The Causes and Effects of Pollution - Essay Example

Pollution One of the most formidable dangers confronting mankind in the modern world is environmental deterioration. The pursuit of industrial and technological progress has created a myriad of environmental issues that hinder the efforts aimed at promoting the welfare of mankind. This situation has worsened to an extent of now exposing all living organisms to the incumbent hazard of air, water and soil pollution (Shafi 2). Thus, the pursuit of industrial and technological advancement has caused air, water and soil pollution that has impacted negatively on flora and fauna and further caused humans to invest in various intervention approaches. Causes of Pollution As noted by the US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, pollution could be caused by either human or natural processes. In environmental pollution, air pollution has been commonly reported in industrial towns. Raven, Berg and Hassenzahl (12) categorize air pollutants into gaseous and particulate pollutants. These gaseous and particulate matters get released into the atmosphere through burning of fossil fuels including petroleum and coal. Such activities cause the release of both fine and coarse particles, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur compounds, radioactive substances and halogens. The main sources of this form of pollution are motor vehicles using either diesel or gasoline, rail roads, aircraft, agricultural burning and industrial processes among others (Awosanya, Sebiomo and Idiagi 612). According to Shafi (3), a combination of the effect of these processes results in the release of 91.0, 25.7, 30.2, 29.1 and 18.7 metric tons of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxides respectively. Pesticides have also been noted to cause a spread of ungraded ions in the air thus possibly contaminating the air. Metallurgical industries, petroleum refineries, fertilizer and chemical industries and pulp and paper mills have been noted to contribute greatly to air pollution. They produce gaseous emissions that pollute the air. Various solid and liquid wastes pollute water. Organic and mineral wastes and industrial by-products or effluents carried into water bodies cause pollution. Furthermore, pollutants emanating from agricultural fields containing phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers eventually reach water bodies. According to Shafi (4), these pollutants deoxygenate and intoxicate the water causing a lethal or sub-lethal reaction to the micro-organisms in the water. Examples of sources of water pollution include food processing industries such as canning, brewing, refineries and dairy industries, chemical plants, oil drilling wastes, blast furnace washing, rubber production factories and research laboratories among many others. Raven, Berg and Hassenzahl (405) also note that metallic wastes like zinc, lead, copper and mercury released as effluents or wastes from industries eventually reach water bodies. These not only deteriorate the quality of water but also get deposited in the bodies of the living organisms that consume the water. Additionally, sewage effluents, organic wastes and exudates promote the life of microbes that thrive on organic matter like algae, fungi, helminthes, bacteria and viruses. These are known to cause dangerous diseases in both the flora and fauna. Lastly, pollution of the soil could result from the insanitary habits of humans or disposal of semi-solid and solid wastes. The atmospheric fall-out also causes soil pollution. The current rapid urbanization has led to limited space in which solid wastes could be deposited (Shafi 6). The disposal of these wastes on land has led to toxic materials seeping deep into the soil which affects the course of ground water. Agricultural practice has seen pesticides, manures and fertilizers introduced to lad leading to chemical and biological contamination. Wastes containing micro organisms pollute soil and could cause these micro organisms to enter into the food chain and subsequently consumed by humans. Radiation could be emitted naturally from the sun or from man-made processes such as mining, production and also explosion of nuclear weapons, processing of radioactive isotopes and nuclear power plant among others. The resultant non-ionizing radiations have been noted by Awosanya, Sebiomo and Idiagi (613) to be lethal to micro-organisms in the soil. Therefore, the progress in industrial and technological pursuits is the major causes of pollution. Effect of Pollution Air pollution remains one of the key concerns in the global arena. It has been largely associated with global warming where the greenhouse gases emitted during pollution activities, notably methane and carbon dioxide forms an envelope around the earth. This traps the heat reaching the earth from the sun, preventing its escape into space as documented by the agency in charge of the US environment, EPA. This has resulted in global warming which has caused a change in the global weather patterns. The rise in temperature has seen the melting of glaciers that has caused the sea level to rise. Moreover, Kjellstrom et al. note that air pollution negatively impacts on health on the exposed population, causing cardiovascular and respiratory mortality and morbidity in humans. Lead containing gasoline is a risk factor for lead poising through air pollution which could affect the brain causing delayed or reduced intellectual development or behavioral aberrations. In the same way, exposure to contaminants due to water pollution could disrupt the functioning of the endocrine system eventually causing developmental, behavioral and reproductive problems (Raven, Berg and Hassenzahl 403). According to Patrick et al., these contaminants could also be carcinogenic, thus propagate cancer attacks. Pollution has adverse effects on plants. Smog and sulfur oxides get absorbed into the plants and accumulate to levels which cause the plant cells to become inactive and die, thus the drying of leaves, referred to as chlorosis by Shafi (377). The tissues of the leaves could also collapse and dry up, referred to as necrosis. Above all, pollution has caused immense allocation of resources into measures to reverse the adverse effects, resources which could have otherwise been spent in other development issues. Intervention Filter technologies have been used to prevent both particulate and gaseous pollutants from contaminating the air. Kjellstrom et al. give the example of catalytic converters installed in the exhaust systems of motor vehicles so as to eliminate the lead in gasoline. This reduces many air pollutants that would otherwise emanate from these vehicles. Together with scrubbing methods, these filtering methods have been used to dilute air pollutants emerging from industrial chimneys such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen. This way, these pollutants do not get to mix with the atmosphere. Controlling water pollution calls for an all-level approach. The most effective method would be to avoid or minimize the usage of chemicals for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes (Kjellstrom et al.). Practices such as organic farming would thus serve a greater good in this case. Industries should adopt cleaner processes of production to minimize chemically contaminating waterways. Recycling chemical containers and chemical containing products would play a significant role in reducing leaching of toxic chemicals and solid waste build up. More technical approaches have also been adopted including addition of chemicals to cause flocculation of toxic chemicals to cause them to settle in the set sedimentation ponds. A majority of these approaches used to prevent water and air pollution have a trickling effect to prevention of soil pollution. Conclusion The causes of pollution could either be natural or man-made. Contaminants introduce particulate or gaseous matter into the air, intoxicate and deoxygenate water and seep into the soil. As a result, the living organisms in the water and soil die. This pollution causes plants and micro-organisms to die and human beings to be exposed to a myriad of diseases. Therefore, appropriate measures should be adopted, such as filtering gaseous effluent to hinder gaseous and particulate matter from being released into the air and adoption of cleaner industrial, domestic and agricultural practices that discourage use of harmful chemicals. This way, the environment would be more habitable to the life of all living organisms, including humans. Works Cited Awosanya, A. O., A. Sebiomo, and J. I. Idiagi. Effect of Soil Pollution on the Nodulation Competence of Some Cowpea Cultivars in the Tropical Rainforest Region of Nigeria. Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 4.6 (2012): 612 – 616. Kjellstrom et al. “Air and Water Pollution: Burden and Strategies for Control.” Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd ed. Eds. D. T. Jamison et al. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Patrick, D. L. et al. Health and Environmental Effects of Air Pollution. Boston, MA: Department of Environmental Protection. n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Raven, P. H., L. R. Berg and D. M. Hassenzahl. Environment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012. Print. Shafi, S. M. Environmental pollution. New Delhi: Atlantic, 2005. Print. US Environmental Protection Agency. Air Pollution and Water Quality. 11 Sep. 2013. Web. Read More