which may be contaminated. Types, sources and causes of environmental pollution. Chemical pollution of the hydrosphere

Under pollution environment understand getting into outer space harmful substances, but this is not a complete definition. Environmental pollution also includes radiation, temperature increase or decrease.

In other words, the global pollution of the environment and the ecological problems of mankind are caused by any material manifestations present in an undesirable place in an undesirable concentration.

Even beneficial substances of natural origin in excess concentration can be harmful. For example, if you eat in one sitting 250 grams of ordinary table salt death is inevitable.

Consider the main types of pollution, their causes and consequences, as well as ways to solve the problem of environmental pollution.

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Objects of environmental pollution

A person and everything that surrounds him is exposed to harmful effects. Most often, the following objects of environmental pollution are highlighted:

• air;
• soil layer;
• water.

Main types of environmental pollution

1. Physical pollution of the environment. It causes a change in the characteristics of the surrounding space. These include thermal, noise or radiation pollution.
2. Chemical. Provides for the ingress of impurities that can change the chemical composition.
3. Biological. Living organisms are considered pollutants.
4. Mechanical pollution of the environment. This refers to pollution.

All pollutants in the most general form can be divided into two groups:

• natural;
• anthropogenic.

Causes of environmental pollution can occasionally be part of natural phenomena. With rare exceptions, natural pollution does not lead to disastrous consequences and is easily neutralized by the forces of nature itself. The remains of dead plants and animals rot, becoming part of the soil. The release of gases or polymetallic ores also does not have a significant destructive effect.

For many thousands of years, even before the appearance of mankind, nature has developed mechanisms that contribute to countering such pollutants and effectively coping with them.

Of course, there are natural contaminants that create serious problems, but this is the exception rather than the rule. For example, the famous Death Valley in Kamchatka, located near the Kikhpinych volcano. The local ecology suffers greatly from it. Hydrogen sulfide emissions periodically occur there, causing environmental pollution. In calm weather, this cloud kills all life.

Death Valley in Kamchatka

But, nevertheless, the main cause of pollution is a person. Most intensively it occurs as a result of human activity. It is called anthropogenic and requires more attention than natural. Most often, the concept of environmental pollution is associated precisely with the anthropogenic factor.

Anthropogenic environmental pollution

Anthropogenic pollution of the environment, which we see today, is often associated with industrial production. The bottom line is that its avalanche-like growth began to occur when a person chose the path of industrial development. Production factors of environmental pollution played a decisive role. Then there was a sharp jump in production and consumption. Human economic activity was inevitably accompanied by undesirable changes not only in its habitat, but also in the entire biosphere.

The intensity of environmental pollution has constantly increased over a number of historical epochs. Initially, people did not even think about the dangers of industrial emissions, but over time, the problem of environmental pollution has acquired impressive dimensions. Only then did we begin to realize the consequences of environmental pollution and think about how to solve these global problems, how to avoid turning our planet into a garbage dump, what chances our descendants have to survive.

It cannot be argued that a person has been polluting the environment since the advent of industry. The history of environmental pollution goes back tens of thousands of years. This happened in all eras, starting with the primitive communal system. When a person began to cut down forests for building dwellings or plowing, to use an open flame for heating and cooking, then he began to pollute the surrounding space more than any other biological species.

Today, more than ever, the urgency of environmental problems has increased, the main of which is global human pollution.

The main types of environmental pollution associated with human activities

All put together species that cause pollution of the environment, are not capable of causing such damage to it as is caused by human activity. To understand how a person pollutes the environment, consider the main types of anthropogenic pollutants. It should be borne in mind that some of the main types of environmental pollution are difficult to attribute to a specific category, since they have a complex effect. They are of the following types:

• aerosols;
• inorganic;
• acid rain;
• organic;
• thermal effect;
• radiation;
• photochemical fog;
• noises;
• soil pollutants.

Let's take a closer look at these categories.

Aerosols

Among these types, aerosol is perhaps the most common. Aerosol pollution of the environment and the environmental problems of mankind cause factors of production. This includes dust, fog and smoke.

The consequences of environmental pollution by aerosols can be deplorable. Aerosols disrupt the functioning of the respiratory system, have a carcinogenic and toxic effect on the human body.

Catastrophic air pollution is produced by metallurgical plants, thermal power plants, and the mining industry. The latter affects the surrounding space at various technological stages. Explosive work results in a significant release of large amounts of dust and carbon monoxide into the air.

Rock heaps also cause air pollution. An example is the situation in coal mining areas. There, next to the mines, there are waste heaps, under the surface of which invisible chemical processes and combustion constantly occur, accompanied by the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

When coal is burned, thermal power plants pollute the air with sulfur oxides and other impurities present in the fuel.

Another dangerous source of aerosol emissions into the atmosphere is road transport. The number of cars is increasing every year. The principle of their operation is based on the combustion of fuel with the inevitable release of combustion products into the air. If we briefly list the main causes of environmental pollution, then vehicles will be in the first lines of this list.

Photochemical fog

This air pollution is more commonly known as smog. It is formed from harmful emissions affected by solar radiation. It provokes chemical pollution of the environment with nitrogen compounds and other harmful impurities.

The resulting compounds adversely affect the respiratory and circulatory systems of the body. Significant air pollution from smog can even cause death.

Caution: increased radiation

Radiation emissions can occur during emergencies at nuclear power plants, during nuclear tests. In addition, small leaks of radioactive substances are possible in the course of research and other work.

Heavy radioactive materials settle into the soil and, together with groundwater, can spread over long distances. Light materials rise up, are carried along with air masses and fall to the earth's surface along with rain or snow.

Radioactive impurities can accumulate in the human body and gradually destroy it, so they are of particular danger.

Inorganic contaminants

Wastes generated during the operation of plants, factories, mines, mines, vehicles are released into the environment, polluting it. Home life is also a source of pollutants. For example, every day, tons of detergents enter the soil through sewers, and then into water bodies, from where they return to us through the water supply.

Arsenic, lead, mercury and others chemical elements contained in household and industrial waste, are very likely to enter our body. From the soil, they enter the plants that animals and people feed on.

Harmful substances that have not entered the sewer from water bodies can enter the body along with sea or river fish used for food.

