Causes of water pollution

water pollution

Water pollution can come from a number of different sources. If the pollution comes from a single source, such as an oil spill, it is called point-source pollution. If the pollution comes from many sources, it is called no point-source pollution.

Most types of pollution affect the immediate area surrounding the source. Sometimes the pollution may affect the environment hundreds of miles away from the source, such as nuclear waste, this is called Tran boundary pollution.

Domestic households, industrial and agricultural practices produce wastewater that can cause pollution of many lakes and rivers.

· Sewage is the term used for wastewater that often contains faces, urine and laundry waste.

· There are billions of people on Earth, so treating sewage is a big priority.

· Sewage disposal is a major problem in developing countries as many people in these areas don’t have access to sanitary conditions and clean water.

· Untreated sewage water in such areas can contaminate the environment and cause diseases such as diarrhea.

· Sewage in developed countries is carried away from the home quickly and hygienically through sewage pipes.

· Sewage is treated in water treatment plants and the waste is often disposed into the sea.

· Sewage is mainly biodegradable and most of it is broken down in the environment.

· In developed countries, sewage often causes problems when people flush chemical and pharmaceutical substances down the toilet. When people are ill, sewage often carries harmful viruses and bacteria into the environment causing health problems.

Industry is a huge source of water pollution, it produces pollutants that are extremely harmful to people and the environment.

· Many industrial facilities use freshwater to carry away waste from the plant and into rivers, lakes and oceans.

· Pollutants from industrial sources include:

o Asbestos – This pollutant is a serious health hazard and carcinogenic. Asbestos fibers can be inhaled and cause illnesses such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer, intestinal cancer and liver cancer.

o Lead – This is a metallic element and can cause health and environmental problems. It is a non-biodegradable substance so is hard to clean up once the environment is contaminated. Lead is harmful to the health of many animals, including humans, as it can inhibit the action of bodily enzymes.

o Mercury - This is a metallic element and can cause health and environmental problems. It is a non-biodegradable substance so is hard to clean up once the environment is contaminated. Mercury is also harmful to animal health as it can cause illness through mercury poisoning.

o Nitrates – The increased use of fertilizers means that nitrates are more often being washed from the soil and into rivers and lakes. This can cause eutrophication, which can be very problematic to marine environments.

o Phosphates - The increased use of fertilizers means that phosphates are more often being washed from the soil and into rivers and lakes. This can cause eutrophication, which can be very problematic to marine environments.

o Sulphur – This is a non-metallic substance that is harmful for marine life.

o Oils – Oil does not dissolve in water, instead it forms a thick layer on the water surface. This can stop marine plants receiving enough light for photosynthesis. It is also harmful for fish and marine birds.

o Petrochemicals – This is formed from gas or petrol and can be toxic to marine life.

Preventing:

If you want to help keep our waters clean, there are many things you can do to help. You can prevent water pollution of nearby rivers and lakes as well as groundwater and drinking water by following some simple guidelines in your everyday life.

· Conserve water by turning off the tap when running water is not necessary. This helps prevent water shortages and reduces the amount f contaminated water that needs treatment.

· Be careful about what you throw down your sink or toilet. Don't throw paints, oils or other forms of litter down the drain.

· Use environmentally household products, such as washing powder, household cleaning agents and toiletries.

· Take great care not to overuse pesticides and fertilizers. This will prevent runoffs of the material into nearby water sources.

· By having more plants in your garden you are preventing fertilizer, pesticides and contaminated water from running off into nearby water sources.

Don't throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans. Help clean up any litter you see on beaches or in rivers and lakes, make sure it is safe to collect the litter and put it in a nearby dustbin.

.Noise pollution

.Noise pollution?

The source of most noise worldwide is transportation systems, motor vehicle noise, but also including aircraft noise and rail noise.^[3][1] Poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential area.

Other sources are office equipment, factory machinery, construction work, appliances, power tools, lighting hum and audio entertainment systems.

Noise from recreational vehicles has become a problem. TVs, also known as quads, have increased in popularity and are joining the two wheeled dirt motorcycles for off-road riding. The noise produced by these vehicles is particularly disturbing due to the wide variations in frequency and volume.

