Pollution

Pollution & Pollutants

Pollution - a substance or change in the environment that is harmful to humans or other living organisms

  • can degrade life support systems for organisms

  • can damage wildlife, human health and property

  • can create nuisances: unpleasant smells, noise

  • can be the result of natural or human activities

  • pollutant emissions

Types of Pollutants → Organic & Inorganic

Organic compounds - at least two carbon atoms + atoms of one or more other elements

Inorganic compounds - all other compounds

Toxins & Toxicants

Toxins - poisons produced by living things

Toxicants - substances produced by humans or as a byproduct of human activity

Toxins

  • if you bite it and you die → poisonous

  • if it bites you and you die → venomous

Toxicants

  • neurotoxins - attack nervous system

  • carcinogens - damage cells in a way that might cause cancer

  • endocrine disruptors - mimic hormones and disrupt body signaling

  • mutagens - damage genetic martial (DNA) in cells

  • teratogens - cause abnormalities during embryonic growth

  • allergens - over activate the immune system

Allergic Reactions

  • gluten is a protein that is primarily found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats (buckwheat and quinoa are okay)

  • celiac disease - autoimmune disorder; ingestion of gluten damaging the small intestine

  • people without celiac disease started consuming gluten-free products

Types of Pollution

Seven kinds of pollution

  1. Visual Pollution - unattractive/visualizing damaging to the nearby landscape

  2. Light Pollution - excessive and inappropriate artificial light

    1. impacts on impacts on circadian clock, reproductive cycles, diurnal/nocturnal habits

  3. Noise Pollution - loud sounds harmful/annoying to humans & animals

    1. ship noise, artificial sonar, drilling, windmills

  4. Thermal Pollution - increase of temperature caused by human activity

    1. water returned to river/lake at higher temperature → decrease of gas solubility (less O2) & harm aquatic organisms

    2. dams built on rivers

    3. water behind dam builds up … gets deeper → deeper water is colder & water productivity reduced

  5. Air Pollution - air contaminated by smoke and harmful gases

    1. particulate matters - aerosols → tiny solid/liquid particles floating in air

    2. PM2.5: dangerous, PM10

    3. O3: light + chemicals emitted from industrial & transportation combustion of fossil fuels → smog = smoke + fog

    4. Central Valley - bad air quality → agriculture, transport, wildfires

  6. Land Pollution - degradation of the Earth’s surface from human activities

    1. oil drilling, mining, etc.

  7. Water Pollution - contamination of any body of water

    1. 3 types of water pollutants → Conventional, Nonconventional, Toxic

    2. Conventional - biochemical oxygen demand; total suspended solids; fecal coliform; pH; oil and grease

    3. Nonconventional - dye; salts; thermal pollution

    4. Toxic - heavy metals; halogenated compounds; radioactive elements

Treatments

  • characterization - quantifying/qualifying the pollution

  • origin of the pollution - the source of the pollution

  • containment - preventing pollution to spread

  • removal - moving pollution to another location

  • remediation/treatment - convert pollution to non-harmful substance

    • physical, chemical, biological

Characterization → understanding the pollution

  • understanding the pollution → what is the pollutant? concentration? where is it?

  • soil sampling, air monitoring, water sampling

Origin → point/nonpoint source

  • point source - single, well-defined (pipe, smokestack, leaking tank)

  • nonpoint source - diffuse sources (stormwater runoff, agricultural runoff, exhaust)

Containment → trapping the pollution

  • common physical barrier: slurry wall, sheet piling, hydraulic barrier

Removal → extracting the pollution

  • pumping, excavating, disposing

Treatment → Detoxify Hazardous Wastes

  • 3 methods: physical, chemical, biological

  • physical → dig-and-dump pump-and-treat, incineration, containment

  • chemical → chemical reactions convert hazardous chemical to harmless ones

  • bioremediation → bacteria and enzymes destroy or convert toxic or hazardous substances

  • phytoremediation → natural or genetically engineering plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants from polluted soil and water

  • physical & chemical: treatment wall; quick but costly; non-sustainable → alter a soil’s structure, chemistry or biology

  • biological: longer but cheaper; sustainable

Bioremediation → Using Microorganisms

  • at least one species can break down a naturally-occurring substance, mostly organic substances, but not the case for most human-made ones (most modern pollutants)

Phytoremediation → Using Plants & Trees

  • clean up metals, pesticides, solvents, explosive hydrocarbons, PAHs and leachates at contaminated sites

  • can be composted or incinerated

  • process

  • The Kesterson NWR

    • 1983-85: deformities and high mortality rate in the waterfowl population

    • selenium

    • from agricultural wastewater from west San Joaquin Valley

    • reservoir closed in 1986 and no more drainage services to the west San Joaquin valley farmers

    • removed vegetation to eliminate risk of bioaccumulation

    • 2 phytoremediation sites: one with grassland vegetation, one with annual plant species

    • 1 bioattenuation site: open drained and disked areas