Some aquatic organisms have the ability to purify water, but due to the toxic effects of pollutants or changes in the pH of the aquatic environment, they can die.

organic contaminants

The main organic pollutant is oil. As you know, it has a biological origin. The history of environmental pollution with oil products began long before the appearance of the first cars. Even before it began to be actively extracted and processed, oil from sources at the bottom of the seas and oceans could get into the water and pollute it. But some types of bacteria are able to quickly absorb and process small oil slicks before they harm marine life and flora.

Oil tanker accidents and leaks during production lead to massive pollution of the water surface. There are numerous examples of such man-made disasters. Oil slicks form on the surface of the water, covering a vast area. Bacteria are not able to cope with this amount of oil.

This pollutant kills all plants and animals living in the coastal zone. Fish, waterfowl and marine mammals are especially affected. Their bodies are covered with a thin, sticky film, clogging all the pores and holes, disrupting the metabolism. Birds lose their ability to fly because their feathers stick together.

In such cases, nature itself is not able to cope, so people must fight environmental pollution and eliminate the consequences of oil spills themselves. it global problem, and the ways to solve it are connected with international cooperation, because no state is able to find ways to cope with it alone.

Soil contaminants

The main soil pollutants are not landfills and industrial wastewater, although they also make a significant “contribution”. The main problem is the development of agriculture. To increase productivity and control pests and weeds, our farmers do not spare their habitat. A huge number of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers enter the soil. Intensive farming, aimed at quickly maximizing profits, makes the soil poisoned and depleted.

acid rain

Human economic activity has caused the occurrence of the phenomenon of acid rain.

Some harmful substances entering the atmosphere react with moisture and form acids. Because of this, the water that falls in the form of rain has an increased acidity. It can poison the soil and even cause skin burns.

Harmful substances mix with groundwater, eventually entering our body and causing various diseases.

Thermal pollutants

Wastewater can be a pollutant even if it does not contain foreign matter. If the water performed the function of cooling, it returns to the reservoir heated.

Elevated wastewater temperature can slightly increase the temperature in the reservoir. And even a slight increase can upset the balance of the ecosystem and even lead to the death of some biological species.

The negative impact of noise

Throughout its history, mankind has been surrounded by a variety of sounds. The development of civilization has created noises that can cause serious damage to human health.

Particularly significant harm is caused by the sounds emitted by vehicles. It can interfere with sleep at night, and annoy during the day nervous system. People who live near railroads or freeways are in a state of constant nightmare. And near airfields, especially those serving supersonic aviation, it can be almost impossible to live.

Discomfort can be created by the noise produced by the equipment of industrial enterprises.

If a person is regularly exposed to loud noises, they are at great risk of premature aging and death.

Pollution control

As strange as it may sound, but pollution and environmental protection are the work of the same hands. Mankind has brought the planet to a state ecological disaster but only man can save her. The main cause of the current state of ecology is various pollution. These problems and ways to solve them are in our hands.

Therefore, the fight against environmental pollution is our primary task.

Let's look at three ways to combat pollution that help solve the problem:

1. construction of treatment facilities;
2. planting forests, parks and other green spaces;
3. population control and regulation.

In fact, there are many more such methods and methods, but they will not lead to high results if you do not fight the cause. It is necessary not only to deal with cleaning, but also to solve the problem of how to prevent environmental pollution. According to Russian folk wisdom, it is clean not where they sweep, but where they do not litter.

Prevention of environmental pollution is a top priority. To solve the problem and prevent further disfigurement of the planet, it is necessary, for example, to apply financial leverage. Solving the problems of environmental pollution will be more effective if we make it profitable to respect nature, provide tax incentives to enterprises that strictly comply with environmental safety standards. The application of substantial fines to violating enterprises will simplify the solution of the problem of environmental pollution.

The use of more environmentally friendly energy sources is also the prevention of environmental pollution. It is easier to filter wastewater than to clean the reservoir from impurities.

To make the planet clean, to provide comfortable conditions for the existence of mankind - these are priority tasks, and the ways to solve them are known.

At present, such concepts as ecology, environmental pollution have already firmly entered our consciousness, and we can confidently say that the negative impact on the state of the environment is largely due to anthropogenic (human) activities.

The main sources of environmental pollution are concentrated mainly in cities, where a significant number of industrial facilities are concentrated on a relatively small area. At the same time, the nature of the production impact is complex, i.e. applies to all natural components: water bodies, air basin, soil cover, animals and vegetable world and, of course, it concerns the main culprit of an unfavorable situation - a person.

So, the main sources of environmental pollution are:

Energy facilities;

Industrial enterprises: chemical, petrochemical, metallurgical;

Transport.

Energy is the leading branch of the economy, which determines not only the level of development of industrial production, but also the standard of living of people in certain regions and settlements. The bad thing is that in our country the energy industry is mainly based on the use of "dirty" energy sources such as coal and oil, and the situation will not change in the near future. For this reason, energy is one of the "leaders" in terms of contribution to environmental pollution. Burning high ash solid fuel causes emissions of significant amounts of suspended solids, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen. Moreover, if the existing technologies make it possible to effectively clean emissions from solid substances, then the capture of gaseous substances is rather difficult and costly. However, the impact of energy is not limited to atmospheric air; numerous ash dumps are a serious pollutant of water bodies and land resources.

One of the most "dirty" industries in our country is the metallurgical industry, its share in the total emissions in Russia is about 40%. Non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy enterprises, as the main sources of air pollution, are one of the main suppliers of dust, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, phenol, hydrogen sulfide, and non-ferrous metallurgy, among other things, various metals, including copper, nickel, lead. Ferrous metallurgy is one of the largest water consumers, about 40% of wastewater discharged is highly polluted.

Non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, among other things, are the most powerful sources of soil pollution, therefore, in settlements where non-ferrous metallurgy facilities are located, elevated concentrations of heavy metals in the soil cover are found.

Oil producing and oil refineries also have a significant negative impact on all components of the environment. The oil industry emits a whole range of pollutants, including sulfur and nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbons, mercaptans and unburned solid particles containing benzo(a)pyrene. Serious harm is caused by accidental oil spills on drilling platforms, as well as main oil pipelines.

