Pollution is the contamination of the
environment by introduction of contaminants that can cause damage to
environment and harm or discomfort to humans or other living species. It is the
addition of another form of any substance or form of energy to the environment
at a rate faster than the environment can accommodate it by dispersion,
breakdown, recycling, or storage in some harmless form.
Environment pollution is one of the greatest
challenges that the world is facing today. It began since industrial
revolution, increasing day by day and causing irreparable damage to Mother
Earth. Environmental pollution has its own causes, effects and solutions.
Looking into these will help you identify the causes and what steps you can
take to mitigate those effects. Broadly, environmental pollution consists of
six basic types of pollution, i.e. air, water, land, soil, noise, and light.
When people think of environmental pollution,
most focus on fossil fuel and carbon emissions, but there are different
contributing factors. Chemical pollution in bodies of water contributes to
illness. Electromagnetic pollution has effects on human health but is
uncommonly considered in present times despite the fact we essentially expose
ourselves to it on a daily basic. Taking a look at causes and effects of
environmental pollution will pull any mind on a rapid download spiral.
Solutions are in the works and, if we work together across the world, there is
hope remaining, at least for the time being. The environment will continue to
deteriorate until pollution practices are abandoned.
TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Different types of pollution are
categorized based on the part of the environment which they effect or result
which the particular pollution causes. Each of these types has its own
distinctive causes and consequences. Categorized study of pollution helps to
understand the basics in more detail and produce protocols for the specific
types. Accordingly, the main types of pollution are:
1)
Water pollution
2)
Air pollution
3)
Soil pollution
4)
Thermal pollution
5)
Noise pollution
6)
Light pollution
WATER POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION
As the name suggests, “Water Pollution” is the type of pollution
that involves the contamination of various water bodies. Various aquatic
creatures depend on these water bodies and its natural nutritious features to
support its life.
Causes of Water Pollution
i)
Industrial waste gets dumped into
these water bodies. This causes a chemical imbalance in the water leading to
death of the aquatic beings.
ii)
Insecticides, pesticides and
ripening chemicals that are used on plants run into the ground water system or
nearby streams.
iii)
Washing clothes near lakes and
rivers cause’s detergents also causes a condition called “Eutrophication” which
blocks sunlight from entering inside and reduces oxygen values in the water
causing an inhabitable environment.
iv)
Oil Spills are caused when giant
oil tankers and oil rigs which are present in the oceans are damaged by either
natural or human errors cause a long-time damage to the ocean as oil is lighter
than water and floats on water forming a layer blocking sunlight.
v)
Certain natural disasters like
flash floods and hurricanes cause the intermixing of water with harmful
substances on the land.
People can take certain
preventable measures to stop water pollution like being more cautions of
dumping contaminants onto the water. For the repair of the damage that has
already been done, water treatment plants are being constructed with innovative
techniques to clean the polluted water. But as always a certain part of the
damage can be resolved therefore, it is better to prevent water pollution as
water is basic need for the survival of human life.
Air Pollution
The contamination of the air present in the atmosphere is known as “Air Pollution”. Respiration is an important life process of all living things. We breathe in the air present in the atmosphere. Therefore if the air around us is contaminated with poisonous gases, it would have a fatal effect on us. The air naturally comprises of 78% of nitrogen, 21% of oxygen, 0.9% of oxide gases and 0.1% of inert gases. The balance is disturbed, it causes disruptions of severe proportions.
Causes of Air Pollution
i)
Partially combusted exhaust gases
released from internal combustion engines add poisonous gases into the
atmosphere.
ii)
Certain industries release some
gases like sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide which mix with the air and
clouds and cause acid rains.
iii)
Burning of discarded plastic,
wood and rubber also release carcinogenic gases into the atmosphere.
Air pollution is very much fatal
to living things as almost all living beings respire directly from the
atmosphere without undergoing any treatment like water. Hence, use of catalytic
converts in vehicles, preventing the burning of used products, leaving vehicles
running for lengthy periods of time during halts and such environment friendly
actions.
