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Chemical pollution of nature and its consequences. Abstract: Environmental pollution: demographic and somatic consequences Consequences of environmental pollution

Environmental pollution is understood as the ingress of harmful substances into the external space, but this is not a complete definition. Environmental pollution also includes radiation, temperature increase or decrease.

In other words, the global pollution of the environment and the ecological problems of mankind are caused by any material manifestations present in an undesirable place in an undesirable concentration.

Even beneficial substances of natural origin in excess concentration can be harmful. For example, if you eat 250 grams of ordinary table salt in one sitting, death will inevitably occur.

Consider the main types of pollution, their causes and consequences, as well as ways to solve the problem of environmental pollution.

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Objects of environmental pollution

A person and everything that surrounds him is exposed to harmful effects. Most often, the following objects of environmental pollution are highlighted:

air;
soil layer;
water.

Main types of environmental pollution

Physical pollution of the environment. It causes a change in the characteristics of the surrounding space. These include thermal, noise or radiation pollution.
Chemical. Provides for the ingress of impurities that can change the chemical composition.
Biological. Living organisms are considered pollutants.
Mechanical pollution of the environment. This refers to pollution.

All pollutants in the most general form can be divided into two groups:

natural;
anthropogenic.

Causes of environmental pollution can occasionally be part of natural phenomena. With rare exceptions, natural pollution does not lead to disastrous consequences and is easily neutralized by the forces of nature itself. The remains of dead plants and animals rot, becoming part of the soil. The release of gases or polymetallic ores also does not have a significant destructive effect.

For many thousands of years, even before the appearance of mankind, nature has developed mechanisms that contribute to countering such pollutants and effectively coping with them.

Of course, there are natural contaminants that create serious problems, but this is the exception rather than the rule. For example, the famous Death Valley in Kamchatka, located near the Kikhpinych volcano. The local ecology suffers greatly from it. Hydrogen sulfide emissions periodically occur there, causing environmental pollution. In calm weather, this cloud kills all life.

Death Valley in Kamchatka

But, nevertheless, the main cause of pollution is a person. Most intensively it occurs as a result of human activity. It is called anthropogenic and requires more attention than natural. Most often, the concept of environmental pollution is associated precisely with the anthropogenic factor.

Anthropogenic environmental pollution

Anthropogenic pollution of the environment, which we see today, is often associated with industrial production. The bottom line is that its avalanche-like growth began to occur when a person chose the path of industrial development. Production factors of environmental pollution played a decisive role. Then there was a sharp jump in production and consumption. Human economic activity was inevitably accompanied by undesirable changes not only in its habitat, but also in the entire biosphere.

The intensity of environmental pollution has constantly increased over a number of historical epochs. Initially, people did not even think about the dangers of industrial emissions, but over time, the problem of environmental pollution has acquired impressive dimensions. Only then did we begin to realize the consequences of environmental pollution and think about how to solve these global problems, how to avoid turning our planet into a garbage dump, what chances our descendants have to survive.

Petrochemical complex in Bashkiria

It cannot be argued that a person has been polluting the environment since the advent of industry. The history of environmental pollution goes back tens of thousands of years. This happened in all eras, starting with the primitive communal system. When a person began to cut down forests for building dwellings or plowing, to use an open flame for heating and cooking, then he began to pollute the surrounding space more than any other biological species.

Today, more than ever, the urgency of environmental problems has increased, the main of which is global human pollution.

The main types of environmental pollution associated with human activities

All biological species taken together that cause environmental pollution are not capable of causing such damage to it as is caused by human activity. To understand how a person pollutes the environment, consider the main types of anthropogenic pollutants. It should be borne in mind that some of the main types of environmental pollution are difficult to attribute to a specific category, since they have a complex effect. They are of the following types:

aerosols;
inorganic;
acid rain;
organic;
thermal effect;
radiation;
photochemical fog;
noises;
soil pollutants.

Let's take a closer look at these categories.

Aerosols

Among these types, aerosol is perhaps the most common. Aerosol pollution of the environment and the environmental problems of mankind are caused by production factors. This includes dust, fog and smoke.

The consequences of environmental pollution by aerosols can be deplorable. Aerosols disrupt the functioning of the respiratory system, have a carcinogenic and toxic effect on the human body.

Catastrophic air pollution is produced by metallurgical plants, thermal power plants, and the mining industry. The latter affects the surrounding space at various technological stages. Explosive work results in a significant release of large amounts of dust and carbon monoxide into the air.

Development of the Bisha gold deposit (Eritrea, Northeast Africa)

Rock heaps also cause air pollution. An example is the situation in coal mining areas. There, next to the mines, there are waste heaps, under the surface of which invisible chemical processes and combustion constantly occur, accompanied by the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

When coal is burned, thermal power plants pollute the air with sulfur oxides and other impurities present in the fuel.

Another dangerous source of aerosol emissions into the atmosphere is road transport. The number of cars is increasing every year. The principle of their operation is based on the combustion of fuel with the inevitable release of combustion products into the air. If we briefly list the main causes of environmental pollution, then vehicles will be in the first lines of this list.

Everyday life in Beijing

Photochemical fog

This air pollution is more commonly known as smog. It is formed from harmful emissions that have been affected by solar radiation. It provokes chemical pollution of the environment with nitrogen compounds and other harmful impurities.

The resulting compounds adversely affect the respiratory and circulatory systems of the body. Significant air pollution from smog can even cause death.

Caution: increased radiation

Radiation emissions can occur during emergencies at nuclear power plants, during nuclear tests. In addition, small leaks of radioactive substances are possible in the course of research and other work.

