Which pollution control method was proposed by an amendment to the Clean Air Act?

Which pollution control method was proposed by an amendment to the Clean Air Act?

• A. The use of catalytic converters
• B. Scrubbers on smokestacks
• C. Baghouse filtration
• D. Electrostatic precipitators

Answer: (A)

The question tests how regulatory changes to the Clean Air Act spurred emission-control technologies for cars. An amendment to the act in the 1970s set stricter emission standards for motor vehicles, which pushed automakers to reduce pollutants from exhaust. Catalytic converters fit this goal perfectly: they use a catalyst to transform harmful exhaust compounds—carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides—into much less harmful substances like carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen. This made catalytic converters a direct response to the vehicle-focused standards created by the amendments. Industrial pollution-control devices like scrubbers, baghouse filtration, and electrostatic precipitators are designed for smokestacks and stationary sources, removing particulates and gases from factory and power-plant emissions. While important for reducing industrial pollution, they were not the method specifically proposed by the vehicle-emission-focused amendments to the Clean Air Act.

The question tests how regulatory changes to the Clean Air Act spurred emission-control technologies for cars. An amendment to the act in the 1970s set stricter emission standards for motor vehicles, which pushed automakers to reduce pollutants from exhaust. Catalytic converters fit this goal perfectly: they use a catalyst to transform harmful exhaust compounds—carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides—into much less harmful substances like carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen. This made catalytic converters a direct response to the vehicle-focused standards created by the amendments.

Industrial pollution-control devices like scrubbers, baghouse filtration, and electrostatic precipitators are designed for smokestacks and stationary sources, removing particulates and gases from factory and power-plant emissions. While important for reducing industrial pollution, they were not the method specifically proposed by the vehicle-emission-focused amendments to the Clean Air Act.