HUMAN

ACTIVITIES
THAT
THREATEN
THE
ECOSYSTEM
 TYPES OF
POLLUTION
AND
SOURCES OF
POLLUTION
EFINITION OF POLLUTIO
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that
causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem,physical systems or
living organisms.

Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat,
or light.

Pollutants, the elements of pollution,can be foreign substances or energies, or

naturally occurring; when naturally occurring, they are considered contaminants
when they exceed natural levels.

 Pollution is often classed as point source or non-point source pollution. The

Blacksmith Institute issues annually a list of the world's worst polluted places.

 In the 2007 issues the ten top nominees are located in Azerbaijan, China, India,
Peru, Russia, Ukraine and Zambia.
TYPES OF POLLUTION
There are five types of
pollution.They are land,
air, water, thermal, and
noise pollution.

Land pollution
Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's land surfaces often caused by
human activities and their misuse of land resources.

It occurs when waste is not disposed properly. Health hazard disposal of urban
and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by
inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors.

Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution. The

Industrial Revolution set a series of events into motion which destroyed natural
habitats and polluted the environment, causing diseases in both humans and
other species of animals.

Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological
materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or
cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the
atmosphere.

The atmosphere is a complex dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential

to support life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air
pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the
Earth's ecosystems.

Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst
pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted
Places report.
 Water pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (ex: lakes, rivers,
oceans and groundwater).

Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of

water; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to
individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological
communities.

Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or

indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove
harmful compounds.

Thermal Pollution
 Thermal pollution is the condition where the temperature of the
surrounding increases when excess heat is released to the environment.

Noise Pollution
o Noise pollution is the condition where the unwanted human-created
sound disrupts the environment or becomes harmful to human health
and welfare.

Noise Level
(dB) Noise types Effects

40-60 Normal conversation Safe for the ear.

Annoying and continuous exposure

80-100 Food blender , lawn mower , heavy leads temporary hearing damage.If
traffics , tractors not treated can cause permanent
damage.

Unprotected regular exposure cause

>100 Piling,drilling,rock concert permanent hearing loss.

>125 Jet engine , shotgun High potential for hearing loss.

SOURCES OF POLLUTION
Industrial
factories
Oil and
Chemical antifreeze
and nuclear leaking from
plants cars
SOURCES
OF LAND
POLLUTI
ON
Construction Human
debris sewage

Deforestation
 Stationary Sources Mobile Sources

• manufacturing facilities • motor vehicles

(factories) • marine vessels
• smoke stacks of power • aircraft and the effect
plants of sound

SOURCES
OF AIR
POLLUTI
ON

Military Fumes

• nuclear weapons • aerosol sprays

• toxic gases • Varnish
• rocketry • paint
Domestic Activities Industrial activities

•Detergents • Waste toxic chemicals such as

•Solid wastes (rubbish) mercury ,lead and zinc.

SOURCE
OF
WATER
POLLUTI
ON

Agricultural practises
Shipping Activities
• The run-off from
• Oil spills from tanker
excessive use of
ships
fertilizer,pesticides and
herbicides.
 SOURCE
OF
THERMAL
POLLUTI
ON
 compressed air
horns

transportation
motor vehicle
systems

SOURCE
OF NOISE
POLLUTI
ON

construction
aircraft noise

fireworks
EFFECT OF POLLUTION
Effect of Land pollution

exterminates wild life

acid rain kills trees and other plants.
vegetation that provides food and shelter is destroyed.
it can seriously disrupt the balance of nature, and, in extreme cases, can cause
human fatalities.

Effect of Air pollution on:

Human Health
The health effects caused by air pollutants may include difficulty in breathing,
wheezing, coughing and aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiac
conditions.

children
Cities around the world with high exposure to air pollutants have the possibility
of children living within them to develop asthma, pneumonia and other lower
respiratory infections as well as a low initial birth rate.

Effect of Water pollution

The food chain is damaged.

When toxins are in the water, the toxins travel from the water the animals drink
to humans when the animals’ meat is eaten.

Effect on climate
Acid rain contains sulfate particles, which can harm fish or plant life in lakes and
rivers.

Diseases can spread via polluted water.

Infectious diseases such as typhoid and cholera can be contracted from drinking
contaminated water. This is called microbial water pollution.The human heart
and kidneys can be adversely affected if polluted water is consumed
regularly. Other health problems associated with polluted water are poor blood
circulation,skin lesions,vomiting,and damage to the nervous system.  In fact, the
effects of water pollution are said to be the leading cause of death for humans
across the globe.
Effect of Thermal pollution

All plant and animal species that live in water are adapted to temperatures

within a certain range. When water in an area warms more than they can
tolerate, species that cannot move, such as rooted plants and shellfish, will die.

Ecological effects — cold water

Releases of unnaturally cold water from reservoirs can dramatically change the
fish and macroinvertebrate fauna of rivers, and reduce river productivity. In
Australia, where many rivers have warmer temperature regimes, native fish
species have been eliminated, and macroinvertebrate fauna have been drastically
altered.

Ecological effects — warm water

Elevated temperature typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in
water.
The decrease in levels of DO can harm aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians
and copepods.

Effect of Noise pollution on:

Health
Deafness, temporary or permanent, is one of the most prevalent effects of
noise pollution.
Fatigue caused is another effect of noise. Due to lack of concentration, people
need to devote more time to complete their task, which leads to tiredness and
fatigue.
Noise pollution acts as a stress invigorator, increasing the stress levels among
people.
Agriculture
Noise pollution indirectly affects the vegetation. Plants require cool & peaceful
environment to grow. Noise pollution causes poor quality of crops.
Habitat and animal
 Animals are susceptible to noise pollution as well. It damages the nervous
system of the animals.
Building
Noise indirectly weakens the edifice of buildings, bridges and monuments. It
creates waves, which can be very dangerous and harmful and put the building in
danger condition.