Urbanized territories are inextricably linked with such a concept as road transport. The main types of its impact include emissions of pollutants with exhaust gases, as well as the use of large areas for the construction of garages, service stations, utility facilities.

In general, the main sources of environmental pollution include most industrial facilities, as well as the transport complex, without which modern life is impossible. However, it is in our power to take steps to ensure that their impact on the environment, and ultimately our health, is minimal.

Pollution is the introduction of pollutants into the natural environment that cause adverse changes. Pollution can take the form of chemicals or energy such as noise, heat or light. Pollution components can be either foreign substances/energy or natural pollutants.

The main types and causes of environmental pollution:

Air pollution

Coniferous forest after acid rain

Smoke from chimneys, factories, vehicles, or from burning wood and coal makes the air toxic. The effects of air pollution are also obvious. The release of sulfur dioxide and dangerous gases into the atmosphere causes global warming and acid rain, which in turn increase temperatures, causing excessive rainfall or droughts around the world, and making life difficult. We also breathe every polluted particle in the air and as a result, the risk of asthma and lung cancer increases.

Water pollution

It caused the loss of many species of flora and fauna of the Earth. This was due to the fact that industrial wastes dumped into rivers and other water bodies cause an imbalance in the aquatic environment, which leads to serious pollution and death of aquatic animals and plants.

In addition, spraying insecticides, pesticides (such as DDT) on plants pollute the groundwater system. Oil spills in the oceans have caused significant damage to water bodies.

Eutrophication in the Potomac River, USA

Eutrophication is another important cause of water pollution. Occurs due to untreated sewage and fertilizer runoff from the soil into lakes, ponds or rivers, due to which chemicals enter the water and prevent the penetration of sunlight, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen and making the reservoir uninhabitable.

Pollution of water resources harms not only individual aquatic organisms, but the whole, and seriously affects people who depend on them. In some countries of the world, due to water pollution, outbreaks of cholera and diarrhea are observed.

Soil pollution

soil erosion

This type of pollution occurs when harmful chemical elements enter the soil, usually caused by human activities. Insecticides and pesticides absorb nitrogen compounds from the soil, after which it becomes unsuitable for plant growth. Industrial waste, and also adversely affect the soil. Because plants cannot grow as they should, they are unable to hold the soil, resulting in erosion.

Noise pollution

Appears when unpleasant (loud) sounds from the environment affect the human hearing organs and lead to psychological problems, including voltage, high blood pressure, hearing loss, etc. It can be caused by industrial equipment, aircraft, cars, etc.

Nuclear pollution

This is a very dangerous type of pollution, it occurs due to failures in the operation of nuclear power plants, improper storage of nuclear waste, accidents, etc. Radioactive contamination can cause cancer, infertility, loss of vision, birth defects; it can make the soil infertile, and also adversely affects the air and water.

light pollution

Light pollution of planet earth

Occurs due to noticeable over-illumination of the area. It is usually distributed in big cities, especially from billboards, in gyms or entertainment venues at night. In residential areas, light pollution greatly affects people's lives. It also interferes with astronomical observations by making the stars almost invisible.

Thermal/thermal pollution

Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes the temperature of the surrounding water. The main cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a refrigerant by power plants and industrial plants. When water used as a refrigerant is returned to the natural environment at a higher temperature, the change in temperature reduces the supply of oxygen and affects the composition. Fish and other organisms adapted to a particular temperature range can be killed by sudden changes in water temperature (or rapid increases or decreases).

Thermal pollution is caused by excess heat in the environment creating unwanted changes over long periods of time. This is due to the huge number of industrial enterprises, deforestation and air pollution. Thermal pollution increases the Earth's temperature, causing drastic climate change and extinction of wildlife species.

Visual pollution

Visual pollution, Philippines

Visual pollution is an aesthetic problem and refers to the effects of pollution that impair the ability to enjoy the outside world. It includes: billboards, open dumps, antennas, electrical wires, buildings, cars, etc.

Overcrowding of the territory with a large number of objects causes visual pollution. Such pollution contributes to distraction, eye fatigue, loss of identity, and so on.

plastic pollution

Plastic pollution, India

Includes the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that have adverse effects on wildlife, animal or human habitats. Plastic products are inexpensive and durable, which has made them very popular among people. However, this material decomposes very slowly. Plastic pollution can adversely affect soil, lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. Living organisms, especially marine animals, become entangled in plastic waste or are affected by chemicals in plastic that cause interruptions in biological functions. People are also affected by plastic pollution, causing a hormonal imbalance.

Objects of pollution

The main objects of environmental pollution are such as air (atmosphere), water resources (streams, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans), soil, etc.

Pollutants (sources or subjects of pollution) of the environment

Pollutants are chemical, biological, physical or mechanical elements (or processes) that harm the environment.

They can be harmful both in the short and long term. Pollutants originate from natural resources or are produced by humans.

Many pollutants have a toxic effect on living organisms. Carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) is an example of a substance that harms humans. This compound is absorbed by the body instead of oxygen, causes shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, heart palpitations, and in severe cases can lead to serious poisoning, and even death.

Some pollutants become hazardous when they react with other naturally occurring compounds. Nitrogen and sulfur oxides are released from impurities in fossil fuels during combustion. They react with water vapor in the atmosphere to form acid rain. Acid rain adversely affects aquatic ecosystems and leads to the death of aquatic animals, plants, and other living organisms. Terrestrial ecosystems also suffer from acid rain.

Classification of pollution sources

According to the type of occurrence, environmental pollution is divided into:

Anthropogenic (artificial) pollution

Deforestation

Anthropogenic pollution is the impact on the environment caused by the activities of mankind. The main sources of artificial pollution are:

• industrialization;
• the invention of automobiles;
• the growth of the world's population;
• deforestation: destruction of natural habitats;
• nuclear explosions;
• overexploitation of natural resources;
• construction of buildings, roads, dams;
• the creation of explosive substances that are used during military operations;
• use of fertilizers and pesticides;
• mining.

