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Environmental pollution is one of the main problems that has been occurring globally for a long time, affecting the entire planet, its biodiversity and people's health. The types of contamination that exist are different, it all depends on the area or element that is affected and the type of pollutants that cause the problem. All contamination is causing great consequences that must be solved. We still have time to alleviate the effects of environmental pollution, but perhaps not tomorrow.
If you want to know more about What is environmental pollutionContinue reading this interesting article by Green Ecologist, which will also show in detail what the causes of environmental pollution are and more details.
What is environmental or environmental pollution
We begin by clarifying what exactly is environmental or environmental pollution. Environmental contamination is understood when there is the presence of harmful substances in water, air or soil. Harmful substances are what we call environmental pollutants, being able to have a different origin. Also, they are found in different concentrations and in different places.
To better understand what environmental pollution is, we will go on to talk about other aspects such as the types that exist, what are the polluting agents, the consequences and solutions of this global problem.
What types of environmental pollution are there
The types of environmental pollution that we can find are:
Atmospheric pollution
It is a type of pollution in which the chemical and natural composition of the air is altered by substances, forms of energy or matter that are harmful to the environment, living beings and people's health. Here we tell you more about the Causes, consequences and solutions of air pollution.
Water contamination
It occurs when there is a physical, chemical or biological change in both surface and underground water bodies, which has a negative effect on the biodiversity that is part of these water bodies. In this post we talk about the Causes and consequences of water pollution.
Soil contamination
The soil naturally contains chemical substances, the problem is when it exceeds the natural concentrations of the soil, being a danger for the biodiversity of the affected area and for the health of people, since a large part of the food consumed comes from plantations . Learn here all about the Causes, consequences and solutions of soil contamination.
Noise pollution
The world health organization defines noise as sound that exceeds 65 dB, since from 75 dB it begins to be harmful. If you want to know more about this type of environmental pollution, here we tell you what noise pollution is and how it affects us.
Light pollution
This pollution is produced by the glare or brightness of the light that is seen at night, due to the reflection and diffusion of artificial lights with high intensity in the particles and gases that are in the air. In this other post you can discover more about Light Pollution.
Visual contamination
Visual contamination occurs when there are excessive infrastructures in a space, which prevent the aesthetic visualization of a natural landscape. Here we tell you more about the Causes, consequences and solutions of visual pollution.
Radioactive contamination
It is produced mainly by using both artificial and natural radioactive substances, by the use of nuclear weapons and the use of nuclear energy. This type of pollution poses a great danger to humanity and nature, since over the years many toxic residues have been deposited in nature. Learn more about the Causes, consequences and solutions of radioactive contamination.
Electromagnetic pollution
Electromagnetic pollution occurs when there is excessive exposure to electromagnetic emissions, these emissions originate in transformers, high voltage lines, telephone antennas, among others. Here you can find out more about the Causes, consequences and solutions of electromagnetic pollution.
Food contamination
At the moment that a substance or matter is modifying the quality of a food and this is detrimental to living things, food contamination is taking place. Many microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi are the cause of food contamination. Food can also be contaminated by the misuse of agrochemicals. In this other article you can learn about the Types of contamination in food.
Chemical contamination
It occurs when an element or chemical compound is introduced into the environment, having these adverse effects not only for it, but also for its biodiversity and people's health. Here you can learn more about what is chemical pollution, its causes and consequences.
Biological contamination
It is one that is produced by organisms that present a certain life cycle, and needs an environment to develop being capable of degrading the quality of water, soil, air and food, thus being a danger to living beings, since they can cause parasitic and infectious diseases. Here we tell you more about what is biological contamination, its types and examples.
To learn more, here you can read more about the Types of environmental pollution.
What are the environmental pollutants
These are the environmental pollutants, that is, those that are part of the causes of environmental pollution:
Chemical pollutants
Its origin can be artificial or natural, organic or inorganic. Chemical pollutants can be absorbed by organisms with great damaging effects. Some examples of chemical contaminants are soluble metal salts such as sulfates, nitrates, carbonates, and chlorides. Also the waste of bases, acids and dissolved toxic gases such as chlorine, ammonia, sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide among others.
