Introduction In years past, levels of air, noise, and sight pollution were much lower than they are

today. There are more cars on the road today, and because of this we experience higher levels of pollution than before. Pollution has become a major issue over the years. It has caused death, disease, and many health problems. It is a major concern of our world today and not much is being done to prevent it. If not all, a lot of pollution is caused by humans. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution. With the development of technology, over-consumption and inadequate emissions of waste have a considerable impact on the air, water, forests and wildlife, which leads to inevitable detriment to human life. "Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children." Solutions are like people, each one is complex as well as different. Most every part time environmentalist can have a solution to any environmental problem that ails this planet. That is not to say that they are always right. Conversely, they are not always wrong either. Having the solution is the first part, making the solution a reality is the duty and responsibilities of each and everyone of us.

Types of Pollution Types of environmental pollution can be roughly classified by anthropogenic (human-caused) and natural sources.

Anthropogenic Sources of Pollution

By the object of pollution:

Air pollution Water pollution Soil pollution (contamination) / Land pollution

By the economic source (originator) of pollution:

Agricultural pollution Industrial pollution

Transport pollution o Car pollution / Heavy vehicle pollution o Ship pollution o Airplane pollution Commercial and domestic sector pollution

Other types

Light Pollution, New York Photo: Mira John

Radioactive pollution (contamination) Chemical pollution Invasive species pollution Light pollution Noise pollution Visual pollution

Natural Sources of Pollution

Volcanic eruptions Dust storms Smoke from forest and grass fires The term pollution refers to the act of contaminating ones environment by introducing certain hazardous contaminants that disturb the ecosystem and directly or indirectly affect the living organisms of that ecosystem. Pollution in general is the activity of disturbing the natural system and balance of an environment. The increase in the pollution over the years by man has caused severe damage to the earths ecosystem. It is responsible for global warming which is leading to the end if all the lives on earth. Over the years there is an extreme increase in the rate of human diseases, and death rate of various animals and plants on earth, and that is all because of the pollution caused by man himself.

See all 6 photos There are many types of pollution, but four of them have the most perilous affect on our lives. Following are the four most dangerous types of pollutions and their causes: Air Pollution Air pollution is perhaps the most common and the most dangerous type of pollution. It involves the direct release of chemicals into the environment. The chemicals then become the part of the air around us that all the living things take in.

The increase in the rate of diseases such as asthma and lung cancer today is due to the increase in the air pollution around us. Air pollution is also a cause of global warming andacid rain. Causes Of Air Pollution Basically the air pollution is caused by the burning of fuel that directly releases hazardous chemicals into the air. For example the burning of coal releases sulphur dioxide, a poisonous gas which is responsible for acid rain. The sources of such chemicals are the large factories, smoke from the vehicles, chimneys and burning of wood. Threat To Polar Animals Due To Global Warming The effects of global warming are playing havoc everywhere - higher temperatures, hurricanes, heavy rains, flooding and droughts have now become more frequent and severe in intensity.

Soil Pollution Soil pollution involves the contamination of soil by the release of harmful substances into the soil. Unlike air pollution, which has a direct affect on human lives, soil pollution causes an indirect damage to humans and other animals. The lives of all the living things depend on three sources: water, light and soil. The plants which are the producers of the food chain take up their nutrients, which are essential for their living, from the soil. Drying Lakes Due To Global Warming Lakes Dried Or Drying Up Lakes are fresh water bodies that are enclosed by land from all sides. They are considered to be a short-term water body, and may dry up with changing environmental conditions. The nutrients taken by the plants are then transferred to the consumers that depend on these plants. Hence a soil consisting of contaminants will not only affect the plants growing on the soil but it will also indirectly harm the entire food chain. Causes Of Soil Pollution Soil pollution is mainly caused by the release of industrial waste. This waste is directly incorporated into the soil by large industries and factories. Soil pollution is also caused by human acts as mining and deforestation etc.

