3 Types of Pollutions
Air pollution
Water Pollution
Land Pollution
Pollution
Before discussing the main types of pollution,
we need to understand what is pollution.
Pollution is the introduction of harmful
substances, particularly a contaminant or toxin,
which produces some kind of harmful impact on
the environment or living organisms.
Pollution
is the introduction of contaminants into a
natural environment that causes instability,
disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem.
Don’t forget the ecosystem is what we covered
before spring break.
Examples- physical systems or living organisms
Main Types Of Pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is one of the main types of pollution of
the environment.
What is air pollution? Air pollution could be in the
form of the emission of harmful chemical gases
(e.g. carbon monoxide) or particulates (e.g. soot) in
to the air. Air pollution could also be in the form of
disturbances to the normal composition of the air
such that there is an undesired effect on the
environment or living things.
Air pollution
An example of the latter is the over-emission of
gases, such as carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere, where the balance in natural
cycles, like the carbon cycle, is disrupted. Read
more about the types of environmental
pollution in the air.
Air pollution
The most common sources of air pollution
include the burning of fossil fuels and other
materials in oil refineries, power plants,
factories, automobiles and other forms of
transportation, as well as the incinerators.
Fumes from aerosols and chemicals like paint
also cause air pollution.
Air pollution
The main types of pollution gases in the air are
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane,
sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and
nitrogen oxides.
Air pollution
• Air pollution adversely affects humans by
causing cardio-respiratory problems among
other health problems. Read about the other
effects of air pollution on health.
• On the environmental front, air pollution
results in problems such as global warming
and climate change, acid rain, Earth’s ozone
depletion, etc. Read about air pollution effects
on the environment.
Air pollution
• Bearing in mind the main types of pollution
effects, it is very important that everyone
should do their bit to prevent air pollution.
• There are simple ways to put a check on air
pollution. In the area of air pollution solutions
for cars, some simple strategies include car
pooling, proper vehicle care and making use
of public transport as much as possible.
Air pollution
• Other tips on reducing air pollution include saving
energy, practicing energy efficiency tips, planting
more trees, opting for green and renewable
energy sources, carbon emission reduction.
• You could also get yourself involved in social
awareness programs and help to share your
knowledge about air pollution and its destructive
effects on life and the environment.
Water Pollution
• Water pollution is another one of the main
types of pollution of the environment.
• Water pollution could be in the form of any
change in the physical, chemical and biological
properties of water which has a harmful effect
on living things. It could take place in various
water sources, like ponds, lakes, rivers, seas
and oceans. Read about the various types of
water pollution.
Water Pollution
• One of the causes of water pollution is the
release of waste into the water bodies, for
example domestic wastes, industrial effluents,
agricultural wastes, marine dumping (read
about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) and
radioactive waste.
Water Pollution
• Other causes of pollution in the sea include
events such as oil spills and atmospheric
deposition (where pollutants enter water
bodies through falling particles, dissolving in
rain and snow, or directly dissolving in water).
Read about the major 3 types of pollution in
the sea and other ocean pollution causes.
Water Pollution
• The main types of pollution of the water
bodies make it unfit for drinking and other
uses. Polluted water also breeds viruses,
bacteria, intestinal parasites and other
harmful microorganisms, which can cause
waterborne diseases like diarrhea, dysentery,
and typhoid.
Water Pollution
• Water pollution not only affects land animals
like humans, but also marine animals. Water
pollution has been related to events such as
ocean acidification and coral reef bleaching.
Read about the effects of water pollution.
• In short, given the critical role water plays in
supporting life, water pollution is destructive
to the entire ecosystem.
Water Pollution
• Clean water is very precious – there are about 1
billion or more people who do not have excess to
proper drinking water. Proper steps should be
taken to conserve water.
• Also, efforts should be made to stop water
pollution. Water pollution solutions for the
household include using non-toxic household
cleaning products, for example organic laundry
detergent and eco friendly home cleaners,
instead of those containing toxic chemicals.
Water Pollution
• On a larger scale, solutions to water pollution
globally include the proper treatment of
domestic and industrial wastes or sewage
(instead of dumping the untreated water into
the sea), recycling grey water.
Water Pollution
Efforts to educate people on how to stop water
pollution and ways to stop pollution in the sea
are needed. Only when humans are motivated
to and learn how to stop pollution in water will
our precious resource – water – be safe.
Land Pollution
Land pollution is another of the main types of
pollution to the environment. Land pollution is
mainly about the contamination and
degradation of Earth’s land surfaces.
Land Pollution
It occurs when waste from various sources –
domestic waste, industrial waste, etc – are not
properly disposed of, causing harmful
substances and chemicals to leach into the
ground.
Land Pollution
In the landfills, non-biodegradable materials like
plastic bottles, Styrofoam and cans can remain
buried and intact for thousands of years,
leaching chemicals into the ground over the
years. Electronic products that contain heavy
metals like lead and mercury also leach
poisonous toxins into the ground. These
chemicals and heavy metals sometimes reach
the underground water system and pollute our
water bodies.
Land Pollution
That is why it is important to recycle, rather than
just sending all your unwanted items to the
garbage bin.
Environmentally unfriendly mineral exploitation
practices and the misuse of soil by harmful
agricultural practices can also lead to land
pollution. Read about how such practices are
cause of land pollution. Also, read more about
soil pollution and soil pollution facts.
Land Pollution
Land pollution can affect wildlife, plants and
humans in many ways. Land pollution can
exterminate wildlife and disrupt the balance in
nature. The chemicals found in polluted land
(eg. landfills, land where chemical pesticides are
heavily applied) could be absorbed by plants,
and be transferred to animals and humans who
eat the plants.
Land Pollution
In turn, the chemicals could cause various health
problems like respiratory problems, birth
defects, skin diseases and even cancer in the
animals and humans.
Land Pollution
Land Pollution can be prevented by the proper
disposing of the litter. What is even better at
reducing land pollution, or the various types of
pollution, is to reduce your trash. Reducing
consumption, reusing old items for new
purposes or recycling are some ways to reduce
our waste.
Land Pollution
Also, environmentally friendly agricultural
practices such as the use of organic fertilizers
and organic pesticides, instead of conventional
chemical based ones, could also help to reduce
the amount of toxic chemicals introduced into
the land.
HW
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Describe these types of air pollution:
manmade air pollution causes
natural causes of air pollution
car pollution
CAN YOU NAME THE TYPE OF
POLLUTION