Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Effects of Water Pollution
There are various effects of water pollution.
- Spread of disease: Drinking polluted water can cause cholera or typhoid infections, along with diarrhea.
- Affects aody organs: The consumption of highly contaminated water can cause injury to the heart and kidneys.
- Harms the food chain: Toxins within water can harm aquatic organisms, thus breaking a link in the food chain.
- Causes algae in water: Urea, animal manure and vegetable peelings are food for algae. Algae grow according to how much waste is in a water source. Bacteria feed off the algae, decreasing the amount of oxygen in the water. The decreased oxygen causes harm to other organisms living in the water.
- Flooding: The erosion of soil into waterways causes flooding, especially with heavy rainfall.
- Harms animals: Birds that get into oil-contaminated water die from exposure to cold water and air due to feather damage. Other animals are affected when they eat dead fish in contaminated streams.
The effects of water pollution are not always immediate. They are not always seen at the point of contamination. They are sometimes never known by the person responsible for the pollution. However, water pollution has a huge impact on our lives. With knowledge, consideration and preparation, water pollution can be decreased. It doesn't take much effort -- just a little thought.
Major Air Pollutants & their Impacts
• Suspended Particulate Matter
This is a mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air. Suspended particulates are seen as dust, smoke, and haze which can make breathing difficult, especially for people with chronic respiratory problems.• Volatile OrganicCompounds (VOCs)VOCs include gasoline, paint solvents, and organic cleaning solutions. They evaporate and enter the air as vapour, and as molecules resulting from the incomplete burning of fuels and wastes.
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
One source of carbon monoxide is vehicle emissions. This is an invisible, odourless gas that is highly toxic to air-breathing animals because it interferes with the blood's ability to transport oxygen. Even low levels can start or increase damage to the heart in individuals with artery or heart problems. At medium concentrations, carbon monoxide causes headaches and fatigue. As the concentration increases, reflexes slow down and drowsiness occurs. At high levels carbon monoxide causes death. People at greatest risk from carbon monoxide include pregnant women, infants, and those with heart or respiratory diseases.
• Nitrogen Oxides (NOX)
Nitrogen Oxides are lung irritants that can lead to acute respiratory diseases in children. They may also cause over-sensitivity to pollen and dust in people suffering from asthma.
•Sulphur Oxides (SOX)
Sulphur Dioxide is converted to sulphuric acid in the atmosphere. It can be poisonous to both plants and animals. Like particulates, sulphur dioxide irritates the respiratory tract, causing airways to close, and interfering with the lungs. Children and the elderly are especially sensitive to sulphur dioxide, as are people suffering from asthma and emphysema.• Lead & other heavy metalsLead is dangerous, even at low concentrations and can lead to reduced intelligence in children, brain damage and death. It accumulates in the body and damages body tissue.
• Ground Level Ozone
Ozone in the upper atmosphere shields us from ultraviolet radiation. However on ground level, it is highly toxic to both plants and animals as it can damage lungs. It can bring on coughing, asthma attacks and lower the immune system.
• Fuel wood
Indoor air pollution is caused by the burning of fuel-wood and dung for cooking, and can cause suffocation.
This is a mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air. Suspended particulates are seen as dust, smoke, and haze which can make breathing difficult, especially for people with chronic respiratory problems.• Volatile OrganicCompounds (VOCs)VOCs include gasoline, paint solvents, and organic cleaning solutions. They evaporate and enter the air as vapour, and as molecules resulting from the incomplete burning of fuels and wastes.
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
One source of carbon monoxide is vehicle emissions. This is an invisible, odourless gas that is highly toxic to air-breathing animals because it interferes with the blood's ability to transport oxygen. Even low levels can start or increase damage to the heart in individuals with artery or heart problems. At medium concentrations, carbon monoxide causes headaches and fatigue. As the concentration increases, reflexes slow down and drowsiness occurs. At high levels carbon monoxide causes death. People at greatest risk from carbon monoxide include pregnant women, infants, and those with heart or respiratory diseases.
• Nitrogen Oxides (NOX)
Nitrogen Oxides are lung irritants that can lead to acute respiratory diseases in children. They may also cause over-sensitivity to pollen and dust in people suffering from asthma.
