Folio Biologi Tingkatan 4

INTRODUCTION

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes

instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. It
can also be define as any undesirable changes in physical, chemical or biological characteristics of
the natural environment, brought about when harmful substances or energy released by human
activities. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat, or light.
Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be foreign substances or energies, or naturally occurring;
when naturally occurring, they are considered contaminants when they exceed natural levels.
Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.

Pollution became a popular issue after World War II, due to radioactive fallout from atomic
warfare and testing. Then a non-nuclear event, The Great Smog of 1952 in London, killed at least
4000 people. This prompted some of the first major modern environmental legislation, The Clean
Air Act of 1956.

Pollution began to draw major public attention in the United States between the mid-1950s
and early 1970s, when Congress passed the Noise Control Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act
and the National Environmental Policy Act.

Growing evidence of local and global pollution and an increasingly informed public over time have
given rise to environmentalism and the environmental movement, which generally seek to limit
human impact on the environment.

There are four major types of pollution happening in Malaysia ; air, water , thermal and
noise pollution.

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 CONTENTS

No. Contents Page

1 Introduction 2

2 Contents 3

3 Air Pollution 4

4 Water Pollution 8

5 Thermal Pollution 14

6 Noise Pollution 20

7 Strategies to Solve Problems Related to Pollution 22

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 AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials

that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural
environment into the atmosphere.

The atmosphere is a complex dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on
planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat
to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems.

Air pollution from World War II production

Pollutants
An air pollutant is known as a substance in the air that can cause harm to humans and the
environment. Pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. In addition,
they may be natural or man-made.

Pollutants can be classified as either primary or secondary. Usually, primary pollutants are
substances directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption, the carbon
monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust or sulfur dioxide released from factories.

Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air when primary pollutants
react or interact. An important example of a secondary pollutant is ground level ozone — one of the
many secondary pollutants that make up photochemical smog.

Note that some pollutants may be both primary and secondary: that is, they are both emitted
directly and formed from other primary pollutants.

About 4 percent of deaths can be attributed to air pollution, according to the Environmental
Science Engineering Program at the Harvard School of Public Health.

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 causes and effects of air pollution: (1) greenhouse effect, (2) particulate contamination, (3) increased UV
radiation, (4) acid rain, (5) increased ozone concentration, (6) increased levels of nitrogen oxides

Major primary pollutants produced by human activity include:

 Sulfur oxides (SOx) - especially sulfur dioxide, a chemical compound with the formula SO2.
SO2 is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum
often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide. Further
oxidation of SO2, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as NO2, forms H2SO4, and thus
acid rain. This is one of the causes for concern over the environmental impact of the use of
these fuels as power sources.
 Nitrogen oxides (NOx) - especially nitrogen dioxide are emitted from high temperature
combustion. Can be seen as the brown haze dome above or plume downwind of cities.
Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO2. It is one of the several
nitrogen oxides. This reddish-brown toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting odor. NO2 is
one of the most prominent air pollutants.
 Carbon monoxide - is a colourless, odourless, non-irritating but very poisonous gas. It is a
product by incomplete combustion of fuel such as natural gas, coal or wood. Vehicular
exhaust is a major source of carbon monoxide.
 Carbon dioxide (CO2) - a greenhouse gas emitted from combustion but is also a gas vital to
living organisms. It is a natural gas in the atmosphere.
 Volatile organic compounds - VOCs are an important outdoor air pollutant. In this field they
are often divided into the separate categories of methane (CH4) and non-methane
(NMVOCs). Methane is an extremely efficient greenhouse gas which contributes to
enhanced global warming. Other hydrocarbon VOCs are also significant greenhouse gases
via their role in creating ozone and in prolonging the life of methane in the atmosphere,
although the effect varies depending on local air quality. Within the NMVOCs, the aromatic
compounds benzene, toluene and xylene are suspected carcinogens and may lead to
leukemia through prolonged exposure. 1,3-butadiene is another dangerous compound
which is often associated with industrial uses.

