Types of pollutants. Causes of environmental pollution. Types of artificial pollution

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION- the introduction of new physical, chemical and biological agents that are not characteristic of it or the excess of their natural level.

Any chemical pollution is the appearance of a chemical in a place not intended for it. Pollution arising from human activity is the main factor in its harmful impact on the natural environment.

Chemical pollutants can cause acute poisoning, chronic diseases, and also have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. For example, heavy metals can accumulate in plant and animal tissues, causing a toxic effect. In addition to heavy metals, especially dangerous pollutants are chlordioxins, which are formed from chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons used in the production of herbicides. Sources of pollution environment dioxins are also by-products of the pulp and paper industry, waste from the metallurgical industry, and exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. These substances are very toxic to humans and animals even at low concentrations and cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and immune system.

Along with pollution of the environment with synthetic substances new to it, great damage to nature and human health can be caused by interference in the natural cycles of substances due to active industrial and agricultural activities, as well as the formation of household waste.

In the beginning, the activities of people affected only the living substance of the land and the soil. In the 19th century, when the industry began to develop rapidly, in the sphere industrial production significant masses of chemical elements extracted from the earth's interior began to be involved. At the same time, not only the outer part began to be exposed to the impact. earth's crust but also natural waters and atmosphere.

In the middle of the 20th century some elements began to be used in such quantity, which is comparable with the masses involved in natural cycles. The low efficiency of most modern industrial technology has led to the formation of a huge amount of waste that is not disposed of in related industries, but is released into the environment. Masses of polluting waste are so great that they pose a danger to living organisms, including humans.

Although the chemical industry is not the main source of pollution (Fig. 1), it is characterized by emissions that are most dangerous for the environment, humans, animals and plants (Fig. 2). The term " hazardous waste» applies to any kind of waste that may harm health or the environment when stored, transported, processed or disposed of. These include toxic substances, flammable wastes, corrosive wastes and other reactive substances.

Depending on the features of mass transfer cycles, the pollutant component can spread to the entire surface of the planet, to a more or less significant territory, or be local. Thus, environmental crises resulting from environmental pollution can be of three types - global, regional and local.

One of the problems of a global nature is the increase in the content in the atmosphere carbon dioxide as a result of man-made emissions. The most dangerous consequence of this phenomenon may be an increase in air temperature due to the "greenhouse effect". The problem of disruption of the global cycle of carbon mass transfer is already moving from the field of ecology to economic, social and, finally, political spheres.

In December 1997 in Kyoto (Japan) was adopted Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(dated May 1992) (). The main thing in Protocol– quantitative obligations of developed countries and countries with economies in transition, including Russia, to limit and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily CO 2 , into the atmosphere in 2008–2012. Russia's allowed level of greenhouse gas emissions for these years is 100% of the 1990 level. For the EU countries as a whole, it is 92%, for Japan - 94%. The USA was supposed to have 93%, but this country refused to participate in the Protocol, since the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions means a decrease in the level of electricity generation and, consequently, the stagnation of the industry. October 23, 2004 The State Duma of Russia decided to ratify Kyoto Protocol.

Pollution on a regional scale includes many industrial and transport wastes. First of all, it concerns sulfur dioxide. It causes the formation of acid rain, affecting plant and animal organisms and causing disease in the population. Technogenic sulfur oxides are distributed unevenly and cause damage to certain areas. Due to the transfer of air masses, they often cross the borders of states and end up in territories remote from industrial centers.

In large cities and industrial centers, the air, along with carbon and sulfur oxides, is often polluted with nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emitted by automobile engines and chimneys. Smog is often observed. Although these pollutions are local in nature, they affect many people who live compactly in such areas. In addition, the environment is damaged.

One of the main environmental pollutants is agricultural production. Significant masses of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are artificially introduced into the system of circulation of chemical elements in the form of mineral fertilizers. Their excess, not assimilated by plants, is actively involved in water migration. The accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in natural water bodies causes increased growth of aquatic vegetation, overgrowth of water bodies and pollution of them with dead plant residues and decomposition products. In addition, the abnormally high content of soluble nitrogen compounds in the soil leads to an increase in the concentration of this element in agricultural food and drinking water. It can cause serious illness in humans.