Stripping soil of its natural
fertility by using artificial chemicals like pesticides, insecticides,
ripening, agents, etc. is known as “Soil Pollution”. Plants depend on the nitrogenous
compounds present in the soil for their nutrition. Use of pesticides,
pesticides and other artificial chemicals absorbs the nitrogen from the soil
making it unfit for the growth for plants. Plants are responsible for holding
the soil together firmly so, when the plants can’t grow the soil splits,
leading to soil erosion.
Thermal
Pollution
Rise in the temperature in the
ecosystem due to release of the excessive heat energy into the environment by
artificial methods or natural disasters is called “Thermal Pollution”.
Generally, manufacturing industries release a lot of heat energy which gets
transferred to the air and water bodies. Even vehicles which have combustion
engines release a lot of heat energy as they require high temperatures to
function. Carbon dioxide has a property of blocking heat from exiting the
atmosphere and so the heat coming in form of the sun is trapped in the
atmosphere.
Thermal pollution results in a
temperature rise which is the main cause for the melting of the polar ice caps,
which is in turn leading to a rise in the water levels. Thermal pollution has
increased significantly since the eighteen hundreds resulting in a hotter
earth.
Noise
Pollution
There are different quantities of
sounds. The sounds which are not pleasant to hear are called ‘Noises’. So, an
excess of noise in the outdoors lead to “Noise Pollution”. This can be
experienced by too many vehicles honking at the roads, heavy machinery being
operated in the open, trains, clubs, over populated crowds and many more. Noise
pollution is known to cause mental stress and depression. It can also cause
damage to the ear drum which can cause deafness. Noise pollution has more of a
psychological effect rather than a physical one.
Light
Pollution
Bright lighting in functions, big
cities, etc. causes “Light Pollution”. Excessive light on the retina causes
extreme discomfort in the eyes, especially in dim conditions like during night
time. Bright lights strain the eyes and also give headaches and migraines. If
we observe, light pollution, thermal pollution and noise pollution all are
types of pollution that are caused by the different forms of energy.
Pollution in all its various
forms causes immense damage covering all possible aspects that can be damaged.
Therefore it is important to prevent all these forms to look forward to a
greener and much more pleasant living experience.
Causes of Environmental Pollution
i)
Pollution from cars, trucks, and
other vehicles is and has been our major environmental pollution issue for
almost a century now. The problem is we did not realize this until the problem
had manifested to monumental proportions.
ii)
Fossil fuel emissions from power
plants which burn coal as fuel contributed heavily along with vehicles burning
fossil fuels, to the production of smog. Smog is the result of fossil fuel
combination combined with sunlight and heat. This result is a toxic gas which
now surrounds our once pristine planet. This is known as “Ozone Smog” and means
we have more problems down here than we do in the sky.
iii)
Carbon dioxide is another product
from all of the vehicles on the planet as well as unreformed power plants and
other industrial facilities. A continually growing population of humans and
clear cutting of forests has exacerbated this problem so natural defenses are
no longer present and carbon dioxide levels are on the rise.
iv)
Water pollution is a major issue.
Many industries dump wastes into rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams in an
attempt to hide wastes from EPA inspectors. These water sources feed major
crops and food becomes contaminated with a variety of chemicals and bacteria,
causing rampant health problems.
v)
Radiation comes into play as
well. This is an exceedingly nasty pollution issue and requires extensive
description. Primarily, there is radiation from the sun. As the natural ozone
layer around the earth has become depleted. The sun is wonderful, but the only
reason we are able to survive on this planet so close to the sun is due to the
fact of natural shielding against solar radiation. As a protective ozone layer
around the planet has become thinner, ultraviolet radiation has risen
significantly, causing increases in skin cancers and other types of cancer in
all countries, killing millions of people every year.
vi)
More radiation is a problem. The
sun shining brightly on a naked planet is not the only source of radiation we
are exposed to. Electromagnetic radiation is another insidious culprit. Once
upon a time, the major concern around this type of radiation was due to high tension
wires which carry huge amounts of electricity to cities. Now, we even carry
sources of this radiation with us as cell phones, laptops, tablets and other
wireless devices.
