Pollution definition. Characteristics of the main types of environmental pollution. Types of anthropogenic 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.

Quick article navigation

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

1. Physical pollution of the environment. It causes a change in the characteristics of the surrounding space. These include thermal, noise or radiation pollution.
2. Chemical. Provides for the ingress of impurities that can change the chemical composition.
3. Biological. Living organisms are considered pollutants.
4. 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:

1. construction of treatment facilities;
2. planting forests, parks and other green spaces;
3. 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.

Every year there are fewer and fewer places on our planet that claim to be “environmentally friendly”. Active human activity leads to the fact that the ecosystem is constantly exposed to pollution, and this continues throughout the existence of mankind. However, in recent decades, scientists from different countries have become interested in the problem of physical pollution. Numerous initiative groups are struggling to find out the causes of a sharp change in the climate on the planet and the consequences for all living things that it brings. Unfortunately, a person cannot completely stop physical pollution at this stage of his development. But if in the near future its degree does not decrease, it will be possible to speak of a global catastrophe, which will first of all affect all people. Today we will talk in great detail about the physical type of environmental pollution that causes great harm to nature and all living organisms on our Earth.

Question terminology

We can say that the entire history of human existence is associated with environmental pollution. It so happened that even at the dawn of civilization, people began to introduce certain elements into nature that pollute it.

Ecologists are looking into this issue more deeply. They argue that any introduction of elements alien to the environment does not just remain in it, but begins to interact with the established ecosystem. And this leads to major changes. Their consequences may be the extinction of some animal species, a change in their habitats, mutations, and so on. It is enough to look into the Red Book to understand how much the environment has changed over several centuries.

However, it cannot be said that all these changes were caused only by physical types of pollution. In science, there is a division into natural and physical pollutants. The first group can safely include any cataclysms and natural disasters. For example, a volcanic eruption causes tons of ash and gas, which immediately affects the environment. Such pollution includes floods, tsunamis and other natural phenomena. Despite their destructive actions, over time, the ecosystem comes into balance, as it has the ability to self-regulate. What can not be said about human intervention in the environment.

According to the accepted terminology, physical pollution includes human side effects caused by technological progress. Of course, no one will argue that in recent years technology has stepped far forward, making our life more comfortable. But who knows the true price of this progress? Perhaps only ecologists trying to find out the degree of physical pollution of water or, for example, air. Moreover, despite numerous studies, scientists still do not have exact data on the scale of the disaster.

Very often, the physical type of pollution is also called "anthropogenic". In our article, we will use both terms equally. Therefore, the reader should understand that anthropogenic pollution is the same changes made to the environment by man in the course of his economic activity.

Types of anthropogenic pollution

In order to understand how much a person influences nature, it is necessary to have an idea not only about the physical type of environmental pollution, but also about its classification. Scientists approach this issue very seriously and at the moment they distinguish several rather voluminous groups that reveal all the changes made to the ecosystem by man.

So what should be understood by the term "physical pollution"? Chemical and biological many people call first. However, this is not the whole list included in our term. Unfortunately, it is much wider and more varied. Physical pollution includes the following types:

• thermal;
• light;
• noise;
• electromagnet;
• radioactive (radiation);
• vibration;
• mechanical;
• biological;
• geological;
• chemical.

An impressive list, isn't it? At the same time, types of physical pollution of the environment are periodically replenished with new positions. After all, science also does not stand still, and with each new discovery about our planet comes awareness of the harm that people regularly cause to nature.

thermal pollution

Thermal is the most common and large-scale physical pollution caused by the economic activity of mankind. It was not considered seriously for a very long time, and only after scientists started talking about the greenhouse effect and the steady increase in temperature on the planet, the world community began to think about this problem.

However, it has already managed to affect almost every person living in the metropolis or near it. And this, as practice shows, is the majority of people on our Earth. The factors of physical pollution of this type, which caused changes in the environment, were primarily urban communications, underground construction and the activities of industrial enterprises that emit tons of gas, smoke and harmful substances into the atmosphere.

As a result, the average air temperature in the cities increased significantly. For people, this threatens with serious consequences, which almost every city dweller feels in one way or another. The fact is that an increase in temperature causes a change in humidity and wind direction. In turn, these changes make cold days in the metropolis even colder, and the heat is simply unbearable. In addition to banal discomfort, this causes a violation of heat transfer in people, which in the chronic stage provokes problems with blood circulation and breathing. It also becomes an involuntary reason for diagnosing arthrosis and arthritis in fairly young people. Previously, these diseases were considered the lot of the elderly, but now the disease is noticeably younger.

light pollution

The physical pollution of the environment caused by the violation of lighting seems to many people to be insignificant and not causing much harm. But this opinion is erroneous and can cost a lot, first of all, to the person himself.

