The Wake up call : What is pollution?

 

by Rtr. Dilhan Jayasinghe

“Man is the only animal that fouls its own nest”

                                                          -Unknown

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. The harmful materials are called the ‘pollutants’. Pollutants are often resulting from human activities but it can be from natural phenomena such as ash produced by volcanic eruptions. In fact, pollution refers to any harmful substance that contributes negatively to the environment.  Pollution consists of five major types. These can be classified as air, soil, water, light and sound pollution.

Air pollution is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Mainly vehicles and factories contribute to air pollution.  WHO has identified that air pollution kills over 7 million people worldwide each year. It also states that nine, out of ten people breath air, consisting of pollutants. These air pollutants are therefore resulting in many diseases to the humans. Other impacts of air pollutants are the contributions to global warming, which is a very serious matter of concern among environmentalists and scientists.

Apart from the air pollution water pollution is another major threat to the environment. A prominent source of water pollution is runoff from agricultural fields, industrial sites or urban areas. These agricultural runoffs typically comprise of organic chemicals and fertilizers. Industrial runoffs also contain different types of chemicals, which are causing severe damages to the natural balance of the water bodies. Raw sewage also includes polluted water, which, when contaminated with the drinking water can produce serious health issues. The other water pollutant is trash/solid or liquid waste. Waste, when carelessly disposed to the environment, can contaminate the water bodies by releasing toxic substances such as chemicals. Other types of trash include plastic bags, fishing line and other non-degradable items which can accumulate in water bodies, causing severe problems to the aquatic life.

Soil can be polluted by the toxic chemicals and the unacceptable disposal of wastes and land-fills. Regular sources include asbestos, lead, PCBs and overuse of pesticides. Light pollution, although we do not hear often, is a type of pollution that affects the vision of humans as well as the migrating birds and their life patterns. This will in turn result in serious environmental problems as migrating species are important features of the ecosystem. The effect on human vision will lead to unnecessary health issues and economic losses.

Pollution is a global problem. People should be knowledgeable about the various types of dangerous pollutants and their impacts to the human health and the environment, before trying to mitigate them. 

Therefore, we will look forward to understand the consequences of different pollutants in the next article.