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Air pollution

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials

that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages thenatural environment into the atmosphere.

The atmosphere is a complex dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support

life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long beenrecognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems.

Pollutants

An air pollutant is known as a substance in the air that can cause harm to humans and theenvironment. Pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. In

addition, they may be natural or man-made.

Pollutants can be classified as either primary or secondary. Usually, primary pollutants

are substances directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption, thecarbon monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust or sulfur dioxide released from

factories.

Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air when primary

pollutants react or interact. An important example of a secondary pollutant is groundlevel ozone one of the many secondary pollutants that make up photochemical smog.

Major primary pollutants produced by human activity include:

Water pollution

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans,

groundwater). Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of

water; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and

populations, but also to the natural biological communities. Water pollution occurs whenpollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate

treatment to remove harmful compounds.Causes of water pollution

The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of

chemicals, pathogens, and physical or sensory changes such as elevated temperature and

discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may benaturally occurring (calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration is often the

key in determining what is a natural component of water, and what is a contaminant.

Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials, such as plant matter (e.g. leaves

and grass) as well as man-made chemicals. Other natural and anthropogenic substancesmay cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and disrupts plant growth, and clogs

the gills of some fish species.

Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne diseasesin either human or animal hosts.

Effects of Water Pollution

Water pollution is a major problem in the global context An estimated 700 millionIndians have no access to a proper toilet, and 1,000 Indian children die of diarrheal

sickness every day.Some 90% of China's cities suffer from some degree of water

pollution, and nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water.Land pollution

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Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's land surfaces often caused by humanactivities and their misuse of land resources. It occurs when waste is not disposed

properly. Health hazard disposal of urban and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals,

and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors.Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution.

Increased mechanization

The major increase in the concentration of population in cities, along with the internalcombustion engine, led to the increased number of roads and all the infra structure that

goes with them. Roads cause visual, noise, light, air and water pollution, in addition to

land pollution. The visual and noise areas are obvious, however light pollution is

becoming more widely recognized as a problem. From outer space, large cities can bepicked out at night by the glow of their lighting, so city dwellers seldom experience total

darkness.

As the demand for food has grown very high, there is an increase in field size and

mechanization. The increase in field size makes it economically viable for the farmer butresults in loss of person and shelter for wildlife, as hedgerows and copses disappear.

When crops are harvested, the naked soil is left open to wind after the heavy machineryhas compacted it. Another consequence of more intensive agriculture is the move to

monoculture. This is unnatural, it depletes the soil of nutrients, allows diseases and pests

to spread and, in short, brings into play the use of chemical substances foreign to theenvironment.

Noise pollution

Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human, animal or machine-

created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life. The wordnoise comes from the Latin word nauseas meaning seasickness.

The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly construction and transportation

systems, including motor vehicle noise, aircraft noise and rail noise.[1][2] Poor urbanplanning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential

buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential area.

Indoor and outdoor noise pollution sources include car alarms, emergency service sirens,mechanical equipment, fireworks, compressed air horns, groundskeeping equipment,

barking dogs, appliances, lighting hum, audio entertainment systems, electric

megaphones, and loud people.Human health effects

Noise health effects are both health and behavioral in nature. The unwanted sound is

called noise. This unwanted sound can damage physiological and psychological health.

Noise pollution can cause annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high stress levels,tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. Furthermore, stress

and hypertension are the leading causes to health problems, whereas tinnitus can lead to

forgetfulness, severe depression and at times panic attacks.