Republic of the Philippines

State Universities and Colleges

GUIMARAS STATE COLLEGE
Mc Lain, Buenavista, Guimaras
GRADUATE SCHOOL

EDUC 203 – GREEN EDUCATION

Pearl Angeli Dimasuay Noeme M. Nillos Ph. D.

Discussant Professor

POLLUTION

DEFINITIONS:

 Any undesirable change in physical, chemical or biological characteristic of any

component of the environment (air, water, soil) which can cause harmful effects on
various form of life or property
 An influence of any substance causing nuisance, harmful effects and uneasiness to
the organism

Pollutants are substances which causes pollution. Any solid, liquid or gases substance
present in such concentration as may be or tend to be injurious to environment.

Basic Types of Pollutants

1. Degradable pollutants can be readily broken down by natural processes. It often used as
fertilizers
2. Non-degradable pollutants can’t be degraded or degrade very slowly in nature.
Sources of Pollution
1. Point Source Pollution – refers to the contaminants that enter the water body from a single
identified source.
2. Non-Point Source – refers to the contamination that does not originate from a single source.
It is a cumulative effect of small contaminants gathered in large area.

Types of Pollution
I. Air Pollution
 Is the introduction of particulates, biological molecule, or other harmful materials into the
Earth’s atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death to human, damage to other
living organisms such as food crops, or natural or built environment.
Main Categories of Air Pollutants
1. Primary Pollutants - Air pollutants that are emitted directly from a source. It can be released
from natural ways or human action.
2. Secondary Pollutants - are those that are not directly emitted from a source but form when
primary pollutants react chemically in the atmosphere.
 Causes of Air pollution
1. Burning of Fossil Fuels: Sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels like
coal, petroleum and other factory combustibles is one the major cause of air pollution.
Pollution emitting from vehicles can cause immense amount of pollution. Carbon
Monoxide caused by improper or incomplete combustion and generally emitted from
vehicles is another major pollutant along with Nitrogen Oxides that is produced from
both natural and manmade processes.
2. Agricultural activities: Ammonia is a very common by product from agriculture related
activities and is one of the most hazardous gases in the atmosphere. Use of
insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural activities has grown quite a lot.
They emit harmful chemicals into the air and can also cause water pollution.
3. Exhaust from factories and industries: Manufacturing industries release large amount of
carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals into the air
thereby depleting the quality of air. Petroleum refineries also release hydrocarbons
and various other chemicals that pollute the air and also cause land pollution.
 4. Mining operations: Mining is a process wherein minerals below the earth are extracted
using large equipment. During the process dust and chemicals are released in the air
causing massive air pollution. This is one of the reasons which that are responsible for
the deteriorating health conditions of workers and nearby residents.
5. Indoor air pollution: Household cleaning products, painting supplies emit toxic chemicals in
the air and cause air pollution
 Effects of Air pollution
1. Respiratory and heart problems: The effects of Air pollution are alarming. They are
known to create several respiratory and heart conditions along with Cancer, among
other threats to the body. Several millions are known to have died due to direct or
indirect effects of Air pollution. Children in areas exposed to air pollutants are said to
commonly suffer from pneumonia and asthma.
2. Global warming: Another direct effect is the immediate alterations that the world is
witnessing due to Global warming. With increased temperatures worldwide, increase in
sea levels and melting of ice from colder regions and icebergs, displacement and loss
of habitat have already signaled an impending disaster if actions for preservation and
normalization aren’t undertaken soon.
3. Acid Rain: Harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are released into the
atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels. When it rains, the water droplets
combines with these air pollutants, becomes acidic and then falls on the ground in the
form of acid rain. Acid rain can cause great damage to human, animals and crops.
4. Effect on Wildlife: Just like humans, animals also face some devastating effects of air
pollution. Toxic chemicals present in the air can force wildlife species to move to new
place and change their habitat.
5. Depletion of Ozone layer: Ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for
protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Earth’s ozone layer is depleting
due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the
atmosphere. As ozone layer will go thin, it will emit harmful rays back on earth and
can cause skin and eye related problems. UV rays also have the capability to affect
crops.
 Solutions for Air Pollution
1. Use public mode of transportation: Encourage people to use more and more public
modes of transportation to reduce pollution.
2. Conserve energy: Switch off fans and lights when you are going out. Large amount of
fossil fuels are burnt to produce electricity. You can save the environment from
degradation by reducing the amount of fossil fuels to be burned.
3. Understand the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Do not throw away items that are
of no use to you. We can reuse them for some other purpose.
4. Emphasis on clean energy resources: Clean energy technologies like solar, wind and
geothermal are on high these days. Governments of various countries have been
providing grants to consumers who are interested in installing solar panels for their
home. This will go a long way to curb air pollution.
5. Use energy efficient devices: CFL lights consume less electricity as against their
counterparts. They live longer, consume less electricity, lower electricity bills and also
help you to reduce pollution by consuming less energy.

