Air Pollution Causes and

Effects  
by Tom Socha     

History
Humans probably first experienced harm from air pollution when they built fires in poorly
ventilated caves. Since then we have gone on to pollute more of the earth's surface. Until
recently, environmental pollution problems have been local and minor because of the Earth's
own ability to absorb and purify minor quantities of pollutants. The industrialization of
society, the introduction of motorized vehicles, and the explosion of the population, are
factors contributing toward the growing air pollution problem. At this time it is urgent that we
find methods to clean up the air.

The primary air pollutants found in most urban areas are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides,
sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter (both solid and liquid). These pollutants
are dispersed throughout the world's atmosphere in concentrations high enough to gradually
cause serious health problems. Serious health problems can occur quickly when air pollutants
are concentrated, such as when massive injections of sulfur dioxide and suspended particulate
matter are emitted by a large volcanic eruption.

Air Pollution in the Home

You cannot escape air pollution, not even in your own home. "In 1985 the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) reported that toxic chemicals found in the air of almost every
American home are three times more likely to cause some type of cancer than outdoor air
pollutants". (Miller 488) The health problems in these buildings are called "sick building
syndrome". "An estimated one-fifth to one-third of all U.S. buildings are now considered
"sick". (Miller 489) The EPA has found that the air in some office buildings is 100 times
more polluted than the air outside. Poor ventilation causes about half of the indoor air
pollution problems. The rest come from specific sources such as copying machines, electrical
and telephone cables, mold and microbe-harboring air conditioning systems and ducts,
cleaning fluids, cigarette smoke, carpet, latex caulk and paint, vinyl molding, linoleum tile,
and building materials and furniture that emit air pollutants such as formaldehyde. A major
indoor air pollutant is radon-222, a colorless, odorless, tasteless, naturally occurring
radioactive gas produced by the radioactive decay of uranium-238. "According to studies by
the EPA and the National Research Council, exposure to radon is second only to smoking as a
cause of lung cancer". (Miller 489)  Radon enters through pores and cracks in concrete when
indoor air pressure is less than the pressure of gasses in the soil. Indoor air will be healthier
than outdoor air if you use an energy recovery ventilator to provide a consistent supply of
fresh filtered air and then seal air leaks in the shell of your home .

Sources of Pollutants
        To enlarge an image, click on it.

The two main sources of pollutants in urban areas are transportation (predominantly
automobiles) and fuel combustion in stationary sources, including residential, commercial,
and industrial heating and cooling and coal-burning power plants. Motor vehicles produce
high levels of carbon monoxides (CO) and a major source of hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen
oxides (NOx). Whereas, fuel combustion in stationary sources is the dominant source of
sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the major pollutants in the atmosphere. Major sources of CO2
are fossil fuels burning and deforestation. "The concentrations of CO2 in the air around 1860
before the effects of industrialization were felt, is assumed to have been about 290 parts per
million (ppm). In the hundred years and more since then, the concentration has increased by
about 30 to 35 ppm that is by 10 percent". (Breuer 67) Industrial countries account for 65% of
CO2 emissions with the United States and Soviet Union responsible for 50%. Less developed
countries (LDCs), with 80% of the world's people, are responsible for 35% of CO2 emissions
but may contribute 50% by 2020. "Carbon dioxide emissions are increasing by 4% a year".
(Miller 450)

In 1975, 18 thousand million tons of carbon dioxide (equivalent to 5 thousand million tons of
carbon) were released into the atmosphere, but the atmosphere showed an increase of only 8
billion tons (equivalent to 2.2 billion tons of carbon". (Breuer 70) The ocean waters contain
about sixty times more CO2 than the atmosphere. If the equilibrium is disturbed by externally
increasing the concentration of CO2 in the air, then the oceans would absorb more and more
CO2.  If the oceans can no longer keep pace, then more CO2 will remain into the atmosphere.
As water warms, its ability to absorb CO2 is reduced.

CO2 is a good transmitter of sunlight, but partially restricts infrared radiation going back from
the earth into space. This produces the so-called greenhouse effect that prevents a drastic
cooling of the Earth during the night. Increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere
reinforces this effect and is expected to result in a warming of the Earth's surface. Currently
carbon dioxide is responsible for 57% of the global warming trend. Nitrogen oxides
contribute most of the atmospheric contaminants.

N0X - nitric oxide (N0) and nitrogen dioxide (N0 2)

 Natural component of the Earth's atmosphere.

