Pollution: Facts, Environmental Effects, and Resources

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Facts about Pollution

Pollution can be found on land, in the air, in all bodies of water, and even into the upper atmosphere and space. Quite unfortunately, most of this pollution is due to the impact of humans on earth. Air pollution is caused by factories, automobiles and chemical combustion. Land pollution is caused by pesticides, chemicals, automobiles, garbage and waste. Water pollution is caused by all of these factors, and proves extremely dangerous because often it serves as life-providing drinking water for animals and humans. The following facts include information about pollutants, areas of pollution and various types of pollution, how they were caused, the environmental effects they have, and how/if they are being addressed currently.

1. Unfortunately, more than 80% of the items that are piled in landfills each year can be recycled

This trash still ends up being taken to municipal landfills because consumers are either too lazy to recycle, or unaware that certain items can be recycled or composted. In order to combat this, North Carolina, New York City and Seattle have thus far placed bans on their landfills that prohibit certain recyclable items from ending up in the landfill.

2. 41% of all insecticides are used on corn crops. 80% of these treatments on corn would not have to be used if crops were rotated annually.

Crop rotation, while not directly related to pollution, in indirectly related to keeping pollution from harming humans. Rotating crops is the practice by some farmers of planting different crops on the same land. The benefits of crop rotation are that different crops attract different invasive pests. Rather than treating crops with abundant amounts of toxic chemicals to ward off these critters, some farmers rotate their crops. Therefore, if a potato crop attracted a certain species in one season, these same vermin would not be attracted to the oat crop that is planted on the same land during the next season. This is a completely natural and toxin-free way to keep crops from being eaten by pests.

3. Hog farms are an enormous producer of hydrogen sulfide, which can cause flu like symptoms or even brain damage in humans

Livestock farms produce a particularly large amount of nitrate byproducts that usually end up in groundwater, which drains to drinking water storage facilities. Contaminated water from livestock farms is regularly responsible for spontaneous miscarriages in pregnant women living close to the ‘farms’. Other afflictions humans have suffered due to the contaminated drinking water include blue-baby syndrome, which can be fatal, gastroenteritis, E. coli poisoning and contamination by Cryptosporidium (fatal).

Other damages caused by hog farms include spills from open-air lagoons that are essentially manure pits. One of these pits burst in North Carolina and spilled 25 million gallons of manure into a river, killing 10 million fish and affecting 364,000 acres of shellfishing waters.

4. Polluted drinking water causes between 5 million and 10 million deaths worldwide each year

Pollution drinking water is caused by hundreds of outside factors. Too often, sewage, untreated wastewater and sludge are released into drinking water reserves, contaminating the water with E. coli and other potentially fatal bacteria. Underground storage tanks at gas stations and homes supplied by gas power can leak into groundwater sources. Urban run-off, while not a new phenomenon, has come to the attention of the public more in recent years. This water, which flows into sewer systems below city streets comes from city streets after washing away oil, grease, pesticides, road salt, metals, bacteria, viruses and toxic chemicals. These contaminants are first harmful to aquatic species and second to humans and other animals.

5. Cairo, Egypt is one of the most polluted cities on earth with more than 20 times the acceptable level of air pollution in the air.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that residents living in the city breathe pollutants each day that are equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes. The pollution in Egypt is so bad that the damaging side effects cause $2.42 billion to be spent each year repairing the country.

6. US residents have been trained to use pesticides to solve problems with unwanted bugs or rodents.

In fact, Americans collectively use 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides annually! It is a futile battle, as research shows that most of these pests will eventually develop a resistance to the chemicals anyway. Pesticides do kill unwanted pests, however their damage to humans in the long term are staggering. Groundwater tests have shown up to 73 different types of pesticides diluted within these drinking water supplies. Drinking this kind of polluted water can cause cancer, immune system abnormalities, birth defects and gene mutation is humans and animals.

7. Air Pollution – Ozone is a colorless gas that, in the lower atmosphere, is extremely harmful to animal and plant life.

Ozone is a good thing when it is located in the upper stratosphere. The ozone layer of the earth acts as a protector to all the living things on earth, creating a barrier between the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. However, when ozone is formed in the lower atmosphere, it is a harmful presence. Causes of harmful ozone include the mixing of oxygen, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxide. These chemical reactions typically take place near vehicles, factories, landfills, gas stations and farm equipment. The effects of the harmful ozone include damage to respiratory systems of animals, impaired lung function, chest pain, cough and lung inflammation. It also has a damaging effect on plants, crops and forests.

8. Air Pollution – Carbon Monoxide is odorless, colorless and extremely deadly

This gas pollutant is typically found in concentrated pockets within parking garages and ill-ventilated tunnels, and in heavy traffic. It is created by combustion engines, such as those found in all road automobiles, lawn and farm equipment and industrial manufacturing plants. Side effects of carbon monoxide on humans include the inability of blood to pump oxygen to tissues and organs that require oxygen to thrive and survive. Less severe cases of Carbon Monoxide poisoning include dizziness, headaches and fatigue.

9. Wildfire pollution – Surprisingly, air pollution from wildfires poses a silent risk to inhabitants that live nowhere near the affected area.

NASA recently published a global map showing areas affected by wildfires burning in central Russia. The air pollution from these fires include, most importantly, carbon monoxide, a silent and odorless killer. If the carbon monoxide from the wildfires reaches atmospheric levels, it is whisked away in the jet stream, dissipating it as it flows quickly around the world.

10. Mississippi River Pollution

The Mississippi River became more polluted in the 20th century as populations along its coastline grew. The people that have settled along the Mississippi River in the last 100 years have been a major source of organic and inorganic toxins that are dumped into the river and eventually deposited into the Gulf of Mexico. More recently, the large use of agricultural pesticides has created extremely potent toxic storm water run-off in the river. The toxic Mississippi dumps polluted water into the Gulf of Mexico, each year creating a dead zone in the Gulf that is approximately the size of the state of Massachusetts. This dead zone is too polluted to harbor any plant or aquatic life, and often, dense carpets of dead fish can be seen floating on its surface. The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force was created in 1997 and has been working diligently to reduce the size of the dead zone by cleaning up the water in the river.

Resources about Pollution

Indoor and Outdoor Pollution – Includes Classroom Activities
Website

Environmental Protection Agency – Pollution Prevention (P2)
Website
Green Building Options
5 Tips For Recycling and Reusing Items
Recycling Facts Graphic: showing pollution and the greenest states in the US.
Green Student U – Information about green vehicles, recycling, energy, carbon footprints and pollution Website

Resource by A.Evans

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