Pollution

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Overview: Every year in the U.S. factories release over 3 million tons of toxic chemicals into the land, air and water. This hazardous waste causes us to lose over 15 million acres of land every year, it leads to respiratory complications and other health problems and it makes our rivers and lakes too polluted for us to swim in and drink. toc But factories are only part of the problem of pollution. Pollution is caused by industrial and commercial waste, agriculture practices, everyday human activities and most notably, modes of transportation. No matter where you go and what you do, there are remnants of pollution.

=Problem:=

Air Pollution
Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air. Every time we breathe, we risk inhaling dangerous chemicals that have found their way into the air Air pollution includes all contaminants found in the atmosphere. These dangerous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Air pollution can be found both outdoors and indoors. Pollutants can be trapped inside buildings, causing indoor pollution that lasts for a long time. The sources of air pollution are both natural and human-based. As one might expect, humans have been producing increasing amounts of pollution as time has progressed, and they now account for the majority of pollutants released into the air. Air pollution has been a problem throughout history. Even in Accent Rome people complained about smoke put into the atmosphere. The effects of air pollution are diverse and numerous. Air pollution can have serious consequences for the health of human beings, and also severely affects natural ecosystems. Because it is located in the atmosphere, air pollution is able to travel easily. As a result, air pollution is a global problem and has been the subject of global cooperation and conflict. Some areas now suffer more than others from air pollution. Cities with large numbers of automobiles or those that use great quantities of coal often suffer most severely from problems of air pollution.

**Water Pollution:**
Water pollution is caused by pollutants, mostly in form of different chemicals that are discharged either directly or indirectly into the water bodies without the adequate treatment to remove their harmful effects.

Water pollution is not only huge ecological problem but also huge health problem. It is believed that water pollution is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases responsible for around 15,000 deaths each day.

The two main causes of water pollution are waste water and sewage waste. Each year the world generates around 400 billion tons of industrial waste, and lot of this waste gets discharged into different water bodies causing serious water pollution problem.

**Land Pollution:**
Land pollution is the result of human misuse of soil. Poor agricultural practices, digging up of important resources and dumping of garbage underground can cause land pollution. Urbanization, the growth of rural lands into urban areas and industrialization that results in the formation of an industrial society are regarded as the two main causes of land pollution.

The excavation of minerals, the increasing quarrying and mining activities lead to land pollution. The excavation and mining activities lead to the loosening of soil. Increased mechanization leads to the contamination of soil, thus causing severe land pollution.

Deforestation is one of the major causes of loosening of soil, that in turn causes [|soil erosion]. The soil that is left naked on harvesting crops from agric

ultural lands is vulnerable to being eroded by wind and water. Intensive agricultural practices cause the soil cover to lose its nutritional elements, making it of no use for agriculture.

Air Pollution
Making a few basic adjustments can clear the air considerably. Here are some simple steps to help you and your family breathe easier. Improve quality air in house is one of these top problem need concerned. There are tips that help prevent and clean as much air pollutants indoor as possible.

Open your windows for 10 or more minutes a day. If your water is so heavily chlorinated that you can smell the chlorine, open your bathroom window or turn

on the exhaust fan whenever you shower. Airborne chlorine is a potential carcinogen at high levels. Have your water tested if it has any strong smell you can't identify. Vent when you burn Ventilate when using gas-, wood-, and coal-burning stoves or fireplaces, which produce harmful gases (including potentially deadly carbon monoxide) and particulates. Run the kitchen exhaust fan (it should vent to the outside) or open a window when using your gas range. Use smoke-producing candles and incense sparingly. Andban smoking in your home. Leave your shoes at the door Otherwise, you'll track in dirt and dust that may contain pollutants, such as pesticides. Vacuum twice a week.Use a unit with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. You want to get rid of the dust and all those contaminants that accumulate in it.

Participate in your community's recycling program. Recycle plastic, paper, aluminum cans, glass bottles and even cardboard. If your community only collects certain recyclables, such as paper and glass bottles, you can still recycle other items and simply drop them off at your nearby recycling center. Recycling helps reduce air pollution by reducing production emissions. In addition, recycling is a viable means to conserving energy. Reduction of automobile utility by employing car poor and other public transportation means. Another outdoor air pollution preventive approach is called vehicle care since it results to lessen fuel exhaustion.

Use of alternative energy source like solar, wind, and hydroelectric energies for numerous household operations. Even the simple attempts to save energy, like switching off appliances such as lights, TVs, and fans when not in use, greatly help reduce air pollution too. Minimizing the air pollutants through composting is also recommended. Saving energy use through efficient utility of appliances and other household materials are just a few of the means to help preserve the environment.