 Particulate matter - Particulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter (PM) or fine

particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas. In contrast, aerosol refers to
particles and the gas together. Sources of particulate matter can be man made or natural.
Some particulates occur naturally, originating from volcanoes, dust storms, forest and
grassland fires, living vegetation, and sea spray. Human activities, such as the burning of

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 fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants and various industrial processes also generate
significant amounts of aerosols. Averaged over the globe, anthropogenic aerosols—those
made by human activities—currently account for about 10 percent of the total amount of
aerosols in our atmosphere. Increased levels of fine particles in the air are linked to health
hazards such as heart disease, altered lung function and lung cancer.

 Persistent free radicals connected to airborne fine particles could cause cardiopulmonary
disease.

 Toxic metals, such as lead, cadmium and copper.

 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - harmful to the ozone layer emitted from products currently
banned from use.
 Ammonia (NH3) - emitted from agricultural processes. Ammonia is a compound with the
formula NH3. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor.
Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by
serving as a precursor to foodstuffs and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or indirectly, is
also a building block for the synthesis of many pharmaceuticals. Although in wide use,
ammonia is both caustic and hazardous.
 Odors — such as from garbage, sewage, and industrial processes
 Radioactive pollutants - produced by nuclear explosions, war explosives, and natural
processes such as the radioactive decay of radon.

Secondary pollutants include:

 Particulate matter formed from gaseous primary pollutants and compounds in

photochemical smog. Smog is a kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of
smoke and fog. Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area caused by
a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide. Modern smog does not usually come from coal but
from vehicular and industrial emissions that are acted on in the atmosphere by sunlight to
form secondary pollutants that also combine with the primary emissions to form
photochemical smog.
 Ground level ozone (O3) formed from NOx and VOCs. Ozone (O3) is a key constituent of the
troposphere (it is also an important constituent of certain regions of the stratosphere
commonly known as the Ozone layer). Photochemical and chemical reactions involving it
drive many of the chemical processes that occur in the atmosphere by day and by night. At
abnormally high concentrations brought about by human activities (largely the combustion
of fossil fuel), it is a pollutant, and a constituent of smog.
 Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) - similarly formed from NOx and VOCs.

Minor air pollutants include:

 A large number of minor hazardous air pollutants.

 A variety of persistent organic pollutants, which can attach to particulate matter.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental
degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. Because of this, they have been
observed to persist in the environment, to be capable of long-range transport, bioaccumulate in
human and animal tissue, biomagnify in food chains, and to have potential significant impacts on
human health and the environment.

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Sources

Controlled burning of a field outside of Statesboro, Georgia in preparation for spring planting

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Effects
Air pollution is responsible for major health effects. Every year, the health of countless people is
ruined or endangered by air pollution.

Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways. Just how sick
people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed to, in what concentrations, and for how
long.

Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the US alone could be over
50,000.

Older people are highly vulnerable to diseases induced by air pollution. Those with heart or
lung disorders are under additional risk. Children and infants are also at serious risk.

Because people are exposed to so many potentially dangerous pollutants, it is often hard to know
exactly which pollutants are responsible for causing sickness. Also, because a mixture of different
pollutants can intensify sickness, it is often difficult to isolate those pollutants that are at fault.

Many diseases could be caused by air pollution without their becoming apparent for a long
time. Diseases such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease may all eventually appear in people
exposed to air pollution.

Air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide also have harmful effects on
natural ecosystems. They can kill plants and trees by destroying their leaves, and can kill animals,
especially fish in highly polluted rivers.

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 WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater).

Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water; and, in almost
all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural
biological communities.

Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies
without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.

Pollutants
Water pollution is usually caused by human activities. Different human sources add to the
pollution of water. There are two sorts of sources, point and nonpoint
sources. Point sources discharge pollutants at specific locations through
pipelines or sewers into the surface water. Nonpoint sources are sources that
cannot be traced to a single site of discharge.

