, man can get it in various food forms such as meat, poultry, fish and seafood (International Zinc Association, 20098). That is why having a balanced diet can generate the sufficient amount of zinc that can lead to wellness and improvement. If not given proper attention, the lack of Zinc in the person’s body can generate several risk factors. â€Å"Zinc deficiency is responsible for approximately 16% of lower respiratory tract infections, 18% of malaria and 10% of diarrhoeal disease† (International Zinc Association, 2008, p. 1). Likewise, this is also applicable in agriculture particularly in soil and crops. Without the proper nourishment of zinc, it reduces the number of production during harvest and at the same time lowers its overall quality. Fostering Responsible Extraction and Mining Like any other element, Zinc must be extracted in the earth and refined to create new products in the process. This has been evident in the 18th century as man sought to improve and develop new mechanisms that can help them move forward. However, during the middle of the 20th century, there has been a consensus to help reduce the risk factors associated with exposure to Zinc emotions in the environment (International Zinc Association, 2008). This has led to numerous changes in how refinement is administered as it became environmental friendly and adaptable to the needs of the current trends. One important indicator that is used by scientists to actively determine the level of Zinc emissions was measured in the Greenland snow. â€Å"The minute amounts of zinc deposited at this remote location are an indicator of both natural zinc cycling and anthropogenic zinc emissions to air in Europe and North America, and reflect the trend in zinc emissions to air observed throughout the northern hemisphere† (International Zinc Association, 2008, p. 1). One important result of this study showed that there has been a reduction of zinc emissions in the environment and continues to decrease in the years to come. This change can be attributed to the recent developments in both extraction and technology. With the help of new instruments and mechanisms, better facilitation and exhaustion is now possible with the minimal risk factors associated in the process such as fugitive emissions. â€Å"Fugitive emissions originate from sources such as outdoor stockpiles, handling or transfer operations, vehicle traffic as well as leakages from buildings and roofs, from maintenance operations and breakdown of plants† (International Zinc Association, 2008, p. 1). These new innovative and sustainable ideas has led to better creation of products such as galvanized steel and lowered the effect of corrosion Commitment in the Environment The decline of emissions brought about by Zinc extraction and refinement can be attributed to the commitment of both many states and organizations that are committed in protecting the environment. Under this area, they create new standards and protocols that can help set the guidelines and effective ways to exhaust such resources in the natural environment without compromising quality and risks associated in the process. By having these mandates, better administration can be made and administered. Likewise, such commitment can be attributed to the capability of these institutions to monitor and implement regulations. For example, the passing of the EU Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction Strategy on Zinc has given international organizations such as the EU to reinforce and implement better management of Zinc extraction from exhaustion to refinement (International Zinc Association, 2008). Conclusion To conclude, man’s commitment in environmental protection and sustainability has allowed us to find ways and means to develop better methods in enhancing exhaustion of natural resources such as galvanized steel. At the same time, we had the commitment to create institutions, mandates, protocols, and guidelines to actively reinforce the idea of protecting the environment. In the end, galvanized steel and its primary component Zinc has constantly sought to be ‘green’ because of the industry’s ability to abide and advocate standards towards efficiency and protection against risk factors. As these industries face the challenges of the 21st century, we can see a further commitment towards finding new tools and technologies that can create a better ‘green’ idea. Reference Galvanizing Cost (2008) Life-Cycle Cost Calculator. Retrieved March 8, 2009 from, http://www. galvanizingcost. com/ International Zinc Association (2008) Environmental Regulations. Retrieved March 8, 2009 from, http://www. zincworld. org/environmental%20_regulations. html International Zinc Association (2008) Zinc a sustainable resource. Retrieved March 8, 2009 from, http://www. zincworld. org/sustainable_resource. html International Zinc Association (2008) Zinc Emissions. Retrieved March 8, 2009 from, http://www. zincworld. org/emissions. html International Zinc Association (2008) Zinc: Essential for Human Health. Retrieved March 8, 2009 from, http://www. zincworld. org/zinc_health. html International Zinc Association (2008) Zinc: Essential for Man and the Environment. Retrieved March 8, 2009 from, http://www. zincworld. org/zinc_essential. html