Water Pollution The 75% of the earths surface is covered with water and more that half of the total population of earths species resides in water. Moreover, our life greatly depends on water and life without water is impossible. Water pollution not only affects the fish and animals living in the water but also affects the whole food chain by also transferring the contaminants to the consumers depending on these animals.

Animals Endangered Due To Pollution 5 Endangered Animals Of The World The increase of human population over the centuries has caused not one but many damage to Earth. The increase in human population leads directly to the increase in their demand which in turn leads to animal extinction.

Water used from a polluted lake directly contaminates its user. Many of the water creatures are on the verge of extinction due to the dramatic increase in the water pollution. Cause Of Water Pollution Just like air and soil pollution, water pollution is caused by the direct incorporation of hazardous pollutants. The sources of these pollutants are yet again the large industries and factories that dispose off their waste in lakes and ponds. Noise Pollution

Unlike other the above mentioned types of pollutions does not involve hazardous chemicals or their incorporation into the environment, rather noise pollution is the increase in the rate of noise in the environment. Noise is defined as an unpleasant sound that has an adverse affect on the human ear. Noise can be extremely dangerous. And it is all around us. It penetrates into human mind and controls it. Too much noise leads to severe psychological illness and badly affects the behavior. It leads to hypertension, stress, aggression and annoyance. Moreover, it causes depression and forgetfulness. Cause Of Noise Pollution Noise pollution is caused by the moving vehicles, man made machines and loud music. Other than that noise can be caused by anything, but these three sources are the main reasons for the noise pollution around us.

EFFECTS OF POLLUTIONPollution produces physical and biological effectsthat vary from mildly ir ritating to lethal. The moreserious of the two are the biological effects.Physical EffectsThe physical effects of pollution are those that wecan see, but they include e ffects other than actualphysical damage.Oil spills. One obvious physical effect of pollutionis the result of oil spills that ar e caused by ship collisionsor other accidents. Oil spilled into the seas coatseveryth ing it touches. It fouls boat hulls, pier pilings,and shore structures; spoils the beauty of nature bykilling fish and birds; and makes beaches unusable. Inaddition to the phy sical effects, oil spills require costlycleanup operations.Air pollutants. Air pollutants damage a wide varietyof materials. Burning oil and coal produce sulfuroxides, which cause steel to erode two to four timesfaster t han normal. When combined with otherpollutants (soot, smoke, lead, asbestos, and so on),sulfur oxide particulates cause corrosion to occur at aneven faster rate. B y themselves, particulates damageand soil materials, structures, and equipment. Airpollutants speed the erosion of statues and buildings,which in some instances, destroys works of art.Biological EffectsThe most serious result of pollution is its harmfulbiological effects on human health and on the foodchain of animals, birds, and marine life. Pollution candestroy v egetation that provides food and shelter. It canseriously disrupt the balance of nature, a nd, in extremecases, can cause the death of humans.Pesticides, which include herbicides andinsecticides, can damage crops; ki ll vegetation; andpoison birds, animals, and fish. Most pesticides arenonselective; they kill or damage life forms other thanthose intended. For example, pesticides used i n an effortto control or destroy undesirable vegetation and insectsoften destroy birds an d small animals. Some life formsdevelop immunity to pesticides used to destroy them.W hen that happens, we develop more potent chemicalsand the cycle repeats itself.The widespread use of pollutants, such as oil,chemicals, and fertilizers, pollut es our waterways. Thebiological effect of water pollution is its danger to ourwater supp lies; we require water to survive. Waterpollutants are also dangerous to all forms of marine life.Oil is an especially harmful pollutant. It killssurfaceswimming animals and sea birds and, once itsettles on the bottom, harms shellfish and other types ofmarine life.The primary pollution concern of Navy personnelinvolves pollution produced by s hipboard wastes. Inaddition to oil, shipboard wastes include sanitarywastes, galle y and laundry waters, chemicals, solidwastes, and combustion by-products of oilandgasolinedriven engines. Pollutants produced by shipsare similar to those generated by muni cipal andindustrial operations.