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Pollutions
INTRODUCTION
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes in
stability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organi
sms they are in.[1] Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energ
y, such as noise, heat, or light energy. Pollutants, the elements of pollution,
can be foreign substances or energies, or naturally occurring; when naturally oc
curring, they are considered contaminants when they exceed natural levels. Pollu
tion is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution. Sometimes th
e term pollution is extended to include any substance when it occurs at such unn
aturally high concentration within a system that it endangers the stability of t
hat system. For example, water is innocuous and essential for life, and yet at v
ery high concentration, it could be considered a pollutant: if a person were to
drink an excessive quantity of water, the physical system could be so overburden
ed that breakdown and even death could result. Another example is the potential
of excessive noise to induce imbalance in a person's mental state, resulting in
malfunction and psychosis. History Prehistory Humankind has had some effect upon
the environment since the Paleolithic era during which the ability to generate
fire was acquired. In the Iron Age, the use of tooling led to the practice of me
tal grinding on a small scale and resulted in minor accumulations of discarded m
aterial probably easily dispersed without too much impact. Human wastes would ha
ve polluted rivers or water sources to some degree. However, these effects could
be expected predominantly to be dwarfed by the natural world.
Ancient cultures The first advanced civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India,
China, Persia, Greece and Rome increased the use of water for their manufacture
of goods, increasingly forged metal and created fires of wood and peat for more
elaborate purposes (for example, bathing, heating). Still, at this time the scal
e of higher activity did not disrupt ecosystems or greatly alter air or water qu
ality.
Middle Ages The European Dark Ages during the early Middle Ages were a great boo
n for the environment, in that industrial activity fell, and population levels d
id not grow rapidly. Toward the end of the Middle Ages populations grew and conc
entrated more within cities, creating pockets of readily evident contamination.
In certain places air pollution levels were recognizable as health issues, and w
ater pollution
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for disease transmission from untreated human waste. Since travel and widesprea
d information were less common, there did not exist a more general context than
that of local consequences in which to consider pollution. Foul air would have b
een considered a nuissance and wood, or eventually, coal burning produced smoke,
which in sufficient concentrations could be a health hazard in proximity to liv
ing quarters. Septic contamination or poisoning of a clean drinking water source
was very easily fatal to those who depended on it, especially if such a resourc
e was rare. Superstitions predominated and the extent of such concerns would pro
bably have been little more than a sense of moderation and an avoidance of obvio
us extremes.
Official acknowledgement But gradually increasing populations and the proliferat
ion of basic industrial processes saw the emergence of a civilization that began
to have a much greater collective impact on its surroundings. It was to be expe
cted that the beginnings of environmental awareness would occur in the more deve
loped cultures, particularly in the densest urban centers. The first medium warr
anting official policy measures in the emerging western world would be the most
basic: the air we breathe. The earliest known writings concerned with pollution
were Arabic medical treatises written between the 9th and 13th centuries, by phy
sicians such as alKindi (Alkindus), Qusta ibn Luqa (Costa ben Luca), Muhammad ib
n Zakarīya Rāzi (Rhazes), Ibn Al-Jazzar, al-Tamimi, al-Masihi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna),
Ali ibn Ridwan, Ibn Jumay, Isaac Israeli ben Solomon, Abd-el-latif, Ibn al-Quff,
and Ibn al-Nafis. Their works covered a number of subjects related to pollution
such as air contamination, water contamination, soil contamination, solid waste
mishandling, and environmental assessments of certain localities.[2] King Edwar
d I of England banned the burning of sea-coal by proclamation in London in 1272,
after its smoke had become a problem.[3][4] But the fuel was so common in Engla
nd that this earliest of names for it was acquired because it could be carted aw
ay from some shores by the wheelbarrow. Air pollution would continue to be a pro
blem there, especially later during the industrial revolution, and extending int
o the recent past with the Great Smog of 1952. This same city also recorded one
of the earlier extreme cases of water quality problems with the Great Stink on t
he Thames of 1858, which led to construction of the London sewerage system soon
afterward. It was the industrial revolution that gave birth to environmental pol
lution as we know it today. The emergence of great factories and consumption of
immense
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gave rise to unprecedented air pollution and the large volume of industrial chem
ical discharges added to the growing load of untreated human waste. Chicago and
Cincinnati were the first two American cities to enact laws ensuring cleaner air
in 1881. Other cities followed around the country until early in the 20th centu
ry, when the short lived Office of Air Pollution was created under the Departmen
t of the Interior. Extreme smog events were experienced by the cities of Los Ang
eles and Donora, Pennsylvania in the late 1940s, serving as another public remin
der.[5]
Modern awareness Early Soviet poster, before the modern awareness: "The smoke of
chimneys is the breath of Soviet Russia"Pollution began to draw major public at