 Important in the formation of both acid precipitation and photochemical smog (ozone),
and causes nitrogen loading.
 Comes from the burning of biomass and fossil fuels.
 30 to 50 million tons per year from human activities, and natural 10 to 20 million tons
per year.
  Average residence time in the atmosphere is days.
 Has a role in reducing stratospheric ozone.

N20 - nitrous oxide

 Natural component of the Earth's atmosphere.

 Important in the greenhouse effect and causes nitrogen loading.
 Human inputs 6 million tons per year, and 19 million tons per year by nature.
 Residence time in the atmosphere about 170 years.
 1700 (285 parts per billion), 1990 (310 parts per billion), 2030 (340 parts per billion).
 Comes from nitrogen based fertilizers, deforestation, and biomass burning.

Sulfur and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Sulfur dioxide is produced by combustion of sulfur-containing fuels, such as coal and fuel
oils. Also, in the process of producing sulfuric acid and in metallurgical process involving
ores that contain sulfur. Sulfur oxides can injure man, plants and materials. At sufficiently
high concentrations, sulfur dioxide irritates the upper respiratory tract of human beings
because potential effect of sulfur dioxide is to make breathing more difficult by causing the
finer air tubes of the lung to constrict. "Power plants and factories emit 90% to 95% of the
sulfur dioxide and 57% of the nitrogen oxides in the United States. Almost 60% of the SO2
emissions are released by tall smoke stakes, enabling the emissions to travel long distances".
(Miller 494) As emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide from stationary sources are
transported long distances by winds, they form secondary pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide,
nitric acid vapor, and droplets containing solutions of sulfuric acid, sulfate, and nitrate salts.
These chemicals descend to the earth's surface in wet form as rain or snow and in dry form as
a gases fog, dew, or solid particles. This is known as acid deposition or acid rain.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

CFCs are lowering the average concentration of ozone in the stratosphere. "Since 1978 the
use of CFCs in aerosol cans has been banned in the United States, Canada, and most
Scandinavian countries. Aerosols are still the largest use, accounting for 25% of global CFC
use". (Miller 448) Spray cans, discarded or leaking refrigeration and air conditioning
equipment, and the burning plastic foam products release the CFCs into the atmosphere.
Depending on the type, CFCs stay in the atmosphere from 22 to 111 years.
Chlorofluorocarbons move up to the stratosphere gradually over several decades. Under high
energy ultra violet (UV) radiation, they break down and release chlorine atoms, which speed
up the breakdown of ozone (O3) into oxygen gas (O2).

Chlorofluorocarbons, also known as Freons, are greenhouse gases that contribute to global
warming. Photochemical air pollution is commonly referred to as "smog". Smog, a
contraction of the words smoke and fog, has been caused throughout recorded history by
water condensing on smoke particles, usually from burning coal. With the introduction of
petroleum to replace coal economies in countries, photochemical smog has become
predominant in many cities, which are located in sunny, warm, and dry climates with many
motor vehicles. The worst episodes of photochemical smog tend to occur in summer.
Smog

To enlarge the image, click on it.

Photochemical smog is also appearing in regions of the tropics and subtropics where savanna
grasses are periodically burned. Smog's unpleasant properties result from the irradiation by
sunlight of hydrocarbons caused primarily by unburned gasoline emitted by automobiles and
other combustion sources. The products of photochemical reactions includes organic particles,
ozone, aldehydes, ketones, peroxyacetyl nitrate, organic acids, and other oxidants. Ozone is a
gas created by nitrogen dioxide or nitric oxide when exposed to sunlight. Ozone causes eye
irritation, impaired lung function, and damage to trees and crops. Another form of smog is
called industrial smog.

This smog is created by burning coal and heavy oil that contain sulfur impurities in power
plants, industrial plants, etc... The smog consists mostly of a mixture of sulfur dioxide and
fog. Suspended droplets of sulfuric acid are formed from some of the sulfur dioxide, and a
variety of suspended solid particles. This smog is common during the winter in cities such as
London, Chicago, Pittsburgh. When these cities burned large amounts of coal and heavy oil
without control of the output, large-scale problems were witnessed. In 1952 London, England,
4,000 people died as a result of this form of fog. Today coal and heavy oil are burned only in
large boilers and with reasonably good control or tall smokestacks so that industrial smog is
less of a problem. However, some countries such as China, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and some
other eastern European countries, still burn large quantities of coal without using adequate
controls.

