MILLER CHAPTER 1 Section 3: POLLUTION APES 2013

What are the different types of Pollutants?

Pollutants  Pollutants are chemicals found at high enough levels in the environment to cause harm to people and/or other organisms.  Pollution is the presence of pollutants in the soil, water, air, or food in high enough levels to threaten the health, survival, or activities of human or other organisms.  TYPES AND EXAMPLES :  Found in Urban, Industrial, agricultural, and rural areas 1. Air (atmospheric) pollution (cars and factories) 2. Water pollution (factories, chemicals used at home, nuclear waste, runoff containing waste, agricultural fertilizers, toxins, pesticides, etc.) 3. Land Pollution (agriculture, litter, landfills, nuclear waste) 4. Noise (Industrial, loud music, sirens, ambient sounds of a city)  Industrialized Agriculture is a major source of land, air and water pollution)

What are the Sources of Pollution?

Sources of Pollution  Two types of Sources:  POINT SOURCES  Single identifiable sources  Example: The smokestack of a coal-burning power plant  NON POINT SOURCES  Larger, more dispersed and the exact source is often hard to identify.  Examples: Pesticides sprayed into the air, or wind-blown into the atmoshphere; Runoff of fertilizers and pesticides into streams and lakes  Easier and cheaper to ID and control pollution from Point Sources

What are the Effects of Pollution?

Effects of Pollutants  Three types of unwanted effects: 1. Disrupt of degrade life support systems 2. Damage wildlife, human health, and property 3. Create nuisances such as noise and unpleasant smells, tastes, and sights.

What are the Solutions for Pollution?

Solutions: Prevention vs. Cleanup  To prevent pollution or to allow it then try to clean it up??? That is the question!!!  EXAMPLE: “How can we clean up the smoke coming out of a smoke stack?” ~OR~ “How can we not produce the smoke in the first place?”  An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of cure!!  3 problems with relying on cleanup rather than prevention: 1. CLEAN UP IS ONLY TEMPORARY 2. OFTEN REMOVES ONE POLLUTANT, BUT DEPOSITS ANOTHER 3. NOT COST EFFECTIVE, OR DOES NOT REMOVE ENOUGH OF A DANGEROUS POLLUTANT

Conclusion  Pollution prevention (front-of-the-pipe method) and Pollution clean up (end-of-the-pipe method) are BOTH required.  Scientists urge us to put more emphasis on prevention because it works better and is cheaper!!!