As an example showing changes in the structure of the biological cycle as a result of human activities, we can consider the data for the forest zone of the European part of Russia (table). In prehistoric times, this entire territory was covered with forests, now their area has almost halved. Their place was taken by fields, meadows, pastures, as well as cities, towns, and highways. The decrease in the total mass of some elements due to the general decrease in the mass of green plants is compensated by the application of fertilizers, which involves much more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in biological migration than natural vegetation. Deforestation and plowing of soils contribute to increased water migration. Thus, the content of compounds of certain elements (nitrogen, potassium, calcium) in natural waters increases significantly.

Table: MIGRATION OF ELEMENTS IN THE FOREST ZONE OF THE EUROPEAN PART OF RUSSIA

Table 3 MIGRATION OF ELEMENTS IN THE FOREST ZONE OF THE EUROPEAN PART OF RUSSIA(million tons per year) in the prehistoric period (on a gray background) and at the present time (on a white background)
	Nitrogen		Phosphorus		Potassium		Calcium		Sulfur
Precipitation	0,9	0,9	0,03	0,03	1,1	1,1	1,5	1,5	2,6	2,6
Biological cycle	21,1	20,6	2,9	2,4	5,5	9,9	9,2	8,1	1,5	1,5
Proceeds with fertilizers	0	0,6	0	0,18	0	0,45	0	12,0	0	0,3
Harvesting, logging		11,3	0	1,1	0	4,5	0	5,3	0	0,6
Water runoff	0,8	1,21	0,17	0,17	2,0	6,1	7,3	16,6	5,4	4,6

Water pollutants are also organic waste. Their oxidation consumes an additional amount of oxygen. If the oxygen content is too low, the normal life of most aquatic organisms becomes impossible. Aerobic bacteria that need oxygen also die, and bacteria develop instead that use sulfur compounds for their vital activity. A sign of the appearance of such bacteria is the smell of hydrogen sulfide - one of the products of their vital activity.

Among the many consequences of the economic activity of human society, the process of progressive accumulation of metals in the environment is of particular importance. The most dangerous pollutants include mercury, pigs and cadmium. The technogenic inputs of manganese, tin, copper, molybdenum, chromium, nickel, and cobalt also have a significant impact on living organisms and their communities (Fig. 3).

Natural waters can be contaminated with pesticides and dioxins, as well as oil. Oil decomposition products are toxic, and the oil film, which isolates water from air, leads to the death of living organisms (primarily plankton) in the water.

In addition to the accumulation of toxic and harmful substances in the soil as a result of human activities, land damage is caused by the burial and dumping of industrial and domestic waste.

The main measures to combat air pollution are: strict control of emissions of harmful substances. It is necessary to replace toxic starting products with non-toxic ones, switch to closed cycles, improve gas cleaning and dust collection methods. Of great importance is the optimization of the location of enterprises to reduce transport emissions, as well as the competent application of economic sanctions.

International cooperation is beginning to play an important role in protecting the environment from chemical pollution. In the 1970s, a decrease in the concentration of O 3 was found in the ozone layer, which protects our planet from the dangerous effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In 1974, it was established that ozone is destroyed by the action of atomic chlorine. One of the main sources of chlorine entering the atmosphere are chlorofluoro derivatives of hydrocarbons (freons, freons) used in aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners. The destruction of the ozone layer occurs, perhaps, not only under the influence of these substances. However, steps have been taken to reduce their production and use. In 1985, many countries agreed to protect the ozone layer. The exchange of information and joint research into changes in the concentration of atmospheric ozone continue.

Carrying out measures to prevent the ingress of pollutants into water bodies includes the establishment of coastal protective strips and water protection zones, the rejection of poisonous chlorine-containing pesticides, and the reduction of discharges from industrial enterprises through the use of closed cycles. Reducing the risk of oil pollution is possible by improving the reliability of tankers.

To prevent pollution of the Earth's surface, preventive measures are needed - to prevent contamination of soils with industrial and domestic sewage, solid domestic and industrial wastes, and sanitary cleaning of the soil and the territory of populated areas where such violations have been identified.