Pollution Damage to Plants

With the destruction and burning of the rain forests more and more CO2 is being released into
the atmosphere. Trees play an important role in producing oxygen from carbon dioxide. "A
115 year old Beech tree exposes about 200,000 leaves with a total surface to 1200 square
meters. During the course of one sunny day such a tree inhales 9,400 liters of carbon dioxide
to produce 12 kilograms of carbohydrate, thus liberating 9,400 liters of oxygen. Through this
mechanism about 45,000 liters of air are regenerated which is sufficient for the respiration of
2 to 3 people". (Breuer 1) This process is called photosynthesis which all plants go though but
some yield more and some less oxygen. As long as no more wood is burnt than is reproduced
by the forests, no change in atmospheric CO2 concentration will result.

Pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and peroxyacl nitrates (PANs), cause
direct damage to leaves of crop plants and trees when they enter leaf pores (stomates).
Chronic exposure of leaves and needles to air pollutants can also break down the waxy
coating that helps prevent excessive water loss and damage from diseases, pests, drought and
frost. "In the midwestern United States crop losses of wheat, corn, soybeans, and peanuts
from damage by ozone and acid deposition amount to about $5 billion a year". (Miller 498)

Reducing Pollution
You can help to reduce global air pollution and climate change by driving a car that gets at
least 35 miles a gallon, walking, bicycling, and using mass transit when possible. Replace
incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, make your home more energy
efficient, and buy only energy efficient appliances. Recycle newspapers, aluminum, and other
materials. Plant trees and avoid purchasing products such as Styrofoam that contain CFCs.
Support much stricter clean air laws and enforcement of international treaties to reduce ozone
depletion and slow global warming.

Earth is everybody's home and nobody likes living in a dirty home. Together, we can make
the earth a cleaner, healthier and more pleasant place to live.

Sources of Air
Pollution
 Sources of Air Pollution

Sources of Air Pollution (An overview)

There are many natural sources of air pollution such as eruption of volcanoes, biological
decay and lightning-caused forest fire. Naturally, the Earth already has its own air pollution
loading. However, industrialization or just everyday routines has become added burden to the
existing air pollution loading. Sources of air pollution are as explained below :-

Industrial and development activities

Malaysia’s economic growth is mainly based on its manufacturing (especially electronics),

chemical and rubber industries. But higher production rates also lead to higher emissions of
organic and inorganic gases, chemicals and dust.

Different industries emit different pollutants. For example, the chemical industry releases
emissions that contain many nitrogen and sulphur compounds while refineries discharge
sulphur dioxide and hydrocarbons. The metal working industry is partially responsible for the
emissions of sulphur dioxide and large amounts of toxic dust. Human activities have resulted
in harmful substances and polluting emissions being released into the air. They endanger our
health and our natural ecosystem, and lead to an additional greenhouse effect. (Text : 'Clean
Air For Our Cities, 2006, by DOE Malaysia & German Technical Co-operation)

Besides emissions of toxic dust, unplanned and uncontrolled development of industrial

premises or zones leads to noise pollution and vibration disturbance. The use of conventional
piling methods and the sound of exhaust fans in factories are some of the common activities
that generate high sound level.

Motor vehicles
Modern society is highly dependent on motorized transportation such as cars, trucks, and
railways. Movement of people and goods requires energy which relies mostly on the burning
of fossil fuels, thus causing emissions and noise with adverse local effects.
The air quality of the different transport modes depends on the kind of energy, engine
technology and the amount of energy consumed. Within the transport sector motorized road
traffic is the main emission source while public transport is environmentally friendlier than
passenger cars.

In 2004, nearly 14 million vehicles were registered in Malaysia, almost double the number
from a decade ago.The number will increase in the next few years, with higher disposable
incomes, rural-urban migration and the lack of efficient public transport systems. (Text :
'Clean Air For Our Cities, 2006, by DOE Malaysia & German Technical Co-operation)

Power Generation

Most of the energy is produced in conventional power plants burning fossil fuels like natural
gas, oil or coal. The effectiveness of these power plants is about 35 to 40 per cent with the
remaining chemical energy converted into heat.
At the moment, Malaysia produces 86% of its electricity in conventional power plants and
14% in hydroelectric power plants.(Text : 'Clean Air For Our Cities, 2006, by DOE
Malaysia & German Technical Co-operation)

Everyday Routine

Household contribute to air pollution mainly through the use of energy that is required to run
machines and electrical appliances such as refrigerators. Refrigerators and air conditioners not
only consume energy but they pollute the environment when their coolant fluids release
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) into the atmosphere. Chemicals used in houses and gardens are
also sources of pollution as well as toxic waste. (Text : 'Clean Air For Our Cities, 2006, by
DOE Malaysia & German Technical Co-operation)