Sources of physical pollution of this type are:

• illuminations in megacities at night;
• directional powerful light sources;
• lighting directed to the sky;
• group illuminations, concentrated in one place and often changing the intensity of the glow.

Every resident of the city is familiar with such problems, because they are an integral part of technological progress. However, they completely change the natural biorhythms of all living things that fall within the range of pollution.

Since man is a part of nature, his life is subject to certain biorhythms. Bright light at night, accompanying the city dweller everywhere, knocks down his internal clock and the body ceases to understand when it is necessary to sleep and stay awake. This leads to constant insomnia, depression, irritability, chronic fatigue syndrome and other disorders of the nervous system. Some of them further develop into psychological problems that cause an increase in suicides. Unfortunately, this is a typical picture for modern cities.

Light pollution affects all living organisms, but especially the inhabitants of water bodies. Usually, under the influence of a constant light source, the water begins to become cloudy. This reduces the penetration of sunlight in the daytime, as a result, plant photosynthesis and the biological rhythms of other inhabitants of ponds and lakes are disturbed. Often this even leads to the death of the reservoir.

Noise pollution

Physical pollution caused by noise is considered by physicians to be the most dangerous for humans. Almost everything that surrounds us in the city becomes its source: transport, public places, household appliances, intrusive advertising, and so on.

Permissible noise measures that are safe for humans and other living organisms have long been derived:

• in residential premises during the day there should be no more than forty decibels, at night - no more than thirty;
• in industrial premises and other workplaces, the permissible range ranges between fifty-six and eighty decibels.

Noise of 90 dB is considered extremely annoying for a person. This effect has an unpleasant property to accumulate in the body, imperceptibly causing hearing impairment, mental disorders, diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. And this is not the whole list of problems that noise pollution brings with it in cities.

It is noteworthy that noise with sharp changes in volume causes more harm to the body. However, it is with him that residents of megacities most often face. Indeed, in apartment buildings, doors are constantly slamming, there are quarrels between neighbors and dogs are barking. And all this is perfectly audible through thin walls with poor sound insulation.

Today, scientists are seriously talking about noise disease, which leads to a complete imbalance of the body, accompanied by numerous symptoms. The most common include:

• increased sweating;
• cold extremities;
• dull headache;
• loss of appetite;
• increasing irritability and aggressiveness;
• problems with concentration;
• sleep disorders.

Doctors believe that noise disease is a side effect of most of the inhabitants of large cities. With complete sound isolation, a person experiences anxiety, panic, confusion, weakness and oppression of intellectual activity.

Electromagnetic pollution

We are all surrounded by various electrical devices and structures that generate electromagnetic fields. We think that many people know that refrigerators, microwave ovens, televisions and other household appliances create additional electromagnetic fields in our home that affect the health of all family members.

However, they are by no means the main examples of physical pollution in this category, because first of all we should talk about high-voltage lines, television and radar stations, electric vehicles, and so on. All industrial facilities, without which we cannot imagine our lives, create electromagnetic fields that are dangerous for any biological species.

Depending on the intensity of the radiation, this effect may be physically imperceptible, or it may cause a feeling of warmth in an indefinite location and even a burning sensation. This effect leads to a malfunction of the central nervous system of any biological species, as well as the endocrine system. In turn, these problems reduce potency and reduce the possibility of conceiving and producing healthy offspring to almost zero.

The world scientific community tends to attribute the exacerbation of a number of diseases to electromagnetic pollution, which were previously diagnosed much less frequently:

• mental disorders;
• sudden death syndrome in infants;
• Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Whether this is so, scientists have yet to find out, but the fact that in recent years the health of urban residents has noticeably deteriorated can be confirmed by completely different sources.

Radioactive and radiation contamination

Radioactive sources also belong to the physical type of contamination. The development of nuclear energy has led to a technological breakthrough, but at the same time it has become the cause of powerful pollution, the area of ​​​​which is only increasing over time in different countries of the world.

Scientists say that the radiation background of the planet is steadily increasing, and it is the man who is trying to put the atom at his service that is to blame. For example, in the process of testing nuclear weapons, radiation aerosols are released. In the future, they settle on the surface of the earth, forming an additional source of hazardous radiation for biological species.

People actively use the atom in energy, which leads to the formation of a large number of which are not always properly disposed of. At the same time, warehouses for nuclear power plant equipment that have served their time and nuclear fuel disposal facilities are being formed. And, of course, accidents at nuclear power plants pose the greatest danger to the ecosystem.

The most devastating is the Chernobyl accident, its consequences still make themselves felt in villages, diseases and mutations. But what the destruction of the Fukushima reactor will turn out to mankind has yet to be clarified by future generations.

vibration pollution

Vibrational physical pollution of the environment is found everywhere. It is caused by vibrations of different frequencies, acting not only on living organisms, but also on metal and other structures.