tention in the United States between the mid-1950s and early 1970s, when Congres
s passed the Noise Control Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the N
ational Environmental Policy Act. Bad bouts of local pollution helped increase c
onsciousness. PCB dumping in the Hudson River resulted in a ban by the EPA on co
nsumption of its fish in 1974. Long-term dioxin contamination at Love Canal star
ting in 1947 became a national news story in 1978 and led to the Superfund legis
lation of 1980. Legal proceedings in the 1990s helped bring to light Chromium-6
releases in California--the champions of whose victims became famous. The pollut
ion of industrial land gave rise to the name brownfield, a term now common in ci
ty planning. DDT was banned in most of the developed world after the publication
of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. The development of nuclear science introduced
radioactive contamination, which can remain lethally radioactive for hundreds o
f thousands of years. Lake Karachay, named by the Worldwatch Institute as the "m
ost polluted spot" on earth, served as a disposal site for the Soviet Union thor
oughout the 1950s and 1960s. Second place may go to the to the area of Chelyabin
sk U.S.S.R. (see reference below) as the "Most polluted place on the planet". Nu
clear weapons continued to be tested in the Cold War, sometimes near inhabited a
reas, especially in the earlier stages of their development. The toll on the wor
st-affected populations and the growth since then in understanding about the cri
tical threat to human health posed by radioactivity has also been a prohibitive
complication associated with nuclear power. Though extreme care is practiced in
that industry, the potential for disaster suggested by incidents such as those a
t Three Mile Island and Chernobyl pose a lingering specter of public mistrust. O
ne legacy of nuclear testing before most forms were banned has been significantl
y raised levels of background radiation.
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International catastrophes such as the wreck of the Amoco Cadiz oil tanker off t
he coast of Brittany in 1978 and the Bhopal disaster in 1984 have demonstrated t
he universality of such events and the scale on which efforts to address them ne
eded to engage. The borderless nature of atmosphere and oceans inevitably result
ed in the implication of pollution on a planetary level with the issue of global
warming. Most recently the term persistent organic pollutant (POP) has come to
describe a group of chemicals such as PBDEs and PFCs among others. Though their
effects remain somewhat less well understood owing to a lack of experimental dat
a, they have been detected in various ecological habitats far removed from indus
trial activity such as the Arctic, demonstrating diffusion and bioaccumulation a
fter only a relatively brief period of widespread use. Growing evidence of local
and global pollution and an increasingly informed public over time have given r
ise to environmentalism and the environmental movement, which generally seek to
limit human impact on the environment.
Pollution control Pollution control is a term used in environmental management.
It means the control of emissions and effluents into air, water or soil. Without
pollution control, the waste products from consumption, heating, agriculture, m
ining, manufacturing, transportation and other human activities, whether they ac
cumulate or disperse, will degrade the environment. In the hierarchy of controls
, pollution prevention and waste minimization are more desirable than pollution
control.
Pollution control devices Dust collection systems Cyclones Electrostatic precipi
tators Baghouses Scrubbers Baffle spray scrubber Cyclonic spray scrubber Ejector
venturi scrubber Mechanically aided scrubber Spray tower Wet scrubber Sewage tr
eatment and Wastewater treatment API oil-water separators[6][7] Sedimentation (w
ater treatment) Dissolved air flotation (DAF)
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wdered activated carbon treatment Vapor recovery systems Major forms of pollutio
n and major polluted areas The major forms of pollution are listed below along w
ith the particular pollutants relevant to each of them: Air pollution, the relea
se of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere. Common gaseous air polluta
nts include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitr
ogen oxides produced by industry and motor vehicles. Photochemical ozone and smo
g are created as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons react to sunlight. Particulate
matter, characterized by size PM10 to PM2.5, is produced from natural sources s
uch as volcanoes or as residual oil fly ash from power plants. Diesel particles
are another class of airborne particulate matter. Water pollution, by the releas
e of waste products and contaminants into surface runoff into river drainage sys
tems, leaching into groundwater, liquid spills, wastewater discharges, eutrophic
ation and littering. Soil contamination occurs when chemicals are released by sp
ill or underground leakage. Among the most significant soil contaminants are hyd
rocarbons, heavy metals, MTBE[8], herbicides, pesticides and chlorinated hydroca
rbons. Radioactive contamination, resulting from 20th century activities in atom
ic physics, such as nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons research, manuf
acture and deployment. (See alpha emitters and actinides in the environment.) No
ise 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 t
o the presence of overhead power lines, motorway billboards, scarred landforms (
as from strip mining), open storage of trash or municipal solid waste. Thermal p
ollution, is a temperature change in natural water bodies caused by human influe
nce, such as use of water as coolant in a power plant. The Blacksmith Institute
issues annually a list of the world's worst polluted places. In the 2007 issues
the ten top nominees are located in Azerbaijan, China, India, Peru, Russia, Ukra
ine and Zambia.
