Radioactive materials and other polutants in water sources - Research Paper Example

?Anonymous X Chemistry 5 December Radioactive materials and other pollutants in water sources Almost 71 percent of the world is covered by the substance, water. Water is an essential part of the existence of almost all human beings. Water is vital for agriculture, drinking, washing, cooking and industrial processes. So it is safe to say that water is not a luxury, in fact, a necessity. Most of the clean water, about 70 percent, is used up by the agricultural sector. Clean water has reduced a lot recent times due to natural and other reasons and this is something which is of huge concern for human beings. The biggest factor that has led to a reduction in the quantity of safe and clean water is water pollution. (West) Water pollution is the term that refers to the contamination of water bodies, which include: lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater. Water pollution is caused by pollutants which are discharged either directly or indirectly into the water bodies without proper treatment for the removal of the harmful components. Water pollution affects plants and other living organisms that are present in water bodies; the effect of water pollution is not only damaging individual species and populations, but in fact the natural biological communities as well. Surface waters are referred to as natural water resources or the Earth. Surface water pollution is divided into two major categories: point sources and non-point sources. Point source pollution is where pollution is caused from a single source and can also be identified. Non-point source pollution is where pollution is not caused by just one source in fact; it is the diffused contamination that occurs from different sources rather than just one. (Water Pollution Guide) There are many causes for water pollution. The first major water pollution pollutant is sewage and wastewater. Activities such as domestic work, industrial and agricultural practices produce wastewater which then pours in the clean water stream and contaminates it. Sewages water contains pollutants such as faeces, urine and laundry wastes. The world population has reached 7 billion, therefore, sewage treatment is vital and population is like to grow hence we need to take of this cause or there will be ever-increasing water pollution. Sewage is a major problem especially in the developing countries where they do not have access to good sanitary conditions and safe water. Untreated sewage causes diseases such as diarrhea. Sewage is mainly biodegradable but sometimes is contains chemicals and pharmaceutical substances, sewage also contains viruses and bacteria thus causing health problems. (Fuller) Another major cause of water pollution is marine dumping. Marine dumping is when humans dump garbage into the sea or ocean. This then causes the water to directly become polluted. This is a major problem throughout the world and the developing countries in particular. Since developing countries do not have a proper waste disposal system then the people dump their waste into the sea. For instance Karachi, a city in Pakistan, used to attract high numbers of tourist because of their geographical location that has more than 6 beaches. However, due to marine dumping tourism in that region has dropped tremendously in that region. Different items take different times to degrade in water, some take a shorter time for instance cardboard – two days, and some take a very long time for instance plastic packaging material – about 400 years. (Fuller) One more major cause of water pollution is industrial water and waste. Industrial waste is a huge cause of water pollution because it produces pollutants that are very harmful and dangerous to the people and the environment. Many industrial facilities use fresh water as a source to wash and carry their waste out of their vicinity into different water bodies. There are ample amounts of industrial pollutants. First is asbestos. Asbestos is carcinogenic and is a serious health hazard. It can be inhaled and can cause deadly diseases such as lung, intestinal and liver cancer causing deaths of people. Second pollutant is lead. Lead is a metallic element that can cause environmental as well as health issues. It is non-biodegradable and also when once contaminated then it is very hard to clean up. Lead is very harmful for living organisms because it acts enzymes and cause adverse damage to the body. Next is mercury, it acts the same as lead since mercury is also metallic and non-biodegradable and causes illness through mercury poisoning. Next are nitrates and phosphates. Nitrates and phosphates seep into the water due to increased usage of fertilizers. It causes eutrophication with then causes harm to the marine life. Sulphur is a metallic substance that causes pollution and causes harm to the marine life. Oil is another industrial pollutant. Because oil does not dissolve in water and causes a thick layer to be formed on the water surface, it stops the process of photosynthesis when then causes problems to the marine life. Petrochemicals are also pollutants which are formed from gas and petrol and they are very harmful for the marine life. (Water Pollution Guide) One more cause of water pollution is nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is produced from industrial processes which is a result of usage of radioactive materials. The activities of nuclear power stations produce nuclear wastes and these stations then dump the waste into the ocean. Radioactive waste is extremely harmful for living thing even with the slightest of exposure. In the contemporary world where energy production is vital for progress and sustenance, nuclear process provides ample energy as compare to other forms of safer energy production processes. Therefore, the amount of nuclear wastage increases causing more water pollution. (Water Pollution Guide) Oil pollution also has a major contribution towards water pollution. Oil pollution is cause by oil tanker seepage, oil spill, run-offs and dumping. Oil does not dissolve in water; hence it forms a thick layer above water which prevents marine life from fresh oxygen and plants from sunlight to trigger photosynthesis. Oil spills have only a small contribution, oil pollution is mainly caused to oil trafficking. (Fuller) Air pollution is also one major factor that causes water pollution which is the caused by atmospheric deposition. Air pollution contaminates the air with harmful compounds such as sulphur. This when dissolved in water, even though a weak, forms an acid. Since air is polluted, more and more gases would then get absorbed in water, therefore, forming higher quantities of acid. Acid rain also causes the water’s pH level to rise causing the water to become more acidic in nature. Acidic water then directly affects the marine life and even leads to a lot of marine life dying. As more air becomes polluted, the more acidic the water becomes and the more the marine life is harmed. (Water Pollution Guide) Another major factor that causes water pollution is global warming. Global warming refers to the overall average increase in the temperature of the whole globe. As temperature rises, coral bleaching takes place. As the temperature increases, marine life might be removed from their natural habitat. This will cause harm to the marine life. As coral reef bleaching is taking place, it then directly affects the marine life since the marine life is dependent on it. Eutrophication is a major cause of water pollution. It takes place when the environment is enriched with nutrients such as phosphorus which is used in fertilizers to increase crop yield. These fertilizers when seep into the water through surface run-off causes the water to become contaminated. This causes phytoplankton to grow which results in the formation of algae. This alga then adversely affects the ecosystem of the marine life. It prevents the marine life from getting access to fresh oxygen which causes harm to the marine animals. Also, algae prevent sunlight to reach to the plants, therefore, depriving the plants of the process of photosynthesis causing them to die. Hence eutrophication causes water pollution and affects the marine life. There are many pollutants in water sources and there are various causes that lead to water pollution and it can be regarded as non-point pollution as compared to point pollution since there are various factors that come into play which causes pollutants and water pollution. Even though 71 percent of the earth is made up of water, however, clean and safe water is very limited mainly due to the fact that clean water comes from limited sources such as the melting of snow. Then, because of pollution, clean water gets contaminated due to the presence of pollutants which thereby causes the water to become polluted. People living in the developing countries hardly have access to clean water and to add to that they do not have processes to preserve clean water causing water pollution and causes diseases amongst human beings and causes the marine life to die. (West) References: Fuller, Yasmine. "Types of Water Pollutants." 2010. Ehow. 5 December 2011 . Water Pollution Guide. 2009. 5 December 2011 . West, Larry. "World Water Day: A Billion People Worldwide Lack Safe Drinking Water." 2009. About.com. 5 December 2011 . Read More