Table of Contents
Introduction
- Pollution is a harmful substance that is present in the environment.
- This harmful substance is called pollutants.
- These pollutants can be caused by either natural means or by humans.
- It degrades almost everything from the water we drink. It damages the natural resources needed for a healthy life.
- Pollution can take the form of any substances like solids, liquids, gases, heat, sound, energy, light, etc.
- It touches all parts of the planet.
- The word pollution comes from two Latin words ” Pollutionem and Polluere “.
- Pollutionem means defilement and polluere means soiling.
- Pollution affects the quality of life more than one can imagine.
- It works in mysterious ways, sometimes which cannot be seen by the naked eye.
- The environment and even how some of the Earth’s systems, such as the climate, are functioning that can be affected by pollution.
Definition of Pollution
- The presence of harmful substances that make air, water, soil, etc. dirty and dangerous is called pollution.
Causes of Pollution
- There are 11 easy causes of pollution:
1. Pollution is caused by using fossil fuels for energy.
2. A wildfire causes indoor air pollution.
3. The Commercial Emissions
4. The Burning of Garbage waste
5. The Farmers’ Activity
6. A microbial rotating process
7. The use of synthetic and chemical products
8. Industrial emissions
9. Mining activities
10. Volcanic eruption
11. Construction and Demolition
Types of Pollution
- There are 16 easy types of pollution:-
1. Air pollution
2. Soil pollution
3. Water pollution
4. Oil pollution
5. Noise pollution
6. Marine pollution
7. Thermal pollution
8. Nuclear pollution
9. Biocide pollution
10. Ocean pollution
11. Chemical pollution
12. Acid rain pollution
13. Industrial pollution
14. Toxicity pollution
15. Sewage pollution
16. Drug pollution
1. Air pollution
- A mixture of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and methane is called as air pollution.
- It occurs due to harmful gases, dust, forest fires, human activities, and volcanic eruptions.
- It affects everything on Earth.
- It also affects non-living things, such as man-made buildings and limestone caves in the forests.
- Air pollution causes respiratory and skin diseases in human who have allergies.
- It affects plants and animals too, and it can disrupt ecosystems in forests.
- It also affects life forms beneath the ocean because pollutant gases can dissolve in water and create acids.
- There are several ways to reduce air pollution, and each person can make a difference.
- It can be reduced by using fewer personal vehicles and switching to more healthy transportation options like cycling, taking the bus, or carpooling.
- Since fossil fuels still provide the majority of our energy, cutting back on usage can also have a big impact on air pollution.
2. Soil pollution
- The presence of harmful substances like toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or disease-causing agents that decrease the fertility of the soil is called soil pollution.
- It kills the productivity and fertility of the soil left with harmful substances and chemicals; thus the yields of that soil will make us unhealthy.
- It happens because of fast industrial development, intensive agriculture, and other anthropogenic activities.
- Soil pollution may change the physical, chemical, and biological nature of soil and make it unsuitable for plant growth, animal use, and human use.
3. Water pollution
Image:- Water Pollution
- Water pollution originates from many sources and causes because it not only has an impact on health but also can have negative effects on various industries and agriculture.
- Water is polluted due to human activities such as industrial and household waste being released into the water, which cause pollution.
- It is also polluted by the soil and other particles brought by the storm.
- Water pollution is a great bane for nature as well as humanity.
- It degrades the quality of the water in the water bodies.
- While lakes, bays, ponds, slow-moving rivers, and the ocean are less resilient to the impacts of water pollution, rivers and streams show some resilience to some pollutants’ effects.
- That’s why it’s highly important to devise methods to reduce the level of water pollution that we are currently facing.
4. Oil pollution
Image:- Oil Pollution
- Oil pollution is a chemical substance that is always present in the liquid form of petroleum and is insoluble in water.
- Oil pollution most commonly occurs in the form of oil spills that affect the closure of beaches, parks, waterways, and recreational and commercial fisheries.
- Oil spills destroy natural resources, jeopardize public health, and cause economic disruptions.
- It takes sound science to clean up the oil, measure the impacts of pollution, and help the ocean recover.
5. Noise pollution
Image:- Sound Pollution
- Noise pollution is an unwanted, unpleasant, and annoying sound that is caused by vibration, which affects the health of humans as well as other organisms.
- Noise pollution is an invisble danger which cann’t be seen, but it is present nonetheless, both on land and under the sea.
- The most common health problem that is caused by noise pollution is noise-induced hearing loss.
- The word noise comes from the Latin word noxia, which means ‘injury or hurt’.
- It is commonly generated inside many industrial facilities and some other workplaces.
- But it also comes from highway, railway, and airplane traffic and from outdoor construction activities.
6. Marine pollution
Image:- Marine Pollution
- Marine pollution is a mixture of both chemical and trash that comes from land sources which is caused by human washed or blown which is intentionally dumped into the ocean.
- It can change the physical, chemical, and biological stae of the ocean and coastal areas, representing a danger to marine wildlife and ecosyetems, and the industries and livelihoods dependent on them, such as fisheries and tourism.
- Marine pollution is also known as ocaen pollution.
7. Thermal pollution
Image:- Thermal Pollution
- The change in a natural body of water’s temperature brought on by human activity is known as thermal pollution.
- It degrades the quality of water as well as increases the temperature of streams, rivers, lakes, or coastal ocean water.
- It increases the temperature of water by 1 or 2 degrees.
- It affects the existence of fish and other aquatic species.
- It also contributes to soil erosion by making the water dirty.
- It is also called “thermal enrichment”.
8. Nuclear pollution
Image:- Nuclear Pollution
- Nuclear pollution is the deposition of radioactive substances on surfaces or within solids, liquids, or gases where their presence is unintentional or undesirable.