The reason for such pollution are objects created by man to facilitate certain actions. These can be pumping and cooling stations, turbines or vibration platforms. A few kilometers from these structures, vibrational pollution is characterized by a very high background. Therefore, most buildings are subject to destruction. Vibration propagates through metal structures, which leads to uneven shrinkage of the structure. Often the balance of all engineering systems is disturbed, and in the future there is a danger of a sudden collapse. In this case, people can be inside the object.

Vibration also affects the human body. It interferes with normal life. People cannot work and rest as usual, which leads to various diseases. The nervous system suffers first, and later the body reaches the stage of complete exhaustion.

Vibration pollution also affects animals. Environmentalists claim that they usually try to leave the danger zone. And this sometimes leads to a decrease in the population and the death of entire species of living organisms.

Mechanical pollution

Scientists have been sounding the alarm about the physical pollution of the environment in this category for many years. It is considered extremely insidious, and its consequences are still difficult to predict in full.

At first glance, it is difficult to see a great danger in the emission of dust into the atmosphere, landfill, swamping or drainage of some areas. However, on a global scale, these actions look very different. They lead to a wide range of environmental problems affecting every person and every species living on Earth.

For example, many scientists believe that mechanical pollution of the environment is the cause of frequent dust storms and the disappearance of water bodies in China. Today, almost every country is struggling with a number of problems caused by this type of human intervention in the ecosystem. However, environmentalists' forecasts are disappointing - in the coming years, humanity will face even larger environmental disasters caused by thoughtless economic activities of people.

biological pollution

Such physical types of pollution as biological ones can, under unfortunate circumstances, cause an epidemic and a massive pestilence of people and animals. Scientists divide this category into two types, each of which is dangerous to humans:

• bacterial contamination. It is provoked by microorganisms introduced into the ecosystem from outside. The source is poorly treated sewage, industrial discharges into water bodies and their banal pollution. All this can cause an outbreak of cholera, hepatitis and other infections. In addition, the forced relocation of some animal species to a new habitat falls under the category of bacterial pollution. In the absence of natural enemies of this species, such actions can cause unforeseen consequences.
• organic pollution. This category is identical to the previous one, but pollution occurs with substances that provoke decay. As a result, the reservoir can be completely ruined, and the fermentation process can cause the development of pathogenic bacteria.

With biological pollution, the entire ecosystem that has fallen into the zone of infection suffers. Moreover, it has the ability to expand to the scale of a real catastrophe.

geological pollution

Man actively and confidently manages the earth. Its bowels are of interest to people as a treasury with minerals, and their development is carried out on a colossal scale. In parallel, humanity is constantly occupying new lands for construction, cutting down forests, draining water bodies, disrupting the ecosystem with all its actions.

As a result, the terrain begins to change and landslides, sinkholes, and floods form in places where it was difficult to expect. Such situations are almost impossible to predict, and in fact geological pollution can lead to the death of entire cities. They, for example, can completely go underground, which is no longer a rarity in the modern world.

chemical pollution

This category refers to those that have the most rapid impact on the ecosystem. Chemical elements released into the atmosphere by industrial enterprises, transport or entering the soil as a result of agricultural activities tend to accumulate in biological species and cause disturbances in their development.

The most dangerous chemical compounds are heavy metals and synthetic compounds. In small quantities, they do not have any noticeable effect on the body, but accumulating in it, they cause a number of serious diseases. Their effect is aggravated when transferred through the food chain. Plants draw harmful compounds from the soil and air, herbivores get them from food in an already larger dose, and predators at the end of this chain may already die from the maximum concentration of chemical compounds. Scientists are aware of cases when animals died en masse precisely because of the accumulated dangerous substances.

An ecosystem is a very fragile organism in which all parts of the whole are interconnected by invisible threads. Environmental pollution in one part of the world disrupts the natural balance in another. And first of all it affects the person. Therefore, it is worth seriously addressing the problem of anthropogenic pollution, or in the future our descendants will get an empty and inhospitable planet.

"LENINGRAD STATE UNIVERSITY

named after A.S. PUSHKIN"

On the topic:

on ecology

Completed by: Lazareva D.A.

Student group number 116

Specialty: GMU

St. Petersburg

Introduction…………………………………………………………………....…..3 page

Types of environmental pollution…………………………………………4 – 8 p.

Conclusion ……………………………………………………………….….... 9 p.

List of used literature……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10 p.

Introduction

Environmental pollution is an undesirable change in its properties that leads or may lead to harmful effects on humans or natural complexes. The most well-known type of pollution is chemical (the entry of harmful substances and compounds into the environment), but such types of pollution as radioactive, thermal (uncontrolled release of heat into the environment can lead to global changes in the climate of nature), noise. Basically, environmental pollution is associated with human activities (anthropogenic pollution of the environment), but pollution is possible as a result of natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteorite falls, and others. All shells of the Earth are exposed to pollution.