Sources and causes
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ding causes of air pollution.[9][10][11] China, United States, Russia, Mexico, a
nd Japan are the world leaders in air pollution emissions; however, Canada is th
e number two country, ranked per capita. Principal stationary pollution sources
include chemical plants, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries,[7] petrochemic
al plants, nuclear waste disposal activity, incinerators, large livestock farms
(dairy cows, pigs, poultry, etc.), PVC factories, metals production factories, p
lastics factories, and other heavy industry. Some of the more common soil contam
inants are chlorinated hydrocarbons (CFH), heavy metals (such as chromium, cadmi
um--found in rechargeable batteries, and lead--found in lead paint, aviation fue
l and still in some countries, gasoline), MTBE, zinc, arsenic and benzene. In 20
01 a series of press reports culminating in a book called Fateful Harvest unveil
ed a widespread practice of recycling industrial byproducts into fertilizer, res
ulting in the contamination of the soil with various metals. Ordinary municipal
landfills are the source of many chemical substances entering the soil environme
nt (and often groundwater), emanating from the wide variety of refuse accepted,
especially substances illegally discarded there, or from pre-1970 landfills that
may have been subject to little control in the U.S. or EU. There have also been
some unusual releases of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, commonly called dioxin
s for simplicity, such as TCDD.[12] Pollution can also be the consequence of a n
atural disaster. For example, hurricanes often involve water contamination from
sewage, and petrochemical spills from ruptured boats or automobiles. Larger scal
e and environmental damage is not uncommon when coastal oil rigs or refineries a
re involved. Some sources of pollution, such as nuclear power plants or oil tank
ers, can produce widespread and potentially hazardous releases when accidents oc
cur. In the case of noise pollution the dominant source class is the motor vehic
le, producing about ninety percent of all unwanted noise worldwide.
Effects Human health Adverse air quality can kill many organisms including human
s. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat
inflammation, chest pain, and congestion. Water pollution causes approximately
14,000 deaths per day, mostly due to contamination of drinking water by untreate
d sewage in developing countries. Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rash
es. Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep
disturbance. Mercury has been linked to developmental deficits in children and
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THE HOME OF TEXT PROJECT ON POLLUTION neurologic symptoms. Lead and other heavy
metals have been shown to cause neurological problems. Chemical and radioactive
substances can cause cancer and as well as birth defects.
Ecosystems Sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can cause acid rain which reduc
es the pH value of soil. Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. Th
is will affect other organisms in the food web. Smog and haze can reduce the amo
unt of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosynthesis. Invasive species
can out compete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can con
tribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical c
ompositions of an environment, often reducing native species competitiveness. Bi
omagnification describes a situation where toxins may pass through trophic level
s, becoming exponentially more concentrated in the process. Ocean acidification,
the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans. Global warming. Regulatio
n and monitoring To protect the environment from the adverse effects of pollutio
n, many nations worldwide have enacted legislation to regulate various types of
pollution as well as to mitigate the adverse effects of pollution. Main article:
Regulation and monitoring of pollution Philosophical recognition Throughout his
tory from Ancient Greece to Andalusia, Ancient China, central Europe during the
Renaissance until today, philosophers ranging from Aristotle, Al-Farabi, Al-Ghaz
ali, Averroes, Buddha, Confucius, Dante, Hegel, Avicenna, Lao Tse, Maimonedes, M
ontesquieu, Nussbaum, Plato, Socrates and Sun Tzu wrote about the pollution of t
he body as well as the mind and soul.
