The litter problem on the coast of Guyana, 2010

Air pollution in the US, 1973

 Smog Pollution in Taiwan

The Lachine Canal in Montreal,

Quebec, Canada.

Pollution is when something is added to the environment that is harmful or poisonous to living
things. There are four main types of pollution: air, water, noise, and soil or land pollution. Smoke or
dust in the air is a type of pollution because it is bad for the lungs when we breathe in. Sewage in
drinking water is another type of pollution. It can make people ill because it contains germs and
viruses. People living next to a building site where there is too much noise can become sick
because of a lack of sleep. Dangerous chemicals can seep into soil from litter and other man-made
chemicals.

As pollution grows, ways to combat it have grown, too. Solar energy and wind energy give people
other ways to power their homes. When people use these alternative forms of energy, they put less
carbon dioxide into the environment.

Contents
Air pollution

Water pollution

Noise pollution

Soil pollution or land pollution

Plastic pollution

Effects
Human health
 Environment

Pollution control
Practices

Pollution control devices

Interesting facts about pollution

Images for kids

Air pollution
Air pollution is caused by poisonous gases, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and
very small particulates. It is also caused by the smoke and harmful gases released by the fires that
make vehicles and factories go. Use of coal, wood, and kerosene as fuels for fire also causes air
pollution. Air pollution may cause breathing problems such as asthma or other health problems. It
also causes diseases like cancer.

Air pollution causes global warming and acid rain. It results in increased temperatures, erratic rains,
and drought worldwide. This makes it difficult for living organisms to survive.

Water pollution
Water pollution is the presence of harmful materials in water, such as sewage, dissolved metals,
waste from farms or factories, and crude oil spilled from oil tankers. The three main substances that
pollute water are nitrates from fertilizers, sewage, and detergents.
Activities such as bathing and washing clothes near lakes, ponds, or rivers add nutrients like
nitrogen and phosphorous into water. This leads to the growth of too much algae on the surface of
the water. This algae blocks the penetration of sunlight and air into the water.

Pollution causes harm to organisms living in water and can also harm people's health. In extreme
cases, it may cause problems such as cancer.

Noise pollution
Noise pollution, also known as sound pollution, is noise that is harmful to humans and animals. This
includes the sound of vehicles, loudspeakers, etc. Noise pollution can cause ear problems or even
permanent deafness, especially in older people.

Soil pollution or land pollution

Soil pollution (also known as land pollution) is when man-made chemicals, such as hydrocarbons,
heavy metals, or solvents get into the soil. These chemicals come from industrial activities and poor
waste management. Soil pollution may cause health risks. The chemicals can produce harmful
vapors, or they can contaminate water supplies underneath the polluted soil.

Plastic pollution

Plastic pollution is the collection of plastic products in the environment that negatively affects
wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans.

Effects

Human health
 Overview of main health effects on humans from some common types of pollution.

Bad air quality can kill many organisms, including humans. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory
disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, and congestion. A 2010 analysis
estimated that 1.2 million people died prematurely each year in China because of air pollution. The
high smog levels China has been facing for a long time can do damage to civilians' bodies and
cause diseases. The WHO estimated in 2007 that air pollution causes half a million deaths per year
in India. Studies have estimated that the number of people killed each year in the United States
could be over 50,000.

Water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day, mostly in developing countries. In
these countries, water is contaminated by untreated sewage. An estimated 500 million Indians have
no access to a proper toilet. Over ten million people in India fell ill with waterborne illnesses in 2013,
and 1,535 people died, most of them children. Nearly 500 million Chinese do not have access to
safe drinking water.

Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes.

Noise pollution can cause hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep disturbance.

The ingestion of Mercury has been linked to developmental deficits in children and neurologic
symptoms.

Older people are exposed to diseases induced by air pollution. Those with heart or lung disorders
are at additional risk. Children and infants are also at serious risk. Lead and other heavy metals
have been shown to cause neurological problems. Chemical and radioactive substances can cause
cancer and as well as birth defects.

An October 2017 study by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health found that global
pollution, specifically toxic air, water, soils, and workplaces, kill nine million people annually.

Environment

Pollution is present widely in the environment. There are several effects of this:

Biomagnification describes situations where toxins (such as heavy metals) become more
concentrated.

Carbon dioxide emissions cause ocean acidification, which is the ongoing decrease in the pH of
the Earth's oceans as CO2 becomes dissolved into the ocean.

The emission of greenhouse gases leads to global warming, which can affect ecosystems in
many ways.

Invasive species can out-compete native species and reduce biodiversity.

Nitrogen oxides are removed from the air by rain and fertilize land, which can change the species
composition of ecosystems.

Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosynthesis.

Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organisms in the food
web.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause acid rain, which lowers the pH value of soil.

Organic pollution of watercourses can deplete oxygen levels and reduce species diversity.

Pollution control
A litter trap catches floating waste in the Yarra River,
east-central Victoria, Australia.

Air pollution control system, known as a Thermal

oxidizer, decomposes hazardous gases from
industrial air streams at a factory in the United States
of America.

A dust collector in Pristina, Kosovo

 Gas nozzle with vapor recovery

A Mobile Pollution Check Vehicle in India

Pollution control is a term used in environmental management. It means the control of emissions
and effluents into air, water, or soil. Without pollution control, the waste products from
overconsumption, heating, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transportation, and other human
activities could degrade the environment. It is believed that pollution prevention and waste
minimization are better than pollution control.

Practices
Recycling

Reusing

Waste minimization

Mitigating

Preventing

Composting
Pollution control devices
Air pollution control
Thermal oxidizer

Dust collection systems

Baghouses

Cyclones

Electrostatic precipitators

Scrubbers
Baffle spray scrubber

Cyclonic spray scrubber

Ejector venturi scrubber

Mechanically aided scrubber

Spray tower

Wet scrubber

Sewage treatment
Sedimentation (Primary treatment)

Activated sludge biotreaters (Secondary treatment; also used for industrial wastewater)

Aerated lagoons

Constructed wetlands (also used for urban runoff)

Industrial wastewater treatment

API oil-water separators

Biofilters

Dissolved air flotation (DAF)

Powdered activated carbon treatment

 Ultrafiltration

Vapor recovery systems

Phytoremediation

Interesting facts about pollution

Cleanups can save animals’ lives and discourage people from littering in the future.

People who live in places with high levels of air pollutants have a 20% higher risk of death from
lung cancer than people who live in less polluted areas.

Plants can filter air pollution.

There are more than 73 kinds of pesticides in groundwater that is used as drinking water.

Approximately 40% of the lakes in America are too polluted for fishing, aquatic life, or swimming.

In 1975, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that cargo ships and cruise liners had
dumped 14 billion pounds of garbage into the ocean.

Homeowners use chemicals that are 10 times more toxic per acre than the amount used by the
farmers.

In the U.S., 41% of all insecticides are used on corn. Eighty percent of these are used to treat a
pest that could be controlled simply by rotating the corn for one year with any other crop.

Americans buy more than 29 million bottles of water every year. Only 13% of these bottles are
recycled every year.

Recycling and compostng have become more popular. They prevented 85 million tons of material
away from being disposed of in 2010, up from 18 million tons in 1980.

Noise pollution is the most ignored type of pollution.

Images for kids

An industrial area, Great Pacific garbage A visual comparison
with a power plant, patch of the free market
south of Yangzhou's and socially optimal
downtown, China outcomes