Natural (natural) pollution

Eruption

Natural pollution is caused and occurs naturally, without human intervention. It can affect the environment for a certain period of time, but it can be regenerated. Sources of natural pollution include:

• volcanic eruptions, with the release of gases, ash and magma;
• forest fires emit smoke and gas impurities;
• sandstorms raise dust and sand;
• decomposition of organic matter, during which gases are released.

Consequences of pollution:

environmental degradation

Left photo: Beijing after the rain. Right photo: smog in Beijing

The environment is the first victim of atmospheric pollution. An increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to smog, which can prevent penetration sunlight to the surface of the earth. As a result, it becomes much more difficult. Gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide can cause acid rain. Water pollution in terms of an oil spill can lead to the death of several species of wild animals and plants.

Human health

Lung cancer

Decreased air quality leads to some respiratory problems, including asthma or lung cancer. Chest pain, sore throat, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease can be caused by air pollution. Water pollution can create skin problems, including irritation and rashes. Similarly, noise pollution leads to hearing loss, stress and sleep disturbance.

Global warming

Male, the capital of the Maldives, is one of the cities facing the prospect of being flooded by the ocean in the 21st century.

The release of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, leads to global warming. Every day new industries are created, new cars appear on the roads, and the number of trees is reduced to make room for new homes. All these factors, directly or indirectly, lead to an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. Rising CO2 causes the polar ice caps to melt, which increases sea levels and endangers people living near coastal areas.

Ozone layer depletion

The ozone layer is a thin shield high in the sky that prevents ultraviolet rays from reaching the earth. As a result of human activity, chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons are released into the atmosphere, which contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer.

Badlands

Due to the constant use of insecticides and pesticides, the soil can become infertile. Various types of chemicals from industrial waste end up in water, which also affects soil quality.

Protection (protection) of the environment from pollution:

International protection

Many of these are particularly vulnerable as they are subject to human influence in many countries. As a result of this, some states unite and develop agreements aimed at preventing damage or managing human impact on Natural resources. They include agreements that affect the protection of the climate, oceans, rivers and air from pollution. These international environmental treaties are sometimes binding instruments that have legal consequences, in case of non-compliance, and in other situations are used as codes of conduct. The most famous include:

• The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), approved in June 1972, provides for the protection of nature for the present generation of people and their descendants.
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed in May 1992. The main goal of this agreement is "stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system"
• The Kyoto Protocol provides for the reduction or stabilization of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. It was signed in Japan at the end of 1997.

State protection

The discussion of environmental issues often focuses on the level of government, legislation and law enforcement. However, in the very broad sense environmental protection can be seen as the responsibility of the whole people, not just the government. Decisions that affect the environment will ideally include a wide range of stakeholders, including industrial sites, indigenous groups, representatives of environmental groups and communities. Decision-making processes in the field of environmental protection are constantly evolving and becoming more active in different countries.

Many constitutions recognize the fundamental right to protect the environment. In addition, in various countries there are organizations and institutions dealing with environmental issues.

While protecting the environment is not just the responsibility of government agencies, most people consider these organizations paramount in creating and maintaining basic standards that protect the environment and the people who interact with it.

How to protect the environment yourself?

Population and technological advances based on fossil fuels have seriously affected our natural environment. Therefore, now we need to do our part to eliminate the consequences of degradation so that humanity continues to live in an ecologically safe environment.

There are 3 main principles that are still relevant and important more than ever:

• use less;
• reuse;
• convert.

• Create a compost heap in your garden. This helps to recycle food waste and other biodegradable materials.
• When shopping, use your eco-bags and try to avoid plastic bags as much as possible.
• Plant as many trees as you can.
• Think about how you can reduce the number of trips you make with your car.
• Reduce car emissions by walking or cycling. It is not simple great alternatives driving, but also health benefits.
• Use public transport whenever you can for your daily commute.
• Bottles, paper, waste oil, old batteries and used tires must be properly disposed of; All this causes serious pollution.
• Do not pour chemicals and used oil onto the ground or down drains leading to waterways.
• If possible, recycle selected biodegradable waste, and work to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste used.
• Reduce the amount of meat you consume or consider a vegetarian diet.

POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT, the impact on the biosphere, which poses a danger to representatives of wildlife and the sustainable existence of ecosystems. Distinguish between natural pollution caused by natural causes (for example, volcanic activity), and anthropogenic, associated with human activities. Almost all types of economic activity entail some form of pollution. It is accompanied by an increase in the level of substances harmful to organisms, the appearance of new chemical compounds, particles and foreign materials that are toxic or not capable of being utilized in the biosphere, an excessive increase in temperature (thermal pollution), noise (noise pollution), electromagnetic radiation, radioactivity (radioactive pollution ) and other environmental changes. Every year, more than 100 billion tons of various rocks are extracted from the bowels of the Earth. When burning about 1 billion tons of standard fuel (including gasoline), biogeochemical cycles include not only additional masses of carbon and nitrogen oxides, sulfur compounds, but also large quantities elements dangerous for organisms, such as mercury, lead, arsenic, etc. The involvement of heavy metals in industrial and agricultural production significantly exceeds the quantities that were in the biospheric circulation throughout the entire previous history of mankind. Up to 67% of the heat generated by power plants enters the biosphere. By the 21st century, about 12 million compounds not previously found in nature have been synthesized in the world, of which about 100 thousand are widely distributed in the environment (for example, chlorine-containing pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls). Environmental pollution is so great that the natural processes of the circulation of substances in nature and the diluting ability of the atmosphere and hydrosphere are not able to neutralize its harmful effects. The natural systems and connections in the biosphere that have developed in the course of a long evolution are disrupted, and the ability of natural complexes to self-regulate is undermined. Ecological disturbances are manifested in a reduction in the number and species diversity of organisms, in a decrease in biological productivity, and degradation of ecosystems. Along with this, there is an uncontrolled reproduction of organisms that easily develop stable forms (some insects, microorganisms). And although in a number of developed countries the volume of emissions and discharges of pollutants into the environment has decreased by the 21st century, in general, pollution of the biosphere is increasing, including due to global (spread throughout the globe) and persistent (persistent, persisting for many decades) pollutants. The direct objects of pollution are the atmosphere, water bodies and soils.

