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What is Pollution?

Pollution is when something is added to the environment that is harmful or poisonous to

people, animals and other living things. Smoke in the air from factories is a type of pollution as it is bad for

the lungs when breathed in. Sewage in drinking water is another type of pollution, as it can make peopleunwell because it contains germs and viruses. People living next to a building site where there is too

much noise can become sick as they cannot sleep or relax. This is called noise pollution.

There are three (3 types of pollution!

a.  Water Pollution

b. Air Pollution

c. Noise Pollution

AIR POLLUTION

d. "ir pollutions are usually described as either primary pollutants or secondary pollutants. Primary

pollutants are pollutants that are put directly into the air by humans or natural sources. #xamples

of primary pollutants are exhaust fumes (gas from cars, soot from smoke, dust storms and ash

from volcanic eruptions (as seen in the picture on the left.$%&

e. Secondary pollutants are pollutants that are made from chemical reactions when pollutants mix

with other primary pollutants or natural substances likewater vapor .$%& 'any secondary pollutants

are made when a primary pollutant reacts with sunlight. )one and smog are secondary

pollutants. )one is a gas that is helpful and takes in harmful rays from the sun. *hen it is nearthe ground, though, o)one is a dangerous pollutant that influences the health of all organisms. $%&

WATER POLLUTION

*ater pollution is the presence of harmful materials in water, such as sewage, dissolved metals, 

waste from farms and factories and crude oil spilled from shipwrecked tankers. The three main

substances that pollute water are nitrates from fertilisers, sewage and detergents.$%& Pollution

causes harm to organisms living in water and can also harm people+s health, and can cause

problems such as cancer 

ontrol of pollution$edit&

Domestic sewage$edit&

Main article: Sewage treatment 

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-eer sland *aste *ater Treatment Plantserving /oston, 'assachusetts and vicinity.

-omestic sewage is typically 00.0 percent water with 1.% percent pollutants. "lthough found in low

concentrations, these pollutants pose risk on a large scale.$23&$2& n urban areas, domestic sewage is

typically treated by centrali)ed sewage treatment plants. *ell4designed and operated systems (i.e.,

secondary treatment or better can remove 01 percent or more of these pollutants. Some plants have

additional systems to remove nutrients and pathogens. 'ost municipal plants are not specifically

designed to treat toxic pollutants found in industrial wastewater.$25&

ities with sanitary sewer overflows or combined sewer overflows employ one or

more engineering approaches to reduce discharges of untreated sewage, including!

• utili)ing a green infrastructure approach to improve stormwater management capacity throughout

the system, and reduce the hydraulic overloading of the treatment plant$26&

• repair and replacement of leaking and malfunctioning e7uipment$%5&

• increasing overall hydraulic capacity of the sewage collection system (often a very expensive

option.

 " household or business not served by a municipal treatment plant may have an individual septic tank, 

which treats the wastewater on site and discharges into the soil. "lternatively, domestic wastewater may

be sent to a nearby privately owned treatment system (e.g. in a rural community.

Industrial wastewater $edit&

Main article: Industrial wastewater treatment 

-issolved air flotation system for treating industrial wastewater.

Some industrial facilities generate ordinary domestic sewage that can be treated by municipal facilities.

ndustries that generate wastewater with high concentrations of conventional pollutants (e.g. oil and

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grease, toxic pollutants (e.g. heavy metals, volatile organic compounds or other nonconventional

pollutants such as ammonia, need speciali)ed treatment systems. Some of these facilities can install a

pre4treatment system to remove the toxic components, and then send the partially treated wastewater to

the municipal system. ndustries generating large volumes of wastewater typically operate their own

complete on4site treatment systems.

Some industries have been successful at redesigning their manufacturing processes to reduce or

eliminate pollutants, through a process called pollution prevention. 8eated water generated by power

plants or manufacturing plants may be controlled with!

• cooling ponds, man4made bodies of water designed for cooling by evaporation, convection,

and radiation

• cooling towers, which transfer waste heat to the atmosphere through evaporation and9or heat

transfer 

• cogeneration, a process where waste heat is recycled for domestic and9or industrial heating

purposes.$2:&

Agricultural wastewater $edit&

Main article: Agricultural wastewater treatment 

;iparian buffer  lining a creek in owa

Nonpoint source controls

Sediment (loose soil washed off fields is the largest source of agricultural pollution in the <nited States.$%1& =armers may utili)e erosion controls to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their fields. ommon

techni7ues include contour plowing, crop mulching, crop rotation, planting perennial crops and

installing riparian buffers.$2>&$20&!pp. 405?406

@utrients (nitrogen and phosphorus are typically applied to farmland as commercial fertili)er A

animal manureA or spraying of municipal or industrial wastewater (effluent or sludge. @utrients may also

enter runoff from crop residues, irrigation water, wildlife, and atmospheric deposition.$20&!p. 240 =armers can

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develop and implement nutrient management plans to reduce excess application of nutrients$2>&$20&!pp. 43:?4

3> and reduce the potential for nutrient pollution.

