Air pollution harms the environment by allowing toxins to enter the water system. From there, these pollutants enter streams and rivers when rainfalls, harming fish and damaging ecosystems in these environments. Finally, many air pollutants such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons and halons are depleting the ozone layer.
Why is it important to protect the environment from pollution?
Why should we protect the environment justify answer? A clean environment is essential for healthy living. Air pollution can cause respiratory diseases and cancer, among other problems and diseases. Water pollution can lead to typhoid, diarrheal diseases, and other water-related diseases. Therefore we should keep our environment clean and ...
Why the smoking ban is bad for the environment?
This can be hazardous to the environment, but the biggest issue is the risks to workers on tobacco farms. This can be mitigated with strong regulations, but tobacco is often grown in countries with very few controls to protect workers. However, the biggest impact of smoking on the environment is deforestation.
Why is garbage so bad for the environment?
The Effects of Garbage on Our Environment. Garbage is very harmful to our environment. It poses dangerous risks to our land water, and air. Landfills overfilling with garbage destroy profitable land, and take many years to regain the nutrients and the land destroyed. Sewage water poured into oceans poison fish and other marine wildlife.
Why are pipeline systems bad for the environment?
Why is the Keystone pipeline bad for the environment? No matter how you look at it, Keystone XL would be bad for wildlife, especially endangered species. Many imperiled species live along the proposed pipeline’s path and in areas where tar-sands oil is produced. If the pipeline were built, it would decimate habitat these species rely on.
What are the 5 effects of pollution?
Effects of Air PollutionCoughing.Wheezing/difficulty breathing.Irritation to eyes, nose, and throat.Headache.Dizziness.Fatigue.
What are bad effects of pollution on environment and lives?
Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. It increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer. Both short and long term exposure to air pollutants have been associated with health impacts.
Why air pollution is a problem?
Air pollution causes damage to crops, animals, forests, and bodies of water. It also contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from the sun's UV rays. Another negative effect of air pollution is the formation of acid rain, which harms trees, soils, rivers, and wildlife.
What are 10 effects of pollution?
But generally, the impact of air pollution ranges from: Increased risk of respiratory illness and cardiovascular problems. Increased risk of skin diseases. May increase the risk of cancer....Air PollutionBurning fossil fuels.Mining operations.Exhaust gases from industries and factories.
What is pollution and its effects?
Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land.
Who is affected by pollution?
People with lung diseases, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Infants and young children. People who work or exercise outdoors. Adults over 65.
How did the pollution start?
First it was wood fires in ancient homes, the effects of which have been found in the blackened lungs of mummified tissue from Egypt, Peru and Great Britain. And the Romans earn the dubious credit of being perhaps the first to spew metallic pollutants into the air, long before the Industrial Revolution.
Is pollution the most serious problem?
Climate change → Air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to health of our time, and climate change is the greatest public health threat of the 21st century. Burning fossil fuels is the primary source of both climate-warming emissions and health-damaging air pollution.
What are four effects of pollution on life?
Effects of Air Pollution High levels of air pollution can cause an increased risk of heart attack, wheezing, coughing, and breathing problems, and irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Air pollution can also cause worsening of existing heart problems, asthma, and other lung complications.
What are the good and bad effects of pollution?
Air pollution also increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer, and more severely affects people who are already ill. Children, the elderly, and people in low-income neighborhoods experience disproportionate health effects from air pollution.
What are the 10 causes of environmental pollution?
We have listed 10 common air pollution causes along with the effects that have serious implications for your health on a daily basis.The Burning of Fossil Fuels. ... Industrial Emission. ... Indoor Air Pollution. ... Wildfires. ... Microbial Decaying Process. ... Transportation. ... Open Burning of Garbage Waste. ... Construction and Demolition.More items...•
We believe in Compassionate Humanity
Pure water, meaning distilled water or deionised water, has the value of pH7 whereas water from rainfall is between 5 and 5.5, which is slightly acidic. Rainwater will become much more acidic when it is mixed with certain air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
About the Author
Currently an undergraduate of European Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University and about to pursue a master’s degree in Political Science at Sciences Po Lyon, Tin Lok is interested in researching environmental issues from a relatively conservative perspective, hoping to incorporate the voices of everybody on the political spectrum into the debate..