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Air pollution. Combustion of oil, natural gas, coal, wood and organic waste are the main sources of pollution by sulfur compounds (SO2, SO3, H2S), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, N2O) and carbon (CO, CO2), aerosols, dust, fumes and heavy metals. Significant amounts of methane are released during the extraction of fossil fuels, during the combustion of various organic substances, etc. The concentration of CO2 over the past 200 years has increased by more than 1.3 times, nitrogen oxides - by almost 1.9 times, methane - by more than 3 times ( major increase after 1950). Anthropogenic emissions of CO2 (an annual increase of 0.2%, in 2005 exceeded 28 billion tons) and some other gases, including methane, N2O, fluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), ozone, create a “greenhouse effect” in the atmosphere and can lead to to climate change on the planet. About 60% of sulfur entering the atmosphere is of anthropogenic origin (fuel combustion, production of sulfuric acid, copper, zinc, etc.). Oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon interact with atmospheric water vapor, which causes acid rain, which has become a serious problem. environmental problem Europe, North America, China. Emissions into the atmosphere of chlorofluorocarbons (see Freons) and a number of other substances lead to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects all life from harsh UV radiation. At the beginning of the 21st century, the appearance of an "ozone hole" over the Antarctic was recorded (area 28 million km2; 3.9 million km2 more than in 2005). It also captures the southern tip of South America, the Falkland Islands, New Zealand, part of Australia. The appearance of the "ozone hole" is associated with an increase in the incidence of skin cancer and cataracts. An increase in the intensity of UV radiation is noted in the middle latitudes of the Northern and Southern hemispheres of the Earth and in the Arctic. Since the 1990s, forest fires have contributed significantly to atmospheric pollution.

In Russia, more than 60 million people live in conditions of high (up to 10 MPC) and very high (more than 10 MPC) air pollution. About 50% of all harmful substances and up to 70% of the total volume of greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere from enterprises of the fuel and energy complex (FEC). During the period from 1999 to 2003, the number of cities in which the maximum concentration of pollutants is ten times higher than the MPC increased from 32 to 48; the main pollutants are lead, benzopyrene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, manganese compounds, NO2, H2S, sulfur, and dust. In 2001-04, transboundary fallouts of sulfur and nitrogen compounds, as well as cadmium, lead and mercury (mainly from Poland, Ukraine, Germany) made an additional contribution to environmental pollution, which exceeded the inputs from Russian sources.

Pollution fresh water oem. The development of industry, urbanization and the intensification of agriculture in the 20th century led to a significant deterioration in the quality of water in surface continental water bodies and a significant part of groundwater. At the beginning of the century, salinization (mineralization) prevailed, in the 1920s - pollution with metal compounds, in the 1930s - with organic substances, in the 1940s, intensive eutrophication of water bodies began; in the 1950s - contamination with radionuclides, after the 1960s - acidification. The main pollutants are agricultural, industrial and domestic effluents, with which nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, copper, fluorine and chlorine compounds, as well as hydrocarbons enter water bodies. Large-scale treatment of industrial wastewater began to be carried out in most countries only in the 2nd half of the 20th century. In Western Europe, more than 95% of wastewater is treated; in developing countries - about 30% (China plans to treat 50% of wastewater by 2010). The most efficient treatment facilities remove up to 94% of phosphorus-containing and up to 40% of nitrogen-containing compounds. Pollution of water bodies with agricultural effluents is primarily due to the presence of various fertilizers and pesticides in them (up to 100 million tons are used annually, up to 300 kg per 1 hectare of agricultural land; up to 15% of them are washed out). In addition, they contain persistent organic compounds, including chlorine-containing pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxins. The supply of nitrogen and phosphorus is accompanied by intensive development aquatic plants and oxygen deficiency in water bodies and, as a result, a significant violation of aquatic ecosystems. About 10% of freshwater pollution in the world comes from municipal wastewater. In general, more than 1.5 thousand km3 of wastewater is annually discharged into inland waters, the dilution of which takes about 30% of the total river flow, which is about 46 thousand km3. A significant part of pollutants enters natural waters from the atmosphere, with rain and melt water. In the United States, for example, in the 1980s, up to 96% of polychlorinated biphenyls, 90% of nitrogen and 75% of phosphorus, most of the pesticides, entered water bodies in this way.

By the beginning of the 21st century, more than half of the world's major rivers were heavily polluted, and their ecosystems were degrading. In the bottom sediments of rivers and especially reservoirs, heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants accumulate. At the end of the 20th century, 3 million people died each year from diseases associated with contaminated drinking water sources in Africa alone.

In many regions of Russia, pollution of surface water bodies with oil products, compounds of copper, manganese, iron, nitrogen, phenol and other organic substances exceeds the MPC level tenfold. About 20% of polluted wastewater comes from fuel and energy companies. There are frequent cases of high pollution with mercury, lead, sulfides, hydrogen sulfide, pesticides, lignin, formaldehyde. In 2005, more than 36% of the wastewater discharged was contaminated above allowable norms. By 2005, environmental degradation affected the ecosystems of 26% of lakes and rivers. At the bottom of the Volga and other reservoirs, tens of millions of tons of salts of heavy metals and other substances hazardous to organisms have accumulated, which has turned these reservoirs into uncontrolled burial sites for toxic waste. In 2005, almost 30% of surface water bodies used for drinking water supply did not meet hygienic standards, more than 25% of water samples did not meet microbiological standards.

Pollution of the oceans within the coastal zone is determined mainly by the discharge of industrial and municipal waste, runoff from agricultural land, pollution from transport and oil and gas production. In the coastal parts of the Gulf of Mexico, for example, the concentration of nitrogen compounds, which had remained unchanged since the beginning of the 20th century, increased 2.5 times after 1960 as a result of inputs from the Mississippi River. 300-380 million tons of organic matter are carried into the ocean per year. The dumping of various wastes (dumping) into the seas is still widely practiced (at the end of the 20th century, up to 17 tons per 1 km2 of the ocean). After the 1970s, untreated municipal effluent receipts increased dramatically (for example, in the Caribbean they account for up to 90% of effluents). Coastal pollution is projected to increase as a share of atmospheric deposition due to the increase in the number of vehicles and the development of industry. Every year, more than 1 million tons of lead, 20 thousand tons of cadmium, 10 thousand tons of mercury and the same amount of lead and about 40 thousand tons of mercury from the atmosphere enter the ocean with river runoff.