Open Burning

Burning of older existing plantations for re-planting creates large amounts of soot particles.
These soot particles can be blown over long distances and are mainly responsible for the haze
that often covers the sky above Malaysia. These fires not only pollute the air but also destroy
the rich habitat of the flora and fauna. (Text : 'Clean Air For Our Cities, 2006, by DOE
Malaysia & German Technical Co-operation)
Kesan pencemaran air

The effects of water pollution are varied and depend on what chemicals are dumped and in
what locations.

Boston Harbor is a strong example of how badly pollution can damage bodies of water.  The
water is filled with toxic waste and sewage, and routinely receives more waste when rainfall
pushes it into the harbor.

Many bodies of water near urban areas are highly polluted.  This is the result of both garbage
dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally or illegally dumped by industries.

The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that inhabits water-based
ecosystems.  Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches,
killed by pollutants in their habitat.

Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well.  Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are
eaten by tiny animals.  Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food
chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels.

Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well.  People can get diseases such as
hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned.

Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution.  Many areas are now
being affected by careless human pollution, and this pollution is coming back to hurt humans.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 1

Waterborne Infectious Diseases

Human infectious diseases are among the most serious effects of water pollution, especially in
developing countries, where sanitation may be inadequate or non-existent. Waterborne
diseases occur when parasites or other disease-causing microorganisms are transmitted via
contaminated water, particularly water contaminated by pathogens originating from excreta.
These include typhoid, intestinal parasites, and most of the enteric and diarrheal diseases
caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Among the most serious parasitic diseases are
amoebiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, and hookworm.

Developed countries are not immune to the
problem of infectious waterborne diseases.
In 1993, high cryptosporidium levels in
Milwaukee's drinking water supply
sickened more than 400,000 residents. That
WATER-RELATED DISEASES NOT RELATED TO
WATER POLLUTION
Water-based diseases are somewhat similar to water-borne
diseases but are not typically an effect of water pollution. They
come from infectious agents that naturally spend part of their
life cycles in water. Humans can become infected when they
drink or come in contact with the water that serves as home to
was an unusually extreme case, but these organisms . One of the most widespread examples in this
category is schistosomiasis, which currently infects 200 million
transmission of disease agents such as people in 74 countries. Similarly, diseases like malaria and
bacteria and cysts via contaminated but dengue fever are spread by insects that breed or feed near water.
poorly treated municipal water is more
common than it should be. Every year, an
estimated seven million Americans are
sickened by contaminated water. This is
only partly due to drinking water—
contamination of recreational water (such
as beach water) is also a problem.

Every year there are thousands of beach closings in the US, and outdated monitoring methods
may in some cases leave beachgoers vulnerable to a range of illnesses. Polluted beach water
can cause rashes, ear aches, pink eye, respiratory infections, hepatitis, encephalitis,
gastroenteritis, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach aches. Hey, that's no day at the beach!

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 2

Nutrient Pollution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution calls nutrient pollution the most widespread,
chronic environmental problem in the coastal ocean. The discharges of nitrogen, phosphorus,
and other nutrients come from agriculture, waste disposal, coastal development, and fossil
fuel use. Once nutrient pollution reaches the coastal zone, it stimulates harmful overgrowths
of algae, which can have direct toxic effects and ultimately result in low-oxygen conditions.

Certain types of algae are toxic. Overgrowths of FIRST THE TIDE RUSHES IN,
PLANTS A KISS ON THE SHORE ...
these algae result in "harmful algal blooms," The toxins found in brown-tide algae are strong enough
which are more colloquially referred to as "red that fishers can get skin lesions from exposure and
tides" or "brown tides." Zooplankton eat the coastal homeowners can be sickened from just the
airborne toxins associated with a nearby brown tide.
toxic algae and begin passing the toxins up the
food chain, affecting edibles like clams, and
ultimately working their way up to seabirds,
marine mammals, and humans. The result can
be illness and sometimes death.

Developed countries have started monitoring for toxic algal blooms, closing fisheries as
necessary. This has reduced the incidence of related human illness but has had the obvious
economic cost of lost income for fishers and related businesses—and it does nothing the solve
the problem for the marine life stuck in the middle of the brown tide.

