Pollution: Water pollution

Water is not a cyclic resource

False, it has a water cycle

Water pollution

Pollution of water bodies usually caused by human activities. A change in the physical, chemical, or biological properties of water that have harmful consequences.

Water pollution causes

• Domestic effluents and sewage

• Industrial effluents

• Radioactive waste

• Thermal pollution

• Oil pollution

Domestic waste and sewage

Household purposes that go through drain pipes and into rivers, reservoir, or lakes. this depletes oxygen

Ex. cooking, cleaning, cooling bathing

Domestic waste and sewage contain many organisms in the form of bacteria and viruses

True

What is the cause of high infant mortality rate in developing contries?

The untreated wastewater that carry viruses and bacteria coupled with poor household sanitation.

Sewage supports the growth of other forms of life that consume oxygen, measured in in Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

True

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Amount of oxygen that is demanded by microorganisms in order to break down excess levels of nutrients and organic materials

Industrial effluents

Industrial activities generate a wide variety of waste products, normally categorized as heavy or synthetic organic compounds.

Normally discharged into water courses through direct discharge or leaching waste dumps.

How are industrial discharge controlled?

Developing countries largely uncontrolled

Developed countries: strictly controlled

How does the paper industry affect nature?

• Effluents produce sludge that blanket fish spawning grounds, destroying certain types of aquatic life

  • Effluent contain: Chlorine, Sulfur dioxide, Methyl mercaptan, etc.

How does the textile industry affect nature?

• Alkaline in nature and demand more oxygen

How does the food industry affect nature?

• Waste products include fats, proteins, and organic wastes

How does the chemical industry affect nature?

• Effluents contain corrosive acids

How does the fertilizers industry affect nature?

• Effluents contain phosphorus, fluorine, silica, and large amount of suspended solids

How does the metal industry affect nature?

Effluents contain copper, led, chromium, zinc, acids, greases, and cleaning agents

How does the petroleum industry affect nature?

• effluents contain hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds, other inorganic sulfur compounds

How does the mining industry affect nature?

• Effluents include metals leaching into acidic, mercury from gold mines.

How does the plastic industry affect nature?

• Effluents contain mercury

How does the agricultural affect nature?

• Pollutes water by fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, and farm animal wastes.

  • The chemicals seep into ground water(leaching) and surface water(run-off)

How are insecticides and pesticides harmful to nature (water)?

Have long lasting residues

How are farm animals harmful to nature?

Wastes contain pathogenic organisms

Sediments of soil and mineral particles wash out from fields into stream channels and reservoirs.

How does radioactive waste affect nature?

Posses highly unstable atomic nuclei, resulting in radiation emission.

During nuclear tests, radioactive dust often comes down to earth as rain

What is Thermal pollution?

Discharge of heated effluents from industrial processes that can affect life processes of aquatic organisms

What is oil pollution?

The spread of oil into the sea

Transported tankers of oil are transported across the ocean

• Oil spills are ether caused by some accident or leakage.