The lithosphere (as well as the soil cover) is polluted as a result of the entry of heavy metal compounds, fertilizers, and pesticides into it. Up to 12 billion tons of garbage is annually removed from large cities. Mining leads to the destruction of natural soil cover over vast areas.
The hydrosphere is polluted by effluents from industrial enterprises (especially chemical and metallurgical ones), effluents from fields and livestock complexes, and domestic effluents from cities. Oil pollution is especially dangerous - up to 15 million tons of oil and oil products annually enter the waters of the World Ocean.
The atmosphere is polluted mainly as a result of the annual burning of huge amounts of mineral fuels, emissions from the metallurgical and chemical industries. The main pollutants are carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, and radioactive compounds.

Due to the large amount of human waste entering the environment, the ability of the environment to self-purify is at the limit. A significant part of these wastes is alien to the natural environment: they are either toxic to microorganisms: they destroy complex organic substances and turn them into simple inorganic compounds, or they are not destroyed at all and therefore accumulate in various parts of the environment. Even those substances that are familiar to the environment, entering it in too large quantities, can change its quality and affect ecological systems.

Types of environmental pollution

Sources of pollution of the biosphere are usually divided into natural and industrial. Natural sources of pollution are caused by natural processes (volcanic eruption, soil dust, etc.), such sources are usually localized and are not decisive for the biosphere as a whole. Industrial sources of pollution of the biosphere can have a long-term destructive effect. These sources are divided into material (substances), including mechanical, chemical and biological pollution, and energy (physical).

The direct objects of pollution are the main areas of habitat of the biotic community: atmosphere, water, soil. The victims of pollution are the components of the biocenosis: plants, animals, microorganisms. Any pollution, as a rule, is not always felt immediately and often has a hidden character, and this may not necessarily be a direct release of harmful substances into the natural environment. For example, such a “harmless process as the diversion of water from reservoirs for various household needs leads to a change in the natural temperature regime (thermal pollution), which affects a number of interrelated processes that characterize this ecological system, up to its complete destruction (for example, a catastrophe Aral Sea). Dangerous when changing any ecological system is the appearance of substances that are not characteristic of it.

Air pollution

Man has been polluting the atmosphere for thousands of years, but the consequences of the use of fire, which he used throughout this period, were insignificant. I had to put up with the fact that the smoke interfered with breathing and that soot lay in a black cover on the ceiling and walls of the dwelling. The resulting heat was more important for a person than clean air and unsmoked cave walls. This initial air pollution was not a problem, for people then lived in small groups, occupying an immeasurably vast untouched natural environment. And even a significant concentration of people in a relatively small area, as was the case in classical antiquity, was not yet accompanied by serious consequences. This was the case until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Only in the last hundred years has the development of industry "gifted" us with such production processes, the consequences of which at first man could not yet imagine. Million-strong cities arose, the growth of which cannot be stopped. All this is the result of great inventions and conquests of man. Basically, there are three main sources of air pollution: industry, domestic boilers, transport. The share of each of these sources in total air pollution varies greatly from place to place. It is now generally accepted that industrial production pollutes the air the most. Sources of pollution - thermal power plants, which, together with smoke, emit sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into the air; metallurgical enterprises, especially non-ferrous metallurgy, which emit nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, fluorine, ammonia, phosphorus compounds, particles and compounds of mercury and arsenic into the air; chemical and cement plants. Harmful gases enter the air as a result of fuel combustion for industrial needs, home heating, transport, combustion and processing of household and industrial waste.

Atmospheric pollutants are divided into primary, entering directly into the atmosphere, and secondary, resulting from the transformation of the latter. So, sulfur dioxide entering the atmosphere is oxidized to sulfuric anhydride, which interacts with water vapor and forms droplets of sulfuric acid. When sulfuric anhydride reacts with ammonia, ammonium sulfate crystals are formed. Similarly, as a result of chemical, photochemical, physico-chemical reactions between pollutants and atmospheric components, other secondary signs are formed. The main source of pyrogenic pollution on the planet are thermal power plants, metallurgical and chemical enterprises, boiler plants, which consume more than 70% of the annually produced solid and liquid fuels.

Soil pollution

The soil cover of the Earth is the most important component of the Earth's biosphere. It is the soil shell that determines many processes occurring in the biosphere. The most important significance of soils is the accumulation of organic matter, various chemical elements, and energy. The soil cover functions as a biological absorber, destroyer and neutralizer of various contaminants. If this link of the biosphere is destroyed, then the existing functioning of the biosphere will be irreversibly disrupted. That is why it is extremely important to study the global biochemical significance of the soil cover, its current state and changes under the influence of anthropogenic activity.