Perspectives The earliest precursor of pollution generated by life forms would h
ave been a natural function of their existence. The attendant consequences on vi
ability and population levels fell within the sphere of natural selection. These
would have included the demise of a population locally or ultimately, species e
xtinction. Processes that were untenable would have resulted in a new balance br
ought about by changes and adaptations. At the extremes, for any form of life, c
onsideration of pollution is superseded by that of survival.
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For mankind, the factor of technology is a distinguishing and critical considera
tion, both as an enabler and an additional source of byproducts. Short of surviv
al, human concerns include the range from quality of life to health hazards. Sin
ce science holds experimental demonstration to be definitive, modern treatment o
f toxicity or environmental harm involves defining a level at which an effect is
observable. Common examples of fields where practical measurement is crucial in
clude automobile emissions control, industrial exposure (eg Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) PELs), toxicology (eg LD50), and medicine (eg m
edication and radiation doses). "The solution to pollution is dilution", is a di
ctum which summarizes a traditional approach to pollution management whereby suf
ficiently diluted pollution is not harmful.[13][14] It is well-suited to some ot
her modern, locally-scoped applications such as laboratory safety procedure and
hazardous material release emergency management. But it assumes that the dilutan
t is in virtually unlimited supply for the application or that resulting dilutio
ns are acceptable in all cases. Such simple treatment for environmental pollutio
n on a wider scale might have had greater merit in earlier centuries when physic
al survival was often the highest imperative, human population and densities wer
e lower, technologies were simpler and their byproducts more benign. But these a
re often no longer the case. Furthermore, advances have enabled measurement of c
oncentrations not possible before. The use of statistical methods in evaluating
outcomes has given currency to the principle of probable harm in cases where ass
essment is warranted but resorting to deterministic models is impractical or unf
easible. In addition, consideration of the environment beyond direct impact on h
uman beings has gained prominence. Yet in the absence of a superseding principle
, this older approach predominates practices throughout the world. It is the bas
is by which to gauge concentrations of effluent for legal release, exceeding whi
ch penalties are assessed or restrictions applied. The regressive cases are thos
e where a controlled level of release is too high or, if enforceable, is neglect
ed. Migration from pollution dilution to elimination in many cases is confronted
by challenging economical and technological barriers.
Greenhouse gases and global warming Main article: Global warming
OMTEX CLASSES
THE HOME OF TEXT PROJECT ON POLLUTION Historical and projected CO2 emissions by
country. Source: Energy Information Administration.[15][16]Carbon dioxide, while
vital for photosynthesis, is sometimes referred to as pollution, because raised
levels of the gas in the atmosphere are affecting the Earth's climate. Disrupti
on of the environment can also highlight the connection between areas of polluti
on that would normally be classified separately, such as those of water and air.
Recent studies have investigated the potential for long-term rising levels of a
tmospheric carbon dioxide to cause slight but critical increases in the acidity
of ocean waters, and the possible effects of this on marine ecosystems.
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WATER POLLUTION AND SOCIETY
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INTRODUCTION
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Comprising over 70% of the Earth s surface, water is undoubtedly the most precious
natural resource that exists on our planet. Without the seemingly invaluable co
mpound comprised of hydrogen and oxygen, life on Earth would be non-existent: it
is essential for everything on our planet to grow and prosper. Although we as h
umans recognize this fact, we disregard it by polluting our rivers, lakes, and o
ceans. Subsequently, we are slowly but surely harming our planet to the point wh
ere organisms are dying at a very alarming rate. In addition to innocent organis
ms dying off, our drinking water has become greatly affected as is our ability t
o use water for recreational purposes. In order to combat water pollution, we mu
st understand the problems and become part of the solution.
POINT AND NONPOINT SOURCES
According to the American College Dictionary, pollution is defined as: to make fo
ul or unclean; dirty. Water pollution occurs when a body of water is adversely af
fected due to the addition of large amounts of materials to the water. When it i
s unfit for its intended use, water is considered polluted. Two types of water p
ollutants exist; point source and nonpoint source. Point sources of pollution oc
cur when harmful substances are emitted directly into a body of water. The Exxon
Valdez oil spill best illustrates a point source water pollution. A nonpoint so
urce delivers pollutants indirectly through environmental changes. An example of
this type of water pollution is when fertilizer from a field is carried into a
stream by rain, in the form of run-off which in turn effects aquatic life. The t
echnology exists for point sources of
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lthough political factors may complicate matters. Nonpoint sources are much more
difficult to control. Pollution arising from nonpoint sources accounts for a ma
jority of the contaminants in streams and lakes.