Pb poisoning is another serious source of environmental pollution

which causes water pollution. Pb poisoning is characterized by CNS damage,
anaemia and deposition of Pb in bones and teeth. The major sources of this pollutant are paint
manufacturing industries/factories, lead smelting works; petrol engines discharged inorganic Pb
salts, metallic Pb and organic Pb respectively. Pb (C2H4)4 – is used as an anti knock in petrol
engines and is a pollutant. The anaemia caused by Pb is due to inhibition of haem biosynthesis.
Inorganic Pb inhibits aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase and ferrochetalase (haem synthetase) which
catalyses the formation of the pyrrole porphobilinogen and incorporation of Fe 2+ into
protoporphyrin IX respectively.

There are a lot of types of water pollution. One of them is caused by toxic substances. This is
when someone dumps out a chemical pollutant into water. One of the greatest contributors to toxic
pollution is a factory compound.

Once water is contaminated, it is difficult, expensive, and sometimes impossible to remove

pollutants. Technologies to remove contaminants from groundwater are air stripping, granular
activated carbon, and advanced oxidation. Air stripping involves pumping out the contaminated
water, then heating it to evaporate the contaminant. The cleaned water is reinjected into the
ground. Pumping out contaminated water and absorbing the pollutant on activated charcoal can
remove less volatile compounds.

Pollutants in water include a wide spectrum of chemicals, pathogens,

and physical chemistry or sensory changes. Many of the chemical substances
are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in either human or
animal hosts. Alteration of water's physical chemistry include acidity,
electrical conductivity, temperature, and eutrophication. Eutrophication is
the fertilisation of surface water by nutrients that were previously scarce. Even many of the
municipal water supplies in developed countries can present health risks.

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 [One] class of water pollutants are nutrients; they are water-soluble nitrates and phosphates
that cause excessive growth of algae and other water plants, which deplete the water's oxygen
supply. This kills fish and, when found in drinking water, can kill young children.

Heat is a water pollutant—increased water temperatures result in the deaths of many

aquatic organisms. These increases in temperature are most often caused by discharges of cooling
water by factories and power plants.

At industrial sites, chemical spills that contain toxic substances, smoke stacks that spew
emissions and uncovered or unprotected outdoor storage or waste areas can contribute pollutants
to storm water runoff.

Sources
The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of
chemicals, pathogens, and physical or sensory changes such as elevated temperature and
discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be naturally
occurring (calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration is often the key in determining
what is a natural component of water, and what is a contaminant.

Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials, such as plant matter (e.g. leaves and
grass) as well as man-made chemicals. Other natural and anthropogenic substances may cause
turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and disrupts plant growth, and clogs the gills of some fish
species.

Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in
either human or animal hosts. Alteration of water's physical chemistry includes acidity (change in
pH), electrical conductivity, temperature, and eutrophication. Eutrophication is an increase in the
concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases in the primary
productivity of the ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative
environmental effects such as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe reductions in water quality may
occur, affecting fish and other animal populations.

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Pathogens

Coliform bacteria are a commonly used bacterial indicator of water pollution, although not an actual
cause of disease. Other microorganisms sometimes found in surface waters which have caused
human health problems include:

 Burkholderia pseudomallei
 Cryptosporidium parvum
 Giardia lamblia
 Salmonella
 Novovirus and other viruses
 Parasitic worms (helminths).

High levels of pathogens may result from

inadequately treated sewage discharges.[14] This can A manhole cover unable to contain a sanitary
be caused by a sewage plant designed with less than sewer overflow.
secondary treatment (more typical in less-developed
countries). In developed countries, older cities with aging infrastructure may have leaky sewage
collection systems (pipes, pumps, valves), which can cause sanitary sewer overflows. Some cities
also have combined sewers, which may discharge untreated sewage during rain storms.[15]

Pathogen discharges may also be caused by poorly managed livestock operations.

Chemical and other contaminants

Contaminants may include organic and inorganic

substances.

