Pollution and Its Effect on Environment

What is pollution?
When something is added to the environment which is very harmful, poisonous or fatal to the animal,
people surrounding it and other living things is called as pollution. In simple term pollution is a
contamination by a chemical or other pollutant that renders part of the environment unfit for intended or
desired use. It is triggered by industrial and commercial waste, agriculture practices, day to day human
activities and most notably, modes of transportation and many the other sources. Pollution has many
forms; it may be chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light.
Some most common types of pollution
1) Air Pollution: Air pollution comes into picture due to the accumulation of hazardous substances into
the atmosphere that danger human life and other living matter. The most dominant player responsible for
pollution is automobiles; apart from that the other causes are Combustion of coal, Acid rain,
Manufacturing buildings, Tobacco smoke, Paint fumes, Aerosol sprays, Nuclear weapons and wild fires.
As far as effect of air pollution is concerned, respiratory diseases tops the chart of health problems. The
second one is heart diseases, it caused due to increased level of carbon monoxide in the air. In addition
to that you can avoid a risk of Asthma, Eye Irritation and a range of bronchial disease due to air pollution.
If statistics is to be believed, this year air population segment will count for 80% of premature deaths
2) Water pollution: Water pollution causes due to the introduction of chemical, biological and all sort of
physical matter into large bodies of water that degrade the quality of life that lives in it and consumes it.
We can blame fertilizers, pesticides, or petroleum derivatives for water pollution. In addition to that the
other contributors towards water pollution are Waste treatment facilities, mining, Pesticides, herbicides
and fertilizers, oil spills, refiners, Failing septic systems, factories, Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars,
animal waste, Soap from washing your car, house hold chemicals and many more to count.

3) Noise pollution: Noise pollution is the excessive noise that may disrupt the activity or balance of
human or animal life. The main causes of noise pollution are machines, transportation systems, motor
vehicles, aircrafts, and trains. In addition to that the other causes of noise pollution are poor urban
planning, the indoor noise caused by machines, building activities, music performances, and in some
workplaces also

4) Solid waste: Solid wastes have a lions share among total pollution. Mainly it is composed of
municipal solid waste (MSW), hazardous waste, plastic waste and E-waste. MSW also called as trash or
garbage which is mainly composed of everyday items that are discarded by the public. Again MSW is of
two types, biodegradable or recyclable and non biodegradable. The non biodegradable is more harmful in
nature as it cant be degraded. Hazardous wastes always pose a great threat to an environment. Under
RCRA in 40 CFR 261, hazardous wastes are classified into 4 categories viz. ignitability, reactivity,
corrosivity and toxicity.. Due to its non degradable nature it always tops the chart in pollution. E-Waste
otherwise called as electronic waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment. E-Waste comprises of
office electronic equipment, television sets and refrigerators, discarded computers, entertainment device

electronics and mobile phones. All E-Waste poses lead, cadmium, beryllium, or brominated flame
retardants, which trigger the pollution.