Nutrient-pollution-driven blooms of non-toxic algae and seaweed can also cause problems by
reducing water clarity, making it hard for marine animals to find food and blocking the
sunlight needed by sea grasses, which serve as nurseries for many important fish species.

When the algal overgrowths finally die, they sink to the bottom and begin decomposing. This
process uses oxygen from the surrounding water. In some cases, the decomposition process
takes enough oxygen out of the water that the level falls too low to support normal aquatic life
and the region becomes a coastal dead zone.
Finally, nutrient pollution can trigger unusual outbreaks of fish diseases. For instance,
scientists have found that Pfiesteria, a tiny marine pathogen, can thrive in nutrient-polluted
waters. In 1991, one million menhaden fish in North Carolina's Neuse River were killed in a
Pfiesteria outbreak. In 1997, several tidal creeks in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
experienced Pfiesteria outbreaks, and serious fish kills occurred. Nutrient pollution played a
role in both cases.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 3

Chemical Contamination
Over the years, many types of chemicals have gotten into our waterways—and they continue
to do so today. Chemical water pollution typically occurs because ...

1. the chemicals were dumped into the water intentionally;

2. the chemicals seeped into groundwater, streams, or rivers because of failing pipes or
storage tanks;
3. the chemicals catastrophically contaminated waterways because of industrial
accidents;
4. the pollution settled out of polluted air (or was precipitated out of polluted air); or
5. chemicals were leached out of contaminated soil.

The above types of chemical contamination are considered "point sources" of water pollution.
Non-point-source chemical pollution also occurs via pesticide runoff from farm fields and
homeowners' lawns, as well as runoff of automotive fluids and other chemicals from roads,
parking lots, driveways, and other surfaces.

It's beyond the scope of this article to document the effect of every chemical that has ever
polluted water, but it's easy enough to point out a few things:

 Severe chemical spills and leaks into surfaces waters usually have an immediate effect
on aquatic life (fish kills, etc.).
 Chronic lower-level chemical pollution has more subtle effects, with problems
manifesting over a long period of time
and sometimes being difficult to tie
directly to the water pollution.
 The human effects of chemical
pollution in water can generally be
viewed the same as any other form of
chemical contamination—water is just
the delivery mechanism.

There are a few broad categories of water

pollution effects related to chemicals that are
worth exploring further, which we do below.

Pesticides
Pesticides are carried in rainwater runoff from farm fields, suburban lawns, or roadside
embankments into the nearest creeks and streams. Occasionally they are even intentionally
sprayed into waterways as part of a pest-control effort. Egad—talk about destroying the
village to save it!

Here are some noteworthy examples of the effects of pesticide water pollution:

 The US EPA has found widespread contamination of waterways by Atrazine, the

second most commonly used herbicide in the US. Atrazine causes feminization of
male frogs even at concentrations in water as low as 0.1 part per billion. Atrazine
water pollution has been noted in many countries, including South Africa, Germany,
and Denmark. The Natural Resources Defense Council notes that studies indicate the
chemical may be linked to a number of human cancers, including prostate cancer and
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A University of California San Francisco study found that
Atrazine can affect human reproductive and developmental processes by disrupting
human hormone activity. The effect occurs at concentrations as low as 2 ppb.

 Glyphosate (Roundup), another of the world's most common herbicides, was found to
cause a 70% decline in frog biodiversity and an 86% decline in the total mass of
tadpoles when the glyphosate got into water.

 Pesticides have been found in well water in countries such as India, The Netherlands,
Italy, Israel, Japan, Canada and Australia, and the US. Pesticide contamination of
drinking water is a particular problem in rural agricultural areas where pesticide use is
heavy and drinking water supplies come directly from groundwater or surface water.

 Pesticides can migrate via water into the

food chain as well, ultimately being
consumed by humans or animals in food.

 In the most infamous case of pesticide

pollution, widespread use of the insecticide
DDT polluted waterways, contaminating
fish, and ultimately poisoning bald eagles
(and other animals) that ate the fish. DDE,
the principal breakdown product of DDT,
built up in the fatty tissues of female eagles
and prevented sufficient calcium being released to produce strong egg shells. The thin
shells would break when the parents sat on the eggs to keep them warm. DDT affected
many other species as well. The case against DDT and other pesticides was first
introduced in the classic book by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring.  (ALSO SEE: Related
GP article about the potential un-banning of DDT: DDT and Malaria.)

