Pollution

Contamination of the environment by manmade substances or energy that have adverse effects on living or non-living matter. This contamination of air, water, or soil materials interferes with human health, the quality of life, or the natural functioning of ecosystems.

Pollution
In simple terms, pollution can be seen as the wrong substance in the wrong place in the wrong quantities at the wrong time. This implies that harm is caused to the environment, and if the same substance is present at levels too low to cause harm, then it can be considered as contamination.

TYPES OF POLLUTION
Pollution can be categorized according to the medium in which it occurs:atmospheric pollution(Air Pollution). freshwater and sea pollution(Water Pollution). land pollution(Solid Waste Disposal).

What is Air Pollution?

Air is the ocean we breathe. Air supplies us with oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live. Air is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases. Human activities can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

What is Air Pollution?

There are several main types of pollution and well-known effects of pollution which are commonly discussed. These include : smog, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and "holes" in the ozone layer.

Each of these problems has serious implications for our health and well-being as well as for the whole environment.

Outdoor Air Pollution

Smog is a type of large-scale outdoor pollution. It is caused by chemical reactions between pollutants derived from different sources, primarily automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. Cities are often centers of these types of activities, and many suffer from the effects of smog, especially during the warm months of the year. For each city, the exact causes of pollution may be different. Depending on the geographical location, temperature, wind and weather factors, pollution is dispersed differently.

What is Air Pollution?

Outdoor Air Pollution

A temperature inversion occurs when air close to the earth is cooler than the air above it. Under these conditions the pollution cannot rise and be dispersed. Cities surrounded by mountains also experience trapping of pollution. Inversion can happen in any season.
Winter inversions are likely to cause particulate and carbon monoxide pollution. Summer inversions are more likely to create smog.

What is Air Pollution?

One type of air pollution is the release of particles into the air from burning fuel for energy.
Diesel smoke is a good example of this particulate matter . The particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns or about .0001 inches.

This type of pollution is sometimes referred to as "black carbon" pollution. The exhaust from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air. Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and charcoal in fireplaces and barbeques can release significant quanitites of soot into the air.

What is Air Pollution?

Black carbon pollution is the release of tiny particles into the air from burning fuel for energy. Air pollution caused by such particulates has been a major problem since the beginning of the industrial revolution and the development of the internal combustion engine . Scientific publications dealing with the analysis of soot and smoke date back as early as 1896. Mankind has become so dependent on the burning of fossil fuels (petroleum products, coal, and natural gas) that the sum total of all combustion-related emissions now constitutes a serious and widespread problem, not only to human health, but also to the entire global environment.

Outdoor Air Pollution

Acid Rain :
When a pollutant, such as sulfuric acid combines with droplets of water in the air, the water (or snow) can become acidified. The effects of acid rain on the environment can be very serious. It damages plants by destroying their leaves, it poisons the soil, and it changes the chemistry of lakes and streams. Damage due to acid rain kills trees and harms animals, fish, and other wildlife.

Outdoor Air Pollution

The Greenhouse Effect :
Also referred to as global warming, is generally believed to come from the build up of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced when fuels are burned. Plants convert carbon dioxide back to oxygen, but the release of carbon dioxide from human activities is higher than the world's plants can process.

Outdoor Air Pollution

The Greenhouse Effect :
The situation is made worse since many of the earth's forests are being removed, and plant life is being damaged by acid rain. Thus, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is continuing to increase. This buildup acts like a blanket and traps heat close to the surface of our earth. Changes of even a few degrees will affect us all through changes in the climate and even the possibility that the polar ice caps may melt. (One of the consequences of polar ice cap melting would be a rise in global sea level, resulting in widespread coastal flooding.)

Outdoor Air Pollution

Ozone : Chemicals released by our activities affect the stratosphere , one of the atmospheric layers surrounding earth. The ozone layer in the stratosphere protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) from aerosol cans, cooling systems and refrigerator equipment removes some of the ozone, causing "holes"; to open up in this layer and allowing the radiation to reach the earth. Ultraviolet radiation is known to cause skin cancer and has damaging effects on plants and wildlife.

Indoor Air Pollution

many people spend large portion of time indoors - as much as 80-90% of their lives. We work, study, eat, drink and sleep in enclosed environments where air circulation may be restricted. For these reasons, some experts feel that more people suffer from the effects of indoor air pollution than outdoor pollution.