Under normal natural conditions, all processes occurring in the soil are in balance. But often a person is to blame for the violation of the equilibrium state of the soil. As a result of the development of human activities, pollution, changes in the composition of the soil and even its destruction occur. Currently, there is less than one hectare of arable land for every inhabitant of our planet. And these insignificant areas continue to shrink due to inept human activities.

Enormous areas of fertile lands are lost during mining operations, during the construction of enterprises and cities. The destruction of forests and natural grass cover, repeated plowing of the land without observing the rules of agricultural technology leads to soil erosion - the destruction and washing away of the fertile layer by water and wind. Erosion has now become a worldwide evil. It is estimated that in the last century alone, as a result of water and wind erosion, 2 billion hectares of fertile lands of active agricultural use have been lost on the planet.

Mercury and its compounds are among the most dangerous soil pollutants. Mercury enters the environment with pesticides, industrial waste containing metallic mercury and its various compounds.

Lead contamination of soils is even more widespread and dangerous. It is known that during the smelting of one ton of lead, up to 25 kg of lead is released into the environment with waste. Lead compounds are used as additives to gasoline, so motor vehicles are a serious source of lead pollution. Especially a lot of lead in soils along major highways.

Radioactive elements can enter the soil and accumulate in it as a result of precipitation from atomic explosions or during the removal of liquid and solid waste from industrial enterprises, nuclear power plants or research institutions associated with the study and use of atomic energy. Radioactive substances from soils get into plants, then into the organisms of animals and humans, accumulate in them.

Modern agriculture, which widely uses fertilizers and various chemicals to control pests, weeds and plant diseases, has a significant impact on the chemical composition of soils. At present, the amount of substances involved in the cycle in the process of agricultural activity is approximately the same as in the process of industrial production. At the same time, the production and use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture is increasing every year. Inept and uncontrolled use of them leads to disruption of the circulation of substances in the biosphere.

Of particular danger are persistent organic compounds used as pesticides. They accumulate in the soil, in water, bottom sediments of reservoirs. But most importantly, they are included in ecological food chains, pass from soil and water to plants, then to animals, and ultimately enter the human body with food.

Water pollution

In most cases, freshwater pollution remains invisible because the contaminants are dissolved in the water. But there are exceptions: foaming detergents, as well as oil products floating on the surface and untreated sewage. There are several natural pollutants. Aluminum compounds found in the ground enter the fresh water system as a result of chemical reactions. Floods wash out magnesium compounds from the soil of meadows, which cause great damage to fish stocks. However, the amount of natural pollutants is negligible compared to those produced by man. Thousands of chemicals with unpredictable effects enter watersheds every year, many of which are new chemical compounds. Elevated concentrations of toxic heavy metals (like cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium), pesticides, nitrates and phosphates, petroleum products, and surfactants can be found in water.

As you know, up to 12 million tons of oil enters the seas and oceans every year. Acid rain also makes a certain contribution to the increase in the concentration of heavy metals in water. They are able to dissolve minerals in the soil, which leads to an increase in the content of heavy metal ions in the water. Nuclear power plants release radioactive waste into the water cycle. The discharge of untreated wastewater into water sources leads to microbiological contamination of water. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of the world's diseases are caused by poor quality and unsanitary water. In rural areas, the problem of water quality is particularly acute - about 90% of all rural residents in the world constantly use polluted water for drinking and bathing.

Solid and liquid pollutants enter water sources from the soil as a result of the so-called. leaching. Small amounts of waste dumped on the ground are dissolved by rain and fall into groundwater, and then into local streams and rivers. Liquid waste seeps into fresh water sources more quickly. Crop spray solutions either lose their potency on contact with soil, end up in local rivers, or leach into the ground and seep into groundwater. Up to 80% of such solutions are wasted, as they do not fall on the spray object, but into the soil.

The time required for contaminants (nitrates or phosphates) to penetrate from the soil into the groundwater is not exactly known, but in many cases this process can take tens of thousands of years. Pollutants released into the environment from industrial enterprises are called industrial effluents and emissions.

Groundwater pollution is becoming increasingly important. With the help of modern technologies, people are increasingly using groundwater, depleting and polluting it. Around the cities, private construction of housing and small enterprises, with autonomous water supply, is rapidly developing. For example, in the Moscow region, from 50 to 200 wells of various depths are drilled daily. For various reasons (ignorance, for example), the vast majority of wells are operated without observing the rules for using such water sources. This leads to rapid local pollution of groundwater in this region.

Signs such as dead fish can indicate contamination, but there are more sophisticated methods for detecting it. Freshwater pollution is measured in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) - that is, how much oxygen a pollutant absorbs from the water. This indicator allows you to assess the degree of oxygen starvation of aquatic organisms.