Organic water pollutants include:

 Detergents
 Disinfection by-products found in chemically
disinfected drinking water, such as chloroform
Muddy river polluted by sediment.  Food processing waste, which can include oxygen-
demanding substances, fats and grease
 Insecticides and herbicides, a huge range of organohalides and other chemical compounds
 Petroleum hydrocarbons, including fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuels, and fuel oil) and
lubricants (motor oil), and fuel combustion byproducts, from stormwater runoff[16]
 Tree and bush debris from logging operations
 Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as industrial solvents, from improper storage.
Chlorinated solvents, which are dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), may fall to the
bottom of reservoirs, since they don't mix well with water and are denser.
 Various chemical compounds found in personal hygiene and cosmetic products

Inorganic water pollutants include:

 Acidity caused by industrial discharges (especially sulfur dioxide from power plants)
 Ammonia from food processing waste
 Chemical waste as industrial by-products

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  Fertilizers containing nutrients--nitrates and phosphates--which are found in stormwater
runoff from agriculture, as well as commercial and residential use[16]
 Heavy metals from motor vehicles (via urban stormwater runoff)[16][17] and acid mine
drainage
 Silt (sediment) in runoff from construction sites, logging, slash and burn practices or land
clearing sites

Macroscopic pollution—large visible items polluting the water—may be termed "floatables" in an

urban stormwater context, or marine debris when found on the open seas, and can include such
items as:

 Trash (e.g. paper, plastic, or food waste) discarded by people on the ground, and that are
washed by rainfall into storm drains and eventually discharged into surface waters
 Nurdles, small ubiquitous waterborne plastic pellets
 Shipwrecks, large derelict ships

Effects
The effects of water pollution are varied and depend on what chemicals are dumped and in what
locations.Pollution can damage bodies of water badly.

The water is filled with toxic waste and sewage, and routinely receives more waste when rainfall
pushes it into the harbor.

Many bodies of water near urban areas are highly polluted. This is the result of both garbage
dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally or illegally dumped by industries.

The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that inhabits water-based
ecosystems. Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by
pollutants in their habitat.

Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are
eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food chain
continues to be disrupted at all higher levels.

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 Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as
hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned.

Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. Many areas are now
being affected by careless human pollution, and this pollution is coming back to hurt humans.

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 THERMAL POLLUTION
Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water
temperature.

A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and
industrial manufacturers. When water used as a coolant is returned to the natural environment at a
higher temperature, the change in temperature (a) decreases oxygen supply, and (b) affects
ecosystem composition. Urban runoff--stormwater discharged to surface waters from roads and
parking lots--can also be a source of elevated water temperatures.

When a power plant first opens or shuts down for repair or other causes, fish and other organisms
adapted to particular temperature range can be killed by the abrupt rise in water temperature
known as 'thermal shock'.

Pollutants

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Sources
The major sources of thermal pollution are electric power plants and industrial factories. In
most electric power plants, heat is produced when coal, oil, or natural gas is burned or nuclear fuels
undergo fission to release huge amounts of energy. This heat turns water to steam, which in turn
spins turbines to produce electricity. After doing its work, the spent steam must be cooled and
condensed back into water. To condense the steam, cool water is brought into the plant and
circulated next to the hot steam. In this process, the water used for cooling warms 5 to 10 Celsius
degrees (9 to 18 Fahrenheit degrees), after which it may be dumped back into the lake, river, or
ocean from which it came. Similarly, factories contribute to thermal pollution when they dump
water used to cool their machinery.

The second type of thermal pollution is much more widespread. Streams and small lakes are
naturally kept cool by trees and other tall plants that block sunlight. People often remove this
shading vegetation in order to harvest the wood in the trees, to make room for crops, or to
construct buildings, roads, and other structures. Left unshaded, the water warms by as much as 10
Celsius degrees (18 Fahrenheit degrees). In a similar manner, grazing sheep and cattle can strip
streamsides of low vegetation, including young trees. Even the removal of vegetation far away from
a stream or lake can contribute to thermal pollution by speeding up the erosion of soil into the

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water, making it muddy. Muddy water absorbs more energy from the sun than clear water does,
resulting in further heating. Finally, water running off of artificial surfaces, such as streets, parking
lots, and roofs, is warmer than water running off vegetated land and, thus, contributes to thermal
pollution.

