Unit 8.

1
Sources
of
Pollution
The Story of Stuff
Watch the video and answer questions on
pages 2 and 3 in your packet.
 Waste should be
viewed as part of a
system.
❖ Systems have INPUTS and OUTPUTS.

Inputs in ecological systems:

❖ Human systems include all those, plus
synthetic materials manufactured by humans.

❖ Outputs include:

Wast
❖ BUT, “waste” looks very different when it is
coming from the natural world.

Is this waste?
Is this waste?
Is this waste?
Waste: Material outputs from a
system that are not useful or
Only humans produce what would
be considered actual “waste” (in
our time frame)
Point source pollution: Produced from a single,
identifiable location (smokestack, waste discharge
pipe)
Non-point source pollution: Produced
from a more diffuse, broadly defined
area
How is it helpful to
a community to
identify point
sources of
pollution?

Which type is
more difficult to
control and why?
Stop Here! Do not
go on
Wastewater: produced by livestock
operations and human activities
Why is wastewater a problem?

1. Wastewater has a higher BOD

(biochemical oxygen
demand)
• More O2 required for the
bacteria to decompose all of
the organic material
• Higher BOD = More pollution
 NA: Water quality legislation and
pollution control measures
Africa/Asia: population increase and little
progress in pollution control measures
High BOD = less DO (dissolved
oxygen) present for other forms
of life = Dead Zones
How is the creation of a
dead zone in the ocean
or river an example of a
positive feedback loop?
(Draw it)
Why is wastewater a problem?
2. Excess nutrients in the water
🡪 eutrophication
Anthropogenic sources
= cultural
eutrophication
 🡪 especially N and P
🡪 Algal blooms
🡪 again leads to High BOD and dead
zones
Why is wastewater a problem?
3. Carries a wide variety of
pathogens (disease-causing
microorganisms and viruses)
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=M2j_Ka3XTgA

Ganges: India’s dying

mother (3:13)
Diarrhea, Cryptosporidium,
malaria
 REMEMBER!!
!!!

• Over 1 billion people do not sufficient access to

safe water
• About 40% of the
world’s population
lacks access to
proper sanitation
and hygiene

• In sub-Saharan
Africa, up to 64%
lack access
Indicator species: Indicates
whether or not pathogens are
present
🡪 Example: Fecal coliform bacteria such as E. coli shows
human waste has entered the water (not necessarily
pathogens)
If a species is highly sensitive
to pollution, what does its
presence indicate?

For example: can tolerate

very low oxygen levels

If a species has a wide range

of tolerance, will it dominate
a habitat in low pollution or
high pollution? Why?
Treating Wastewater

1. Septic System
2. Sewage Treatment Plants—
centralized systems in large
municipalities in developed countries
Primary
Treatment:
Solid waste
separated into
sludge layer
which can be
removed
Secondary Treatment:
• Water aerated, oxygen added, promotes growth of
aerobic bacteria
• Disinfection using chlorine, ozone, UV light (sometimes
called tertiary treatment)
• Released to waterway
Secondary Treatment:
• Sludge treated with bacteria to reduce volume
• Burned, taken to landfill, or turned into fertilizer
• N & P still released in wastewater into waterways
Tertiary treatments attempt to remove more N & P
Heavy rains and floods🡪 Plants can legally
dump raw sewage into bodies of water
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/drone-factory-farm-pig-feces-la
kes
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/13hiav/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-michig
an-s-toxic-water-crisis

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/hwvdyb/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-it-s-no
t-just-flint-s-water-crisis
Perchlorates
(rocket fuel)
PCBs--polychlorinated biphenyls
(plastics/electrical transformers)
 PBDEs (flame
retardants)
Endocrine disruptors:
• Mimic hormones causing overstimulation,
or
• Bind to a receptor within a cell and block
the real hormone, stopping response.
44: Nonchemical Water Pollution
Solid waste Pollution: Garbage and
Sludge
--Great Pacific Garbage Patch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m
kfAnQtIUCw
2. Sediment Pollution (sedimentation)
• Construction, agriculture, erosion
• Increases turbidity, reduces sunlight
• Clogs gills
• Eutrophication
3. Thermal pollution/Thermal shock
• Power plants/factories use cooling water, pump
hot water back into waterways
• Warm water contains less dissolved oxygen
(DO)
• Decreased respiration, suffocation
• Cooling towers
4. Noise Pollution
• Ships and subs sonar interferes with marine
mammals communication
Clean Water Act (1972): protects surface
waters
--defines acceptable levels of pollutants
--allows EPA to issue permits
Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)
• Sets MCL (maximum contaminant levels) for 77
different elements
• Subject to political pressures
• Fracking excluded