Conclusion

As a result of growing environmental pollution, many environmental problems arise, both at the local and regional levels (in large industrial areas and urban agglomerations) and at the global level (global climate warming, a decrease in the ozone layer of the atmosphere, depletion of natural resources). The main ways to solve environmental problems can be not only the construction of various treatment facilities and devices, but also the introduction of new low-waste technologies, the conversion of industries, their transfer to a new location in order to reduce the “concentration” of pressure on nature.

Recently, more and more often in the press, on radio, television, one of the main topics is environmental. The general public, aware of the critical state of the environment, must actively act. "Greenization" of the legislative and executive authorities is now especially important, since the primary task is to make environmentally friendly production profitable and, conversely, any disregard for environmental standards is economically unprofitable. Without this, appeals to ordinary citizens to protect nature will look demagogic and are unlikely to achieve their goal. At the same time, the broadest educational work among citizens of all ages is also necessary.

List of used literature

2. Demina T. A. Ecology, nature management, environmental protection:

Handbook for high school students of educational institutions. - M .: Aspect Press, 1998

3. Kormilitsyn V.I. Fundamentals of ecology - M .: INTERSTYL, 1997

4. Snakin V.V. Ecology and protection of nature: Dictionary-reference book. - M.: AKADEMIA, 2000

In the process of its development, mankind is constantly faced with environmental pollution.

Although technological advances improve our quality of life, such rapid progress inevitably leads to noise, light, biological and even radioactive pollution.

As a result, with the growth of life comfort, a person worsens the quality of his own health. That is why environmental protection is so important.

Physical pollution of the environment

This concept is quite voluminous and therefore it is divided into several subspecies, each of which characterizes one or another physical phenomenon.

Any pollution of the natural environment in which a person participates is called anthropogenic.

Anthropogenic impact suppresses the ability of nature to self-renewal.

thermal

It occurs for various reasons, and can serve as a source of this type of pollution:

• underground construction;
• laying communications;
• activity of certain types of microorganisms.

These factors can significantly increase the temperature of the soil, which releases heat into the environment, as a result, the temperature of the environment also changes. In addition, any petrochemical enterprise, where production wastes are constantly burned, can serve as a serious source of thermal pollution.

As a result of thermal pollution in large industrial cities, the average temperature changes, and this affects water bodies. Due to thermal pollution in water bodies, some species of flora and fauna disappear and others appear instead, the conditions for fish spawning are violated, and the amount of oxygen in the water decreases. An example can serve.

light

This type of pollution at first glance seems to be completely harmless, since, in fact, light pollution is a violation of the natural illumination of the environment.

However, experts say otherwise, and as a result of light pollution, water bodies suffer the most.

The turbidity of the water changes in them, and artificial light blocks the possibility of access to the depth of natural light. As a result, the conditions for plant photosynthesis in water bodies change.

There are four main sources of light pollution:

• illumination of the night sky in cities;
• light intentionally directed in the wrong direction;
• lighting directed to the sky;
• accumulation of bright, unsystematic excess illuminations.

Noise

The main components of noise pollution are excessively loud noises and sounds that have an extremely harmful effect on the human body, so noise pollution is considered one of the most dangerous for humanity. Too loud sounds, which include sounds with a noise level of more than 130 decibels, can lead to such consequences as:

• diseases of the hearing aid;
• nervous disorders (including shock reactions);
• mental disorders;
• visual impairment and disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus (especially for people who work in noisy industries).

In recent years, noise pollution has become a rather serious problem, and doctors have even introduced a new term - noise disease. This disease is accompanied by a violation of the nervous system under the influence of too loud sounds.

vibrating

As you know, very strong vibrations adversely affect the surrounding buildings and structures: such vibrations and vibrations can cause uneven settlement of foundations and entire buildings, which can subsequently lead to their deformation, as well as partial or complete destruction.

Such vibrations and fluctuations of different frequencies are called vibrational pollution of the environment, but it is dangerous not only by its impact on buildings and structures, but also by its negative impact on the human body. At the same time, vibration pollution not only causes irritation and interferes with rest or work, but can also have a serious impact on health.

Areas where the following objects are located are especially prone to vibration pollution:

• compressor and pump stations;
• vibration platforms;
• turbines of diesel power plants;
• cooling towers (devices for cooling large volumes of water).

electromagnetic

Electromagnetic pollution occurs as a result of the operation of energy devices, electronics and radio engineering, while ordinary household electrical appliances have nothing to do with this.

We are talking about radar stations, electric vehicles, high-voltage power lines and television stations.

These objects create electromagnetic fields that cause field strength, and in the area of ​​increased fields, a person may experience problems such as irritation, fatigue, insomnia, persistent headaches and nervous system disorders.

ionizing

Ionizing radiation is divided into three types:

1. Gamma radiation.
2. Beta radiation.
3. Alpha radiation.

All three species are of great danger to living organisms. Under the influence of such radiation, changes occur in the body at the molecular level. In the nuclei of cells, depending on the strength of the radiation, irreversible changes occur, disrupting the normal functioning of cells.