What are the health effects of pollution?
In addition, environmental pollution may cause several health complications, such as respiratory diseases, heart problems and cancer. Human Health Air pollution results in decreased air quality due to the introduction of harmful particles in the atmosphere.
How does air pollution affect the environment?
Environmental Degradation Air pollution leads to the introduction of toxic gasses, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, to the atmosphere. These gasses results in the formation of acid rain. Acid rain has devastating effects on plants, animals and marine wildlife. In addition, air pollution may lead to the formation of smog. Smog reduces penetration of sunlight to the ground surface hence limiting plant photosynthesis.
Why are infertile land unsuitable for agriculture?
Infertile Lands Improper waste disposal may render land unsuitable for agricultural use. The deposition of chemical wastes in landfills and open dumpsites results in soil infertility. In addition, constant use of farm pesticides and herbicides not only affect the soil structure but also leads to loss of soil fertility. Plants grown on polluted soils are unsuitable for human consumption since toxins in the soil may find their way up the food chain hence may cause harm to human beings.
What are the effects of pollution on humans?
The exposure of human beings to contaminated water may result in skin irritation and rashes. In addition, polluted water may contain harmful chemicals, such as mercury and lead, which have profound long-term effects on human health. Furthermore, noise pollution has severe health effects on both human beings and animals.
What are the consequences of oil spills?
Moreover, water pollution through oil spills and improper disposal of industrial wastes may lead to loss of marine wildlife. This has serious consequences on the natural balance of the marine ecosystem. Infertile Lands Improper waste disposal may render land unsuitable for agricultural use.
How does noise pollution affect humans?
Long-term exposure to high noise levels may cause hearing loss, stress or even disturbance of sleep.
Is nuclear waste a problem?
Radioactive wastes from nuclear power plants may render a given area unfit for habitation and farming . These radioactive wastes are hazardous to both plant and animal life hence lands with such wastes cannot be economically utilized.
How do pollutants affect the environment?
Pollutants also endanger many plant and animal species. Effects of Air Pollution. Greenhouse gases, like fossil fuels released by vehicles and factories, and methane, released by livestock, contribute to air pollution and add to climate change by raising the earth's temperature.
What are the effects of soil pollution?
Soil polluted by chemicals eventually becomes infertile and unable to support crops and other plant life. This hinders food production and can lead to malnourishment in local communities. If soil pollutants produce contaminated food, anyone who eats it may become ill. Toxic soil may also cause illness through skin contact or inhalation.
How does soil pollution affect food production?
This hinders food production and can lead to malnourishment in local communities. If soil pollutants produce contaminated food, anyone who eats it may become ill. Toxic soil may also cause illness through skin contact or inhalation. Effects of Water Pollution.
How many animals died in the 2010 BP oil spill?
When water is poisoned, many animals die. Six months after the 2010 BP oil spill, which affected 16,000 miles of U.S. coastline, over 8,000 animals were reported dead.
What are the effects of sewage overflow on humans?
Drinking contaminated water caused by sewage overflow may cause sickness and digestive problems in humans.
Why is it important to learn about pollution?
Knowledge is power, so learning about the effects of pollution is crucial to make changes for the better.
How many plants are on the brink of extinction?
One Million Plants and Animals Are On the Brink of Extinction, and You Can Probably Guess Who's to Blame
Why is noise pollution bad?
Usually, noise pollution is caused by construction or nearby transportation facilities, such as airports. Noise pollution is unpleasant, and can be dangerous. Some songbirds, such as robins, are unable to communicate or find food in the presence of heavy noise pollution.
What is the definition of pollution?
Vocabulary. Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutant s. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land.
How does mining affect water?
Mining and drilling can also contribute to water pollution . Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a major contributor to pollution of rivers and streams near coal mines. Acid helps miners remove coal from the surrounding rocks. The acid is washed into streams and rivers, where it reacts with rock s and sand.
What gas can kill nearby residents?
Volcanic gas es, such as sulfur dioxide, can kill nearby residents and make the soil infertile for years. Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy, famously erupted in 79, killing hundreds of residents of the nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
How big was the oil spill?