Physical pollutants
These pollutants are characterized by the exchange of energy that they have between living beings and the environment. These include ionizing radiation, noise, intense light, vibrations, and thermal agents.
Biological pollutants
They are organisms that have the ability to degrade water, soil, air and even food, when they are carrying out their life cycle. Pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses are examples of biological contaminants, posing a danger to living things.
Water pollutants
Wastewater is water pollutant made up of organic matter, heavy or chemical metals and toxic substances. Very toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, mercury, copper, lead, and silver are also found in water bodies. Other pollutants that can be found are pesticides, used in agriculture and livestock; hydrocarbons, which are spilled in accidents or leaks that occur in the ships that transport them; pathogenic microorganisms that are already found naturally but can be increased by sewage; radioactive agents coming mainly from nuclear power plants with illegal dumping or leaks that occur in the power plants and also talking about emerging pollutants that refer to microplastics.
Learn more about What are the water pollutants in this link.
Soil pollutants
Anthropic activities such as agriculture, livestock, mining or waste disposal are the main causes of soil contamination. Examples of soil pollutants are heavy metals mainly from mining activities, pesticides used for agriculture and livestock, and finally, the accumulation of garbage that is produced by incorrect waste management.
If you want to know more about what are the pollutants in the soil, enter here.
Air pollutants
All suspended particles such as nitrogen dioxide are pollutants found in the air, as well as all those gases that cause the greenhouse effect, such as sulfur dioxide, CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide , ozone and methane.
In this other post you can see more about What are the air pollutants.
Food contaminants
Food can be contaminated by agents such as pesticides or pesticides used in agriculture and livestock, also by living organisms such as fungi, viruses, bacteria and other parasites that develop their life cycles in many foods when they are not well preserved or it has been a long time since they were acquired. Another pollutant are those natural, that is, they are found naturally in food, but if they are not eaten correctly, they can be harmful. For example, eating raw potatoes is dangerous as they contain toxic substances under the skin.
In addition, we recommend you read these other Green Ecologist articles on What are pollutants and Types of environmental pollutants.
Consequences of environmental pollution
The following will be cited great consequences caused by environmental pollution:
- Alteration of the climate, making temperatures increasingly extreme and seasons shorter.
- The development of aggressive meteorological phenomena such as earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts or tsunamis.
- The destruction of the ozone layer, facilitating the passage of ultraviolet rays that are dangerous to all living beings.
- Melting of the glacial areas, as a consequence is generating the extinction of the biodiversity that inhabits these areas. In addition, there is a rise in sea level, and as a consequence this causes the loss of land territory.
- All pollutants are a health hazard, and cause an increase in respiratory diseases, heart diseases, cancer cases, strokes, or even new diseases are produced by the appearance of new viruses.
- Large increase in pollution due to the abuse of burning fossil fuels used mainly in the operation of industries and vehicle transport.
We recommend you learn more with this other article on How environmental pollution affects human beings.
Environmental pollution solutions
These are some of the possible solutions to environmental pollution:
- Urgently reduce the production and consumption of single-use plastics. It should be everyone's responsibility, both the consumer opting for alternative materials to plastic that are reusable, as well as the producers looking for different materials or reducing the amount of plastic used. For example, sometimes we find the fruit wrapped in plastic, the fruit does not need a plastic container since it is protected by its own skin.
- Good waste management is very important to avoid depositing them in natural areas, and the collapse of landfills.
- An end to industrial agriculture, which uses toxic pesticides as tools. An ecological and sustainable agriculture free of agrochemicals must be the solution.
- Reduce intensive meat production, and as a consequence it would reduce water consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, animal exploitation, deforestation, since many areas are deforested to be used as crops to later feed the animals that are breed. A diet based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, etc., definitely meat-free, should be encouraged.
- Combat air pollution by setting limits on emissions of substances to industries, promoting public transport as well, improving mobility in cities. In addition, the creation and conservation of green spaces is important.
Here you can learn more about How to avoid environmental pollution and in the video below you can learn more about air pollution, one of the main pollutions of the environment that affects us all.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is environmental pollution, we recommend that you enter our Pollution category.
