Environmental Pollution

Pollution

• Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.
• Pollutants can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants.
• Pollution can muddy landscapes, poison soils and waterways, or kill plants and animals.
• Humans are also regularly harmed by pollution, leading to chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, and other diseases.

Types & Causes of Pollution

Air Pollution

• Air pollution is the most prominent and dangerous form of pollution.
• It occurs due to excessive burning of fuel for cooking, driving, and other industrial activities.
• Smoke from chimneys, factories, vehicles, or burning of wood releases sulphur dioxide into the air, making it toxic.
• Effects of air pollution include global warming, acid rain, increased temperatures, erratic rains, and droughts.
• Air pollution causes asthma and cancer in the lungs.

Water Pollution

• Water pollution has taken a toll on all surviving species of the earth, with almost 60% of species living in water bodies.
• It occurs due to industrial wastes dumped into rivers and other water bodies, causing an imbalance in the water and death of aquatic species.
• Spraying insecticides and pesticides on plants pollutes the groundwater system, and oil spills in the oceans have caused irreparable damage to water bodies.
• Eutrophication occurs due to daily activities like washing clothes and utensils near lakes, ponds, or rivers, blocking sunlight and reducing oxygen.
• Water pollution harms aquatic beings and contaminates the entire food chain, affecting humans.

Soil Pollution

• Soil pollution occurs due to incorporation of unwanted chemicals in the soil due to human activities like insecticides and pesticides.
• Release of industrial waste, mining, and deforestation also exploit the soil.
• Soil pollution makes it unfit for plants, leading to soil erosion.

Noise Pollution

• Noise pollution is caused when noise affects our ears and leads to psychological problems like stress, hypertension, and hearing impairment.
• It is caused by machines in industries, loud music, and other sources.

Pesticides

• Pesticides are a group of chemical compounds used for the elimination or control of pests.
• Insecticides are a type of pesticide used to kill insects, including ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae.
• Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, as well as organochlorine insecticides, are major classes of insecticides.
• Rotenone is a type of insecticide used to kill insects and fish, and also to treat scabies and head lice on humans and parasitic mites on chickens.