CAUSES OF POLLUTION
Many causes of pollution including sewage and fertilizers contain nutrients such
as nitrates and phosphates. In excess levels, nutrients over stimulate the grow
th of aquatic plants and algae. Excessive growth of these types of organisms con
sequently clogs our waterways, use up dissolved oxygen as they decompose, and bl
ock light to deeper waters. This, in turn, proves very harmful to aquatic organi
sms as it affects the respiration ability or fish and other invertebrates that r
eside in water. Pollution is also caused when silt and other suspended solids, s
uch as soil, washoff plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas,
and eroded river banks when it rains. Under natural conditions, lakes, rivers,
and other water bodies undergo Eutrophication, an aging process that slowly fill
s in the water body with sediment and organic matter. When these sediments enter
various bodies of water, fish respirationbecomes impaired, plant productivity a
nd water depth become reduced, and aquatic organisms and their environments beco
me suffocated. Pollution in the form of organic material enters waterways in man
y different forms as sewage, as leaves and grass clippings, or as runoff from li
vestock feedlots and pastures. When natural bacteria and protozoan in the water
break down this organic material, they begin to use up the oxygen dissolved in t
he water. Many types of fish and bottomdwelling animals cannot survive when leve
ls of dissolved oxygen drop below two to five parts per million. When this occur
s, it kills aquatic organisms in large numbers which leads to disruptions in the
food chain.
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Polluted River in the United Kingdom
The pollution of rivers and streams with chemical contaminants has become one of
the most crutial environmental problems within the 20th century. Waterborne che
mical pollution entering rivers and streams cause tramendous amounts of destruct
ion.
Pathogens are another type of pollution that prove very harmful. They can cause
many illnesses that range from typhoid and dysentery to minor respiratory and sk
in diseases. Pathogens include such organisms as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa
n. These pollutants enter waterways through untreated sewage, storm drains, sept
ic tanks, runoff from farms, and particularly boats that dump sewage. Though mic
roscopic, these pollutants have a tremendous effect evidenced by their ability t
o cause sickness.
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ADDITIONAL FORMS OF WATER POLLUTION
Three last forms of water pollution exist in the forms of petroleum, radioactive
substances, and heat. Petroleum often pollutes waterbodies in the form of oil,
resulting from oil spills. The previously mentioned Exxon Valdez is an example o
f this type of water pollution. These large-scale accidental discharges of petro
leum are an important cause of pollution along shore lines. Besides the supertan
kers, off-shore drilling operations contribute a large share of pollution. One e
stimate is that one ton of oil is spilled for every million tons of oil transpor
ted. This is equal to about 0.0001 percent. Radioactive substances are produced
in the form of waste from nuclear power plants, and from the industrial, medical
, and scientific use of radioactive materials. Specific forms of waste are urani
um and thorium mining and refining. The last form of water pollution is heat. He
at is a pollutant because increased temperatures result in the deaths of many aq
uatic organisms. These decreases in temperatures are caused when a discharge of
cooling water by factories and power plants occurs.
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Demonstrators Protest Drilling
Oil pollution is a growing problem, particularly devestating to coastal wildlife
. Small quantities of oil spread rapidly across long distances to form deadly oi
l slicks. In this picture, demonstrators with "oil-covered" plastic animals prot
est a potential drilling project in Key Largo, Florida. Whether or not accidenta
l spills occur during the project, its impact on the delicate marine ecosystem o
f the coral reefs could be devastating.
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Oil Spill Clean-up
Workers use special nets to clean up a California beach after an oil tanker spil
l. Tanker spills are an increasing environmental problem because once oil has sp
illed, it is virtually impossible to completely remove or contain it. Even small
amounts spread rapidly across large areas of water. Because oil and water do no
t mix, the oil floats on the water and then washes up on broad expanses of shore
line. Attempts to chemically treat or sink the oil may further disrupt marine an
d beach ecosystems.