Literally half a century ago, ionizing radiation was not considered particularly dangerous, only deposits of uranium ores, radioactive slates and crystalline rocks were considered serious sources, and the sun was and remains a serious source of ionizing radiation.

At present, there are a large number of sources of ionizing radiation created by man: these are nuclear reactors, elementary particle accelerators, and artificial radionuclides.

This type of pollution is also called

Mechanical

One of the most insidious types of environmental pollution is mechanical pollution. It would seem that there is nothing irreversible and dangerous in it: this is the entry of dust into the atmosphere, and the silting of water bodies with soils, and waste dumps. In fact, the danger is not so much the phenomenon of mechanical pollution as its scale. It is because of these huge scales that in recent years, various environmental problems have increasingly arisen, the elimination of which sometimes requires huge financial costs.

biological

Experts divide this type of pollution into bacterial and organic.

In the first case, pathogenic microorganisms are to blame, which contribute to the spread of many diseases, but the sources of organic environmental pollution can be water pollution, waste disposal, and neglect of sewerage cleaning measures.

Bacterial contamination is the most dangerous for a person, since many pathogens of serious infectious diseases appear in this case.

geological

Geological pollution is mainly caused by the actions of the person himself: as a result of certain types of activity, landslides or landslides, flooding, subsidence of the earth's surface, and drainage of territories can form. The main reasons why this happens:

• mining;
• construction;
• vibration impact of transport;
• impact on the soil of waste and sewer waters.

Chemical

This is another serious type of pollution that results from the release of various pollutants, and such pollutants can be a variety of substances, from heavy metals to synthetic and organic compounds.

The most common type of negative human impact on the biosphere is pollution, which is associated in one way or another with the main most acute environmental situations. by pollution refers to the entry into the environment of any solid, liquid, gaseous substances, microorganisms, energy (in the form of sound waves, radiation) in quantities that are harmful to human health, animals, plants and other life forms.

pollutant- this is a substance, physical factor, biological species that are in the environment in an amount that goes beyond their natural content in nature. In other words, a pollutant is everything that is present in the environment in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong quantity.

Any substance or factor can become a pollutant under certain circumstances. For example, sodium cations are necessary for the body to maintain electrolytic balance, conduct nerve impulses, and activate digestive enzymes. However, sodium salts are poisonous in large quantities; so, 250 g of table salt is a lethal dose for humans.

Consequences of pollution of any type can become:

- violation of life support systems at the local, regional, global levels: climate change, a decrease in the natural rate of circulation of substances and energy necessary for the normal functioning of humans and other living beings;

- harm to human health: the spread of infectious diseases, irritation and diseases of the respiratory tract, changes at the genetic level, changes in reproductive function, cancerous cell transformations;

– causing damage to vegetation and wildlife; reduced productivity of forests and food crops, harmful effects on animals, leading to their extinction;

– damage to property: corrosion of metals, chemical and physical destruction of materials, buildings, monuments;

– unpleasant and aesthetically unacceptable impact: unpleasant smell and taste, reduced visibility in the atmosphere, soiling of clothes.

Pollution of the natural environment can be controlled at the entrance and exit. Inlet control prevents a potential pollutant from entering the environment or drastically reduces its entry. For example, sulfur impurities can be removed from coal before it is burned, which will prevent or drastically reduce the release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which is harmful to plants and the respiratory system. Exit control aims to eliminate waste already released into the environment.

Classification of pollutants

Distinguish natural and anthropogenic sources of pollution. natural pollution is associated with the activity of volcanoes, forest fires, mudflows, the release of polymetallic ores to the surface of the earth; the release of gases from the bowels of the earth, the activity of microorganisms, plants, animals. Anthropogenic pollution is associated with human activities.

Classification of anthropogenic (technogenic) impacts caused by environmental pollution includes the main categories:

1.Material and energy characteristics of impacts: mechanical, physical (thermal, electromagnetic, radiation, acoustic), chemical, biological factors and agents, their various combinations. In most cases, emissions (i.e. emissions - emissions, sinks, radiation, etc.) of various technical sources act as such agents.

2.Quantitative characteristics of the impact: strength and degree of danger (intensity of factors and effects, masses, concentrations, characteristics such as "dose-effect", toxicity, acceptability according to environmental and sanitary and hygienic standards); spatial scales, prevalence (local, regional, global).

3.Time parameters of impacts by the nature of the effects: short-term and long-term, persistent and unstable, direct and indirect, with pronounced or hidden trace effects, reversible and irreversible, actual and potential, threshold effects.

4.Categories of impact effects: various living recipients (capable of perceiving and reacting) - people, animals, plants, as well as environmental components, which include: the environment of settlements and premises, natural landscapes, soil, water bodies, atmosphere, near-Earth space; structures.

