Pollution

There are different types of pollution such as land, water, air, noise, radioactive and thermal. Pollution can be caused by man or by the natural environment such as haze and volcanic eruptions. We are now going to analyse each type of pollution: their causes, consequences and actions.

Water pollution
“Water Pollution” is the type of pollution that involves the contamination of various water bodies.
--Causes--

• Industrial waste gets dumped into these water bodies. This causes a chemical imbalance in the water leading to death of the aquatic beings.
• Insecticides, pesticides and ripening chemicals that are used on plants run into the ground water system or nearby streams.
• Washing clothes near lakes and rivers causes detergents also causes a condition called “Eutrophication” which blocks sunlight from entering inside and reduces oxygen values in the water causing an inhabitable environment.
• ‘Oil Spills’ are caused when giant oil tankers and oil rigs which are present in the oceans are damaged by either natural or human errors cause a long-time damage to the ocean as oil is lighter than water and floats on water forming a layer blocking sunlight.
• Certain natural disasters like flash floods and hurricanes cause the intermixing of water with harmful substances on the land.

--Effects--

• Effects on Ecosystem
• Water pollution has effects on both physical and chemical properties of water leading to hazardous effects on the dependent lifeforms in water.
• Different species living in water can get killed due to water pollution disrupting the entire ecosystem.
• Loss of any of the species can cause domino effect on other dependant species as well.
• The marine life also gets hampered due to the dumping of toxic effluents into the water.
• Aerobic algae multiplication due to the dumping of organic matter further results in lowering the oxygen levels leading to the death of aquatic beings.
• Effects on Human Life

• Consequences of water pollution

  can also affect human life to a great extent.
• Water pollution can cause certain waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, and jaundice.
• These can be caused due to the dumping of human wastes and sewage water.
• It also causes a few other effects on blood circulation, nervous system and sometimes cancer as well.
• Drinking contaminated water for longer period of time can damage the liver and kidneys of a person.
• Toxic water can result in causing skin disorders, ulcers, tumors etc.
• Make sure that you drink purified water in order to avoid the above mentioned infections and diseases.

--Actions--

Toxic products like paints, automobile oil, polishes, and cleaning products should be stored and disposed off properly. As a matter of fact, it is better to use non-toxic, products for the house as far as possible. Also, never dispose off such products by throwing them into your toilet or sink.
Dispose off your trash in a proper manner and try and incorporate the recycling habit as far as possible. Non-degradable products like tampons, sanitary napkins, and diapers should not be flushed down the toilet, for these can end up damaging the process of sewage treatment, and usually end up as litter on beaches.
Refrain from throwing litter into streams, lakes, rivers, or seas. If you do spot litter on beaches or in water systems, after ascertaining that it is safe, collect them and dispose them off in any nearby waste disposal system.
Try using environmentally friendly household products like toiletries, soap-based household cleaning material, and washing powder as far as possible.
Try using natural fertilizers and pesticides as far as possible, or if not, do not overuse them or over-water gardens and lawns. This will help in reducing the pollutants that get into water systems due to runoffs.
Automobile oil should be re-used as far as possible. Also, it is important to keep your automobile well maintained in order to prevent leakages of toxic fluids like antifreeze and oil.
Also, actively conserve water by turning the tap off when you do not need running water, such as while brushing teeth. Apart from preventing water shortages, it lessens the amount of water that needs to be treated.
Do not use colored bathing bars. They are known to contribute more to water pollution.
Avoid buying packaged water as far as possible. The best policy to adopt is to carry a bottle of water when you step out of the house. You can carry one big bottle per head. This has two advantages: you eliminate your contribution to pollution related to plastic bottles, and you save money!

Air pollution

The contamination of the air present in the atmosphere is known as “Air pollution”

--causes--

• Partially combusted exhaust gases released from internal combustion engines add poisonous gases into the atmosphere.
• Certain industries release some gases like sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide which mix with the air and clouds and cause acid rains.
• Burning of discarded plastic, wood and rubber also release carcinogenic gases into the atmosphere.