CLASSIFYING WATER POLLUTION
The major sources of water pollution can be classified as municipal, industrial,
and agricultural. Municipal water pollution consists of waste water from homes
and commercial establishments. For many years, the main goal of treating municip
al wastewater was simply to reduce its content of suspended solids, oxygendemand
ing materials, dissolved inorganic compounds, and harmful bacteria. In recent ye
ars, however, more stress has been placed on improving means of disposal of the
solid residues from the municipal treatment processes. The basic methods of trea
ting municipal wastewater fall into three stages: primary
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ng, grinding, and sedimentation; secondary treatment, which entails oxidation of
dissolved organic matter by means of using biologically active sludge, which is
then filtered off; and tertiary treatment, in which advanced biological methods
of nitrogen removal and chemical and physical methods such as granular filtrati
on and activated carbon absorption are employed. The handling and disposal of so
lid residues can account for 25 to 50 percent of the capital and operational cos
ts of a treatment plant. The characteristics of industrial waste waters can diff
er considerably both within and among industries. The impact of industrial disch
arges depends not only on their collective characteristics, such as biochemical
oxygen demand and the amount of suspended solids, but also on their content of s
pecific inorganic and organic substances. Three options are available in control
ling industrial wastewater. Control can take place at the point of generation in
the plant; wastewater can be pretreated for discharge to municipal treatment so
urces; or wastewater can be treated completely at the plant and either reused or
discharged directly into receiving waters.
Wastewater Treatment
Raw sewage includes waste from sinks, toilets, and industrial processes. Treatme
nt of the sewage is required before it can be safely buried, used, or released b
ack into local water systems. In a treatment plant, the waste is passed through
a series of screens, chambers, and chemical processes to reduce its bulk and tox
icity. The three general phases of treatment are primary, secondary, and tertiar
y. During primary treatment, a large percentage of the suspended solids and inor
ganic material is removed from the sewage. The focus of secondary
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accelerating natural biological processes. Tertiary treatment is necessary when
the water will be reused; 99 percent of solids are removed and various chemical
processes are used to ensure the water is as free from impurity as possible.
Agriculture, including commercial livestock and poultry farming, is the source o
f many organic and inorganic pollutants in surface waters and groundwater. These
contaminants include both sediment from erosion cropland and compounds of phosp
horus and nitrogen that partly originate in animal wastes and commercial fertili
zers. Animal wastes are high in oxygen demanding material, nitrogen and phosphor
us, and they often harbor pathogenic organisms. Wastes from commercial feeders a
re contained and disposed of on land; their main threat to natural waters, there
fore, is from runoff and leaching. Control may involve settling basins for liqui
ds, limited biological treatment in aerobic or anaerobic lagoons, and a variety
of other methods.
GROUND WATER
Ninety-five percent of all fresh water on earth is ground water. Ground water is
found in natural rock formations. These formations, called aquifers, are a vita
l natural resource with many uses. Nationally, 53% of the population relies on g
round water as a source of drinking water. In rural areas this figure is even hi
gher. Eighty one percent of community water is dependent on ground water. Althou
gh the 1992 Section 305(b) State Water Quality Reports indicate that, overall, t
he Nation s ground water quality is good to excellent, many local areas have exper
ienced significant ground water contamination. Some examples are leaking undergr
ound storage tanks and municipal landfills.
LEGISLATION
Several forms of legislation have been passed in recent decades to try to contro
l water pollution. In 1970, the
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s to cities and states to build wastewater facilities. This has helped control s
urface water pollution from industrial and municipal sources throughout the Unit
ed States. When congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, states were given p
rimary authority to set their own standards for their water. In addition to thes
e standards, the act required that all state beneficial uses and their criteria
must comply with the fishable and swimmable goals of the act. This essentially mea
ns that state beneficial uses must be able to support aquatic life and recreatio
nal use. Because it is impossible to test water for every type of disease-causin
g organism, states usually look to identify indicator bacteria. One for a exampl
e is a bacteria known as fecal coliforms.(Figure 1 shows the quality of water fo
r each every state in the United States, click on the US link). These indicator
bacteria suggest that a certain selection of water may be contaminated with untr
eated sewage and that other, more dangerous, organisms are present. These legisl
ations are an important part in the fight against water pollution. They are usef
ul in preventing Envioronmental catastrophes. The graph shows reported pollution
incidents since 1989-1994. If stronger legislations existed, perhaps these even
ts would never have occurred.
figure 1
GLOBAL WATER POLLUTION
Estimates suggest that nearly 1.5 billion people lack safe drinking water and th
at at least 5 million deaths per year can be attributed to waterborne diseases.
With over 70 percent of the planet covered by oceans, people have long acted as
if these very bodies of water could serve as a limitless dumping ground for wast
es. Raw sewage, garbage, and oil spills have begun to overwhelm the diluting cap
abilities of the oceans, and most coastal waters are now polluted. Beaches aroun
d the world are closed regularly, often because of high amounts of bacteria from
sewage disposal, and marine wildlife is beginning to suffer.
