Pollutants in the Environment

• Pollution

  • Harmful substances, or materials
  • Any undesirable changes of the environment (physical, chemical, biological) which are harmful to human.
• Pollutants

  • Contaminants to the air, soil, land, & water
• General Types of Pollution

  • Point Source Pollution - pollution that comes directly from one's specific location or any single identifiable source of pollution in which pollutants are discharged.

  > Agricultural Runoff

  > Sewage from Home

  > Toxic Discharge from Factories

  > Vessel Discharges
• • Non-point Source Pollution - pollution resulting from many diffuse sources.
• Classifications of Pollutants

  • Biodegradable Pollutants - pollutants which can be broken down into simpler, harmless, substances in nature in due course of time (by the action of bacteria/fungi)
  • Non-Biodegradable Pollutants - pollutants which cannot be broken down into simpler, harmless, substances in nature.
• • Agriculture - has an impact on water pollution due to the use of chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, or insecticides running off in the water, as well as livestock excrement, manure, and methane (greenhouse effect).
• • Industries - produce a lot of waste containing toxic chemicals and pollutants. A huge amount of the industrial waste is drained in the freshwater which then flows into canals, rivers and everything in the sea.
• • Marine Dumping - Everyday, garbage such as plastic, paper, aluminum, food, glass, or rubber are deposited into the sea. These items take weeks to hundreds of years to decompose, and thus they are a major cause for water pollution.
• • Radioactive Waste - generated by power plants and uranium mining. Radioactive waste can linger in the environment for thousands of years. When these substances are released accidentally or disposed improperly, they threaten groundwater, surface water, as well as marine resources.