--effects--

Acidification:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds which can cause harm to vegetation and buildings. Sometimes, when an air pollutant, such as sulfuric acid combines with the water droplets that make up clouds, the water droplets become acidic, forming acid rain. When acid rain falls over an area, it can kill trees and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife.


Acid rain destroys the leaves of plants.
When acid rain infiltrates into soils, it changes the chemistry of the soil making it unfit for many living things that rely on soil as a habitat or for nutrition. Acid rain also changes the chemistry of the lakes and streams that the rainwater flows into, harming fish and other aquatic life.

Eutrophication:
Rain can carry and deposit the Nitrogen in some pollutants on rivers and soils. This will adversely affect the nutrients in the soil and water bodies. This can result in algae growth in lakes and water bodies, and make conditions for other living organism harmful.

Ground-level ozone:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants create a poisonous gas ozone (O3). Gas Ozone can affect people’s health and can damage vegetation types and some animal life too.

Particulate matter:
Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmful to our health. The level of effect usually depends on the length of time of exposure, as well the kind and concentration of chemicals and particles exposed to. Short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Others include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema. 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. 

--actions--

• Conserve energy - turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
• Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions.)
• Choose efficient, low-polluting models of vehicles.
• Choose products that have less packaging and are reusable.
• Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
• Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.
• use enery efficient electrical appliances

Land pollution

Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's land surfaces often caused by human activities and their misuse of land resources

--causes--

Waste dumping at landfills and other sites

construction activities

Deforestation and soil erosion

Agricultural activities

mining activities

--effects--

Contaminated lands and environments can:
Cause problems in the human respiratory system.
Cause problems on the skin.
Cause various kinds of cancers.

The toxic materials that pollute the soil can get
into the human body directly by:
Coming into contact with the skin.
Being washed into water sources like reservoirs and rivers.
Eating fruits and vegetables that have been grown in polluted soil.
Breathing in polluted dust or particles.

Dump sites and landfills also come with serious problems like
Very bad smell and odour in the town.
Landfills breed rodents like rats, mice and insects, who in-turn transmit diseases.
Landfills in towns do not attract tourists to the town. The town will loose revenue.
Many landfills are always burning and they cause further air pollution.
--Actions--
Reduce toxic materials.
Recycle waste materials
Buy organics products, especially organic cleaners, pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers.
Avoid littering
People should be educated and made aware about the harmful effects of littering. Discuss with friends and family and talk about it.


Reuse any items that you can. Items like clothing, bottles, wrapping paper and shopping bags can be used over and over again, rather than buying new things.

The greatest prevention to land pollution is in the three ‘R's’ … 
Reduce Waste, Re-use things and
Recycle things. This is true even for governments. They can also use the three ‘R’ rule to minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. After the three 'R's, remember to turn the rest of the garbge into compost.

Personal litter should be disposed properly. We can separate household waste at home for recycling. More than half of our household waste could be recycled or re-used but once it is mixed up, it becomes more difficult to separate different components for recycling. This is also true for waste we make at school or hospitals.

Buy biodegradable products.

Store all liquid chemicals and waste in spill-proof containers.

Buy products that have little packaging.


Governments can also ensure that there are incentives for people to recycle and re-use things. 

Sources: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ways-to-prevent-water-pollution.html

              http://readanddigest.com/what-are-different-types-of-pollution/

              http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/air-pollution/effects-of-air-pollution.html

              http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/reduce.html

             infactcollaborative.com 

             www.deepgreenresistance.org

             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution

             http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/cause-of-land-pollution.html

            http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/land-pollution/effects-of-land-pollution.html

            http://www.ehow.com/how_5305404_prevent-land-pollution.html

            http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/land-pollution/prevention-of-land-pollution.html