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Perhaps the biggest reason for developing a worldwide effort to monitor and rest
rict global pollution is the fact that most forms of pollution do not respect na
tional boundaries. The first major international conference on environmental iss
ues was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972 and was sponsored by the United Natio
ns (UN). This meeting, at which the United States took a leading role, was contr
oversial because many developing countries were fearful that a focus on environm
ental protection was a means for the developed world to keep the undeveloped wor
ld in an economically subservient position. The most important outcome of the co
nference was the creation of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). UN
EP was designed to be the environmental conscience of the United Nations, and, in
an attempt to allay fears of the developing world, it became the first UN agency
to be headquartered in a developing country, with offices in Nairobi, Kenya. In
addition to attempting to achieve scientific consensus about major environmenta
l issues, a major focus for UNEP has been the study of ways to encourage sustain
able development increasing standards of living without destroying the environme
nt. At the time of UNEP's creation in 1972, only 11 countries had environmental
agencies. Ten years later that number had grown to 106, of which 70 were in deve
loping countries.
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WATER QUALITY
Water quality is closely linked to water use and to the state of economic develo
pment. In industrialized countries, bacterial contamination of surface water cau
sed serious health problems in major cities throughout the mid 1800 s. By the turn
of the century, cities in Europe and North America began building sewer network
s to route domestic wastes downstream of water intakes. Development of these sew
age networks and waste treatment facilities in urban areas has expanded tremendo
usly in the past two decades. However, the rapid growth of the urban population
(especially in Latin America and Asia) has outpaced the ability of governments t
o expand sewage and water infrastructure. While waterborne diseases have been el
iminated in the developed world, outbreaks of cholera and other similar diseases
still occur with alarming frequency in the developing countries. Since World Wa
r II and the birth of the chemical age , water quality has been heavily impacted wo
rldwide by industrial and agricultural chemicals. Eutrophication of surface wate
rs from human and agricultural wastes and nitrification of groundwater from agri
cultural practices has greatly affected large parts of the world. Acidification
of surface waters by air pollution is a recent phenomenon and threatens aquatic
life in many area of the world. In developed countries, these general types of p
ollution have occurred sequentially with the result that most developed countrie
s have successfully dealt with major surface water pollution. In contrast, howev
er, newly industrialized countries such as
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THE HOME OF TEXT PROJECT ON POLLUTION China, India, Thailand, Brazil, and Mexico
are now facing all these issues simultaneously.
CONCLUSION
Clearly, the problems associated with water pollution have the capabilities to d
isrupt life on our planet to a great extent. Congress has passed laws to try to
combat water pollution thus acknowledging the fact that water pollution is, inde
ed, a seriousissue. But the government alone cannot solve the entire problem. It
is ultimately up to us, to be informed, responsible and involved when it comes
to the problems we face with our water. We must become familiar with our local w
ater resources and learn about ways for disposing harmful household wastes so th
ey don t end up in sewage treatment plants that can t handle them or landfills not d
esigned to receive hazardous materials. In our yards, we must determine whether
additional nutrients are needed before fertilizers are applied, and look for alt
ernatives where fertilizers might run off into surface waters. We have to preser
ve existing trees and plant new trees and shrubs to help prevent soil erosion an
d promote infiltration of water into the soil. Around our houses, we must keep l
itter, pet waste, leaves, and grass clippings out of gutters and storm drains. T
hese are just a few of the many ways in which we, as humans, have the ability to
combat water pollution. As we head into the 21st century, awareness and educati
on will most assuredly continue to be the two most important ways to prevent wat
er pollution. If these measures are not taken and water pollution continues, lif
e on earth will suffer severely. Global environmental collapse is not inevitable
. But the developed world must work with the developing world to ensure that new
industrialized economies do not add to the world's environmental problems. Poli
ticians must think of sustainable development rather than economic expansion. Co
nservation
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pted, and people must learn that energy use can be dramatically diminished witho
ut sacrificing comfort. In short, with the technology that currently exists, the
years of global environmental mistreatment can begin to be reversed.