Effects

Ecological effects — warm water

Elevated temperature typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in water. The
decrease in levels of DO can harm aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians and copepods. Thermal
pollution may also increase the metabolic rate of aquatic animals, as enzyme activity, resulting in
these organisms consuming more food in a shorter time than if their environment were not
changed. An increased metabolic rate may result in fewer resources; the more adapted organisms
moving in may have an advantage over organisms that are not used to the warmer temperature. As
a result one has the problem of compromising food chains of the old and new environments.
Biodiversity can be decreased as a result.

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 It is known that temperature changes of even one to two degrees Celsius can cause
significant changes in organism metabolism and other adverse cellular biology effects. Principal
adverse changes can include rendering cell walls less permeable to necessary osmosis, coagulation
of cell proteins, and alteration of enzyme metabolism. These cellular level effects can adversely
affect mortality and reproduction.

Primary producers are affected by warm water because higher water temperature increases
plant growth rates, resulting in a shorter lifespan and species overpopulation. This can cause an
algae bloom which reduces oxygen levels.

A large increase in temperature can lead to the denaturing of life-supporting enzymes by

breaking down hydrogen- and disulphide bonds within the quaternary structure of the enzymes.
Decreased enzyme activity in aquatic organisms can cause problems such as the inability to break
down lipids, which leads to malnutrition.

In limited cases, warm water has little deleterious effect and may even lead to improved
function of the receiving aquatic ecosystem. This phenomenon is seen especially in seasonal waters
and is known as thermal enrichment. An extreme case is derived from the aggregational habits of
the manatee, which often uses power plant discharge sites during winter. Projections suggest that
manatee populations would decline upon the removal of these discharges.

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Ecological effects — cold water

In general, cold waters are better habitat

for plants and animals than warm ones because
cold waters contain more dissolved oxygen. Many
freshwater fish species that are valued for sport
and food, especially trout and salmon, do poorly
in warm water. Some organisms do thrive in
warm water, often with undesirable effects. Algae
and other plants grow more rapidly in warm
water than in cold, but they also die more rapidly;
the bacteria that decompose their dead tissue
use up oxygen, further reducing the amount available for animals. The dead and decaying algae
make the water look, taste, and smell unpleasant.

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Roles of Diagnostic Photopigments as Indicators of Ecosystem Productivity and Plant Community Composition in Response
to Physical-Chemical Stressors in Estuarine and Coastal Waters

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 NOISE POLLUTION
Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human, animal or machine-created sound
that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life. The word noise comes from the Latin
word nauseas, meaning seasickness.

The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly construction and transportation
systems, including motor vehicle noise, aircraft noise and rail noise. Poor urban planning may give
rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings can result in noise
pollution in the residential area.

Indoor and outdoor noise pollution sources include car alarms, emergency service sirens,
mechanical equipment, fireworks, compressed air horns, groundskeeping equipment, barking dogs,
appliances, lighting hum, audio entertainment systems, electric megaphones, and loud people.

Sources
Noise becomes irritating if you're in the comfort of your home and an endless drone of low
flying airplanes will pass overhead. It causes your blood pressure to rise since the occurrence can
shake your walls and rattle you window panes. On top of that, you have read so many incidents
about how accidents can happen; that by some stroke of misfortune any one of these planes may
accidentally use your roof as landing pads.

Noise becomes a form of pollution if you're living

in the city and the traffic could bring a lot of cars honking
simultaneously as their way of trying to protest the long
hours they have been waiting in queue. Add the
multitudes of pedestrians who'd rather walk than wait it
out in the city traffic, most of them talking simultaneously,
enough to create a din. Noise in the city can disrupt your
sleep, invade your privacy when you find it hard to carry
on with a simple conversation or create an unpleasant atmosphere for work done at home.