Heavy radioactive materials settle into the soil and, together with groundwater, can spread over long distances. Light materials rise up, are carried along with air masses and fall to the earth's surface along with rain or snow.

Radioactive impurities can accumulate in the human body and gradually destroy it, so they are of particular danger.

Inorganic contaminants

Wastes generated during the operation of plants, factories, mines, mines, vehicles are released into the environment, polluting it. Home life is also a source of pollutants. For example, every day, tons of detergents enter the soil through sewers, and then into water bodies, from where they return to us through the water supply.

Arsenic, lead, mercury and other chemical elements contained in household and industrial waste are very likely to enter our bodies. From the soil, they enter the plants that animals and people feed on.

Harmful substances that have not entered the sewer from water bodies can enter the body along with sea or river fish that are eaten.

Some aquatic organisms have the ability to purify water, but due to the toxic effects of pollutants or changes in the pH of the aquatic environment, they can die.

organic contaminants

The main organic pollutant is oil. As you know, it has a biological origin. The history of environmental pollution with oil products began long before the appearance of the first cars. Even before it began to be actively extracted and processed, oil from sources at the bottom of the seas and oceans could get into the water and pollute it. But some types of bacteria are able to quickly absorb and process small oil slicks before they harm marine life and flora.

Oil tanker accidents and leaks during production lead to massive pollution of the water surface. There are numerous examples of such man-made disasters. Oil slicks form on the surface of the water, covering a vast area. Bacteria are not able to cope with this amount of oil.

The largest in terms of environmental pollution is the wreck of the Amoco Cadiz supertanker off the coast of France

This pollutant kills all plants and animals living in the coastal zone. Fish, waterfowl and marine mammals are especially affected. Their bodies are covered with a thin, sticky film, clogging all the pores and holes, disrupting the metabolism. Birds lose their ability to fly because their feathers stick together.

In such cases, nature itself is not able to cope, so people must fight environmental pollution and eliminate the consequences of oil spills themselves. This is a global problem, and the ways to solve it are connected with international cooperation, because no state is able to find ways to cope with it alone.

Soil contaminants

The main soil pollutants are not landfills and industrial wastewater, although they also make a significant “contribution”. The main problem is the development of agriculture. To increase productivity and control pests and weeds, our farmers do not spare their habitat. A huge number of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers enter the soil. Intensive farming, aimed at quickly maximizing profits, makes the soil poisoned and depleted.

acid rain

Human economic activity has caused the occurrence of the phenomenon of acid rain.

Some harmful substances entering the atmosphere react with moisture and form acids. Because of this, the water that falls in the form of rain has an increased acidity. It can poison the soil and even cause skin burns.

Harmful substances mix with groundwater, eventually entering our body and causing various diseases.

Thermal pollutants

Wastewater can be a pollutant even if it does not contain foreign matter. If the water performed the function of cooling, it returns to the reservoir heated.

Elevated wastewater temperature can slightly increase the temperature in the reservoir. And even a slight increase can upset the balance of the ecosystem and even lead to the death of some biological species.

Consequences of wastewater discharges

The negative impact of noise

Throughout its history, mankind has been surrounded by a variety of sounds. The development of civilization has created noises that can cause serious damage to human health.

Particularly significant harm is caused by the sounds emitted by vehicles. It can interfere with sleep at night, and irritate the nervous system during the day. People who live near railroads or freeways are in a state of constant nightmare. And near airfields, especially those serving supersonic aviation, it can be almost impossible to live.

Discomfort can be created by the noise produced by the equipment of industrial enterprises.

If a person is regularly exposed to loud noises, they are at great risk of premature aging and death.

Pollution control

As strange as it may sound, but pollution and environmental protection are the work of the same hands. Mankind has brought the planet to a state of ecological catastrophe, but only man is able to save it. The main cause of the current state of ecology is various pollution. These problems and ways to solve them are in our hands.

All in our hands

Therefore, the fight against environmental pollution is our primary task.

Let's look at three ways to combat pollution that help solve the problem:

construction of treatment facilities;
planting forests, parks and other green spaces;
population control and regulation.

In fact, there are many more such methods and methods, but they will not lead to high results if you do not fight the cause. It is necessary not only to deal with cleaning, but also to solve the problem of how to prevent environmental pollution. According to Russian folk wisdom, it is clean not where they sweep, but where they do not litter.

Prevention of environmental pollution is a top priority. To solve the problem and prevent further disfigurement of the planet, it is necessary, for example, to apply financial leverage. Solving the problems of environmental pollution will be more effective if we make it profitable to respect nature, provide tax incentives to enterprises that strictly comply with environmental safety standards. The application of substantial fines to violating enterprises will simplify the solution of the problem of environmental pollution.

The use of more environmentally friendly energy sources is also the prevention of environmental pollution. It is easier to filter wastewater than to clean the reservoir from impurities.

To make the planet clean, to provide comfortable conditions for the existence of mankind - these are priority tasks, and the ways to solve them are known.

The rapid development of technology, agriculture has led to an increase in the level of chemical contamination of the soil. There are a variety of chemicals that are used in growing crops. They penetrate the soil. According to the International Committee for Environmental Protection, herbicides, nitrates, bacteria and pesticides are the most common pollutants used in this industry. Food can also be contaminated with them.

Water pollution

Water pollution can be due to various reasons. It is often associated with soil contamination due to the large amount of chemicals used to treat fields. Effluent from livestock farms, industries and pastures also contribute to this type of pollution.

Another source of water pollution is oil spills and emissions from waterborne vehicles such as boats and jet skis. According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, this water pollution can be very harmful to all aquatic life. Plants and fish can suffer from a lack of oxygen in the water and food as a result of the formation of a greasy film on the surface of the reservoir.