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Soil Pollution Soil contamination is caused by the presence of man-made chemical
s or other alteration in the natural soil environment. This type of contaminatio
n typically arises from the rupture of underground storage tanks, application of
pesticides, percolation of contaminated surface water to subsurface strata, oil
and fuel dumping, leaching of wastes from landfills or direct discharge of indu
strial wastes to the soil. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydr
ocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead and other heavy metals. This occurrence of
this phenomenon is correlated with the degree of industrialization and intensity
of chemical usage.The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from heal
th risks, both of direct contact and from secondary contamination of water suppl
ies[1]. Mapping of contaminated soil sites and the resulting cleanup are time co
nsuming and expensive tasks, requiring extensive amounts of geology, hydrology,
chemistry and computer modeling skills.It is in North America and Western Europe
that the extent of contaminated land is most well known, with many of countries
in these areas having a legal framework to identify and deal with this environm
ental problem; this however may well be just the tip of the iceberg with develop
ing countries very likely to be the next generation of new soil contamination ca
ses. The immense and sustained growth of the People's Republic of China since th
e 1970s has exacted a price from the land in increased soil pollution. The State
Environmental Protection Administration believes it to be a threat to the envir
onment, to food safety and to sustainable agriculture. According to a scientific
sampling, 150 million mi (100,000 square kilometres) of China’s cultivated land h
ave been polluted, with contaminated water being used to irrigate a further 32.5
million mi (21,670 square kilometres) and another 2 million mi (1,300 square ki
lometres) covered or destroyed by solid waste. In total, the area accounts for o
ne-tenth of China’s cultivatable land, and is mostly in economically developed are
as. An estimated 12 million tonnes of grain are contaminated by heavy metals eve
ry year, causing direct losses of 20 billion yuan (US$2.57 billion). [2]. The Un
ited States, while having some of the most widespread soil contamination, has ac
tually been a leader in defining and implementing standards for cleanup[3]. Othe
r industrialized countries have a large number of contaminated sites, but lag th
e U.S. in executing remediation. Developing countries may be leading in the next
generation of new soil contamination cases. Each year in the U.S., thousands of
sites complete soil contamination cleanup, some by using microbes that “eat up” tox
ic chemicals in soil[4], many others by simple excavation and others by more exp
ensive high-tech soil vapor extraction or air stripping. At the same time, effor
ts proceed worldwide in creating and identifying new sites of soil contamination
, particularly in industrial countries other than the U.S., and in developing co
untries which lack the money and the technology to adequately protect soil resou
rces.As well as increased concentration via the food chain, it is known to enter
via permeable membranes, so fish get it through their gills. As it has low wate
r solubility, it tends to stay at the water surface, so organisms that live ther
e are most affected. DDT found in fish that formed part of the human food chain
caused concern, but the levels found in the liver, kidney and brain tissues was
less than 1ppm and in fat was 10 ppm which was below the level likely to cause h
arm. However, DDT was banned in Britain and America to stop the further build up
of it in the food chain. The USA exploited this ban and sold DDT to developing
countries, who could not afford the expensive replacement chemicals and who did
not have such stringent regulations governing the use of pesticides. Some insect
s have developed a resistance to insecticides - e.g. the which carries malaria.
OrganophosphatesOrganophosphates, e.g. parathion, methyl parathion and about 40
other insecticides are available nationally. Parathion is highly toxic, methyl-p
arathion is less so and Malathion is generally considered safe as it has low tox
icity and is rapidly broken down in the mammalian liver. This group works by pre
venting normal nerve transmission as cholinesterase is prevented from breaking d
own the transmitter substance acetylcholine, resulting in uncontrolled muscle mo
vements.Entry of a variety of pesticides into our water supplies causes concern
to environmental groups, as in many cases the long term effects of these specifi
c chemicals is not known.Restrictions came into force in July 1985 and were so f
requently broken that in 1987, formal proceedings were taken against the British
government. Britain is still the only European state to use Aldrin and organoch
lorines, although it was supposed to stop in 1993. East Anglia has the worst rec
ord for pesticide contamination of drinking water. Of the 350 pesticides used in
Britain, only 50 can be analyzed, which is worrying for the global community. [
edit] Burial Burial is the technique used by Jews, Muslims, Christians and other
religions with Abrahamic influence, to dispose off the corpse of dead humans an
d animals. This process leads to regular soil erosion due to loosening of soil.
Also, the decomposing fluids act as poisonous herbicides, pesticides and may eve
n lead to epidemics in surrounding areas. It leads to soil pollution, soil erosi
on and even water pollution. [2] Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La
nd_pollution" Hidden categories: Articles lacking sources from January 2008 | Al
l articles lacking sources