•Sulphur Oxides (SOX)
Sulphur Dioxide is converted to sulphuric acid in the atmosphere. It can be poisonous to both plants and animals. Like particulates, sulphur dioxide irritates the respiratory tract, causing airways to close, and interfering with the lungs. Children and the elderly are especially sensitive to sulphur dioxide, as are people suffering from asthma and emphysema.• Lead & other heavy metalsLead is dangerous, even at low concentrations and can lead to reduced intelligence in children, brain damage and death. It accumulates in the body and damages body tissue.
• Ground Level Ozone
Ozone in the upper atmosphere shields us from ultraviolet radiation. However on ground level, it is highly toxic to both plants and animals as it can damage lungs. It can bring on coughing, asthma attacks and lower the immune system.
• Fuel wood
Indoor air pollution is caused by the burning of fuel-wood and dung for cooking, and can cause suffocation.
Ways Water is Polluted
Industry
There are three main ways that industries contribute to water pollution. They pollute by disposing of waste directly into waterways, emitting toxic gases that cause acid rain and changing the temperature of water with their disposals into waterways.
Direct disposal of waste into natural waterways causes waste to build up within the water. A pungent odor is the result. Additionally, this waste decreases the amount of oxygen in water, causing the death of aquatic animals or other organisms.
The emission of toxic fumes into the air causes acid rain. When the acid rain falls, it contaminates local natural waterways including streams, rivers and lakes. This causes the death of many aquatic animals. Other animals drinking the water may become ill and die, too.
Thermal pollution occurs when water used to cool hot machinery is released into waterways and the temperature of the water is drastically increased. This temperature change may cause aquatic life to die and numbers to be reduced. Additionally, such a temperature increase decreases the amount of oxygen in water, causing more of a chance of death to organisms.
Agriculture
It's common for farmers to use fertilizers and other chemicals on their crops to help them grow. However, these chemicals and nutrients added to the soil can soak into the underground water supplies. Additionally, when it rains, these chemicals join the run-off water and flow into streams, rivers and lakes, thus polluting them. Even just the sediments of dirt, without any chemicals, are pollutants in the fact that they cause the waterways to become cloudy and muddy.
Homes
Households are a leading cause of water pollution by the trash they create. Even if taken to landfills, often this trash finds its way to natural waterways. Human waste, disposed of typically by sewers, pollute water. Any time a septic system is not installed properly or bursts beneath the ground, the underground water supply may be polluted. Oils and anti-freeze leaked from vehicles pollute water
There are three main ways that industries contribute to water pollution. They pollute by disposing of waste directly into waterways, emitting toxic gases that cause acid rain and changing the temperature of water with their disposals into waterways.
Direct disposal of waste into natural waterways causes waste to build up within the water. A pungent odor is the result. Additionally, this waste decreases the amount of oxygen in water, causing the death of aquatic animals or other organisms.
The emission of toxic fumes into the air causes acid rain. When the acid rain falls, it contaminates local natural waterways including streams, rivers and lakes. This causes the death of many aquatic animals. Other animals drinking the water may become ill and die, too.
Thermal pollution occurs when water used to cool hot machinery is released into waterways and the temperature of the water is drastically increased. This temperature change may cause aquatic life to die and numbers to be reduced. Additionally, such a temperature increase decreases the amount of oxygen in water, causing more of a chance of death to organisms.
Agriculture
It's common for farmers to use fertilizers and other chemicals on their crops to help them grow. However, these chemicals and nutrients added to the soil can soak into the underground water supplies. Additionally, when it rains, these chemicals join the run-off water and flow into streams, rivers and lakes, thus polluting them. Even just the sediments of dirt, without any chemicals, are pollutants in the fact that they cause the waterways to become cloudy and muddy.
Homes
Households are a leading cause of water pollution by the trash they create. Even if taken to landfills, often this trash finds its way to natural waterways. Human waste, disposed of typically by sewers, pollute water. Any time a septic system is not installed properly or bursts beneath the ground, the underground water supply may be polluted. Oils and anti-freeze leaked from vehicles pollute water
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)