WATER POLLUTION

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WATER POLLUTION
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Definition

• "The introduction by man, directly or indirectly,
  of substances or energy into the marine
  environment (including estuaries) resulting in
  such deleterious effects as harm to living
  resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to
  marine activities, including fishing, impairment
  of quality for use of sea water and reduction of
  amenities. (United Nations, 1971)
• Water pollution almost always means that some
  damage has been done to an ocean, river, lake, or
  other water source.

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Sources of Pollution

• Direct
• outfalls form factories, refineries, waste
  treatment plants etc. 
• these emit fluids directly into urban water
  supplies. 
• Indirect
• contaminants coming from the soil or groundwater
  containing contain residue coming from  human
  agricultural practices like fertilizers
  pesticides, etc. and improperly disposed
  industrial wastes
• atmosphere via rain water entering the water
  supply which usually comes form human practices
  such as gaseous emissions from automobiles,
  factories, and even bakeries

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Sources of Pollution

• Disease-causing agents these are bacterias,
  viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms that enter
  the sewage system and untreated waste
• Oxygen-demanding wastes wastes that can be
  decomposed by oxygen-requiring bacteria
  (blue-green algae)
• Water-soluble inorganic pollutants acids, salts,
  and toxic metals making water unfit to drink.
• Nutrients water-soluble nitrates and phosphates
  that cause the excessive growth of algae
  depleting water's oxygen supply
• Organic compunds soil, plastics, and pesticides
• Suspended sediment
• Water-soluble radioactive compounds

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Effects on the Environment

• Harms the food chain Toxins within water can
  harm aquatic organisms, thus breaking a link in
  the food chain.
• Flooding The erosion of soil into waterways
  causes flooding, especially with heavy rainfall.
• Harms animals Birds that get into
  oil-contaminated water die from exposure
  to cold water and air due to feather damage.
  Other animals are affected when they eat dead
  fish in contaminated streams.
• Causes algae in water Algae grow according to
  how much waste is in a water source. Bacteria
  feed off the algae, decreasing the amount of
  oxygen in the water.

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Effects on the Environment

• Suspended particles can often reduce the amount
  of sunlight penetrating the water, disrupting the
  growth of photosynthetic plants
  and micro-organisms.
• Some toxins affect the reproductive success of
  marine life and can therefore disrupt the
  community structure of an aquatic environment.
• The environmental damage of water pollution
  doesn't stop there, water pollution also
  increases the impact of air pollution, because
  the more polluted water gets the better chance
  there is that some of these pollutants will
  evaporate into air.

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Acid Rain

• Typical rainwater has a pH of about 5 to 6. Acid
  rain has a pH of or below 4.
• During precipitation, rainwater dissolves gasses
  such as carbon dioxide and oxygen.
• When industries emit great amounts of acidifying
  gasses, such as sulphuric oxides and carbon
  monoxide, these gasses also dissolve in
  rainwater, which cause the pH level of rainwater
  to become acidic.
• Acid rain affects the life in the water as well
  as the life on land.
• Acid rain damages everything over a period of
  time because it makes the living things in the
  environment die.

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Effects on Human Health

• Heavy metals from industrial processes can
  accumulate in nearby lakes and rivers. When
  ingested, this can result in birth defects and
  some are carcinogenic. 
• Industrial waste often contains many toxic
  compounds that damage the health of aquatic
  animals and those who eat them. They can cause
  immune suppression, reproductive failure or
  acute poisoning. 
• Suspended particles in freshwater reduces the
  quality of drinking water for humans and the
  aquatic environment for marine life. 

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Effects on Human Health

• Microbial pollutants from sewage often result in
  infectious diseases that infect aquatic life and
  terrestrial life through drinking water. This can
  cause diseases such as cholera and typhoid
  fever and is the primary cause of infant
  mortality. 
• Sulfate particles from acid rain can cause harm
  the health of marine life in the rivers and lakes
  it contaminates, and can result in mortality. 

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Effects on Human Health

• Exposure to polluted water can cause diarrhea,
  skin irritation, respiratory problems, and other
  diseases, depending on the pollutant that is in
  the water body. 
• Stagnant water and other untreated water provide
  a habitat for the mosquito and a host of other
  parasites and insects that cause a large number
  of diseases especially in the tropical regions.

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Minamata Disease

• In Minamata, Japan, inorganic mercury was used in
  the industrial production of acetaldehyde, which
  later contaminated the nearby bay.
• Fish and other creatures in the sea were soon
  contaminated and eventually residents of this
  area who consumed the fish suffered from MeHg
  (methyl mercury) intoxication, later known as the
  Minamata disease. 
• The disease was first detected in 1956 but
  continued until 1968. But even after thisstopped,
  the bottom sediment of the polluted water
  contained high levels of this mercury.

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Ways to Prevent or Minimize Water Pollution

• Conserve water. This will result to less amount
  of water that enters sewage systems, which is a
  source of contamination.
• Do not throw chemical substances such as paint,
  oil, acid, etc. in your sink or toilet.
• Do not litter in bodies of water (i.e. oceans,
  lakes, rivers, etc.).
• Use natural pesticides and fertilizers. The
  chemical ones seep into ground water and runs off
  to bigger water sources, thus polluting the
  water.

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Ways to Prevent or Minimize Water Pollution

• Use environmentally-friendly household products
  instead of products that contain chemicals.
  Example instead of bleach, use vinegar. Chemical
  household products tend to go down the drain and
  mix with the water in the sewage systems.
• Regularly check and fix your septic system.
  Poorly conditioned systems contaminate the water
  it contains, which pollute nearby water sources
  when released.

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Sources

• http//www.water-pollution.org.uk/preventingyou.ht
  ml
• http//www.greengordo.com/2010/10/5-ways-you-can-p
  revent-water-pollution/
• http//www.fao.org/docrep/w2598e/w2598e07.htm
• http//www.cityofbremerton.com/content/sw_waterpol
  lutionfacts.html
• http//www.water-pollution.org.uk/environment.html
  
• http//library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_
  Problems/water_pollution_-_effects.html
• http//projectsmileindia.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/
  effects-of-water-pollution-solutions/
• http//pollutionarticles.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-
  does-water-pollution-affect-our.html
• http//www.water-pollution.org.uk/health.html 
• http//edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/water/health.h
  tm 
• http//www.lenntech.com/water-pollution-faq.htmix
  zz1lePeHTRX
• http//www.explainthatstuff.com/waterpollution.htm
  l
• http//www.lenntech.com/water-pollution-faq.htm
• www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/waterpol3.html