Environmental Pollutants : According to the World web dictionary pollutant is defined as “waste materials which contaminate the air, water and soil”. Environmental pollution is caused due to the mixing of impurities and harmful chemicals into the environment and the atmosphere. These waste materials are released due to various human activities and natural phenomena. These Environmental Pollutants are very harmful to the environment as well as human beings and other animals. So we will be getting the fruit of the seed we sowed.
Environmentalists and scientists have divided pollutants in different categories on the basis of the pollution they cause, such as water, air, soil, noise and radioactive pollution. In this post, we will be talking about environmental pollutants and their effects on the environment and us.
Environmental pollutants and their effects
Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)
CFCs are mostly emitted by perfumes, sprays, canned products like aerosol. These are lighter than air, so they rise up in the air and when they come in contact with the Ultraviolet rays, chlorine is freed. When this chlorine comes in contact with the ozone layer, it damages the ozone to a very high extent and makes a hole in it, through which the cosmic rays enter into the atmosphere. These rays are carcinogenic to human beings and also destroy terrestrial and marine plant growth.
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Lead
Lead is a dangerous toxin which is found almost all over the world. It is easily soluble in water. After being dissolved in water, it can cause serious health problems upon uptake. It inhibits the work of the enzymes of our body, thus making our body function slower than usual. Lead is also one of the causes of nervous breakdown, and when an excess of it is present in the body, it can affect our brains.
Methane
Methane is one of the greenhouse gases, gaseous fossil fuel and also natural gas. Although it is not harmful until it reacts with carbon dioxide in the presence of water vapour which causes methane to trap a lot of heat coming from the Sun which helps in increasing global warming.
Methane is most commonly released into the atmosphere due to the rearing of cattle, as cattle feed they release methane into the atmosphere, which has increased nowadays due to increased demand of meat.
When this methane is released into the atmosphere, it traps the sun rays and increases the temperature which causes global warming.
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is one of the most devastating pollutants which pollutes the air. It is released whenever there is incomplete combustion, cigarette smoking, and incomplete combustion in vehicle engines due to the compact space. Vehicle’s engines release carbon monoxide as a byproduct.
Carbon monoxide when released contests the air, which makes it hard to breathe. It is the major causes of suffocation which can lead to death if firewood is burning in a closed room. It also plays an important role in the formation of ground-level ozone.
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Ground-level ozone
As its name depicts, it is a constituent of ozone, but it forms just above the earth’s surface. It is a colourless gas which is highly irritating in nature. It is formed due to the photochemical reaction between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight. It is basically a secondary pollutant. Ozone causes various diseases like asthma and various respiratory diseases and can also lead to premature deaths. Not only to humans, it also harms plants and can decrease their yield and can destroy synthetic materials, textiles and cotton.
Plastic
Here we go again. If we don’t talk about plastic in an article about pollution and pollutants, it will be a crime. Plastic is the most common and most damaging pollutant. It is almost everywhere and being non-biodegradable; it is dumped in oceans and rivers, making them dirty. Fishes and many animals take it, assuming it is their food which leads to death. Even cows sometimes eat plastic, thinking it is food. Plastic has made its place everywhere, from toys to containers and machines too. We have some plastic related articles which you can see.
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Mercury
What do you think where is mercury mostly used? If you think it is used only in thermometers, then you are wrong. It is also used in batteries, fluorescent lamps, float valves, medicines and to make liquid mirrors etc. it may not seem harmful but it is very harmful. Mercury can easily change its state, which makes it hard to detect. It is released into the atmosphere due to mining, unsafe disposal of mercury-containing products, mostly batteries. It is so dangerous that it can lead to death if inhaled.
Particulate matter
These include pollen, soot, dust, aerosol spray, liquid droplets, etc. These are very small in size and lightweight and so suspend in the air easily. These are released into the atmosphere due to incomplete combustion or may be blown by the wind. These are so small that they can be easily inhaled. They can cause a serious disease like lung cancer and it is very harmful to asthma patient who often get asthma attacks.
Chemical fertilizers
As you have noticed, the population is increasing very rapidly and with this rapidly increasing population, food demand is also increasing. In fact, food demand has almost got doubled in only a few years. So in order to fulfil these demands, a lot of food is needed to be grown. To do that, farmers use chemical fertilizers. This is very good to grow crops at a high rate. But if these are used excessively, then it can do a lot of damage not only to the soil but also various other things. It can pollute the soil or may make the soil totally infertile. It can reach to water sources and can pollute water. After taking this water continuously for a long time can cause serious health problems.
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Uranium
If you are a student of science, you must know about uranium and its radioactive nature. Since it is radioactive metal, it also causes radioactive pollution. Exposure to uranium can cause various cancers, premature ageing, premature death, infertility and abnormal brain functions.
Although there are a lot of other types of pollution and different types of environmental pollutants we have brought you, in my view, the top 10 pollutants that are destructive to us and our environment. We need to stay up-to-date with the latest inventions that are taking our environment seriously. We can replace some of the stuff we are using with some better stuff, and all it takes some time and effort. If you are aware of what is going on in this world, try to reduce it by doing whatever you can do, whether it be small or big. Be safe.