The spill produced large plume s of oil under the sea and an oil slick on the surface as large as 24,000 square kilometers (9,100 square miles). The oil slick coated wetland s in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi, killing marsh plants and aquatic organisms such as crabs and fish.
Which state naturally emits gases such as methane?
place in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of California that naturally emits gases such as methane; a seep field.
Can wind cause acid rain?
Wind often carries acid rain far from the pollution source. Pollutants produced by factories and power plants in Spain can fall as acid rain in Norway. Acid rain can kill all the trees in a forest. It can also devastate lake s, stream s, and other waterways. When lakes become acidic, fish can’t survive.
How does pollution affect climate?
Essentially, these gases form a veil around the planet which holds heat in, increasing the overall temperature of the planet. The rise in planetary temperature, or global warming, is not immediately noticeable.
What is environmental pollution?
Environmental pollution is one the greatest challenges that the world is facing today. It began since industrial revolution, increasing day by day and causing irreparable damage to Mother Earth. Environmental pollution has its own causes, effects and solutions. Looking into these will help you identify the causes and what steps you can take ...
Why is water pollution important?
Many industries dump wastes into rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams in an attempt to hide wastes from EPA inspectors. These water sources feed major crops and food becomes contaminated with a variety of chemicals and bacteria, causing rampant health problems .
Why is dropping pollen counts important?
Dropping pollen counts is a major focus for EPA and CDC activities. Asthma and other allergic conditions are flooding medical care facilities and pharmaceutical companies with serious public health problems. The response has been swift and various methods to control emissions and reduce pollen counts are in the works. Children and elderly people are at the highest risk for environmental pollution related health problems. The good news is we are directly on the horizon to cut down the causes and risks while providing practical health solutions for the general public throughout the world.
Why do industries dump waste into rivers?
Many industries dump wastes into rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams in an attempt to hide wastes from EPA inspectors. These water sources feed major crops and food becomes contaminated with a variety of chemicals and bacteria, causing rampant health problems. Radiation comes into play as well.
How is gas pollution mitigated?
Gas emission pollution is being mitigated in a variety of ways with car emission control, electric and hybrid vehicles and public transportation systems. Not all major cities have successful implementation and decent public transportation in place, but the world is working on this issue constantly and we have managed to reduce emissions profoundly over the last decade. There is much catching up to do.
What is the result of fossil fuel combustion combined with sunlight and heat?
Fossil fuel emissions from power plants which burn coal as fuel contributed heavily, along with vehicles burning fossil fuels, to the production of smog. Smog is the result of fossil fuel combustion combined with sunlight and heat. The result is a toxic gas which now surrounds our once pristine planet. This is known as “ozone smog” and means we have more problems down here than we do in the sky.
How does air pollution affect the environment?
Effects of Air Pollution. Air pollution affects all things. It is harmful to our health, and it impacts the environment - reducing visibility and blocking sunlight, causing acid rain, and harming forests, wildlife, and agriculture. Greenhouse gas pollution, the cause of climate change, affects the entire planet.
What are the effects of air pollution?
Check the current air quality in your area to determine if you should take precautions such as reducing or avoiding outdoor activity. Short term exposure to air pollution can cause: Long term exposure to air pollution can cause: Coughing. Wheezing/Difficulty breathing. Irritation to eyes, nose, and throat. Headache.
How does chlorine destroy ozone?
Releasing chlorine atoms into the atmosphere destroys ozone. A single chlorine atom can destroy thousands of ozone molecules. The ozone layer blocks harmful UVB radiation from the Sun- it protects us in a way that is similar to putting sunscreen on your skin to prevent sunburn.
How does ozone affect plants?
Ozone pollution harms plants by damaging structures called stomata, which are tiny pores on the underside of leaves that allow the plant to "breathe.". Some types of plants can protect themselves by temporarily closing their stomata or producing antioxidants, but others are particularly sensitive to damage.
Why is it so hard to breathe?
Ground-level ozone causes muscles in the lungs to contract, making it difficult to breathe. Exposure to high ozone levels can cause sore throat, coughing, lung inflammation, and permanent lung damage. Ozone pollution affects our lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Credit: UCAR.
What causes acid rain?