Fishing is the main source of income for many countries, and chemical pollution can threaten the existence of this sector of the economy. In some cases, eating contaminated fish can cause irreparable harm to people, causing both various skin diseases and poisoning of the body as a whole.

Air pollution

Air pollution is perhaps the most common form of chemical pollution. International organizations for the protection of the environment are discussing various ways of possible protection against it. Air quality is continuously deteriorating due to the work of thousands of enterprises around the world.

Automobiles and aircraft also create emissions that can pollute the air. An internal combustion engine releases carbon dioxide because most vehicles use oil as fuel. Although plants and other living things also produce carbon dioxide, the amount of carbon dioxide they emit is much less compared to man-made pollution. This causes much less damage to the atmosphere. The National Geographic article notes that volcanic eruptions and gases that are emitted from swamps also contribute to air pollution. The consequences of air pollution also affect the deterioration of general human health and can cause various diseases, both professional and ordinary civilians living near the source of pollution.

Ways to clean up pollution

Cleaning up environmental pollution can take a long time. It is also quite complex and expensive. The choice of method and the technical means used in the process depend on the type of chemical and the size of the affected area.

Prevention

Prevention is the best way to protect against chemical contamination. The Environmental Protection Society actively works with businesses to help reduce gas emissions and dispose of hazardous chemicals. International agreements are also concluded at the government level, which oblige the official authorities to monitor compliance with the norms for protecting the ecosystem.

From elementary grades, we are taught that man and nature are one, that one cannot be separated from the other. We learn the development of our planet, the features of its structure and structure. These areas affect our well-being: the atmosphere, soil, water of the Earth are, perhaps, the most important components of normal human life. But why, then, every year, environmental pollution goes further and reaches an ever greater scale? Let's look at the main environmental problems.

Environmental pollution, which also refers to the natural environment and the biosphere, is an increased content of physical, chemical or biological reagents in it that are not characteristic of this environment, brought in from outside, the presence of which leads to negative consequences.

Scientists have been sounding the alarm about an imminent environmental catastrophe for several decades in a row. Conducted studies in various fields lead to the conclusion that we are already facing global changes in climate and the external environment under the influence of human activities. Pollution of the oceans due to leaks of oil and oil products, as well as debris, has reached enormous proportions, which affects the decline in populations of many animal species and the ecosystem as a whole. The growing number of cars every year leads to a large emission into the atmosphere, which, in turn, leads to the drying of the earth, heavy rainfall on the continents, and a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the air. Some countries are already forced to bring water and even buy canned air, as the production has spoiled the environment in the country. Many people have already realized the danger and are very sensitive to negative changes in nature and major environmental problems, but we still perceive the possibility of a catastrophe as something unrealizable and far away. Is this really so or the threat is close and something needs to be done immediately - let's figure it out.

Types and main sources of environmental pollution

The main types of pollution classify the sources of environmental pollution themselves:

biological;
chemical
physical;
mechanical.

In the first case, environmental pollutants are the activities of living organisms or anthropogenic factors. In the second case, the natural chemical composition of the contaminated sphere is changed by adding other chemicals to it. In the third case, the physical characteristics of the environment change. These types of pollution include thermal, radiation, noise and other types of radiation. The latter type of pollution is also associated with human activities and waste emissions into the biosphere.

All types of pollution can be present both separately by themselves, and flow from one to another or exist together. Consider how they affect individual areas of the biosphere.

People who have come a long way in the desert will surely be able to name the price of every drop of water. Although most likely these drops will be priceless, because a person's life depends on them. In ordinary life, we, alas, do not attach such great importance to water, since we have a lot of it, and it is available at any time. But in the long run, this is not entirely true. In percentage terms, only 3% of the total world fresh water supply remained unpolluted. Understanding the importance of water for people does not prevent a person from polluting an important source of life with oil and oil products, heavy metals, radioactive substances, inorganic pollution, sewage and synthetic fertilizers.

Polluted water contains a large number of xenobiotics - substances that are alien to the human or animal body. If such water enters the food chain, it can lead to serious food poisoning and even death of all participants in the chain. Of course, they are also contained in the products of volcanic activity, which pollute water even without human help, but the activities of the metallurgical industry and chemical plants are predominant.

With the advent of nuclear research, quite significant harm has been done to nature in all areas, including water. Charged particles that get into it cause great harm to living organisms and contribute to the development of oncological diseases. Effluent from factories, ships with nuclear reactors, and simply rain or snow in a nuclear testing area can contaminate the water with decomposition products.

Sewerage, which carries a lot of garbage: detergents, food residues, small household waste, and more, in turn, contributes to the reproduction of other pathogenic organisms, which, when ingested, give a number of diseases, such as typhoid fever, dysentery and others.

Perhaps it does not make sense to explain how the soil is an important part of human life. Most of the food that people eat comes from the soil: from cereals to rare types of fruits and vegetables. For this to continue, it is necessary to maintain the state of the soil at the proper level for a normal water cycle. But anthropogenic pollution has already led to the fact that 27% of the planet's land is subject to erosion.

Soil pollution is the ingress of toxic chemicals and debris into it in high quantities, preventing the normal circulation of soil systems. The main sources of soil pollution:

residential buildings;
industrial enterprises;
transport;
Agriculture;
nuclear power.

In the first case, soil pollution occurs due to ordinary garbage that is thrown out in the wrong places. But the main reason should be called landfills. Burning waste leads to clogging of large areas, and combustion products spoil the soil irrevocably, littering the entire environment.

Industrial enterprises emit many toxic substances, heavy metals and chemical compounds that affect not only the soil, but also the life of living organisms. It is this source of pollution that leads to man-made pollution of the soil.