 In terms of general human health effects, pesticides can ...

o affect and damage the nervous system;
o cause liver damage;
o damage DNA and cause a variety of cancers;
o cause reproductive and endocrine damage;
o cause other acutely toxic or chronic effects.
Oil and Petroleum Chemicals

When oil pollution gets in water, some of the components of are degraded and dispersed by
evaporation, photochemical reactions, or bacterial degradation, while others are more resistant
and may persist for many years, especially in shallow waters with muddy sediments.

Though much scientific work remains to be done on the effect that petroleum pollution has on
plants and animals, we do know a few things:

 Exposure to oil or its constituent WE PREFER THE JAVA OF

chemicals can alter the ecology of aquatic
habitats and the physiology of marine
organisms.
 Scientists know that oil (or chemical
components of oil) can seep into marsh
and sub-tidal sediments and lurk there for
decades, negatively affecting marsh
grasses, marine worms, and other aquatic
life forms that live in, on, or near the
sediment.
 Evidence strongly suggests that
components of crude oil, called
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), persist in the marine
environment for years and are toxic to
marine life at concentrations in the low
parts-per-billion range. Chronic exposure
to PAHs can affect development of
marine organisms, increase susceptibility
to disease, and jeopardize normal
reproductive cycles in many marine
species.
JUAN VALDEZ TO THE OIL OF
EXXON VALDEZ
Before the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the effects of the
pollution were thought to be relatively short-term—a
year or two. The effects of the Valdez, however, lasted
up to 8 or 9 years, and in some ways still persist today.
The oil has persisted in small quantities below the
surface in the coarse intertidal sediments, out of reach of
the wave action and sunlight needed to break down the
oil.
Studies have found that marine mammals, sea ducks,
and some fish species suffered high mortality for years
after the spill because they ate invertebrates
contaminated by the hidden oil or ate oil directly while
foraging. Studies of pink salmon showed that exposure
early in life to small amounts of oil—as low as a few
parts per billion—led to stunted growth and higher
mortality rates.

MTBE, a gas additive, has contaminated many groundwater sources in the US. Animal
studies suggest that ingestion of MTBE causes gastrointestinal irritation, liver and kidney
damage, and nervous system effects.

Mercury

Mercury finds its way into water primarily through air pollution from coal-fired power plants
and some other industrial processes. In the water, the elemental mercury is converted to
methylmercury by certain bacteria, after which it moves up the food chain of fish gobbling
each other up. In then end, the larger fish may end up on your dinner plate—swordfish, sea
bass, marlin, halibut, or tuna, for example. (For more information on this specific angle of
mercury-in-water pollution effects, see our article on Mercury in Fish.)

The effects of mercury on humans are already pretty well understood. However, the more we
learn, the worse the news gets, and US EPA keeps lowering its "safe exposure level." Young
children and fetuses are most at risk because their systems are still developing. Exposure to
mercury in the womb can cause neurological problems, including slower reflexes, learning
deficits, delayed or incomplete mental development, autism, and brain damage. Mercury in
adults is also a problem, causing:

 central nervous system effects like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and
Alzheimer's disease;
 heart disease;
 and, in severe cases, causing death or irreversibly damaging areas of the brain.

Animals in any part of the food chain affected by the bioaccumulation of mercury can also
suffer the effects of mercury pollution. Possible effects include death, reduced reproduction,
slower growth and development, and abnormal behavior.

PCBs, Dioxins, and Other POPs

PCBs, dioxins, DDT, and a number of other persistent organic pollutants don't readily break
down in the environment and tend to collect in the fatty tissues of animals. All of these
chemicals are toxic for the animals that harbor them. In cases where humans might eat, say, a
PCB-contaminated farmed salmon, their systems must deal with the chemical insult.

Here are a few specific examples of the effects of POPs-related water pollution:

 PCB contamination in Puget Sound exceeds the level known to suppress immune
function in the harbor seal. PCBs are also thought to be a factor in the decline of Puget
Sound killer whales, whose numbers declined by 14% between 1995 and 2003.

 Elevated levels of PCBs and DDT may be contributing to the deaths of California
southern sea otters.

 The breeding success of Baltic seals declined sharply in the 1960s and 1970s.
Scientists suspect that PCBs were the main culprit.

 Deformed fish and other aquatic life have been found near Swedish pulp mills that use
chlorine as a bleaching agent—a practice that results in discharges of dioxins and
other highly toxic substances.

Other Chemicals

Tens of thousands of chemicals are used in industrial processes and are found in car-
maintenance products, household cleaners, toiletries, and many other consumer products. Our
current regimes for controlling whether these chemicals get into the environment are not
sufficient for keeping them out of the water, and the potential myriad effects are worrisome.