The best solution to the problem of environmental pollution would be non-waste industries that do not have sewage, gas emissions and solid waste. However, waste-free production today and in the foreseeable future is fundamentally impossible, for its implementation it is necessary to create a cyclic system of matter and energy flows that is uniform for the entire planet. If the loss of matter, at least theoretically, can still be prevented, then environmental problems energy will still be there. Thermal pollution cannot be avoided in principle, and so-called clean energy sources, such as wind farms, still damage the environment.

So far, the only way to significantly reduce environmental pollution is low-waste technologies. Currently, low-waste industries are being created, in which emissions of harmful substances do not exceed the maximum permissible concentrations (MAC), and waste does not lead to irreversible changes in nature. The complex processing of raw materials, the combination of several industries, the use of solid waste for the manufacture of building materials are used.

New technologies and materials, environmentally friendly fuels, new energy sources are being created that reduce environmental pollution.

Elena Savinkina

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 number drinking water per capita of the planet has decreased by 60%;
• Discarded glass will take 1000 years to decompose, plastics 500 years.

Consequences of an oil spill

AT last 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 a car produces in a year such an amount of carbon dioxide, which 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 adverse effect, 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, when mining natural resources, including coal and oil, which are exhaustible.
• Water tax. Paid in Russia for introducing an imbalance into the environment when using water resources.
• Fee for the operation of water 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 ground water, into the air in the form of vapors, are absorbed into plants, which then feed on animals and people. 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 away different type garbage in 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 difficult task, which should 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.

The simplest definition of pollution is the introduction or emergence of new pollutants into the environment or the excess of the natural long-term average level of these pollutants.

Environmental pollution is divided into natural, caused by some natural causes: volcanic eruption, breaks in the earth's crust, natural fires, dust storms, etc., and anthropogenic, arising in connection with human economic activity.

Among anthropogenic pollution, the following types of pollution are distinguished: physical, mechanical, biological, geological, chemical.

To physical pollution include thermal, light, noise, vibration, electromagnetic, radioactive.

Sources of soil temperature increase are underground construction, laying of communications. An increase in soil temperature stimulates the activity of microorganisms, which are agents of corrosion of various communications.

light pollution- Violation of natural light environment. It leads to a violation of the rhythms of the activity of living organisms. An increase in water turbidity in water bodies reduces the penetration of sunlight to the depth and the photosynthesis of aquatic vegetation.

Noise pollution– an increase in the intensity and frequency of noise above the natural level. Noise refers to serious environmental pollutants, adaptation to which organisms are practically impossible. Sources of noise pollution are automobile, rail, air transport, industrial enterprises, household appliances.

Noise pollution has a negative impact on the hearing organs, the nervous system (up to mental disorders), the cardiovascular system and other organs.

Vibration pollution - arises as a result of the operation of different types of transport, vibration equipment, can lead to soil subsidence, deformation of buildings and structures.

Electromagnetic pollution– change in the electromagnetic properties of the environment. Sources of electromagnetic pollution are power lines, radio and television centers, radars. This type of pollution has a significant impact on living organisms: on metabolism, blood composition, and the cardiovascular system.

Nuclear pollution - excess of the natural radioactive level of the environment. Sources of radioactive contamination of the environment are nuclear explosions, radioactive waste disposal, accidents at nuclear power plants, etc.

Mechanical pollution - pollution of the environment by materials that have only a mechanical effect without chemical consequences. Examples are: siltation of water bodies with soil, dust in the atmosphere, construction waste dump on land plot. At first glance, such pollution may seem harmless, but it can cause a number of environmental problems, the elimination of which will require significant economic costs.

biological pollution divided into bacterial and organic. Bacterial contamination - the introduction into the environment of pathogens that contribute to the spread of diseases, such as hepatitis, cholera, dysentery and other diseases.

Sources may be insufficiently disinfected sewage discharged into a water body.

Organic pollution - pollution, for example, of the aquatic environment with substances capable of fermentation, decay: waste from food, pulp and paper industries, untreated sewage.

Biological pollution also includes animal relocation into new ecosystems where their natural enemies are absent. Such relocation can lead to an explosion in the number of relocated animals and have unpredictable consequences.

geological pollution - stimulation under the influence of human activities of such geological processes as flooding, drainage of territories, the formation of landslides, collapses, subsidence of the earth's surface, etc.