Transport emissions of hydrocarbons, methane and lead, getting into the soil, affect food chains - they enter the human body through food.
Excessive plowing, pesticides, pesticides and fertilizers, which contain enough mercury and heavy metals, lead to significant soil erosion and desertification. Abundant irrigation also cannot be called a positive factor, since it leads to soil salinization.

Today, up to 98% of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants is buried in the ground, mainly products of uranium fission, which leads to degradation and depletion of land resources.

The atmosphere in the form of a gaseous shell of the Earth is of great value, since it protects the planet from cosmic radiation, affects the relief, determines the climate of the Earth and its thermal background. It cannot be said that the composition of the atmosphere was homogeneous and only with the advent of man began to change. But it was after the beginning of the vigorous activity of people that the heterogeneous composition was "enriched" with dangerous impurities.

The main pollutants in this case are chemical plants, the fuel and energy complex, agriculture and cars. They lead to the appearance of copper, mercury, and other metals in the air. Of course, in industrial areas, air pollution is felt most of all.

Thermal power plants bring light and heat to our homes, however, in parallel, they emit a huge amount of carbon dioxide and soot into the atmosphere.
Acid rain is caused by waste from chemical plants, such as sulfur oxide or nitrogen oxide. These oxides can react with other elements of the biosphere, which contributes to the appearance of more destructive compounds.

Modern cars are quite good in design and technical characteristics, but the problem with the atmosphere has not yet been solved. Ash and fuel processing products not only spoil the atmosphere of cities, but also settle on the soil and make it unusable.

In many industrial and industrial areas, use has become an integral part of life precisely because of the pollution of the environment by factories and transport. Therefore, if you are concerned about the state of air in your apartment, with the help of a breather you can create a healthy microclimate at home, which, unfortunately, does not cancel the glider problems of environmental pollution, but at least allows you to protect yourself and loved ones.

The problem of environmental pollution is becoming acute both due to the growth in industrial and agricultural production, and in connection with qualitative changes in production under the influence of scientific and technological progress. It should be noted that only 1-2% of the used natural resource remains in the final product, and the majority goes to waste, not absorbed by nature. Wastes from industrial activities are increasingly polluting the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere of the Earth. The adaptive mechanisms of the biosphere cannot cope with the neutralization of a significant amount of harmful substances, and natural ecosystems begin to collapse.

carbon dioxide(carbon dioxide) - one of the components of the gas composition of the atmosphere, plays an important role not only in the life of humans, plants and animals, but also in the function of the atmosphere to prevent overheating or hypothermia of the Earth's surface. Economic activity has disturbed the natural balance of CO emission and assimilation in nature, as a result of which its concentration in the atmosphere is increasing. From 1959 to 2000, the amount of carbon dioxide increased by 10%. Some important elements of the CO2 cycle are not yet fully understood. Interdependence between its concentration in the atmosphere and the ability to retain excess heat coming from the Sun has not been established. However, an increase in CO2 concentration indicates a profound disruption of the global equilibrium in the biosphere, which, in combination with other disturbances, can have very serious consequences.

Pollution entering the World Ocean, first of all, disturbed the natural balance of the marine environment in the coastal zone of the continental shelf, where 99% of all marine biological resources extracted by man are concentrated. Anthropogenic pollution of this zone caused its biological productivity to decrease by 20%, and the world fishery missed 15-20 million tons of catch. According to the UN, 50,000 tons of pesticides, 5,000 tons of mercury, 10 million tons of oil and many other pollutants enter the oceans every year.

The amount of substances that annually fall from anthropogenic sources with river runoff into the waters of the seas and oceans - iron, manganese, copper, zinc, lead, tin, arsenic, oil - exceeds the volume of these substances coming as a result of geological processes. The bottom of the World Ocean, including deep-sea basins, is increasingly being used for the burial of especially dangerous toxic substances (including "obsolete" chemical warfare agents), as well as radioactive materials. Thus, from 1946 to 1970, the United States buried about 90,000 containers of waste with a total radioactivity of approximately 100,000 curies on the Atlantic coast of the country, and European countries dumped waste with a total radioactivity of 500,000 curies into the ocean. As a result of depressurization of containers, cases of dangerous contamination of waters and the natural environment are observed in the places of these burials.

In the sea oil pollution has various forms. It can cover the surface of the water with a thin film, and during spills, the layer of oil film can initially be several centimeters. Over time, an oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsion forms. Later, there are lumps of heavy fraction of oil, oil aggregates that are able to float on the surface of the sea for a long time. Various small animals are attached to floating oil lumps, which fish and baleen whales willingly feed on. Together with them, they swallow oil. Some fish die from this, others are soaked through with oil and become unsuitable for eating due to an unpleasant smell and taste.

All oil components are toxins for marine organisms. Oil affects the structure of the marine animal community. With oil pollution, the ratio of species changes and their diversity decreases. So, microorganisms that feed on petroleum hydrocarbons develop abundantly, and the biomass of these microorganisms is poisonous to many marine life. It has been proven that long-term chronic exposure to even small concentrations of oil is very dangerous. At the same time, the primary biological productivity of the sea is gradually decreasing. Oil has another unpleasant side property. its hydrocarbons are capable of dissolving a number of other pollutants, such as pesticides, heavy metals, and together with oil they concentrate in the near-surface layer and poison it even more. The aromatic fraction of oil contains substances of a mutagenic and carcinogenic nature.

The largest amount of oil is concentrated in a thin near-surface layer of sea water. Many organisms are concentrated in it, this layer plays the role of a "kindergarten" for many populations. Surface oil films disrupt gas exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. The processes of dissolution and release of oxygen, carbon dioxide, heat transfer change, the reflectivity (albedo) of sea water decreases.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons, which are widely used to combat pests in agriculture and forestry, with carriers of infectious diseases, have been entering the World Ocean along with river runoff and through the atmosphere for many decades. DDT and its derivatives are found throughout the oceans, including the Arctic and Antarctic.

