Coal pollution mitigation Since air is mostly nitrogen, combustion of coal often leads to production of nitrogen oxides. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are primary causes of acid rain. For many years--before greenhouse gasses were widely understood to be a threat-- it was thought that these by-products were the only drawback to using coal. These by-products are still a problem, but they have been greatly diminished in most advanced countries due to clean air regulations. It is possible to remove most of the sulfur dioxide (SO), nitrogen oxides (NO), and particulate matter (PM) emissions from the coal-burning process. For example, various techniques are
Nitrogen dioxide poisoning glutathione reductase, an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to the sulfhydryl form glutathione (GSH), which is a critical molecule in resisting "oxidative stress" and maintaining the reducing environment of the cell. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide has a significant effect on the male reproductive system by inhibiting the production of Sertoli cell, a "nurse" cell of the testicles that is part of a seminiferous tubule and helps in the process of spermatogenesis. These effects consequently retard the production of sperm cell. The effects of nitrogen dioxide poisoning of female reproduction may be linked with the effects of