Technology to mitigate or remove noise can be applied as follows:

· There are a variety of strategies for mitigating roadway noise including: use of noise barriers, limitation of vehicle speeds, alteration of roadway surface texture, limitation of heavy duty vehicles, use of traffic controls that smooth vehicle flow to reduce braking and acceleration and tire design. An important factor in applying these strategies is a computer model for roadway noise, that is capable of addressing local topography, meteorology, traffic operations and hypothetical mitigation. Costs of building-in mitigation can be modest, provided these solutions are sought in the planning stage of a roadway project.

· Aircraft noise can be reduced to some extent by design of quieter jet engines, which was pursued vigorously in the 1970s and 1980s. This strategy has brought limited but noticeable reduction of urban sound levels. Reconsideration of operations, such as altering flight paths and time of day runway use, have demonstrated benefits for residential populations near airports. FAA sponsored residential retrofit (insulation) programs initiated in the 1970s has also enjoyed success in reducing interior residential noise in thousands of residences across the United States.

· Exposure of workers to Industrial noise has been addressed since the 1930s. Changes include redesign of industrial equipment, shock mounting assemblies and physical barriers in the workplace.

Effects

Adverse air quality can kill many organisms including humans. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, and congestion. Water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day, mostly due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage in developing countries. Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes. Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep disturbance.

What is soil pollution

DEFINITION:
Soil pollution is defined as the build-up in soils of persistent toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on plant growth and animal health.

The wars that hit the earth are probably the immediate cause of soil pollution. Not talking in the sense of how many people died but in that it is through this period that many countries found the necessity to improve their living standards. After the world war two, many countries suffered from food shortage and this facilitated the introduction of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals. Although KNP [ Potassium, Nitrogen, Phosphorus] fertilizers has not led to soil pollution, the application of trace elements has.
Pesticides such as DDT [dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane]a colorless chemical pesticide, which is a potent nerve poison in insects was first widely used to combat diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. It was later used to control and/ or eradicate disease carrying and crop eating insects. DDT was later on discovered to cause endangerment of species in the same food chain as the
controlled insects, particularly birds. DDT prevents the shelling of bird eggs and in humans causes health threats.
In yet another famous war of Vietnam in 1970's was introduced another Chemical substance, which had a more adverse, effect than that of DDT, Dioxin a chemical impurity resulting from the production of the axing 2,4,5T. Dioxin is a toxic chemical and was used as a defoliant by the American army. Dioxin was a major constituent of argent orange, which was applied on trees, which would then fall off reviling enemy camps. After the war it was found that the chemical cause congenital deformalities and mental effects to the children born to the American soldiers and in the area over which it was applied. In minute amount dioxin has the ability to cause cancer,chloracne, miscarriage, and fetal abnormalities.
Glass industries have also been responsible of soil pollution. The glass industries uses Arsenic to eliminate a green color caused by impurities of iron compounds. because arsenic is a violent poison, yet it is widely used and therefore is a frequent contaminant. James Marsh, supplies a simple method for detecting traces of arsenic so minute that they would escape discovery in ordinary analysis. Arsenic is sometimes added to lead to harden it and is also used in the manufacture of such military poison gases as lewisite and Adam site. Until the introduction of penicillin, arsenic was of great importance in the treatment of syphilis. In other medicinal uses, it has been displaced by sulpha drugs or antibiotics. Lead arsenate, calcium arsenate, and Paris green are used extensively as insecticides. Pollution of land by heavy metals is a result of the mining of ores to extract metals such as tin, silver, nickel, lead, iron, chromium and copper. Most of these metals occur naturally as ions in the soils. Though some metals, such as copper, iron, and zinc , are necessary for plant growth. It is the high concentration if these ions that renders the land unsuitable for plant growth. Soil pollution is widely linked to chemical substances but irrigation. is somehow linked to it as well.
CONTROL
Soil pollution has been slightly controlled by putting regulations on the use of DDT and introduction of alternatives to it. However the task of eliminating completely soil pollution is not easy, third some third world countries still utilize pollutants such as DDT as pesticides. Mining cannot be stopped because we are in constant need for mineral ores for different applications.