They are easily soluble in fats and therefore accumulate in the organs of fish, mammals, and seabirds. As xenobiotics, that is, substances of completely artificial origin, they do not have their “consumers” among microorganisms and therefore almost do not decompose in natural conditions, but only accumulate in the oceans. At the same time, they are acutely toxic, affect the hematopoietic system, inhibit enzymatic activity, and strongly affect heredity.

Along with river runoff, heavy metals also enter the ocean, many of which have toxic properties. The total volume of river runoff is 46 thousand m3 of water per year. Together with it, 2 million tons of lead, up to 20 thousand tons of cadmium, and up to 10 thousand tons of mercury enter the World Ocean. Coastal waters and inland seas have the highest pollution levels. The atmosphere also plays a significant role in the pollution of the oceans. For example, up to 30% of all mercury and 50% of lead entering the ocean is annually transported through the atmosphere.

Due to its toxicity in the marine environment, mercury poses a particular danger. Under the influence of microbiological processes, toxic inorganic mercury is converted into much more toxic organic forms of mercury. Accumulated due to bioaccumulation in fish or shellfish, methylmercury compounds pose a direct threat to human life and health.

Mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, chromium, arsenic and other heavy metals not only accumulate in marine organisms, thereby poisoning marine food, but also have the most negative impact on marine life. Accumulation coefficients of toxic metals, i.e. their concentration per unit weight in marine organisms in relation to sea water varies widely - from hundreds to hundreds of thousands, depending on the nature of metals and types of organism)). These coefficients show how harmful substances accumulate in fish, mollusks, crustaceans and other organisms.

The beginning of the space age gave rise to the problem of maintaining the integrity of another earthly shell - cosmosphere(near-Earth space). The penetration of man into space is not just a heroic epic, it is also a purposeful long-term policy of mastering new resources of nature and the natural environment.

The outer shell of the Earth performs a number of functions important for the life of the planet and for life on the planet, related to the maintenance of its radiation-heat balance, the occurrence of certain geophysical processes. Therefore, the preservation of natural balances and the original properties of the Earth's cosmossphere in the process of human penetration into it is a big, vitally important general planetary task.

Space activity covers a wide range of applied areas: the study of the Earth's natural resources, monitoring the state of the environment, communications, navigation, meteorology, geodesy, cartography, television broadcasting, rescue of ships and aircraft in distress; technological, biological and other scientific experiments pave the way for an even more intensive, in particular industrial, use of space.

Outer space is increasingly becoming an arena for diverse and fruitful peaceful cooperation. Intensive research and experiments for civilian purposes are currently underway in space. All this involves the launch of a large number of space objects. In the early 1980s, more than 100 objects per year were launched into space. Currently, there are about 10-15 thousand large artificial objects and 40,000 small ones (approximately 2.5 centimeters in diameter) in Earth's orbit.

Some of the current and future types of space activities should become the object of regulation in order to exclude pollution and other forms of disruption of the natural balance in outer space. Currently, in international forums, there is a discussion, in addition to the issue of the non-militarization of outer space, of such aspects of regulation as: reducing the number of satellites that have exhausted their reserve (the so-called space waste), dumping various kinds of dangerous "terrestrial" waste into space, launching large rocket boosters on solid fuel.

One of the most acute global problems of our time is the problem of the increasing acidity of precipitation and soil cover. Acid rain causes more than just acidification of the groundwater in the upper layers of the pounds. Acidity with precipitation extends to the entire soil profile and causes significant acidification of groundwater. Acid rain occurs as a result of human activities, accompanied by the emission of oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, carbon. These oxides, entering the atmosphere, are transported over long distances, interact with water and turn into solutions of a mixture of sulfurous, sulfuric, nitrous, nitric and carbonic acids, which fall in the form of "acid rain" on land, interacting with plants, soils, waters. The main sources of accumulation of oxides in the atmosphere are the combustion of shale, oil, coal, gas in industry, agriculture, and everyday life. Human economic activity has almost doubled the release of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Naturally, this affected the increase in the acidity of atmospheric precipitation, surface and ground waters.

Aerosol pollution of the atmosphere. Aerosols are solid or liquid particles suspended in air. The solid components of aerosols are in some cases dangerous for organisms, and cause specific diseases in humans. In the atmosphere, aerosol pollution is perceived in the form of smoke, fog, if I can. The average size of aerosol particles is 1-5 microns.

The main sources of artificial aerosol air pollution are thermal power plants, which consume high-ash coal, enrichment plants, metallurgical, cement, magnesite soot plants. Aerosol particles from these sources are distinguished by a wide variety of chemical composition. Most often, compounds of silicon, calcium and carbon are found in their composition, less often metal oxides: iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, nickel, lead, antimony, bismuth, selenium, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, and also asbestos. An even greater variety is characteristic of organic dust, including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, acid salts. Bona is formed during the combustion of residual petroleum products, in the process of pyrolysis at oil refineries, petrochemical and other similar enterprises. Permanent sources of aerosol pollution are industrial dumps - artificial mounds of overburden formed during mining or from waste from processing industries, thermal power plants. The source of dust and poisonous gases is mass blasting. So, as a result of one medium-sized explosion (250 - 300 tons of explosives), about 2 thousand M 3, conditional carbon monoxide and more than 150 tons of dust are released into the atmosphere. The production of cement and other building materials is also a source of air pollution with dust.