Effects
Human health

Noise health effects are both health and behavioral in nature. The unwanted sound is called
noise. This unwanted sound can damage physiological and psychological health. Noise pollution can
cause annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep
disturbances, and other harmful effects. Furthermore, stress and hypertension are the leading
causes to health problems, whereas tinnitus can lead to forgetfulness, severe depression and at
times panic attacks.

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 Chronic exposure to noise may cause noise-induced hearing loss. Older males exposed to
significant occupational noise demonstrate significantly reduced hearing sensitivity than their non-
exposed peers, though differences in hearing sensitivity decrease with time and the two groups are
indistinguishable by age 79.

High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects and exposure to moderately high
levels during a single eight hour period causes a statistical rise in blood pressure of five to ten points
and an increase in stress[3] and vasoconstriction leading to the increased blood pressure noted above
as well as to increased incidence of coronary artery disease.

Noise pollution is also a cause of annoyance.

Environment

Noise can have a detrimental effect on animals by causing stress, increasing risk of death by
changing the delicate balance in predator/prey detection and avoidance, and by interfering with
their use of sounds in communication especially in relation to reproduction and in navigation.
Acoustic overexposure can lead to temporary or permanent loss of hearing.

An impact of noise on animal life is the reduction of usable habitat that noisy areas may cause,
which in the case of endangered species may be part of the path to extinction. Noise pollution has
caused the death of certain species of whales that beached themselves after being exposed to the
loud sound of military sonar.

Noise also makes species communicate louder, which is called Lombard vocal response.
Scientists and researchers have conducted experiments that show whales' song length is longer
when submarine-detectors are on. If creatures do not "speak" loud enough, their voice will be
masked by anthropogenic sounds. These unheard voices might be warnings, finding of prey, or
preparations of net-bubbling. When one species begins speaking louder, it will mask other species'
voice, causing the whole ecosystem to eventually speak louder.

People living in urban environments are more likely to sing at night in places with high levels
of noise pollution during the day, suggesting that they sing at night because it is quieter, and their
message can propagate through the environment more clearly. The same study showed that
daytime noise was a stronger predictor of nocturnal singing than night-time Light pollution, to which
the phenomenon is often attributed.

Zebra finches become less faithful to their partners when exposed to traffic noise. This could
alter a population's evolutionary trajectory by selecting traits, sapping resources normally devoted
to other activities and thus lead to profound genetic and evolutionary consequences.

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 Strategies To Solve Problems Related To
Pollution

We have seen the effects of pollution on living things and the environment. We cannot
continue to pollute the environment, thinking that we will not suffer any of the consequences. All
efforts must be made to control and stop pollution. One way to curb pollution is by formulating shrt-
term and long-term strategies to reduce or stop pollution before it happens.

Air Pollution
Air pollution has many disastrous effects that need to be curbed. In order to accomplish this,
governments, scientists and environmentalists are using or testing a variety of methods aimed at
reducing pollution. There are two main types of pollution control.

Input control involves preventing a problem before it occurs, or at least limiting the effects
the process will produce.

Five major input control methods exist. People may try to restrict population growth, use
less energy, improve energy efficiency, reduce waste, and move to non-polluting renewable forms of
energy production. Also, automobile-produced pollution can be decreased with highly beneficial
results.

Output control, the opposite method, seeks to fix the problems caused by air pollution. This
usually means cleaning up an area that has been damaged by pollution.

Input controls are usually more effective than output controls. Output controls are also
more expensive, making them less desirable to tax payers and polluting industries.

Current air pollution control efforts are not all highly effective. In wealthier countries, industries are
often able to shift to methods that decrease air pollution. In the United States, for example, air
pollution control laws have been successful in stopping air pollution levels from rising. However, in
developing countries and even in countries where pollution is strictly regulated, much more needs to
be done.

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Water Pollution
Many laws have been created to restrict industries from dumping materials into the water.
However, many laws remain weak, and many countries do not restrict water pollution.