Burning fossil fuels releases sulfur and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Acid rain forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide mix with water droplets in the atmosphere to make sulfuric acid and nitric acid.
How many people die from air pollution?
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated seven million people die each year from air pollution. More than 4,000 people died in just a few months due to a severe smog event that occurred in London in 1952. Ground-level ozone causes muscles in the lungs to contract, making it difficult to breathe. Exposure to high ozone levels can cause sore throat, coughing, lung inflammation, and permanent lung damage.
How does waste affect the environment?
All together, the amount of waste generated affects the environment in multiple ways: its contribution to the worsening climate crisis, its negative impact on wildlife and the natural environment, and its detriment to our very own public health.
How does global waste affect ecosystems?
Simply put, it affects the people who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods.
How does trash affect human health?
Human health is at risk through our inaction. We keep producing large amounts of trash, we do not dispose of it correctly, and in the end that will be our downfall as it is for the environment and wildlife in the ecosystems we all share. We cannot prevent or promote longevity with how we treat our Earth. The more emissions that we produce due to how much trash we generate, affects us long term. One can develop diseases such as asthma, birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular disease, childhood cancer, COPD, infectious diseases, low birth weight, and preterm delivery. Bacteria, vermin and insects can also be added to the problem that trash causes.
What diseases can trash cause?
One can develop diseases such as asthma, birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular disease, childhood cancer, COPD, infectious diseases, low birth weight, and preterm delivery. Bacteria, vermin and insects can also be added to the problem that trash causes. Austin Downs is the coordinator for the Great Global Cleanup.
What is the waste that is not biodegradable?
Waste that is not biodegradable and cannot be properly be recycled is filling our oceans and landfills. Let’s take plastic waste as an example. A recent study found that of the 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste that has been produced, only 9% of that plastic waste had been recycled.
Where does most of the pollution come from?
Most environmental pollution on Earth comes from humans and their inventions. Take, for example, the automobile or that miraculous human-made material, plastic. Today, automobile emissions are a major source of air pollution contributing to climate change, and plastics fill our ocean, creating a significant health hazard to marine animals.
Where is light pollution?
Available online for viewing, the atlas shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. Vast areas of North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are glowing with light, while only the most remote regions on Earth (Siberia, the Sahara, and the Amazon) are in total darkness. Some of the most light-polluted countries in the world are Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait.
What percentage of the world's population lives under the sky glow?
Astronomer s are particularly concerned with sky glow pollution as it reduces their ability to view celestial objects. More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, live under sky glow.
How does artificial lighting affect birds?
A study of blackbirds ( Turdus merula) in Germany found that traffic noise and artificial night lighting causes birds in the city to become active earlier than birds in natural areas—waking and singing as much as five hours sooner than their country cousins. Even animals living under the sea may be affected by underwater artificial lighting. One study looked at how marine animals responded to brightly lit panels submerged under water off the coast of Wales. Fewer filter feeding animals, such as the sea squirt and sea bristle, made their homes near the lighted panels. This could mean that the light from oil rigs, passing ships, and harbors is altering marine ecosystem s.
Why do sea turtles die?
Because of light pollution, sea turtles and birds guided by moonlight during migration get confused, lose their way, and often die. Large numbers of insects, a primary food source for birds and other animals, are drawn to artificial lights and are instantly killed upon contact with light sources.
Which countries are light pollution?
Some of the most light-polluted countries in the world are Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait.
Is electric light good for the environment?
However, like carbon dioxide emissions and plastic, too much of a good thing has started to negatively impact the environment.
What are the environmental concerns about fracking?
Environmentalists expressed unfounded concerns about fracking, but they need to be worried about replacing fossil fuels in the transportation and electric generating sector with electric vehicles and renewable energy where lithium, cobalt and other critical metals are needed to produce these technologies.
What are the environmental impacts of lithium batteries?
The Environmental Impact of Lithium Batteries. During the Obama-Biden administration, hydraulic fracturing was accused of causing a number of environmental problems—faucets on fire, contamination of drinking water, etc.—but the administration’s own Environmental Protection Agency could not validate those accusations .
Why are MP3 players disposed of in landfills?