Destruction of the ozone layer. Ozone- one of the forms of existence of the chemical element oxygen in the earth's atmosphere - its molecule consists of three oxygen atoms 03 for the formation of ozone, the preliminary formation of free oxygen atoms is necessary.

With an increase in the amount of atomic oxygen, the ozone content in the atmosphere also increases. However, ultraviolet radiation also increases with altitude, destroying ozone faster than it is being formed, so the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere begins to decrease. Measurements show that ozone in the atmosphere has a layered structure and its bulk is concentrated in a layer at a height of 20-25 km, and starting from a height of 55 km, its concentration actively decreases, therefore, ozone is present in the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere.

"The ozone hole" is the phenomenon of reducing the total amount of ozone. A systematic decrease in the concentration of B 3 in the spring by about 1.5 - 2 times was noted. Chlorine and fluorocarbons (FCCs) have been used for over 60 years as refrigerants in refrigerators and air conditioners, propellants in aerosol mixtures, foaming agents in fire extinguishers, cleaners for electronic devices, in dry cleaning of clothes, and in the production of foam plastics. The inertness of these compounds makes them hazardous to atmospheric ozone. CFCs do not break down rapidly in the troposphere (lower atmosphere, extending from the Earth's surface to 10 km altitude), as, for example, most nitrogen oxides do, and eventually enter the stratosphere, the upper limit of which is located at an altitude of about 50 km. When the CFC molecules rise to a height of 25 km, where the concentration of ozone is maximum, they are exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation, do not penetrate to lower altitudes due to the action of ozone, which shields. Ultraviolet destroys normally stable CFC molecules, which break down into components that are highly reactive, in particular atomic chlorine. Thus, CFCs transport chlorine from the Earth's surface through the troposphere and lower atmosphere, where less inert chlorine compounds are destroyed, into the stratosphere, to the layer with the highest concentration of ozone. It is very important that chlorine acts like a catalyst during the destruction of ozone: its amount does not decrease during the chemical process. As a consequence, one chlorine atom can destroy up to 10,000 ozone molecules before it is released back into the troposphere. Currently, CFC emissions into the atmosphere are in the millions of tons, and the effect of those that have already entered the atmosphere will continue for several decades.

Many countries have begun to take steps to reduce the production and use of CFCs. Since 1978 The US banned the use of CFCs in aerosols. Unfortunately, the use of CFCs in other areas has not been restricted. In September 1987, 23 leading countries of the world signed a convention in Montreal obliging them to reduce their consumption of CFCs. A substitute has already been found for use as a propane tape in aerosols - a propane-butane mixture. In terms of physical parameters, it is practically not inferior to freons, but, unlike them, it is flammable. Things are more complicated with refrigeration equipment - the second largest consumer of freons. The fact is that, due to the polarity of CFC molecules, they have a high heat of vaporization, which is very important for the working fluid in refrigerators and air conditioners. The best substitute for freons known today is ammonia, but it is toxic and still inferior to CFCs in terms of physical parameters.

The use of CFCs continues and is far from even stabilizing the level of CFCs in the atmosphere. So, according to the Global Monitoring Network for Climate Change, under background conditions - on the shores of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and on islands, far from industrial and densely populated areas - the concentration of freons is currently growing at a rate of 5 - 9% per year. The content of photochemically active chlorine compounds in the stratosphere is currently 2-3 times higher compared to the level of the 1950s, before the start of accelerated freon production.

The largest ozone hole was found over Antarctica and is largely a consequence of meteorological processes. The formation of ozone is possible only in the presence of ultraviolet radiation, and during the Polar Night it is not produced. In winter, a stable vortex forms over the Antarctic, preventing the influx of ozone-rich air from the middle latitudes. Therefore, by spring, even a small amount of active chlorine can cause serious damage to the ozone layer. Such a vortex is practically absent over the Arctic, so the drop in ozone concentration is much smaller in the northern hemisphere. Many researchers believe that polar stratospheric clouds influence the process of ozone depletion. These high-altitude clouds are much more frequently observed over the Antarctic than over the Arctic, and form in winter when, in the absence of sunlight and in the meteorological isolation of Antarctica, the temperature in the stratosphere drops below -80 °

Nitrogen fertilizers are a powerful source of ozone destruction. Once in the soil, such fertilizers are sprayed, while a certain number of molecules enter the surface air. Then a whole chain of processes occurs: turbulence in the surface air layer, transfer of gas enriched with nitric oxides to low sprats, reverse horizontal transfer of gas to higher latitudes already in the stratosphere.

Nitrogen oxides also enter the atmosphere during the combustion of industrial fuels. According to available estimates, the amount of nitrous oxide released into the air with the smoke of conventional (non-nuclear) fueled power plants is itself quite large at 3-4 megatons per year, although it is not as dangerous as compared to nitrogenous fertilizers.

Many hydrogen compounds are involved in the hydrogen cycle. Hydrogen enters the atmosphere in the form of water.

Human activity also brings water into the upper atmosphere. When large rockets are lifted into the atmosphere, a large number of H 2 0 molecules are ejected; water is also released during flights of stratospheric aviation.

Hydrogen also enters the atmosphere in the form of methane CIS. The natural source of methane is moist forests, swamps and rice fields, where it is formed as a result of the activity of anaerobic bacteria.

American scientists have invented that it is the chlorine cycle of ozone destruction that poses the greatest real danger to the existence of the ozone layer.

The development of civilization leads to increasing emissions of chlorine compounds into the atmosphere, and freons (chlorofluorocarbon compounds, such as CFC1 3 CF 2 Cl 2) play one of the leading roles in this process. Freon production growth continues at a tremendous pace (this is the production of refrigeration equipment, aerosols, foam plastics, etc.). their entry into the atmosphere is associated with technological losses.