Indoor Air Pollution

There are many sources of indoor air pollution : Tobacco smoke, cooking and heating appliances, and vapors from building materials, paints, furniture, etc. cause pollution inside buildings. Radon is a natural radioactive gas released from the earth, and it can be found concentrated in basements in some parts of the United States (http://sedwww.cr.usgs.gov:8080/radon/rad onhome.html) Estimates that indoor air pollutant levels are 2562% greater than outside levels and can pose serious health problems.

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION.

Air pollution can affect our health in many ways with both short-term and long-term effects. Examples of short-term effects include :-

irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Other symptoms can include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema.

In the great "Smog Disaster" in London in 1952, four thousand people died in a few days due to the high concentrations of pollution.

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION.

Long-term health effects can include : Chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. Continual exposure to air pollution affects the lungs of growing children and may aggravate or complicate medical conditions in the elderly. It is estimated that half a million people die prematurely every year in the United States as a result of smoking cigarettes.

Research into the health effects of air pollution is ongoing. Medical conditions arising from air pollution can be very expensive. Healthcare costs, lost productivity in the workplace, and human welfare impacts cost billions of dollars each year.

What Is Water Pollution?

contamination of water by foreign matter such as micro-organisms, chemicals, industrial or other wastes, or sewage. Such matter deteriorates the quality of the water and renders it unfit for its intended uses.

 The major pollutants of water are .

Sewage and other oxygen-demanding wastes (largely carbonaceous organic material, the decomposition of which leads to oxygen depletion). Infectious agents. Plant nutrients that can stimulate the growth of aquatic plants, which then interfere with water uses and, when decaying, deplete the dissolved oxygen and produce disagreeable odours Exotic organic chemicals, including pesticides, various industrial products, surface-active substances in detergents, and the decomposition products of other organic compounds.

 Radioactive substances from the wastes of uranium and thorium mining and refining, from nuclear power plants, and from the industrial, medical, and scientific use of radioactive materials Sediments consisting of soil and mineral particles washed by storms and floodwater from croplands, unprotected soils, mine workings, roads, and bulldozed urban areas. Petroleum, especially from oil spills Inorganic minerals and chemical compounds.

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

Notable effects of water pollution include those involved in human health : Nitrates (the salts of nitric acid) in drinking water can cause a disease in infants that sometimes results in death. Cadmium in sludge-derived fertilizer can be absorbed by crops; if ingested in sufficient amounts, the metal can cause an acute diarrhoeal disorder and liver and kidney damage. The hazardous nature of inorganic substances such as mercury, arsenic, and lead has long been known or strongly suspected.

What Is Land Pollution?

disposal of normally solid or semi-solid materials, resulting from human and animal activities, that are useless, unwanted, or hazardous. Solid wastes typically may be classified as follows: Garbage: decomposable wastes from food. Rubbish: nondecomposable wastes, either combustible (such as paper, wood, and cloth) or noncombustible (such as metal, glass, and ceramics).

What Is Land Pollution?

Ashes: residues of the combustion of solid fuels. Large wastes: demolition and construction debris and trees. Dead animals Sewage-treatment solids: material retained on sewage-treatment screens, settled solids, and biomass sludge Industrial wastes: such materials as chemicals, paints, and sand Mining wastes: slag heaps and coal refuse piles Agricultural wastes: farm animal manure and crop residues.

How can we prevent the damaging effects of pollution?

The first step to solving air pollution is assessment .
Researchers have investigated outdoor air pollution and have developed standards for measuring the type and amount of some serious air pollutants. Scientists must then determine how much exposure to pollutants is harmful.

Once exposure levels have been set, steps can be undertaken to reduce exposure to air pollution.

How can we prevent the damaging effects of pollution?

Can be accomplished by regulation of manmade pollution through legislation. Prevention is another key to controlling air pollution.
The regulatory agencies mentioned above play an essential role in reducing and preventing air pollution in the environment.

Adequate ventilation is also a key to controlling exposure to indoor air pollution.

Home and work environments should be monitored for adequate air flow and proper exhaust systems installed.

How can we prevent the damaging effects of pollution?

Restricting smoking is an important key to a healthier environment.
One of the most dangerous air pollutants is cigarette smoke. Legislation to control smoking is in effect in some locations, but personal exposure should be monitored and limited wherever possible.

 Only through the efforts of scientists, business leaders, legislators, teachers and individuals can we reduce the amount of air pollution on the planet. This challenge must be met by all of us in order to assure that a healthy environment will exist for ourselves and our children

Keep our enviroment clean

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