Within each of these categories, a certain ranking of the environmental significance of factors, characteristics and objects is possible. In general, in terms of the nature and scale of actual impacts, chemical pollution is the most significant, and the greatest potential threat is associated with radiation. Recently, not only the growth of pollution, but also their total impact, often exceeding in the final effect the simple summation of impacts, which has a “peak” effect, is of particular danger. synergy. As for the objects of influence, the person is in the first place.

Sources anthropogenic environmental pollution are enterprises of industry, energy, agriculture, construction, transport, production and consumption of food, the use of household items.

Sources of technogenic emissions can be organized and unorganized, stationary and mobile. Organized sources are equipped with special devices for the directed emission of emissions (pipe, ventilation shafts, waste channels), emissions from unorganized sources are arbitrary. The sources also differ in geometric characteristics (point, line, areal) and in the mode of operation - continuous, periodic, salvo.

Sources of chemical and thermal pollution are thermochemical processes in the energy sector - fuel combustion and related thermal and chemical processes. Associated reactions are associated with the content of various impurities in the fuel, with the oxidation of air nitrogen and with secondary reactions already in the environment.

All these reactions accompany the operation of thermal power plants, industrial furnaces, internal combustion engines, gas turbine and jet engines, metallurgy processes, and the firing of mineral raw materials. The greatest contribution to energy-dependent pollution of the environment is made by energy and transport. On average, about 150 kg of pollutants are emitted per 1 ton of standard fuel in the fuel heat power industry.

Consider the balance of substances of an "average" passenger car with a fuel consumption of 8 liters (6 kg) per 100 km. With optimal engine operation, burning 1 kg of gasoline is accompanied by the consumption of 13.5 kg of air and the emission of 14.5 kg of waste substances. Up to 200 compounds are registered in emissions. The total mass of pollution - an average of about 270 g per 1 kg of gasoline burned, in terms of the entire volume of fuel consumed by passenger cars in the world, will be about 340 million tons; for all road transport - up to 400 million tons.

By scale pollution can be local, local, characterized by an increased content of pollutants in small areas (city, industrial enterprise); regional when large areas are affected (river basin, state); global when pollution is found anywhere on the planet (pollution of the biosphere) and space(garbage, spent spacecraft stages).

As a rule, many anthropogenic pollutants are no different from natural ones, with the exception of xenobiotics, substances alien to nature. These are artificial and synthetic compounds produced by the chemical industry: polymers, surfactants. In nature, there are no agents for their decomposition, assimilation, so they accumulate in the environment.

Distinguish primary and secondary pollution. At primary In pollution, harmful substances are formed directly in the course of natural or anthropogenic processes. At secondary pollution, harmful substances are synthesized in the environment from primary ones; the formation of secondary pollutants is often catalyzed by sunlight (photochemical process). As a rule, secondary pollutants are more toxic than primary ones (phosgene is formed from chlorine and carbon monoxide).

All types of environmental pollution can be combined into groups: chemical, physical, physico-chemical, biological, mechanical, informational and complex.

chemical pollution associated with the release of chemicals into the environment. physical pollution associated with a change in the physical parameters of the environment: temperature (thermal pollution), wave parameters (light, noise, electromagnetic); radiation parameters (radiation and radioactive). form physical and chemical pollution is aerosol (smog, smoke).

biological pollution is associated with the introduction into the environment and reproduction of organisms undesirable for humans, with the penetration or introduction of new species into natural systems, which causes negative changes in biocenoses. Clogging of the environment with materials that have an adverse mechanical effect without physical and chemical consequences (garbage) is called mechanical pollution. Complex pollution environments - thermal and and informational, due to the combined action of various types of pollution .

Some pollutants acquire toxic properties after entering the body during the chemical transformations taking place there. The same substance or factor can cause multiple effects on the body.

The effect of pollutants on the human body manifests itself differently. Poisons act on the liver, kidneys, hematopoietic, blood, respiratory systems. Carcinogenic and mutagenic effects - as a result of changes in the information properties of germ and somatic cells, fibrogenic- the appearance of benign tumors (fibromas); teratogenic- deformities in newborns; allergenic- causing allergic reactions: damage to the skin (eczema), respiratory tract (asthma); n neuro- and psychotropic effect associated with the effect of a toxicant on the central nervous system of the human body.

According to the mechanism of action of the pollutant on the body, there are:

- irritant substances that change the pH of the mucous membrane or irritate nerve endings;

- substances or factors that change the ratio of oxidative and reduction reactions in the body;

- substances that irreversibly bind to organic or inorganic compounds that make up tissues;

- fat-soluble substances that disrupt the functions of biological membranes;

- substances that replace chemical elements or compounds in the cell;

– factors affecting electromagnetic and mechanical oscillatory processes in the body.