To minimi)e pesticide impacts, farmers may use ntegrated Pest 'anagement (P' techni7ues (which

can include biological pest control to maintain control over pests, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides,

and protect water 7uality. $31&

=eedlot in the <nited States

Point source wastewater treatment

=arms with large livestock and poultry operations, such as factory farms, are called concentrated animal

feeding operations or feedlots in the <S and are being subBect to increasing government regulation.$3%&

$32& "nimal slurries are usually treated by containment in anaerobic lagoons before disposal by spray or

trickle application to grassland. onstructed wetlands are sometimes used to facilitate treatment of animal

wastes. Some animal slurries are treated by mixing withstraw and composted at high temperature to

produce a bacteriologically sterile and friable manure for soil improvement.

Construction site stormwater $edit&

Silt fence installed on a construction site.

Sediment from construction sites is managed by installation of!

• erosion controls, such as mulching and hydroseeding, and

• sediment controls, such as sediment basins and silt fences.$33&

-ischarge of toxic chemicals such as motor fuels and concrete washout is prevented by use of!

• spill prevention and control plans, and

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• specially designed containers (e.g. for concrete washout and structures such as overflow

controls and diversion berms.$3&

Urban runoff (stormwater)$edit&

Main article: Urban runoff 

See also: Green infrastructure

;etention basin for controlling urban runoff 

#ffective control of urban runoff involves reducing the velocity and flow of stormwater, as well as reducing

pollutant discharges. Cocal governments use a variety of stormwater management techni7ues to reduce

the effects of urban runoff. These techni7ues, called best management practices (/'Ps in the <.S., may

focus on water 7uantity control, while others focus on improving water 7uality, and some perform both

functions.$35&

Pollution prevention practices include low4impact development techni7ues, installation of  green roofs and

improved chemical handling (e.g. management of motor fuels D oil, fertili)ers and pesticides.$36& ;unoff

mitigation systems include infiltration basins, bioretention systems, constructed wetlands,retentionbasins and similar devices.$3:&$3>&

Thermal pollution from runoff can be controlled by stormwater management facilities that absorb the

runoff or direct it into groundwater , such as bioretention systems and infiltration basins. ;etention basins

tend to be less effective at reducing temperature, as the water may be heated by the sun before being

discharged to a receiving stream.$35&!p. 545>

NOISE POLLUTION

The harmful noise in the environment, such as the sound of cars in a city, loud speakers, etc. is called

noise pollution. @oise pollution can cause ear problems or even permanent deafness, especially to older

people. @oise pollution can be defined as the unwanted sound in the atmosphere.

; T8S '#"@@E /#C*! (PF @#

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Noise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or

animal life. The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines and transportation

systems, motor vehicles, aircrafts, and trains.$%&$2& utdoor noise is summari)ed by the word environmental

noise. Poor  urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side4by4side industrial and residential

buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential areas.

ndoor noise is caused by machines, building activities, music performances, and especially in some

workplaces. There is no great difference whether noise4induced hearing loss is brought about by outside

(e.g. trains or inside (e.g. music noise.

8igh noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans, a rise in blood pressure, and an

increase in stress and vasoconstriction, and an increased incidence of coronary artery disease. n

animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection and avoidance,

interfere with reproduction and navigation, and contribute to permanent hearing loss.

But we will be focusing on two major ollutions recognise! in "reater Portmore# St$ %at&erine'

Air an! Water Pollution$

(irstl) let us state t&at Air ollution can be cause! b) two major factors * $ In!ustrial Air

Pollution an! In!oor Air Pollution$

8uman4made air pollution comes from many things. 'ost air pollution made by humans today is because

of transportation. ars, for instance, make about 61G of the human4made air pollution in the <nited

States. The gases inside car exhaust, like nitrogen oxide, make smog and acid rain.

Industrial air pollution$edit source&

'any industrial power plants burn fossil fuels to get their energy. 8owever, burning fossil fuels can make

a lot of oxides (chemical compounds that have oxygen and other  elements inside. n fact, the burning of

fossil fuels makes 06G of the sulfur  oxides in the atmosphere.

Some industries also make chemicals that make poisonous fumes (smoke.

Indoor air pollution$edit source&

 "ir pollution is not only on the outside. 8omes, schools, and buildings can also have air pollution.Sometimes the air inside a building is even worse than the air outside.$%& 'any things which humans use

every day can pollute the air. ompounds inside carpets, paints, building materials and furniture also

pollute the air, especially when they are new.

n buildings where the windows are tightly shut to stop air leaks, the air inside can be polluted more than

the air outside.$%&

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Acid precipitation$edit source&

 "cid precipitation is precipitation, like rain, sleet, or snow, that contains acids from air pollution. *hen

fossil fuels are burned, they let out oxides into the air. *hen these oxides mix with water in the

atmosphere, they make acid, which fall as precipitation.$%&  "cid precipitation can kill living things, like fish

and trees, by making the place where they live too acidic. "cid rain can also damage buildings made

of limestone and concrete.

!one hole$edit source&

ther global concerns because of air pollution include the greenhouse gases and the hole in the o)one

layer  in the stratosphere. The #arth+s o)one layer is supposed to protect people from the Sun+s

harmful ultraviolet rays, but in the %0:1s, scientists found out that some chemicals let out into the

atmosphere makes the o)one turn into oxygen, which means that more ultraviolet rays reach the #arth.

-uring the %0>1s, scientists found that the o)one layer above the South Pole had thinned by 51 to 0>

percent.