Pollution

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Pollution

• Water and Air

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Water

• Water is a renewable resource
• Salt Water 97
• Oceans, seas
• Fresh Water 3
• Lakes, streams, ponds, underground (aquifers)

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• Shortage of fresh water is a huge environmental
  problem
• WHO states that 1 billion people world wide lack
  access to clean water

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• Global Use
• Residential
• Agriculture
• Industrial
• Most fresh water is used for irrigation

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• Residential
• In the US the ave. person uses 300 L (80 G) / day
• India only uses 41 L

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• Daily usage/person
• Lawns 95L
• Toilet 90L
• Baths 70L
• Brush Teeth 10L
• Cleaning 20L
• Cooking 10L
• Other 5L

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• Water Conservation
• Agriculture is beginning to use different types
  of irrigation (drip)
• Industry is recycling water used
• Home
• How can you conserve water usage at home????

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Water Pollution

• Introduction of chemical, physical, or biological
  agents into water that degrades quality
• Main causes industrialization and population
  growth

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• Sources
• Point-Source Pollution
• Discharge from a single source
• Septic tanks, leaky storage lagoons, unlined
  landfills, leaky underground chemical storage
  tanks, abandoned mine water, discharge from
  treatment plants

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• Non point pollution
• Many different sources
• Road chemicals (salt, etc), streets (gas,
  antifreeze), pesticides, herbicides, refrigerator
  and air conditioner coolants, livestock feed
  yards, acid rain, construction sites, oil/ gas
  from boats

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• Pollutant Types
• Pathogens
• Organics
• Inorganics
• Heavy metals
• Physical agents

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Water Issues

• Waste Water
• Water is treated enough to release it back into
  lakes and streams
• Sludge is usually burned

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Problems with our water supply

• Artificial Eutrophication
• Caused by extra nutrients being added to bodies
  of water

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• Thermal Pollution
• Temperature of body of water increases
• Reduces levels of dissolved Oxygen so fish will
  die

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• Groundwater Pollution
• Percolates from surface
• Can come from underground storage tanks
• Hard to clean up because recharge is slow

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• Ocean pollution
• Oils spills
• Cruise ships
• 7 billion kg of garbage is dumped every year!
• 85 of ocean pollutions comes from activities on
  land (oils, pesticides, fertilizers)

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What is Air Pollution?

• When harmful substances build up in the air to
  unhealthy levels
• Most comes from human activities but some can
  come from natural events

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• Primary Pollutants
• Directly put into the air (soot)
• CO, NO, SO2, VOCs (volatile organic compounds),
  particulate matter

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• Secondary Pollutants
• When primary pollutants comes into contact with
  other primary pollutants or natural substances
• Ground level ozone

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• Motor vehicle emissions
• 1/3 of all air pollution comes from emissions
  from cars

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• Industrial Air Pollution
• Burning fossil fuels
• Releases SO2, NO into the air
• Power plants produce 2/3 of all SO2 released

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• Smog
• Air pollution over urban areas caused by
  sunlight, air, auto exhaust, and ozone
• Traps pollutants

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• Short term Effects of Air Pollution on Health
• Headaches, nausea, irritation to the nose and
  throat, tight chest, respiratory infections

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• Long Term Effects
• Emphysema
• Lung cancer
• Heart disease

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• In Door Air Pollution
• Plastics, industrial chemicals, CO, fungi,
  bacteria, tobacco smoke, formaldehyde
• Sick building syndrome caused when buildings
  have poor air supply

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• Radon gas
• Colorless, odorless, tasteless gas
• Causes cancer (2nd lead cause)

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• Asbestos
• Thin fibers that can get into your lungs and
  cause cuts and scaring which can lead to
  infections
• Found in insulation and other building materials
• Banned since 1970

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Acid Rain

• Causes
• Precipitation that contains high concentration of
  acid
• From burning of fossil fuels
• SO NO water
• acid rain

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• Flows to into water ways and kills wildlife and
  plants

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• Affects on Soil and Plants
• Acidification changes the soil chemistry
• Damages roots
• Stomata are clogged

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• Causes Al and other toxic metals to be released
• Root damage
• SO clogs stomata (holes) on plants

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• Affects on Aquatic Ecosystems
• pH goes up so plants die then everything that
  eats the plants including animals

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• Al accumulates in fish and they suffocates
• Interferes with oxygen intake

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• Acid Precipitation and Humans
• Rain gets into the soil, then the crops, animals
  eat the crops (or we do), then we eat those
  animals

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• Has been linked to respiratory problems
• Affects quality of life by affecting the
  ecosystems we enjoy for recreation
• Dissolves limestone in buildings and monuments

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• International
• Does pollution from other countries effect us
  here in the US?

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• What can you do to protect our air?