Two ways to restore the ozone layer have been identified: removing ozone-depleting substances from the atmosphere and generating ozone.

The first way - the removal of catalysts from the atmosphere - does not yet have real solutions. It was supposed to use laser irradiation of the ozone layers of the atmosphere in order to dissociate freon molecules. But the slow decay of freon molecules still saves us from the accelerated destruction of the ozone layer and only a small part of the laser energy will work to achieve the goal, its main part will be dissipated in space.

The second way is to freeze out ozone in refrigeration devices on Earth - for this it would be necessary to pass a significant fraction of the atmosphere through them.

The most realistic is a project involving the creation of electrical discharges in the stratosphere using high-frequency radio waves. The discharge is created using fixed phased antenna arrays located on the ground. The dimensions of the required antenna are about a hundred meters, the phase control of individual elements allows for focusing radiation and scanning at a certain height. Power supply can be provided from a nuclear power plant with a capacity of tens of MW, and the efficiency of the radio engineering part relative to the primary source can reach 80%. The mechanism of ozone formation during the discharge is plasma-chemical and thermal.

In the plasma-chemical mechanism, oxygen molecules are destroyed by electrons generated in an electric discharge.

The thermal mechanism of ozone recovery can have a significant impact on reducing energy costs. There is an assumption that an ozone "hole" occurs only at t - 80 ° C. If this is so, and assuming that such a temperature exists only in certain places of the "hole", it becomes possible to compensate for the ozone deficiency only in these places. Thus, the theoretical possibility of restoring the ozone layer exists.

The main sources of environmental pollution are artificial and man-made. Speaking facts, here are just some of the consequences of a thoughtless attitude towards nature:

Thermal pollution of the environment and harmful gases from cars have led to the fact that about 250 thousand people in Europe alone die annually from diseases associated with this phenomenon;
Every year, about 11 million hectares of tropical forests are cut down on Earth, while the rate of reforestation is ten times lower;
9 million tons of waste is dumped annually into the Pacific Ocean, and more than 30 million tons into the Atlantic;
For 40 years, the amount of drinking water per capita on the planet has decreased by 60%;
Discarded glass will take 1000 years to decompose, plastics 500 years.

Consequences of an oil spill

In recent years, environmental pollution is only gaining momentum, and many scientists around the world have begun to turn to this problem. Until recently, nothing like this was observed, since the level of consumption of goods by the population of the entire planet was at a low level. But with the constant increase in the standard of living, the purchasing power of people, the construction of more and more dangerous industries, the issue of preserving nature began to manifest itself more and more acutely.

Today, the problem of environmental pollution is an edge - a person negatively affects the whole world in many areas and there are no unambiguous solutions for this situation yet. In progressive countries they are already trying to fight this by creating advanced waste processing plants, but in most countries they have not yet reached this level of culture.

Interesting fact. One passenger car produces in a year the amount of carbon dioxide that is equal to its own weight. This gas contains about 300 substances hazardous to people and nature.

Environmental pollution - what does it mean

Due to deforestation, many animals lose their homes and die out - like this koala

Under the pollution of nature, it is customary to understand such human behavior, as a result of which dangerous and harmful substances and materials, chemical compounds and biological agents are introduced into nature. The consequences of environmental pollution affect not only the properties of soil, water, vegetation, air quality, but can also affect a host of other factors, including the overall quality of life of people.

The release of hazardous substances into nature can occur in natural, artificial or anthropogenic ways. Examples of the first option include volcanic eruptions, when dust and magma covers the earth, destroying all life, disruption of the population of any animals in a certain area, which leads to problems in the existing food chain, increased solar activity, provoking droughts and similar phenomena.

Artificial ways of negative impact on the environment are inextricably linked with humans: the ever-growing number of hazardous industries, the accumulation of non-recyclable garbage and household waste, vehicle emissions, deforestation and urbanization. It is even difficult to enumerate all the negative factors that affect the normal state of nature as a result of human actions.

Classification of types of environmental pollution

Penguin caught in dirty water after oil spill

In addition to the above division into artificial and natural, types of environmental pollution are also divided into the following categories:

Violation of normal biocenosis or biological impact. Occurs as a result of uncontrolled catching or hunting of certain types of animals, the negative impact on animals by anthropogenic activities. Uncontrolled activity of hunters and fishermen, poachers leads to forced or spontaneous migration of a large number of animals to other habitats, etc. As a result of such processes, the normal biocenosis is disrupted, which sometimes provokes catastrophic problems. This also includes cutting down forests, drying up rivers or changing their course, the development of huge quarries, large forest and steppe fires;
Mechanical, implying the release into nature of a huge amount of garbage obtained as a result of human activity, which negatively affects both the inhabitants of the region and the physico-chemical structure and properties of soil, groundwater, etc.;
Physical pollution of the environment is a complex of impact factors, as a result of which some physical parameters change: its temperature, the level of radioactive, light, noise state. This includes electromagnetic effects from satellites, antennas;
Chemical negative impact, which manifests itself in a change in the normal chemical composition in the earth, water, air, which provokes destructive processes in it and deprives organisms of normal habitual conditions for their life.

Interesting fact. Due to excessive electromagnetic radiation in some developed countries, the number of insects has dramatically changed. The negative impact of electromagnetic radiation on bees, which prefer to migrate to places cleaner from radiation, has been noticed.

Environmental tax payment

Many countries, especially in the civilized world, have come to the conclusion that companies must pay certain taxes for environmental pollution by their activities. The money collected in this way is used to combat the consequences of the problem in one area or another, for example, in the country's water management.