Unwanted MP3 players and laptops often end up in landfills, where metals from the electrodes and ionic fluids from the electrolyte can leak into the environment. Because lithium cathodes degrade over time, they cannot be placed into new batteries.
Why is it harder to recycle batteries?
Because manufacturers are secretive about what goes into their batteries, it makes it harder to recycle them properly. Currently, recovered cells are usually shredded, creating a mixture of metal that can then be separated using pyrometallurgical techniques—burning—which wastes a lot of the lithium.
Is lithium mining harmful?
Mining and processing of lithium, however, turns out to be far more environmentally harmful than what turned out to be the unfounded issues with fracking. In May 2016, dead fish were found in the waters of the Liqi River, where a toxic chemical leaked from the Ganzizhou Rongda Lithium mine.
Does mining contaminate water?
Mining, processing, and disposing of these metals can contaminate the drinking water, land and environment if done improperly as seen from several examples. And, since China dominates the global market, it just switches what once was U.S. reliance on the Middle East to U.S. reliance on the People’s Republic.
Does lithium affect the soil?
Lithium extraction harms the soil and causes air contamination . In Argentina’s Salar de Hombre Muerto, residents believe that lithium operations contaminated streams used by humans and livestock and for crop irrigation. In Chile, the landscape is marred by mountains of discarded salt and canals filled with contaminated water with an unnatural blue ...
Introduction
Environment
- Pollution is a global problem. Although urban areas are usually more polluted than the countryside, pollution can spread to remote places where no people live. For example, pesticides and other chemicals have been found in the Antarctic ice sheet. In the middle of the northern Pacific Ocean, a huge collection of microscopic plastic particles forms what is known as the Gre…
Safety
- Polluted air can be dangerous, even if the pollutants are invisible. It can make peoples eyes burn and make them have difficulty breathing. It can also increase the risk of lung cancer.
Appearance
- Acid rain also wears away marble and other kinds of stone. It has erased the words on gravestones and damaged many historic buildings and monuments. The Taj Mahal, in Agra, India, was once gleaming white. Years of exposure to acid rain has left it pale.
Prevention
- Governments have tried to prevent acid rain by limiting the amount of pollutants released into the air. In Europe and North America, they have had some success, but acid rain remains a major problem in the developing world, especially Asia.
Wildlife
- The change in average temperatures is already shrinking some habitats, the regions where plants and animals naturally live. Polar bears hunt seals from sea ice in the Arctic. The melting ice is forcing polar bears to travel farther to find food, and their numbers are shrinking.
Background
- In the 1980s, scientists noticed that the ozone layer over Antarctica was thinning. This is often called the ozone hole. No one lives permanently in Antarctica. But Australia, the home of more than 22 million people, lies at the edge of the hole. In the 1990s, the Australian government began an effort to warn people of the dangers of too much sun. Many countries, including the United St…
Symptoms
- Some polluted water looks muddy, smells bad, and has garbage floating in it. Some polluted water looks clean, but is filled with harmful chemicals you cant see or smell.
Effects
- Sometimes, polluted water harms people indirectly. They get sick because the fish that live in polluted water are unsafe to eat. They have too many pollutants in their flesh. Heat can pollute water. Power plants, for example, produce a huge amount of heat. Power plants are often located on rivers so they can use the water as a coolant. Cool water circulates through the plant, absorbi…
Issues
- Sewage that has not been properly treated is a common source of water pollution. Many cities around the world have poor sewage systems and sewage treatment plants. Delhi, the capital of India, is home to more than 21 million people. More than half the sewage and other waste produced in the city are dumped into the Yamuna River. This pollution makes the river dangerou…
Causes
- Another type of water pollution is simple garbage. The Citarum River in Indonesia, for example, has so much garbage floating in it that you cannot see the water. Floating trash makes the river difficult to fish in. Aquatic animals such as fish and turtles mistake trash, such as plastic bags, for food. Plastic bags and twine can kill many ocean creatures. Chemical pollutants in trash can als…
Other
- Garbage also fouls the ocean. Many plastic bottles and other pieces of trash are thrown overboard from boats. The wind blows trash out to sea. Ocean currents carry plastics and other floating trash to certain places on the globe, where it cannot escape. The largest of these areas, called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. According to so…