Types of Pollution
There are nine types of recognized pollution that each have very different effects on the health of human beings and the environment.
One type of pollution is air pollution, which is the contamination of air by smoke or harmful gases. Air pollution can be created from various ways such as the exhaust fumes of vehicles, the burning of fossil fuels, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, building construction, or radiation spills. For the environment, air pollution is a leading factor in problems such as global warming and climate change. Air pollution can also affect humans by causing respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies.
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Water pollution is the contamination or degradation in quality and purity of a body of water such as a lake or ocean. This type of pollution can be created from increases sediment from soil erosion, industrial effluents, agricultural wastes, littering, leaching of soil pollution into water supplies, and organic material decay in water supplies. The pollution makes the water unsafe for drinking and lowers water supplies for crop irrigation. Because both oil and chemical pollutants can harm anything living in the water, the marine life is widely affected. When a factory or power plant ends up discharging its hot water in to a body of water, this makes the water hold less oxygen and therefore can kill fish and wildlife.
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Land pollution is the degradation of the earth’s surface caused by a misuse of resources and improper disposal of waste. This type of pollution includes litter found on the side of the road, illegal dumping in natural habitats, oil spills that happen inland, the use of pesticides and other farming chemicals, damage and debris caused from unsustainable mining and logging practices, and radiation spills or nuclear accidents. Much of land waste is classified as non-hazardous, such as construction material and medical waste. Hazardous waste includes any liquid, solid or sludge that contains properties that are dangerous or potentially harmful to human heath or the environment such as mining, petroleum refining, pesticide manufacturing and other chemical production. Land pollution contributes to the damage done to natural habitats of animals, deforestation, and damage done to natural resources.
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Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky artificially. Much of the light pollution is contributed from large cities, billboards and advertising, and nighttime sporting events and entertainment. This type of pollution makes it difficult to see stars, which interferes with astronomical observation and personal enjoyment. In or around residential areas, the light pollution can degrade the quality of life for many residents.
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Noise Pollution is any loud sounds that are either harmful or annoying to humans and animals. Examples that contribute to noise pollution include, airplanes, helicopters, and motor vehicles, construction or demolition noise, and human activities such as sporting events or concerts. Noise pollution can raise humans’ stress levels, may be harmful to unborn babies, and causes nervousness and lack of hearing of prey or predators to animals. Underwater noise pollution that comes from ships tends to upset whales’ navigation systems and can kill other species that depend on the natural underwater world.
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Thermal pollution is when the temperature rises in the ecosystem due to the release of excessive heat energy in the environment by artificial methods or natural disasters. This type of pollution is the main cause for the melting of the polar ice caps, which is leading to a rise in the water levels. Over the past few centuries, thermal pollution has increased significantly, contributing to global warming.
(Picture to the right: http://sites.psu.edu/passionhudock/files/2013/01/melting-polar-ice-caps.jpeg\)
Radioactive pollution is when metals disintegrate releasing dangerous beta rays, which can cause cancer and other diseases to humans and animals. This type of pollution is a result from dumping of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants into water or damage of nuclear reactors. In World War Two, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki left a radioactive footprint leading to various diseases and many people died due to the cancers and mutations that got as a result from the bomb.
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