More than 10 million tons of oil enters the ocean every year (mostly carried by rivers). Up to 5% of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are constantly covered with an oil slick. During Desert Storm (1991), accidental oil spills into the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea exceeded 6 million tons. As a result of global transport, persistent organochlorine pesticides are found in hazardous quantities in mammals and birds in Antarctica and the Arctic. Radiochemical production facilities in France, Great Britain, the USSR (Russia) and the USA have polluted the North Atlantic, the Arctic Ocean, and the Eastern Pacific Ocean with long-lived radionuclides. At the bottom of the oceans are about 60 lost atomic bombs, as well as containers with radioactive waste and reactors with spent nuclear fuel. Tens of thousands of tons of chemical munitions flooded after the Great Patriotic War in the Baltic, White, Barents, Kara, Okhotsk and Seas of Japan. A serious threat is the pollution of the ocean with poorly decomposing synthetic debris. More than 2 million birds annually marine mammals, turtles die as a result of swallowing plastic debris and entanglement in abandoned nets.

In the last 30 years, eutrophication of marine water bodies (for example, the Black, Azov and Baltic Seas) has been observed, leading, in particular, to an increase in the intensity of reproduction of phytoplankton, including toxic ones (the so-called red tides). For some seas, biological pollution is catastrophic, associated with the introduction of alien species, which enter mainly with the ballast water of ships. For example, the appearance of the comb jelly Mnemiopsis in the Sea of ​​Azov and the rapana in the Black Sea is accompanied by the displacement of the native fauna.

In inland and marginal seas Russian Federation for some types of pollutants MPCs are consistently exceeded by 3-5 times. Among the most polluted are Peter the Great Bay (Sea of ​​Japan), Northern part Caspian Sea, Sea of ​​Azov, Neva Bay (Baltic Sea). In the 1990s, the annual removal of oil products by rivers was (thousand tons): the Ob - up to 600, the Yenisei - up to 360, the Volga - up to 82, the Lena - up to 50.

Land and soil pollution. By the end of the 20th century, 2.4 million km2 of land had been degraded due to chemical pollution (12% of the total land area degraded by anthropogenic factors). More than 150 thousand tons of copper, 120 thousand tons of zinc, about 90 thousand tons of lead, 12 thousand tons of nickel, 1.5 thousand tons of molybdenum, about 800 tons of cobalt annually fell on the soil surface only from metallurgical enterprises. In the production of 1 g of blister copper, for example, 2 tons of waste are generated, which in the form of fine particles fall on the earth's surface from the atmosphere (contain up to 15% copper, 60% iron oxides and 4% arsenic, mercury, zinc and lead). Engineering and chemical industries pollute the surrounding areas with tens of thousands of tons of lead, copper, chromium, iron, phosphorus, manganese and nickel. During the mining and enrichment of uranium, billions of tons of low-level radioactive waste spread over thousands of km2 in North and Central Asia, Central and South Africa, Australia, and North America. Technogenic industrial wastelands are being formed around large enterprises in many countries. Acid precipitation causes soil acidification over millions of km2.

About 20 million tons of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are applied to the fields of the world every year, a significant part of which is not absorbed, does not break down and causes large-scale soil pollution. Soils on tens of millions of km2 are saline as a result of artificial irrigation (only in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru - more than 18 million hectares).

Modern cities pollute (landfills, sewage treatment plants, etc.) the territory exceeding their own by 5-7 times. On average, in developed countries there are about 200-300 kg of waste per person per year. As a rule, in countries with low level more waste is generated. According to expert estimates, the volume of municipal waste buried in landfills in the world increased until the 1990s, then began to decrease due to their recycling (in Western Europe about 80%, in the USA up to 34%, in South Africa 31% of municipal waste is recycled). ). At the same time, the areas of land occupied by wastewater treatment facilities (silt ponds, irrigation fields) are growing. By the beginning of the 21st century, the export of toxic waste from developed countries became a serious problem: up to 30% of hazardous waste in Western Europe at the end of the 20th century was buried in the territories of other states.

Technogenic pollution of soils around large thermal power plants (especially coal-fired and shale-fired) can be traced over an area of ​​several thousand km2 (they include compounds of cadmium, cobalt, arsenic, lithium, strontium, vanadium, as well as radioactive uranium). Thousands of km2 are occupied by ash and slag dumps. The territories around nuclear power plants and other nuclear enterprises are polluted with radionuclides of cesium, strontium, cobalt, etc. Testing of atomic weapons in the atmosphere (until 1963) led to global stable contamination of soils with cesium, strontium and plutonium. More than 250,000 tons of lead per year enters the soil surface with vehicle exhaust gases. Soil is especially dangerously polluted at a distance of up to 500 m from major highways.

In Russia, over 30% of solid waste comes from fuel and energy companies. More than 11% of the territories of residential areas in 2005 were heavily polluted with compounds of heavy metals and fluorine, 16.5% of soils in these areas are subject to microbiological contamination. At the same time, no more than 5% of the generated waste is recycled, the rest are a source of constant pollution, many solid waste landfills household waste do not meet sanitary standards. Only in Moscow and the Moscow region in 2005, about 3,000 illegal dumps were identified. More than 47 thousand km2 (mainly Altai, Yakutia, Arkhangelsk region) are contaminated with tens of thousands of tons of rocket metal structures and rocket fuel components as a result of rocket and space programs. In an unsatisfactory condition are the places of storage of prohibited and unsuitable pesticides (for 2005 more than 24 thousand tons), as well as earlier burials of these substances. In all areas of production, transportation, distribution and processing of oil, soil pollution with oil products and drill cuttings is significant (about 1.8% of the territory of the Russian Federation). During production and transportation (including due to ruptures and leaks from pipelines), about 10 million tons of oil are lost annually.

