POLLUTION

Pollution
• Pollution is the introduction of
contaminants into the environment that
cause harm or discomfort to humans or
other living organisms, or that damage the
environment.
• Pollution can be in the form of chemical
substances, or energy such as noise,
heat, or light.
• Pollutants can be naturally occurring
substances or energies, but are
considered contaminants when in excess
of natural levels.
• Pollution is often categorized into :
point source and nonpoint source
pollution.
• Point source pollution : A single
identifiable localized source of air, water,
thermal, noise or light pollution.
• Some examples of point sources of
pollution are :
Air pollution from a powerplant flue gas
stack
Water pollution from oil refinery
wastewater discharge outlet
Noise pollution from a jet engine
Thermal pollution from an industrial
process outfall
• Non Point source pollution : pollutants that
come from several different sources.
As water from rainfall and snowmelt flows
over and through the landscape, it picks
up and carries contaminants from many
different sources.
• Major forms of pollution :
• Air pollution, the release of chemicals and
particulates into the atmosphere.
• Common examples include carbon
monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and nitrogen
oxides produced by industry and motor
vehicles.
• Photochemical ozone and smog are
created as nitrogen oxides and
hydrocarbons react to sunlight.
• Water pollution via runoff, leaching to
groundwater, liquid spills, wastewater
discharges, eutrophication and littering.
• Soil contamination occurs when chemicals
are released by spill or underground
storage tank leakage.
• Among the most significant soil
contaminants are hydrocarbons, heavy
metals, herbicides, pesticides and
chlorinated hydrocarbons.
• Radioactive contamination
• Noise pollution, which encompasses
roadway noise, aircraft noise, industrial
noise as well as high-intensity sonar
• Light pollution, includes light trespass,
over-illumination and astronomical
interference.
• Visual pollution, which can refer to the
presence of overhead power lines,
motorway billboards, scarred landforms
(as from strip mining), open storage of
trash or municipal solid waste.
• Thermal pollution, is a temperature
change in natural water bodies caused by
human influence, such as use of water as
coolant in a power plant
• Pollution can also be the consequence of
a natural disaster. For example,
hurricanes often involve water
contamination from sewage
• Some sources of pollution, such as
nuclear power plants or oil tankers, can
produce widespread and potentially
hazardous releases when natural disaster
occur.
• Effects :
Human health
Adverse air quality can kill many
organisms including humans
• Ozone pollution can cause respiratory
disease, cardiovascular disease, throat
inflammation, chest pain, and congestion.
• pollution causes approximately 14,000
deaths per day, mostly due to
contamination of drinking water by
untreated sewage in developing countries.
• Oil spills can cause skin irritations and
rashes.
• Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high
blood pressure, stress, and sleep
disturbance.
• Ecosystems
Sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can
cause acid rain which reduces the pH
value of soil.
Soil can become infertile and unsuitable
for plants. This will affect other organisms
in the food web.
Smog and haze can reduce the amount of
sunlight received by plants to carry out
photosynthesis.
• Invasive species can out compete native
species and reduce biodiversity
• Biomagnification describes a situation
where toxins may be pass through trophic
levels, becoming exponentially more
concentrated in the process.
• Pollution control : the control of emissions
and effluents into air, water or soil
• Without pollution controls the undesirable
waste products from human consumption,
industrial production, agricultural activities,
mining, transportation and other sources
will accumulate or disperse and degrade
the natural environment.
• In the hierarchy of controls, pollution
prevention and waste minimization are
more desirable than pollution control.
Regulation and
monitoring by region
• International :
• The Kyoto Protocol
– Countries which ratify this protocol commit to
reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and
five other greenhouse gases, or engage in
emissions trading if they maintain or increase
emissions of these gases
– The United States and Australia,have signed
but not ratified the agreement.