In the United States, the Clean Water Act was written to completely put an end to all
dumping of pollutants into water. The law has not been that effective in many areas, but in
other locations, it has achieved its goals.

Since the Clean Water Act, other legislation has been enacted as well. Now, different
countries such as Malaysia too, monitor the quality of water and regulate pollution.

The world has spent tremendous sums of money trying to clean up water.

Many non-governmental projects are also being carry out in an effort to clean up the water.
Industries are beginning to reduce the amount of chemicals they dump into water, and
environmental groups are participating in cleanup projects.

The plastics industry, blamed for some of the worst pollution of the water, is making its
products degradable. However, many environmentalists think this is hardly enough.

Public reaction to the water pollution problem has also been influential.

Thermal Pollution
Thermal pollution from power plants and factories is relatively easy to control. Instead of
discharging heated water into lakes and streams, power plants and factories can pass the heated
water through cooling towers or cooling ponds, where evaporation cools the water before it is
discharged. Alternatively, power plants can be designed or refitted to be more efficient and to
produce less waste heat in the first place. In a process called cogeneration, the excess heat energy
from generating electricity can be used in another manufacturing process that needs such energy.
Where homes or other buildings are located near industrial plants, waste hot water can be used for
heating.

To prevent thermal pollution due to devegetation, the prescription is simple: do not

devegetate. Landowners can leave strips of trees and vegetation along streams and shorelines.
Grazing livestock can be kept away from streamsides by fencing. All efforts to control erosion also
have the effect of keeping water clearer and, thus, cooler.

As a practical matter, however, thermal pollution from devegetation is quite hard to control
because it is caused by the cumulative effect of many peoples’ actions, most of which are
individually minor. Regulations focus on a few of the most important threats. Grazing management
plans, for instance, are intended to counter thermal pollution and other problems on lands owned
by the federal government.

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Noise Pollution

Unlike other types of environmental issues such as air and water pollution, noise or sound is
transient or short-lived. Thus, once you stop generating sound, the noise pollution problem is solved.
The main objective behind noise pollution solutions is to absorb, contain and cancel the source of
noise. The following is a list of the effective noise pollution solutions or noise pollution remedies that
will help in combating the various health effects of noise pollution.

Automobile Servicing: As mentioned already, automobiles account to the highest production of

noise. Regular servicing of the vehicles is an effectual measure to lower the intensity of sound
produced by them. If all the automobile owners take up this step, then there will be significant
reduction in noise pollution.

Machine Quality: Similar to vehicles, the quality of machines should be optimized, so as to reduce
sound production. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 60 million are
exposed to noise pollution in the workplaces. Lubrication of the machinery and servicing should be
done to minimize noise generation.

Soundproof Homes: Soundproof doors and windows can be installed to block unwanted noise from
outside. You can also opt for walls with sound control material. These soundproofing options are of
utmost importance for complete relaxation, especially if you are staying in a crowded city area.

Tree Plantation: Planting bushes and trees in and around sound generating sources is another
effective solution for noise pollution. Dense shrubs and trees block sound passage, thus avoiding
disturbance to the surrounding areas. You can also plant trees around your residential area to live
peacefully.

Loudspeaker Prohibition: Using loudspeaker in public areas is another major cause of noise
pollution. This should be banned at any cost for the welfare of the people. Strict laws should be
imposed against those who violate and play loudspeakers in crowded areas and public places.

Factory Location: Industrial noise pollution is no less different in causing health hazards on humans
and animals. Thus, factories and industries should be located in far off places from the residential
areas. Installation of sound detectors will help in analyzing the sound frequencies on a regular basis.
Read more on effects of industrial noise pollution.

White Noise Machine: The latest technology for overcoming the effects of noise pollution is using
white noise machine. It is a device meant for converting unbearable noise into pleasant sound. A
white noise machine is placed between the source of noise and the receptor. It produces soft sound
like that of a waterfall, fan and soft music.

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