Pollution
Index
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Statement
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Page
|
|
Introduction
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2
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What is
pollution
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2
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Effects of
pollution on the environment:
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3
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|
Effects of pollution
on human health
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5
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Reducing
Pollution
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6
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Conclusion
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9
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Recommendations
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9
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References
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11
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Introduction:
Many
things that are useful to people produce pollution. Cars spew pollutants from
their exhaust pipes. Burning coal to create electricity pollutes the air.
Industries and homes generate garbage and sewage that can pollute the land and
water. Pesticides—chemical poisons used to kill weeds and insects—seep into
waterways and harm wildlife.
All
living things—from one-celled microbes to blue whales—depend on Earth’s supply
of air and water. When these resources are polluted, all forms of life are
threatened.
Pollution
is a global problem. Although urban areas are usually more polluted than the
countryside, pollution can spread to remote places where no people live. For
example, pesticides and other chemicals have been found in the Antarctic ice
sheet.
What is
pollution:
Pollution
is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful
materials are called pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic
ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff
produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land.
Air and water currents
carry pollution. Ocean currents and migrating fish carry marine pollutants
everywhere. Winds can pick up radioactive material accidentally released from a
nuclear reactor and scatter it around the world. Smoke from a factory in one
country drifts into another country.
Effects
of pollution on the environment:
A) Effects
of water pollution on the environment
Some polluted water looks
muddy, smells bad, and has garbage floating in it. Some polluted water looks
clean, but is filled with harmful chemicals you cannot see or smell.
Polluted
water is unsafe for drinking and swimming. Some people who drink polluted water
are exposed to hazardous chemicals that may make them sick years later. Others
consume bacteria and other tiny aquatic organisms that cause disease. The
United Nations estimates that 4,000 children die every day from drinking dirty
water.
Sometimes,
polluted water harms people indirectly. They get sick because the fish that
live in polluted water are unsafe to eat. They have too many pollutants in
their flesh.
There
are some natural sources of water pollution. Oil and natural gas, for example,
can leak into oceans and lakes from natural underground sources.
Human
activity also contributes to water pollution. Chemicals and oils from factories
are sometimes dumped or seep into waterways. These chemicals are called runoff.
Chemicals in runoff can create a toxic environment for aquatic life.
Mining
and drilling can also contribute to water pollution. Acid mine drainage (AMD)
is a major contributor to pollution of rivers and streams near coal mines. Acid
helps miners remove coal from the surrounding rocks. The acid is washed into
streams and rivers, where it reacts with rocks and sand. It releases chemical
sulfur from the rocks and sand, creating a river rich in sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid is toxic to plants, fish, and other aquatic organisms. Sulfuric
acid is also toxic to people, making rivers polluted by AMD dangerous sources
of water for drinking and hygiene.
B) Effects
of air pollution on the environment
Air pollution is the
presence of pollutants in air in quantities that can cause health damage to
humans, animals, and plants. When gases such as nitrogen oxides, hydrogen
sulphides and sulphur oxides are released into the atmosphere they can dissolve
in the water vapor of clouds and fall as rain. The presence of these pollutants
acidifies the water and causes acid rain.
Acid
rain usually has a pH of less than 5 and is highly corrosive and damaging,
especially to buildings and forests (Figure 8.6). (pH is a measure of acidity
and alkalinity on a scale from 0 to 14. pH 7 is neutral; less than 7 is acid;
more than 7 is alkaline.)
Effects
of pollution on human health
We should not forget air
pollution. Air pollutants in the form of dust and soot (particulate matter) and
gases such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides have
serious impacts on health. Intense air pollution causes reduced lung function
and diseases of the respiratory system such as asthma and bronchitis. Acute
respiratory infections are among the leading causes of attendance at outpatient
clinics in health centers and hospitals.
The direct causal link is
difficult to prove, but air pollution from domestic fires and vehicle emissions
is a contributory factor. We now turn to the significant impacts on health from
water pollution.
Reducing
Pollution:
Around the world, people
and governments are making efforts to combat pollution. Recycling, for
instance, is becoming more common. In recycling, trash is processed so it is
useful materials can be used again. Glass, aluminum cans, and many types of
plastic can be melted and reused. Paper can be broken down and turned into new
paper.