Water Pollution
Our first solution to water pollution, therefore, is pretty simple – tell your politicians to enforce existing laws. When a politician touts his new anti-pollution bill that he claims will clean up the environment, it means little if they continue to allow existing laws to go unenforced. Tell your politicians what you think. Encourage them to enforce existing laws such as the Clean Water Act.Beyond enforcing laws, there are some practical steps that we can take as individuals to limit the pollution in our neighborhoods and cities. If you are putting “normal” fertilizer, pesticides, and other chemicals on your lawn or in your gardens, you are contributing to the pollution problem. While you may find these products helpful, much of their volume is being washed off your lawn and into the nearest waterway. They also tend to degrade the quality of your soil, causing more and more reliance on the chemicals over time. For ideas on how to have a nice lawn without polluting our waterways, check out this article on organic lawn care. Nitrogen deposition from air pollution is a big part of the nutrient pollution problem. How much we drive, how large a vehicle we have, and many other factors contribute to how much pollution we are putting out individually. Be conscious of the emissions that your car spews out and keep your car well maintained. Think about leaning towards a hybrid or electric car if you drive a lot of miles every day. Use public transportation more often. Our government pays a lot of money to put these public systems in place. Driving less is something we can all do better at, and all of the relatively small differences each person makes will add up when summed across millions of drivers. As consumers and citizens we have an obligation to know what effect our consumer by-products are having on the planet. Many of the chemicals found in our food, household cleaners, personal care products, and medications are all being dumped back into the waterways. These chemicals are NOT adequately filtered through municipal water treatment facilities.
 * Water Pollution #1 – Enforce Existing Laws**
 * Water Pollution #2 – Stop Nutrient and Pesticide Pollution**
 * Water Pollution #3 – Drive Less**
 * Water Pollution #4 – Use Green Household and Personal Care Products**

Land Pollution
Even a layman with a basic understanding about [|land pollution facts], will be able to come up with solutions for the same. Such solutions can be derived from the causes themselves. The following are some of the solutions for land pollution.As the most common cause for land pollution is waste disposal, most of the control measures are associated with that. Proper waste disposal is one of the golden rules for curbing land pollution. This is much more important in case of disposal of toxic waste products. Industries must follow the laws with regard to waste disposal.Another land pollution solution is recycling. Apart from reducing the amount of waste products in the landfills, it also helps in curbing the dumping of non-biodegradable waste on the Earth. Recycling is also beneficial in lowering other forms of pollution, cost savings and savings of energy resources. You must also try to reuse materials, if possible. Reusing is always beneficial than buying new ones. For example, you may use plastic and cardboard containers for further use. Otherwise store them and sell them for recycling. You may also make some money by refraining from buying new products and also by selling the unwanted materials for recycling.So, each and every individual can contribute for this good cause, by taking efforts to curb land pollution. You may also reduce the use of non-biodegradable materials. For example, you may carry paper or cloth bags with you, so as to avoid taking a plastic carry bag from the shop. If you can, switch over to biodegradable materials. Use glass or metal products instead of plastic ones.As land pollution is a problem that is detrimental to mankind as well as to nature as a whole, efforts to curb it must be taken by each and every individual. Authorities must take efforts to spread awareness about the causes and effects of land pollution. Even the industries must strictly follow the norms for waste product disposal. So, encourage recycling and reuse of non-biodegradable materials, avoid the use of harmful chemical pesticides as well as fertilizers and refrain from dumping toxic wastes on land. All these measures can contribute greatly for controlling land pollution.

References:
Pollution Problems [|Facts about water pollution] by Ned Haluzan http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-land-pollution.html Facts about Land Pollution By [|Manali Oak] http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-land-pollution.html Dr.Badruddin Khan" Why is Air Pollution a Global Problem? " http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/why-is-air-pollution-a-global-problem-895419.html http://www.treehugger.com/health/breathing-exhaust-fumes-may-make-your-unborn-child-do-poorly-school.html Unknown Author " **Air Pollution a Problem in California? "** http://www.arb.ca.gov/knowzone/students/airpollu/airpolpage/whyis.htm
 * Stephen Messenger "**Study Links Air Pollution to Childhood Behavior Problems"

Schwartz, Joel. "Air pollution and children's health." //Pediatrics// Apr. 2004: S1037+. //Student Resources in Context//. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.


 * Pollution Solutions**

Land Pollution Solutions By [|Sonia Nair] Published: 4/6/2011 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/land-pollution-solutions.html Solutions to Water Pollution by Merlin Hearn http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/solutions-to-water-pollution.html Title: Air quality policy in developing countries Author(s): [|Jane Vise Hall] Source: **// [|Contemporary Economic Policy] .//** 13.2 (Apr. 1995): p77. From //Student Resources in Context//.
 * // [|Prevention] .//** 56.11 (Nov. 2004): p127. From //Student Resources in Context//.

"Health and wellness: Reducing air pollution." //Maple Ridge News// [Maple Ridge, British Columbia] 15 Sept. 2009: 1. //Infotrac Newsstand//. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.

External Links:

 * Contemporary Economic Policy **-Air quality is one of many basic needs.


 * [|Legislative Issues] **-Air Pollution and environmental issues.


 * Air Pollution**

**Air pollutants damage in unborn babies**