It's well understood that many chemicals can have direct toxic effects on aquatic life.
Industrial spills into rivers invariable kill fish for miles downstream. But chronic chemical
pollution in waterways is an even bigger problem. The number of US river miles on which
people have been advised to restrict their consumption of fish consumption of fish has risen
sharply in the last two decades, and most states routinely issue advisories on consumption of
fish from rivers and streams. (Check your state here.)
A newly emerging threat is the hormone-disrupting character of many chemicals. For
instance, chemicals contained in sewage discharges into the waters off the Southern California
coast are thought to be responsible for "intersex" fish. Similarly, chemicals in the water are
also thought the be responsible for egg-growing male fish in Maryland's Potomac River—
possibly the effect of excreted birth-control chemicals.

More generally, the effects of hormone-disrupting “ENGAGE THE GLOBAL TOXIFICATION

WEAPON!” SCREAMED THE KLINGON
chemicals include interrupted sexual development; COMMANDER
thyroid system disorders; inability to breed; reduced For a more general treatment of the problem of
immune response; and abnormal mating and parenting "global toxification" from chemical pollution, see
our article on hormone disruptors.
behavior. In humans, endocrine disruptors are thought
to lead to degraded immune function, mental
impairment, decreased fertility, and increases in some
types of cancers.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 4

Mining
There are a number of negative water-pollution effects from mining operations:

Acid mine drainage: When rain or surface water flows over exposed rock and soil, it can
combine with naturally occurring sulfur to form sulfuric acid. The acidified rainwater
eventually finds its way to streams and groundwater, polluting them and impacting local
aquatic life. Some streams can become so acidic—more acidic than car-battery acid—the
aquatic ecosystem is completely destroyed. The same leaching process that causes acid mine
drainage can impart heavy-metal pollutants from the soil and rock as well.

Spills and leaks: Whether it's a WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS OF MINING DISASTERS

In 2000, a tailings dam split open at the Baia Mare mine in Romania. This
leak in the containment system accident sent some 100,000 tons of wastewater and 20,000 tons of sludge
of a cyanide leach heap or a contaminated with cyanide, copper, and heavy metals into the Tisza River, and
breach in a coal-slurry eventually into the Danube—destroying 1,240 tons of fish and polluting the
drinking water supplies of 2.5 million people.
impoundment dam, the result is
the same—pollution of streams, In 2008 in the US state of Tennessee, an impoundment dam failed and 5.4
rivers, and groundwater, killing million cubic yards of coal ash spilled into adjacent waterways, killing fish,
aquatic life and poisoning damaging property, and threatening drinking-water supplies. Residents now
face concerns about the long-term health effects from the ash, which contains
drinking water. numerous harmful contaminants such as arsenic. It should be noted that in this
case the spill was not related to coal mining; it was stored coal ash, the waste
Mountaintop Removal that results from burning coal in a power plant.
Mining: In this technique, the
[SOURCES: Worldwatch Institute, Lexington Herald-Leader, Los Angeles Times]
tops of coal-rich mountains are
removed and the overburden is
dumped into nearby valleys,
burying stream habitats
altogether, with the obvious
catastrophic effect on whatever
life forms lived in or around the
stream.
WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 5

Marine Debris
Marine debris is basically trash in the ocean. Trash fouls inland waterways too, for sure, but
trash seems to be a particular problem in our seas. The Ocean Conservancy calls marine
debris one of the world's most pervasive marine pollution problems.

The debris includes escaped inland trash and garbage thrown overboard by ships and boaters
—plastic bottles and bags, six-pack rings, cigarette butts, Styrofoam, etc. Marine animals can
swallow the trash items, which often look similar to prey they would normally eat, or the trash
item may have barnacles or other delectables attached and is inadvertently ingested with the
food. For instance, sea turtles will eat a plastic bag believing it to be a jellyfish. The bag can
cause an intestinal blockage and sometimes death.

A new and potentially devastating effect of marine debris is emerging. After years of
degradation at sea, plastic breaks up. The plastic has not biodegraded but rather has
disintegrated into very small pieces. Marine animals near the bottom of the food chain are
now ingesting these teeny-tiny little pieces of plastic pollution. How far up the food chain the
stuff will go is unknown.