Recycling
reduces the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills, incinerators, and
waterways. Austria and Switzerland have the highest recycling rates. These
nations recycle between 50 and 60 percent of their garbage. The United States
recycles about 30 percent of its garbage.
Governments
can combat pollution by passing laws that limit the amount and types of
chemicals factories and agribusinesses are allowed to use. The smoke from
coal-burning power plants can be filtered. People and businesses that illegally
dump pollutants into the land, water, and air can be fined for millions of
dollars. Some government programs, such as the Superfund program in the United
States, can force polluters to clean up the sites they polluted.
International agreements
can also reduce pollution. The Kyoto Protocol, a United Nations agreement to
limit the emission of greenhouse gases, has been signed by 191 countries. The
United States, the world’s second-largest producer of greenhouse gases, did not
sign the agreement. Other countries, such as China, the world’s largest
producer of greenhouse gases, have not met their goals.
Still,
many gains have been made. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River, in the U.S. state of
Ohio, was so clogged with oil and trash that it caught on fire. The fire helped
spur the Clean Water Act of 1972. This law limited what pollutants could be
released into water and set standards for how clean water should be. Today, the
Cuyahoga River is much cleaner. Fish have returned to regions of the river
where they once could not survive.
But
even as some rivers are becoming cleaner, others are becoming more polluted. As
countries around the world become wealthier, some forms of pollution increase.
Countries with growing economies usually need more power plants, which produce
more pollutants.
Reducing
pollution requires environmental, political, and economic leadership. Developed
nations must work to reduce and recycle their materials, while developing
nations must work to strengthen their economies without destroying the
environment. Developed and developing countries must work together toward the
common goal of protecting the environment for future use.
Conclusion:
In
the conclusion, Pollution is a global problem. It has significant impacts on
humans and the environment, several points can be deduced from our report, are:
1) Humans are
exposed to pollutants by ingestion with water and food, inhalation through
breathing and absorption through the skin.
2)
Pollution prevention means avoiding or minimizing the production of
wastes before they are released into the environment. Pollution control
involves measures to limit the damage caused by pollutants.
3)
Pollution control is supported by principles such as the polluter pays
principle, the precautionary principle, and the principle of duty of care, and
by relevant legislation and policies.
Recommendations:
There are many methods
for prevention of pollution. For water pollution the main priority is to
improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) provision. If everyone has access
to effective sanitation (latrines) and there is no open defecation, this will prevent
contamination of the environment with human feces. Combined with this is the
need for safe drinking water to be available for all. In addition, improving
hygiene behavior and ensuring that everyone washes their hands will radically
reduce the impacts on human health from biological pollutants. In practice
there needs to be a coordinated approach to improving all three – water,
sanitation, and hygiene – which is reflected in current WASH programmes.
Air pollution can be
improved by reducing the reliance on biomass fuels for domestic cooking,
especially for indoor fires. Legislation to remove incredibly old vehicles from
the road or a requirement for regular maintenance and certification would also
help.
For pollutants derived
from solid wastes, waste optimization should be adopted. This principle is
based on the notion that, ideally, waste should not be produced in the first
place. However, this primary target is not always possible and so, if waste is produced,
there is a range of options for waste management that form a waste hierarchy
from most desirable to least desirable.
References:
1. David, Michael,
and Caroline. "Air Pollution – Effects". Library.thinkquest.org.
Retrieved 2010-08-26.
2. Herrnstadt, Evan;
Heyes, Anthony; Muehlegger, Erich; Saberian, Soodeh (2021). "Air Pollution
and Criminal Activity: Microgeographic Evidence from Chicago". American
Economic Journal: Applied Economics. 13 (4): 70–100.
3. Chinese Air
Pollution Deadliest in World, Report Says. National Geographic News. July 9,
2007.
4. Stanglin, Doug
(October 20, 2017). "Global pollution is the world's biggest killer and a
threat to survival of mankind, study finds". USA Today.
6. https://www.britannica.com/science/pollution-environment