Environmental Protection. Measures aimed at protecting against environmental pollution are part of the problem of nature protection. They come down mainly to legislative restrictions and a system of fines. The global nature of environmental pollution enhances the role of international agreements and conventions to prevent pollution. Various countries of the world are making efforts to reduce and prevent pollution, for which dozens of international and hundreds of regional agreements and conventions are concluded. Among them: the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (1972); Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (1974); Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (1979); Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985); Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987); Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (1989); Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (1991); United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992); Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (1992); Convention for the Protection of the Black Sea from Pollution (1992); Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001).

See also the articles Biosphere, Environmental monitoring and the article The state and protection of the environment in the volume "Russia".

Lit.: Tinsley I. Behavior of chemical pollutants in the environment. M., 1982; Global Environment Outlook: Overview of Environmental Change: Yearbook. Nairobi, 2000-2007; Targulyan O. Yu. Dark pages of "black gold". Environmental aspects of the activities of oil companies in Russia. M., 2002; Protecting Europe's Environment: The Third Assessment. Luxembourg, 2004; On the state and use of water resources of the Russian Federation in 2003: State report. M., 2004; On the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Russian Federation in 2005: State report. M., 2006; Review of environmental pollution in the Russian Federation for 2005: State report. M., 2006; On the state of the natural environment of the Russian Federation in 2005: State report. M., 2006; Yablokov A. V. Russia: the health of nature and man. M., 2007.

V. F. Menshchikov, A. V. Yablokov.

Back to Pollution

Environmental pollution is a prerequisite for an ecological catastrophe that inevitably awaits both us and the entire planet, if all measures are not taken to prevent negative impact on nature, causing a change in its properties and capabilities.

Being inextricably linked with his environment, a person, one way or another, influences it, and every year this influence becomes more significant and, accordingly, more tangible.

Focusing on the most common problems, the following causes of environmental pollution can be distinguished:

1. Chemical impact, manifested in the release of toxic compounds into the environment. It would seem that today almost every production is aimed at cleanliness and wastelessness. However, in reality, the concentration of chemicals emitted by industrial enterprises, oil refineries, boiler houses is so high that it has become a global problem.

To prevent the deterioration of the already serious state of affairs, it is necessary to carry out a number of measures aimed at reducing chemical emissions into the atmosphere, water resources, and soil. Among them are the improvement of treatment facilities, the use of low-sulfur fuel, work with environmentally friendly raw materials;

I would like to think that our site also helps to reduce the chemical impact on the environment.

For example, if we recycle a battery instead of throwing it away, we save 20 square meters. meters of soil without chemical contamination. The same is true when disposing of mercury lamps, thermometers or used oils.

2. Biological Impact - The testing of biotechnologies, the latest research carried out at the gene level, can produce amazing results in one direction and at the same time cause serious harm to the environment. The slightest violation of safety requirements can cause the release of pathogenic microorganisms.

Strict observance of protection measures, the use of closed water supply systems, high-quality cleaning of waste and garbage at processing plants will minimize the risk of infection;

3. Radioactive exposure is one of the most dangerous species infections. Even a simple layman understands that such an impact is comparable to an irreparable catastrophe, after which there may be nothing alive on the planet.

An increase in the background radiation becomes a consequence of nuclear tests, explosions, the use of specialized equipment, reactions, with the use of radioactive substances.

The best solution to this problem may be to abandon the use of nuclear energy. However, given the impossibility of its implementation, timely decontamination work, as well as preventive measures to prevent accidents, can partly help.

Rational use of natural resources is the best possible solution.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm. Measures aimed at protecting the environment must be taken immediately.

Realizing that the economic component is becoming one of the most important for the manufacturer, in any case, one should focus on the choice of technologies that eliminate the risk of negative impact on nature. The opening of protected areas and nature reserves can help improve nature.

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Abstract: Environmental pollution is a global problem

Plan

I Introduction

II. Environmental pollution is a global problem:

1) Causes of pollution

2) Water pollution

3) Air pollution

4) Soil pollution

III. Conclusion

Bibliography

I Introduction

A person who lived in the 20th century found himself in a society that is burdened with many dilemmas that accompany its socio-economic development. The military struggle all over the world, which has already subsided in our time, problems with resettlement, food, health care, the problem of electricity, etc. The situation is not alleviated by the problems of deforestation (25 ha/min), desertification of land (46 ha/min), growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and so on. Society has faced a severe crisis and it can be concluded that its foundations are the positions of relations between society and nature, developed during the transition to a producing economy.

The interaction of society and nature is realized objectively: people are part of nature, and nature is part of its economy through natural resources. At the same time, the dualism of man predetermines the substantial difference between society and nature and becomes a precondition for contradictions between them. With the advent of mental abilities, a person subordinated his upbringing to the tasks that form him as a person. The scientific and technological revolution has opened the veil on opportunities that satisfy the interests and needs of people, and at the same time, the load on natural systems has increased thousands of times. The lack of restrictions on the full use of natural resources has led to an irreversible deterioration in the quality of the environment. Cutting down forests, testing atomic bombs, subordinating everything to electricity - the world, as it may be inappropriate to say, began to resemble a greenhouse in which plants and living beings develop, but with difficulty, which do not help, but on the contrary, seem to put up barriers, air and not completely drinkable water.

As it turned out, steels were incompatible with each other: a fruitful environment and high the economic growth. This situation is the root of the global environmental problem.

II. Environmental pollution as a global problem

1) Causes of pollution

In fact, the main reasons for the unviability of the environment are not so many. It has long been clear that people consider themselves right to solve problems of world magnitude, trying not to spoil nature, but at the same time, of course, who has what goals, to fill their pocket well. Such an approach to the problem, already global, will lead to the destruction of all life. What can we say about global warming, which is the outcome of the human factor. Mankind seems to ignore the "hints" of nature, believing that it has superiority over the current situation.

Meanwhile, human technology is increasingly upsetting the balance in the environment.

Along with the growth of the population on the planet, the pressure on the natural environment also increases. The types of pollutants are also becoming more diverse. After all, man is progressing. More and more original chemicals are being invented that do not have the best effect on the biosphere. Considerable damage is caused to water resources by the food, petrochemical, and woodworking industries. Various slags, ashes stored on the surface of the earth cause irreversible harm to the atmosphere.