Such violations occur as a result of mining, construction, leakage of water and sewage from communications, as a result of the vibrational impact of transport and other influences. The given impacts must be taken into account when designing in construction (choosing the design characteristics of soils, in calculating the stability of buildings and structures).

chemical pollution - change in the natural chemical properties of the environment as a result of emissions by industrial enterprises, transport, agriculture of various pollutants. For example, emissions into the atmosphere of hydrocarbon fuel combustion products, soil pollution with pesticides, and untreated wastewater discharges into water bodies. Some of the most dangerous pollutants are heavy metals and synthetic organic compounds.

Heavy metals are chemical elements that have a high density (> 8 g/cm3), such as lead, tin, cadmium, mercury, chromium, copper, zinc, etc., they are widely used in industry and are very toxic. Their ions and some compounds are easily soluble in water, can enter the body and have a negative effect on it. The main sources of waste containing heavy metals are ore beneficiation, metal smelting and processing, and electroplating industries.

Synthetic organic compounds are used to produce plastics, synthetic fibers, solvents, paints, pesticides, detergents, and can be absorbed by living organisms and disrupt their functioning.

Heavy metals and many synthetic organic compounds are bioaccumulative. Bioaccumulation- this is the accumulation of pollutants in living organisms when they enter from the external environment in small doses that seem harmless.

Bioaccumulation is exacerbated in the food chain, i.e. plant organisms assimilate pollutants from the external environment and accumulate them in their organs, herbivorous animals, eating vegetation, receive large doses, predatory animals receive even larger doses. As a result, in living organisms at the end of the food chain, the concentration of pollutants can be hundreds of thousands of times greater than in the external environment. This accumulation of a substance as it passes through the food chain is called bioconcentration.

The danger of bioaccumulation and bioconcentration became known in the 1960s when population declines were discovered for many birds of prey, animals at the end of the food chain.

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 a close ecological disaster. 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 activity. 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, give water something different great importance, 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.

Contaminated 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. Wastewater from factories, ships from nuclear reactors and mere rain or snow in a nuclear test 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 positive factor because 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 because 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 specifications, 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.

Pollutant: Any agent of natural or man-made origin (primarily a physical agent, a chemical and a species, principally micro-organisms) that enters or emerges from the environment in quantities of … Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

POLLUTANT- any physical agent, chemical substance or species that enters the environment or occurs in it in an amount that exceeds the usual, and causes pollution of the environment. Ecological encyclopedic dictionary. Chisinau:… … Ecological dictionary

Pollutant Dictionary of Russian synonyms. pollutant noun, number of synonyms: 2 pollutant (2) … Synonym dictionary

pollutant- Any foreign (extraneous) energy or substance (particles, liquids, gases, energy in the form of heat, static electricity, radiation, etc.) in the process environment (zone) that adversely affects reliability, safety, efficiency ... ... Technical Translator's Handbook

POLLUTANT, me, husband. That which pollutes the air, water, soil. Dictionary Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

1) any natural and anthropogenic: physical or informational agent, chemical substance and biological species (ch. arr. microorganisms) entering the environment or arising in it in quantities that go beyond the natural background; ... ... Emergencies Dictionary

pollutant- Natural or anthropogenic substances entering or occurring in the environment in quantities that are anomalously high compared to their natural levels. Syn.: pollutant… Geography Dictionary

pollutant- 6.1. #pollutant#: Any agent of natural or man-made origin (primarily a physical agent, a chemical and a species, principally micro-organisms) that enters or occurs in the environment in… … Official terminology

pollutant- rus pollutant (m), pollutant (c) eng contaminant, pollutant fra impureté (f), contaminant (m), polluant (m) deu Verunreinigung (f), Verunreiniger (m), verunreinigender Stoff (m) spa contaminante ( m), agente (m) polulante ... Occupational safety and health. Translation into English, French, German, Spanish

POLLUTANT- In damage management: toxic, harmful or dangerous substance. Any factor: a physical agent, chemical or species (mainly micro-organisms) capable of causing harm to human health or the environment. In laws... Insurance and risk management. Terminological dictionary