II. Water Pollution

 Involves any contaminated water, whether from chemical, particulate or bacterial
matter that degrades the water's quality and purity.
 It occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into the bodies of water
without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.
 It affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all cases the
effect is damaging not only to individual species and population, but also to the
natural biological communities.
 Causes of Water Pollution
1. Industrial waste: Industries produce huge amount of waste which contains toxic
chemicals and pollutants. Many industries do not have proper waste management
system and drain the waste in the fresh water which goes into rivers, canals and later
in to sea.
 2. Sewage and waste water: The sewage and waste water that is produced by each
household is released in to sea. The sewage water carries harmful bacteria and
chemicals that can cause serious health problems.
3. Marine dumping: The garbage produce by each household in the form of paper,
aluminum, rubber, glass, plastic, food if collected and deposited into the sea in some
countries. These items take from 2 weeks to 200 years to decompose. When such
item enters the sea, they not only cause water pollution but also harm animals in the
sea.
4. Oil leakage: Oil spill pose a huge concern as large amount of oil enters into the sea and
does not dissolve with water; there by opens problem for local marine wildlife.
5. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides: Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used by farmers
to protect crops from insects and bacteria. They are useful for the plants growth.
However, when these chemicals are mixed up with water it becomes harmful for
plants and animals
6. Animal waste: The waste produce by animals is washed away into the rivers when it
rains. It gets mixed up with other harmful chemicals and causes various water borne
diseases like cholera, diarrhea, jaundice, dysentery and typhoid.
7. Underground storage leakage: Transportation of coal and other petroleum products
through underground pipes is well known. Accidentals leakage may happen anytime
and may cause damage to environment and result in soil erosion.
 Effects of Water Pollution
1. Ecosystems: Ecosystem can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution due to
the rising of temperature in the water. Many areas are now being affected by careless
human pollution, and this pollution is coming back to hurt humans in many ways.
2. Death of aquatic animals: The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills
organisms that depend on these water bodies
3. Disruption of food-chains: 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.
4. Diseases: Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can get
diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. In many poor
nations, there is always outbreak of cholera and diseases as a result of poor drinking
water treatment from contaminated waters.
 Controlling Water Pollution
1. Use non – toxic soaps, detergents and cleaning products.
2. Refrain from the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn and gardens.
3. Store all liquid chemicals and waste in spill proof containers.
4. Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans
5. Report spills instantly.
6. Join community cleanup.
7. Inform others. Use social media, or your blog, to share these tips and get other
people involved in the fight against water pollution.
8. Recycle plastics: Otherwise, they can end up in the sea.

III. Land pollution

 Soil or land pollution occurs due to incorporation of unwanted chemicals in the soil.
 The degradation of Earth’s land often caused by human activities and their misuse of
land resources.
 Causes of Soil/Land Pollution
1. Agricultural activities: Farmers often use highly toxic fertilizers and pesticides to get rid
of insects, fungi and bacteria from their crops. However with the overuse of these
chemicals, they result in contamination and poisoning of soil.
2. Overcrowded landfills: Each household produces tons of garbage each year. Items that
cannot be recycled become a part of the landfills that hampers the beauty of the city
and cause land pollution.
3. Industrialization: To meet the demand of the growing population, more industries were
developed which led to deforestation. Research and development paved the way for
modern fertilizers and chemicals that were highly toxic and led to soil contamination.
 4. Construction activities: Due to urbanization, large amount of construction activities are
taking place which has resulted in large waste articles like wood, metal, bricks,
plastic that can be seen by naked eyes outside any building or office which is under
construction.
5. Sewage treatment: Large amount of solid waste is left over once the sewage has been
treated. The leftover material is sent to landfill site which end up in polluting the
environment.
 Effects of Land Pollution
1. Soil pollution: Soil pollution is another form of land pollution, where the upper layer of the
soil is damaged. This is caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers, soil erosion
caused by running water and other pest control measures; this leads to loss of fertile
land for agriculture, forest cover, fodder patches for grazing etc.
2. Change in climate patterns: The effects of land pollution are very hazardous and can lead
to the loss of ecosystems. When land is polluted, it directly or indirectly affects
the climate patterns.
3. Environmental Impact: When deforestation is committed, the tree cover is compromised
on. This leads to a steep imbalance in the rain cycle. A disturbed rain cycle affects a
lot of factors. To begin with, the green cover is reduced. Trees and plants help
balance the atmosphere, without them we are subjected to various concerns
like Global warming, the greenhouse effect, irregular rainfall and flash floods among
other imbalances.
4. Effect on human health: The land when contaminated with toxic chemicals and pesticides
lead to problem of skin cancer and human respiratory system. The toxic chemicals can
reach our body through foods and vegetables that we eat as they are grown in
polluted soil.
5. Cause Air pollution: Landfills across the city keep on growing due to increase in waste
and are later burned which leads to air pollution.
6. Distraction for Tourist: The city loses its attraction as tourist destination as landfills do not
look good when you move around the city. It leads to loss of revenue for the state
government.
7. Effect on wildlife: The animal kingdom has suffered mostly in the past decades. They face
a serious threat with regards to loss of habitat and natural environment. Several
species are pushed to the verge of extinction, due to no homeland.
 Solutions for Land Pollution
1. Make people aware about the concept of Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.
2. Reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural activities.
3. Avoid buying packages items as they will lead to garbage and end up in landfill site.
4. Ensure that you do not litter on the ground and do proper disposal of garbage.
5. Buy biodegradable products.
6. Do Organic gardening and eat organic food that will be grown without the use of
pesticides.
7. Create dumping ground away from residential areas.