Effects of Environmental Pollution
i)
The pollution gases mentioned
above have an interesting effect on climate. Essentially, these gases from a
veil around the planet which holds heat in, increasing the overall temperature
of the planet. The rise in planetary temperature, or global warming, is not
immediately noticeable. However, even a rise of a few degrees centigrade causes
catastrophic changes in weather. This is happening now.
ii)
Pollen has increased. It is
ironic, but even with fewer trees in the world; the increase of carbon dioxide
emissions induces plants such as ragweed and many trees to produce more pollen
than ever before. This has resulted in rampant allergies across the world,
affecting the health of billions of people.
iii)
One of the solutions to tamp out
carbon monoxide emissions from coal burning power plants was and still is to
use radioactive power plants. While this does cut down on gas emissions
significantly, there is radioactive waste which causes various cancers to bloom
in major cities and small towns all round while destroying ecosystems entirely.
iv)
Global temperature has risen
significantly over the years. The protective atmosphere is further being
polluted by methane gas released from melting icecaps. This is causing rampant
weather issues around the planet.
This all seems like a fairly bleak outlook for the planet and all
the creatures on it. It is, in fact, a load of dark and very real truth. For
much of it, there is little turning back. Being realistic, though solutions are
in the works to combat global warming, the hope is dim. Radiation doesn’t go
away quickly either, especially in a technological age requiring more power,
more gas, and intensified depletion of protective gases around the planet. We
are on a significant downhill snowfall ride to hell. There are things we can
do. Let us take a look at some of the solutions which are currently being
implemented to reduce pollution
.
.
Solutions to Environmental Pollution
i)
Gas emission pollution is being
mitigated in a variety of ways with car emission control, electric and hybrid
vehicles and public transportation systems. Not all major cities have
successful implementation and decent public transportation in place, but the
world is working on this issue constantly and we have managed to reduce
emissions profoundly over the last decade. There is much catching up to do.
ii)
The cost of radioactive power
plants is becoming apparent and the days of coal power plants are nearly dead.
The radiation is a serious issue. Radioactive leakage from power plants and
nuclear testing have already contaminated oceanic life to such a degree that it
will take hundreds of years to return to normal. More radiation solutions are
in the works with various ecologically friendly power technologies being built
every day.
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| save world save environment |
iii)
Solar power is a fantastic
solution. Now that solar radiation is at a climactic peak, we can reap power
from the sun using solar panel systems. These range from home systems powering
entire communities and cities.
iv)
Wind power is coming into play.
This may not seem like much at first, but when you get about 100 feet off the
ground, there is a great deal of wind up there. By
building wind turbines to
harvest natural wind energy, electricity is produced. Wind turbine power and
solar power are both powerful forces against fossil fuel power and radioactive
power. The one problem here is power companies. They want to stay with
radioactive power plants because they actually can’t be removed. It has become
the crusades of many individuals and small corporations to make the switch and
there are plenty of people following this as populations cry out for help.
v)
Electromagnetic radiation (ER)
reduction. Once major manufacturers of computers and electronics devices
realized the blatant potential for huge ER emissions directly into the eyes and
brains of users, they started to implement hardware protocols to minimize risks
and reduce ER production significantly. Newer devices are in the lead to knock
this problem out and, fortunately, this is working.
Also, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is well aware of all leaks and tricks industries are
using to dump wastes. This agency now has extremely strict protocols and
testing procedures implemented against such facilities so populations are not
affected. Additionally, the EPA is measuring air pollution and implementing
regulatory procedures for vehicle emissions. They also monitor pollen issues
and, with the help of the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), they implement
solutions to reduce pollen in the air.
Dropping pollen counts is a major
focus for EPA and CDC activities. Asthma and other allergic conditions are
flooding medical care facilities and pharmaceutical companies with serious
public health problems. The response has been swift and various methods to
control emissions and reduce pollen counts are in the works. Children and
elderly people are at the highest risk for environmental pollution related
health problems. The good news is we are directly on the horizon to cut down
the causes and risks while providing practical health solutions for the general
public throughout the world.
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