pollution from gases to plastic

• Pollution

  The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects
• Types of pollution

  • Air
  • Water
  • Land
• Air pollution sources

  • Car exhausts
  • Industrial waste
  • Burning of fossil fuels
  • Construction and demolition
• Water pollution sources

  • Fuels and oil spills
  • Sewage
  • Plastics
  • Fertilisers
  • Pesticides
  • Medicines
• Land pollution sources

  • Landfill - microbial decay
  • Litter / urban waste
  • Oil / fuel leaks
  • Industrial waste
  • Mining waste
  • Agricultural waste
• Noise pollution

  Invisible pollution
• Sources of noise pollution

  • Traffic and transport
  • Urban noise
  • Music
  • Construction work
• Effects of noise pollution on terrestrial organisms

  • Disruption of breeding
  • Interference with communication
  • Interference with migration
  • Stress response - increased cortisol
• Effects of noise pollution on marine organisms

  • Interference with communication
  • Interference with migration
  • Stress response - increased cortisol
  • Disruption of orientation (turtles use surf breaking)
• Sources of noise pollution in marine environments

  • Anti-warfare sonar
  • Ships 'acoustic fog'
  • Oil rigs
  • Offshore wind farms
  • Industrial processes
  • Detonations
  • Deep sea mining
• Noise pollution can have an effect on coral reefs
• Organisms affected by light pollution

  • Birds
  • Moths
  • Reptiles
  • Mammals
• Microplastics

  Small plastic particles
• Damage caused by macroplastics

  • Terrestrial
  • Marine/freshwater
• Plastic pollution includes both macroplastics and microplastics
• Bioplastics

  Plastics that are either biodegradable or made from plant-based materials
• Not all bioplastics are good - plant-based doesn't mean a product will degrade like a plant, and being biodegradable doesn't mean a product will break down with food waste. Most bioplastics need to be composted at very high temperatures, over several weeks, in an industrial composter.
• Greenhouse gases

  Methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, water vapour
• Global Warming Potential (GWP)

  The ability of a greenhouse gas to trap extra heat in the atmosphere over time relative to carbon dioxide (CO2), most often calculated over 100 years
• Long-term health effects of air pollution

  • Heart disease
  • Lung cancer
  • Respiratory diseases such as emphysema
• Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people's nerves, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Some scientists suspect air pollutants cause birth defects.
• Pollutant gases

  • Carbon dioxide (CO2)
  • Carbon monoxide (CO)
  • Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
  • Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
  • Hydrocarbons (HC)
  • Benzene (C6H6)
  • Particulates
• Thermal pollution

  Pollution caused by the release of heated water
• Causes of thermal pollution

  • Nuclear power plant
  • Coal-fired power plant
  • Industrial effluents
  • Domestic sewage
  • Hydroelectric power
  • Thermal power plant
• Sources of agricultural waste

  • Fertilisers
  • Pesticides
  • Animal waste
  • Leaching of artificial fertiliser
• Artificial oestradiols

  Substances that mimic the effects of the female sex hormone oestradiol
• Sources of artificial oestradiols

  • Pesticides
  • Contraceptives
• Bioremediation

  The use of organisms or their products to remove or neutralize pollutants from the environment