IV. Other Types of Pollution

 Noise Pollution- is displeasing or excessive noise that may disrupt the activity or balance
of human or animal life.
Sources: machines, transportation systems, motor vehicles, aircrafts, trains and poor
urban planning
Effects on Human: Unwanted sounds can damage psychological and physiological
health. It can cause annoyance, aggression hypertension, high stress levels, hearing loss
sleep disturbance and other harmful effects.
Effects on Animals: Damages Nervous system, altering prey/predator detection, creates
problems in navigation, become dangerous, death of certain species and GENETIC and
evolutionary problems.
Controlling Noise:
1. Enacting rules and regulation to the public against any person that involve in
producing illegal noise.
2. Reducing the volume of speakers.
3. Constructing sound proof rooms for noisy machines in industries.
 4. Eliminating the source of noise from its origin.
5. Providing the receiver with some form of protection
 Light Pollution
 Also known as luminous pollution is excessive, misdirected or obtrusive artificial
light.
Sources of Light Pollution: Street and vehicle lights, advertising lights, industrial lights
Effects on Human: Increase headache, fatigue and stress, anxiety and effect on mood,
risk of breast cancer.
Effects on animals: Poses a serious threat in particular to nocturnal wildlife
Confuse animal navigation, change predator-prey relation
Prevents zooplankton from eating surface algae
Can disorient migrating birds
Sea turtles do not come to shore and nest as often
Solution for light Pollution: There are two basic approaches to solving light pollution –
planning and education. Planning means more consideration about how areas are
zoned and where lights are placed. It also means changing the types of lights used
within the home, signs and streetlamps to more efficient bulbs, and with a light
output that is not so disruptive. Education is also a key. The more people understand
the importance of turning off lights to conserve energy and reduce light pollution the
faster change will be seen.
Facts about Pollution
 There is an island of garbage twice the size of Texas inside the Pacific Ocean. The North
Pacific gyre off the coast of California is the largest oceanic garbage site in the entire world.
 New Delhi is the most polluted city in the world.
 The least polluted city on Earth is Oslo, Norway.
 The most chemically polluted industrial is located in Russia, where the town’s average life
expectancy is only about 45 years old.
 China is among the countries with highest air pollution in the world. Breathing air in Beijing,
the country´s capital, increases the risk of lung cancer in the same way as smoking 21
cigarettes a day.
 Moreover, almost 700 million Chinese (about a half of the country´s population) have to drink
contaminated water.
 Water pollution is even worse in India, where almost 80% of all urban waste is dumped into
the river Ganges – the most sacred river to Hindus. The river is now also the place where
poor Indians bury their deceased family members.
 In India, about a thousand children die every single day due to a disease caused by extreme
water pollution.
 Pollution in China can change weather in the US. Almost a third of air pollution in San
Francisco actually comes from China.
 According to a scientific study, about 1 in every 8 deaths that occur in the world is somehow
associated with air pollution.
 Almost half of all seabird species, 22% of cetaceans, all sea turtle species and a growing list
of fish species have been documented with plastic found in or around their bodies.
 Over 1.4 billion pounds of trash per year enters the ocean. Most of it is plastic.
 Disposable diapers take about 500 years to decompose.
 Top 10 Most Polluted Country In The World 2018
1. Mongolia 6. Egypt
2. Botswana 7. United Arab Emirates
3. Pakistan 8. Iran
4. Senegal 9. Nigeria
5. Saudi Arabia 10. Kuwait

References: https://www.factretriever.com/pollution-facts
https://list25.com/25-shocking-facts-about-pollution
https://www.slideshare.net
https://www.reference.com
https://www.nationalgeographic.com
https://www.trillpost.com/news/most-polluted-country-world-2018