Pollution

Sadiwa, Nanet
Eran, Judith
Casabuena, Karen Key D.
What is Pollution?

Pollution occurs when pollutants contaminate the natural surroundings; which

brings about changes that affect our normal lifestyles adversely. Pollutants are

the key elements or components of pollution which are generally waste

materials of different forms. Pollution disturbs our ecosystem and the balance in

the environment. With modernization and development in our lives pollution has

reached its peak; giving rise to global warming and human illness.

Pollution occurs in different forms; air, water, soil, radioactive, noise, heat/

thermal and light. Every form of pollution has two sources of occurrence; the

point and the non-point sources. The point sources are easy to identify, monitor

and control, whereas the non-point sources are hard to control. Let us discuss

the different types of pollutions, their causes and effects on mankind and

the environment as a whole.

Air Pollution is the most prominent and dangerous form of pollution. It occurs due

to many reasons. Excessive burning of fuel which is a necessity of our daily lives

for cooking, driving and other industrial activities; releases a huge amount of

chemical substances in the air everyday; these pollute the air.

Smoke from chimneys, factories, vehicles or burning of wood basically occurs

due to coal burning; this releases sulphur dioxide into the air making it toxic. The

effects of air pollution are evident too. Release of sulphur dioxide and hazardous

gases into the air causes global warming and acid rain; which in turn have

increased temperatures, erratic rains and droughts worldwide; making it tough

for the animals to survive. We breathe in every polluted particle from the air;

result is increase in asthma and cancer in the lungs.

Water Pollution has taken toll of all the surviving species of the earth. Almost 60%

of the species live in water bodies. It occurs due to several factors; the industrial

wastes dumped into the rivers and other water bodies cause an imbalance in

the water leading to its severe contamination and death of aquatic species. If

you suspect that nearby water sources have been contaminated by a

corporation then it might be a good idea to hire an expert to see your options.

Also spraying insecticides, pesticides like DDT on plants pollutes the ground water

system and oil spills in the oceans have caused irreparable damage to the water

bodies. Eutrophication is another big source; it occurs due to daily activities like

washing clothes, utensils near lakes, ponds or rivers; this forces detergents to go

into water which blocks sunlight from penetrating, thus reducing oxygen and

making it inhabitable.
Water pollution not only harms the aquatic beings but it also contaminates the

entire food chain by severely affecting humans dependent on these. Water-

borne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea have also increased in all places.

Soil pollution occurs due to incorporation of unwanted chemicals in the soil due

to human activities. Use of insecticides and pesticides absorbs the nitrogen

compounds from the soil making it unfit for plants to derive nutrition from.

Release of industrial waste, mining and deforestation also exploits the soil. Since

plants can’t grow properly, they can’t hold the soil and this leads to soil erosion.

Noise pollution is caused when noise which is an unpleasant sound affects our

ears and leads to psychological problems like stress, hypertension, hearing

impairment, etc. It is caused by machines in industries, loud music, etc.

Radioactive pollution is highly dangerous when it occurs. It can occur due to

nuclear plant malfunctions, improper nuclear waste disposal, accidents, etc. It

causes cancer, infertility, blindness, defects at the time of birth; can sterilise soil

and affect air and water.

Thermal/heat pollution is due to the excess heat in the environment creating

unwanted changes over long time periods; due to huge number of industrial

plants, deforestation and air pollution. It increases the earth’s temperature,

causing drastic climatic changes and extinction of wildlife.

Light pollution occurs due to prominent excess illumination of an area. It is largely

visible in big cities, on advertising boards and billboards, in sports or

entertainment events at the night. In residential areas the lives of the inhabitants

is greatly affected by this. It also affects the astronomical observations and

activities by making the stars almost invisible.

1. Environment Degradation: Environment is the first casualty for increase in

pollution weather in air or water. The increase in the amount of CO2 in the

atmosphere leads to smog which can restrict sunlight from reaching the

earth. Thus, preventing plants in the process of photosynthesis. Gases like

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause acid rain. Water pollution in

terms of Oil spill may lead to death of several wildlife species.

2. Human Health: The decrease in quality of air leads to several respiratory

problems including asthma or lung cancer. Chest pain, congestion, throat

inflammation, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease are some of

diseases that can be causes by air pollution. Water pollution occurs due

to contamination of water and may pose skin related problems including

skin irritations and rashes. Similarly, Noise pollution leads to hearing loss,

stress and sleep disturbance.

3. Global Warming: The emission of greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is

leading to global warming. Every other day new industries are being set

up, new vehicles come on roads and trees are cut to make way for new

homes. All of them, in direct or indirect way lead to increase in CO2 in the

environment. The increase in CO2 leads to melting of polar ice caps

which increases the sea level and pose danger for the people living near

coastal areas.

4. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is the thin shield high up in the sky

that stops ultra violet rays from reaching the earth. As a result of human

activities, chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were released in

to the atmosphere which contributed to the depletion of ozone layer.

5. Infertile Land: Due to constant use of insecticides and pesticides, the soil

may become infertile. Plants may not be able to grow properly. Various
 forms of chemicals produced from industrial waste is released into the

flowing water which also affects the quality of soil.

Pollution not only affect humans by destroying their respiratory,

cardiovascular and neurological systems; it also affects the nature, plants,

fruits, vegetables, rivers, ponds, forests, animals, etc, on which they are highly

dependent for survival. It is crucial to control pollution as the nature, wildlife

and human life are precious gifts to the mankind.

References: http://worldwildlife.org/threats/pollution