Discarded or lost fishing gear—line, rope, nets—and certain trash items can get wrapped
around marine animals fins or flippers, causing drowning or amputation. Marine debris can
also degrade coral reefs, sea grass beds, and other aquatic habitats.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 6

Thermal Pollution
It's easy enough to see how discharging the heated-up water from a power plant into a river
could cause problems for aquatic organisms used to having their water home stay at a fairly
specific temperature. Indeed, industrial thermal pollution is a problem for our waterways—
fish and other organisms adapted to a particular temperature range can be killed from thermal
shock, and the extra heat may disrupt spawning or kill young fish.

Additionally, warmer water temperatures lower the dissolved oxygen content of the water.
That's a double-whammy to aquatic organisms, since the warmer water also causes them to
increase their respiration rates and consume oxygen faster. All this increases aquatic
organisms' susceptibility to disease, parasites, and the effects of toxic chemicals.

Global warming is imparting extra heat to our oceans, CLIMATE CHANGE —

which have absorbed about 20 times as much heat as the
atmosphere over the past half-century. The ocean is a
complex system, and scientists don't know yet what all
of the effects of this type of "water pollution" will be,
but here are some likely ones:
 Sea levels will rise (because of thermal
expansion and melting ice), increasing coastal
CONVEYOR OF HYPOXIA
The movie The Day After Tomorrow
dramatized what might happen to North
America if global warming shut down the
oceanic conveyor belt. In reality, Northern
Europe would be much more in the crosshairs
of such an event, but marine species in the
deep ocean that now get their oxygen supplies
from sinking surface water could also be
highly affected.
 More generally, warmer water has less
oxygen-holding capacity than colder water.
flooding and inundation. The oceans have already warmed 1 degree on
 There will be more intense hurricanes as they average—and the trend is still up.
gather additional strength from warmer surface
In a related issue, warming-driven changes in
waters. the oceans' thermohaline circulation could
 Temperature-sensitive species like corals will see increase the risk of hypoxia in the deep ocean.
tougher times. Over the last 2-3 decades,
Related GP article:
temperatures in tropical waters have increased The Day After Tomorrow science
nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit. That may not sound
like much, but it's been enough to increase cases
of coral bleaching. A study in Science estimated
that if carbon dioxide releases continue at the
current rate, by mid-century ocean conditions
(increased water temperatures + increased ocean
acidity) will make it impossible for most corals
to survive.
 Increasing sea-surface temperatures are
associated with the northward spread of a oyster
pathogen in the eastern US. Similar cases are
highly likely.
Water Pollution Effects – Category 7

Noise Pollution
"Noise pollution" from ship engines and sonar systems make it difficult for marine mammals
like whales, dolphins, and porpoises to communicate, find food, and avoid hazards. Powerful
sonar systems operating at certain frequencies have been implicated in whale beachings and
may cause damage to marine mammals' sound-sensitive internal structures, causing internal
bleeding and even death.

Frequent or chronic exposure to both high- and low-intensity sounds may cause stress on all
higher forms of marine life, potentially affecting growth, reproduction, and ability to resist
disease.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 8

Costs to Consumers
Tap water quality is regulated, and nearly 100% of community water systems in the US are
meeting clean drinking water standards. But is that good enough? Why are so many people
convinced it's worth buying bottled water?

When the Environmental Working Group tested tap water from a number of cities, it found
119 "normal" chemicals—those for which the EPA has set health-based limits—and another
141 completely unregulated chemicals. If tap water has that many
chemicals in it but is still classified as meeting water quality standards, one
might say that the standards are, um, lax.
If nothing else, it's fair to say that even "safe" tap water usually has a "chloriney" taste.
Chlorine and its disinfection byproducts are known health threats, and none of us wants to be
the victim of the next cryptosporidium-in-drinking-water problem or some similar nightmare.

So it's no wonder many of us go to the extra expense and trouble of buying bottled water or
using water filters, even though there are no regulations that guarantee those approaches will
provide water that is safer.

We should not accept this situation passively. It's costing us LOTS of money. The bill for
bottled water is about $12 billion annually—in the US alone. And you can add purchases of
kitchen-sink water filters on top of that. Add in the extra fuel use (and air pollution)
associated with manufacturing, packaging, and transporting these products, and we see that
the cost of trying to avoid polluted tap water is rather high. Heck, we didn't even count the
health costs associated with waterborne diseases and other health problems due to water
pollution.

Suppose we as a society were to spend even half of this money instead on addressing the
causes of water pollution. It would go a long way toward fixing aging water treatment plants;
funding wetlands restorations and watershed monitoring efforts; and beefing up enforcement
of clean-water laws.