ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION: What You Need To Know
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| Polluted water analysis |
What is environmental pollution?
first,
we define the term ''Pollution" as any substance, whether organic or
inorganic that when released into the environment can have some damaging
effects on the living organisms present in that particular environment.
Environmental pollution is a common occurrence and has existed for
centuries but only started to be significant following the industrial
revolution in the 19th century.Environmental Pollution occurs
when the natural environment cannot destroy an element without creating
harm or damage to itself. Human's activities play a major role in
environmental pollution, which includes; improper waste disposal,
industrial waste emission, radioactive emission etc.
Environmental Pollution occurs in different forms; air, water, soil, radioactive, noise, heat/ thermal and light.
How does Environmental Pollution occur?
- Industrial
activities: industries has being the major contributors of
environmental pollution especially since the beginning of the industrial
revolution. starting from the pall of smoke, industrial effluents and
the fall-out of scientific experiments became constant health hazards,
polluting and contaminating both air and water. The improper disposal of
industrial wastes are the sources of soil and water pollution. Chemical
waste resulting from industry can pollute lakes, rivers and seas and
soil too as well as releasing fumes.
Air Pollution
- Combustion
of fossil fuels: The combustion of fossil fuels pollutes the air, the
soil and the water with noxious gases such as carbon monoxide(CO)
and carbon(iv)oxide(CO2). vehicles using petrol and diesel and the
cooking coal emits harmful gases such as carbon monoxide(CO) and
carbon(iv)oxide(CO2) into the environment.
- Agricultural
waste: Fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture are key causes of
environmental pollution. during raining season, the fertilizer used in
farming might be washed down to the nearest stream resulting a water
pollution.
- Dumping
solid waste: Household and commercial waste pollutes the environment
when not disposed of properly. Solid waste is divided into two;
biodegradable and non-biodegradable. biodegradable decays with time and
if not properly disposed emits some chemical substance of which can be
harmful or irritating to humans.
- Trading
Activities: Trading activities including the production and exchange of
goods and services. Concerning goods, pollution can be caused by
packaging (which often involves the use of plastic, which is made from
fossil fuels) or transport, mainly.
Effects of environmental pollution
Environmental pollution has numerous effects on both plant, animal and human being.
Effects on Humans: environmental
pollution on humans are often physical, but can also cause internal
body system damage. it can cause respiratory disorder, cancer,
irritation of the eyes, brain damage, death etc. Notably, these well
spread affections can be observed when air pollution is
high in cities, when the weather gets hot, for instance. Other, rarer,
diseases include hepatitis, typhoid affections, diarrhoea and hormonal
disruptions.
Effects on Animals: it affects the animals by contaminating there environments and poison their food and water source. Acid rains can
change the composition of rivers and seas, making them toxic for
fishes, an important quantity of ozone in the lower parts of the
atmosphere can cause lung problems to all animals. Nitrogen and
phosphates in water will cause overgrowth of toxic algae, preventing
other forms of life to follow their normal course. Eventually, soil
pollution will cause harm and sometimes even the destruction of
microorganisms, which can have the dramatic effect of killing the first
layers of the primary food chain.
Effects on Plants: As
for animals, plants, and especially trees, can be destroyed by acid
rains (and this will also have a negative effect on animals as well, as
their natural environment will be modified), ozone in the lower
atmosphere block the plant respiration, and harmful pollutants can be
absorbed from the water or soil.
Conclusion/Advice
Environmental
pollution has being know to be very harmful to live and the
environment. it's one of the major cause of death to man and other
animal. so it's very important to pay proper attention to our
environment, and minimize our daily activities that tend to pollute our
environment.
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