- Its radiation can impair the function of tissues and organs that produce acute effects such as nausea and vomiting, skin redness, hair loss, acute radiation syndrome, local radiation injuries, or even death.
- It can come from a variety of sources, for example, nuclear fission, radioactive mining, nuclear fuel reactor materials, nuclear power plants, etc.
- The most common disease that arises in people who have been exposed to radioactive pollution is cancer.
- We control nuclear pollution through proper disposal of radioactive waste, proper labeling of contents, banning nuclear tests, and using alternative eco-friendly sources of energy.
- It is also known as radiation pollution.
9. Biocide pollution
- Biocide is a mixture of chemical or biological products that is used to control pests such as harmful or unwanted animals, plants, fungi, viruses or bacteria.
- This can causes pollution and harm natural life if they spill onto land, enter surface water or groundwater or are released into the air.
- This techniques are commonly used in industry to kill bacteria in the system because of the rapid response.
- Biocides can also be harmful to human health if we do not store and use them properly.
10. Ocean pollution
Image:- Ocean Pollution
- Ocean water pollution is a mixture of both chemical contamination and trash.
- It is also known as marine pollution.
- There are many causes of ocean pollution, but most of them originate on land and are caused by humans.
- It decreases the levels of oxygen in the ocean, leading to the deaths of ocean animals like dolphins, penguins, whales, and sharks.
- Give stop using plastic and throwing trash into the water; these practices clog drains and pollute the environment.
11. Chemical pollution
Image:- Chemical Pollution
- Chemical pollution occurs from various human activities like manufacturing, handing, storing and disposing of chemicals.
- The main causes of chemical pollution is organic or inorganic chemicals.
- It occurs by man- made in industrial places and activities such as oil refineries, coal power plants, construction, mining or smelting, transportation, agricultural use of pesticides and insecticides, as well as household activities.
- It can have immediate effects on envirnment which may appear after weeks or even months after the exposure occurred.
- It leads to various serious diseases for the most part by polishing off harmful food, drinking highly contaminated water, or breathing highly contaminated air.
12. Acid rain pollution
Image:- Acid Rain Pollution
- Acid rain is a type pollution that occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere where they mix and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals.
- The main causes of acid rain are human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, manufacturing, oil refineries, exhaust from cars etc.
- It can pollute lakes and streams that’s kill the fish and other organisms that live in them.
- Flue- gas desulfurization is a technique used by a coal – fired power sations to remove sulfur-containing gases from their stack gases.
- Also, international treaties where western countries have agreed to international treaties on the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants.
13. Industrial pollution
- Industrial pollution is an additional term that means a huge amount of waste is discharged during the manufacturing process of products.
- It can be caused by a variety of industrial activities.
- Industrial waste is dumped into water bodies that’s kill aquatic life and contaminate the water supply.
- Industrial pollution can have a number of negative effects on the environment and human health, including global warming, wildlife extinction, health issues etc.
- This can be done controlled through process modification, substituting raw materials, or redesigning products as well as to reduces the need to produce new products.
14. Toxicity pollution
Image:- Toxic Pollution
- Toxic pollution is the contamination of the environment by dangerous substances that can harm living organisms.
- It can cause a variety of health effects such as cancer, birth defects, genetic mutations, physiological malfunctions, physical deformations, and behavioral abnormalities etc.
- This can come from industrial wastewaters and poison aquatic organisms.
- The examples of Toxic pollutions are Nitrogen dioxide ( NO2 ), Sulfur dioxide ( SO2 ), Mercury etc.
15. Sewage pollution
Image:- Sewage Pollution
- Sewage pollution is untreated or partially treated pollution that is caused by human waste into bodies of water.
- It comes from land, ships, pouring cooking fats, oils, and grease as well as recreational vehicles (RVs) and boats, etc.
- It affects the environment that degrades the quality of water, visual pollution, and oxygen depletion, as well as human health, such as infectious diseases and upper respiratory, etc.
- Sewage is controlled by treating contaminants before discharge into bodies of ‘water.’•
16. Drug pollution
Image:- Drug Pollution
- Drug pollution is the contamination of drugs and their metabolites that occurs when drugs are released into the environment through wastewater.
- It can be caused by bioactive substances, many drugs, and synthetic chemicals.
- It’s badly affects the drinking water as well as the life of Aquatic animals.
- The best way to reduce the drug pollution is to filter out drugs and their metabolites.
Effects of Pollution
- There are many effects of pollution:-
1. It affects both human and animal health issues, such as cancer, heart problems, and respiratory disorders.
2. It can disrupt reproductive systems in wildlife and reduce biodiversity.
3. It also affects both Both flora and fauna, which puts species in danger of extinction.
4. It increases ozone layer depletion, which leads to both skin cancer and other health problems.
5. It rises earth’s temperature as a result of global warming brought on by the buildup of greenhouse gasses.
Measures to Prevent Environmental Pollution
- There are following ways to prevent environmental pollution:-
1. The pollution can may be decreased by using renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind.
2. Reducing consumption, reusing materials, and recycling can help in controlling pollution.
3. The limited use of plastics and other non-biodegradable materials can prevent soil and water pollution.
4. The harmful substances are managed before being released into the environment like sewage and industrial waste.
5. By conservation of energy such as turning off lights when not in used.
Advantages of Pollution
- There are no any advantages of pollution, but there are some theoretical benefits to some pollutants are as follows:-
1. In a lessened way, it helps fix nitrogen into soil so plants grow.
2. In a lessened way, it also increased sulfur in the air, which can cool the planet.