Pollution of the environment occurs everywhere, so it is reasonable for the state to develop a unified approach and a common tax in this matter. However, at the moment there is still no clear definition of the environmental tax.

Usually, the interaction of the government with the owners of hazardous production goes like this: the facility checks for compliance with environmental safety standards and, in case of exceeding the established standards, undertakes to pay a certain tax, for example, on each ton of hazardous substances generated.

Therefore, it is worth speaking rather not about some kind of tax common to the entire state, but about various kinds of payments from the manufacturer to the state in the event that an object generates harmful substances. Let's take a closer look at the situations in which this happens.

What taxes are related to environmental taxes?

Transport tax. In 2016, it must be paid if it is proven that the vehicle is harmful to the environment.
Mining tax. For example, in the extraction of natural resources, including coal and oil, which are among the exhaustible.
Water tax. Paid in Russia for introducing an imbalance into the environment when using water resources.
Fee for the exploitation of aquatic biological resources in Russia, objects of the animal world. This tax is paid if the damage to nature is caused as a result of hunting or other types of catching animals.
Land.

How does all this affect the human body?

Wave with debris on the island of Java - the most populous island of the planet

Many people treat the issue under consideration rather superficially and do not take any action to protect the environment from pollution, believing that the problem does not concern them. In fact, this is a completely wrong and unconscious approach.

The result of a changed environment affects a person very strongly, since he is an inextricable part of nature. It is possible to single out the most important areas that, due to the negative influence of man, have undergone changes that are dangerous:

Climate. The constant increase in temperature, the melting of glaciers, the change in some global currents in the world's oceans, the presence of dangerous chemical compounds in the air - this is only a small part of what everyone faces. Even the most minimal changes in climate: temperature, pressure, precipitation or strong gusts of wind can bring with them a lot of problems of a very different nature: from exacerbated rheumatism to destroyed crops, drought and hunger strike (see);

Biological and chemical factors. Harmful substances enter the soil, penetrate into groundwater, into the air in the form of vapors, are absorbed into plants, which animals and people then feed on. Dangerous chemicals, even in small concentrations, can provoke allergies, coughs, diseases, rashes on the body, and even mutations. In chronic poisoning, a person becomes weaker and more tired;

Nutrition also has a strong effect on human health. Cultures grown on impure land, saturated with a large amount of chemical fertilizers and poisons, lose many of their positive properties, becoming a real poison. Bad food causes obesity, loss of taste and appetite, lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the body.

Environmental pollution, as defined above, can have a very negative impact on the health of millions of people.

Genetic danger

Mutations among animals caused by environmental change

One of the most important nuances of the issue under consideration is the so-called genetic danger. It lies in the fact that under the influence of harmful chemicals, various mutations can accumulate in the body, which can provoke cancerous tumors and introduce serious defects into future generations, sometimes even incompatible with life.

The manifestation of mutations and changes in the body and its descendants does not appear immediately. This may take years or decades. That is why the consumption of GMO food, exposure to radiation and strong radiation, smoking, which also causes cell mutations, manifest themselves in the form of the same cancer and other pathologies not immediately, but after 10-20 years.

Fighting a problem

Waste recycling plant Spittelau in Vienna, Austria

Anthropogenic pollution of the environment, the causes and consequences of which have already been discussed in general terms, is a serious concern for many thinking people around the world. It is enough to visit at least once on which there is no end in sight to understand that the situation is going too far and it is necessary not to hide it in abandoned quarries, but to radically solve it.

Since nature has no boundaries, the fight against the problem of its pollution is international. There are now many organizations around the world that are trying to influence manufacturers, governments and people in order to educate them in a more conscious attitude towards nature and their actions. In some countries, green energy sources are being actively promoted, popular car companies are starting to produce electric cars that should replace gasoline and diesel engines.

Important components of the struggle for the conservation of nature:

Promotion of abandoning the consumer lifestyle and the constant purchase of things that can be completely abandoned and which will quickly end up in the nearest garbage dump;

Construction of waste processing plants capable of producing new materials from recycled materials, which will be re-used in production;

Garbage sorting. In cultural countries, this issue has already been practically resolved and people throw different types of garbage into different containers. This simplifies the process of their disposal and recycling.

One of the serious causes of environmental pollution is the irresponsible attitude of the inhabitants to the problem and their unwillingness to understand these issues.

How to prevent the problem

The fight against environmental pollution is a complex task that must be solved in the following complex:

Bringing the issue to the attention of governments of all countries;
Enlightenment of the masses in order to educate them in consciousness in this matter;
Impact on manufacturers and their control. All this should be regulated by thoughtful and rigid legislation;
Prevention of environmental pollution should also be accompanied by the creation of a full-fledged infrastructure for the removal, disposal and processing of waste.

Only all these points together can produce a positive effect and reverse the current negative trend, make our world cleaner.

General consequences of nature pollution

Garbage-filled territories of Bangladesh

At the moment, the consequences of the constant increase in consumption, the development of the industry and the corresponding amount of waste and garbage are already quite tangible, and this applies to the whole world. Suffice it to recall the recently erupted "garbage" riots in the suburbs of Moscow, when people began to massively complain about the terrible smell from the landfill next to their homes, the deterioration of air and water quality.

Interesting fact. About 40 million Russians living in cities live in conditions of 10 times the level of air pollution exceeding what is prescribed by sanitary standards.

As a conclusion, it is worth noting that the environmental consequences of environmental pollution are catastrophic for every person on Earth. But only a conscious approach to the problem can change something.

The main factors of environmental pollution depend on the person, so if all people unite to solve this problem, then you can be sure that a solution will be found. The matter remains for small things - for the strong-willed decision of the authorities of all countries to start moving in this direction.