The inexpedient use of natural resources - mineral resources - will soon become a shortage. After all, they belong to the exhaustible types of natural resources. Such an outcome occurs during extraction, enrichment, transportation, processing. As a result, huge volumes of rock masses disturb the balance of the surface of the lithosphere. Under their weight, the earth sinks or swells, which can lead to disruption of the groundwater regime and swamping of large areas.

And one more reason for the gradual destruction of life on Earth. Demographic crisis - many countries with a capitalist market economy interested in increasing the population, rather in the growth of the labor force. With the increase of the human factor, the latest technologies will open up, which will either further destroy existence on the planet, or more intelligent inventions will be developed.

2) Water pollution

Water is the most common inorganic compound on earth. It contains gas and salt compounds, as well as solid elements.

Most of the water is found in the seas and oceans. Fresh water - only 3%. A large proportion of fresh water (86%) is collected in the ice of the polar zones and glaciers.

Water bodies are threatened to a greater extent - petroleum oils, wastewater from the pulp and paper industry, and wastewater from various chemical plants adversely affects the development of aquatic organisms. All this contributes to a change in color, smell, taste, which is very necessary for the normal development of all living pure water. Harmful waste aggravating the existence of fish in water bodies is emitted from wood waste. As a result of this: caviar, invertebrates and other species of inhabitants of the aquatic environment die. Also, sewers and laundries cannot be left without attention. With the increase in human ingenuity, as if to improve life, various detergents are produced, which does not have a beneficial effect on water resources. As a result of the nuclear industry, water bodies are radioactively polluted, which causes irreparable harm to health. Scientific studies of methods for neutralizing radioactive contamination are in demand.

Wastewater pollution can be divided into two groups: mineral and organic, as well as biological and bacterial.

Mineral pollution is the wastewater of metallurgical enterprises, as well as enterprises engaged in mechanical engineering.

Fecal-economic wastewater - organic water pollution. Their origin is obtained with the participation of a living factor. City waters, waste paper and pulp, brewing, leather and other industries.

Live microorganisms - components of bacterial and biological pollution: helminth eggs, yeast and mold fungi, small algae and bacteria. Pollution in most contain about 40% minerals and 57% organic.

Water pollution can be characterized by several features:

floating substances on the surface of the water;

modification of the physical qualities of water;

modification of the chemical formula of water

transformation of the types and number of bacteria and the emergence of pathogenic microbes.

Under the influence of solar radiation and self-purification, water is able to renew its beneficial features. Bacteria, fungi and algae help in self-purification. Developments are also available in industry - mainly workshop and general plant facilities for wastewater treatment.

3) Air pollution

Atmosphere - the air shell of the Earth. The quality of the atmosphere implies the totality of its properties, reflecting the level of impact of physical, chemical and biological factors on people, flora and fauna. With the formation of civilization, anthropogenic sources increasingly dominate air pollution.

Atmospheric pollution with impurities is a global problem, because air masses are an intermediary in the pollution of other natural objects, contributing to the spread of harmful masses over impressive distances.

The growth of the population of the Earth and the rate of its multiplication are the determining factors in the growth of the intensity of pollution of all geospheres of the Earth, as well as the atmosphere. In cities, the maximum air pollution is noted, where typical pollutants are dust, gas masses, etc.

Chemical impurities that pollute the air:

1) natural impurities determined by natural processes;

2) arising from the economic activity of mankind, anthropogenic.

In areas of active life of people, more stable pollution with increased concentrations appears. Their growth and formation rates are much higher than average. These are aerosols, metals, synthetic compounds.

Various impurities enter the atmosphere in the form of gases, vapors, liquid and solid particles, such as: carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides, ozone, hydrocarbons, lead compounds, carbon dioxide (CO2), freons.

The source of air pollution with dust is also the production of cement and other building materials.

Hazardous circumstances are radioactive dusts.

4) Soil pollution

Soil is a natural formation that has a number of properties of animate and inanimate nature. The depth does not exceed 20-30 cm, on chernozems it can reach about 100 cm.

The soil is in organic matter, mineral compounds, living organisms; Every soil has its own genotype.

Humus is the main and indispensable condition for the soil's cereal content; it is a complex organo-mineral complex. Under conditions of the best farming, in natural conditions, a positive balance of humus is maintained.

The value of soils is determined by buffering, humus content, biological, agrochemical, agrophysical indicators.

The totality of natural and anthropogenic processes that lead to soil modification is called degradation, the quantity and quality also change, the fertile and economic significance of lands decreases. Soil fertility is sufficiently reduced (over the past 30-35 years, the humus content in the soils of non-chernozem Russia has decreased by 35%). Due to the annual emissions into the atmosphere of Russia, which are approximately equal to 50 million tons, the Earth is polluted and deteriorated.

The human factor negatively affects land resources, so it is necessary to take appropriate measures for the appropriate use of soils.

The state must protect the land, developing measures that would prevent the destruction and pollution, depletion of land resources.

In case of pollution of water and atmosphere, emergency measures are taken to clean up emissions. By the way water resources are able to self-repair, the environment is more or less stabilized.

With land resources, everything is much more complicated. With the constant intake of harmful substances into the soil, it is not able to renew fertility. And then the already polluted soil itself becomes harmful to water and agricultural products.

Several pathways for contaminants to enter the soil:

A) With precipitation, gases enter the soil - oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, appearing in the atmosphere as a result of the operation of enterprises, diverging in atmospheric moisture.

B) In dry weather, solid and liquid compounds usually settle in the form of dust and aerosols.

C) In dry weather, gases are absorbed by the earth, especially damp.

D) Through the stomata, various harmful compounds are absorbed by the leaves. When the leaves fall, these compounds enter the soil.

Chemicals, as is customary - pesticides, are used in agriculture to protect plants from pests, ailments, weeds. The economic efficiency of pesticides has been proven. But, as a result of the toxicity of pesticides, the huge scale of their use (in the world - 2 million tons / year), the danger of their impact on the environment is growing.

III. Conclusion

In the 21st century, the civilization of the whole world has entered a stage of development, where in the first place are the problems of survival and self-preservation of both humanity and the environment, and the rational use of natural resources. This stage of the formation of mankind revealed the tasks activated by the multiplication of the Earth's population, the irrational use of natural resources. Such objections slow down the further development of the scientific and technological progress of mankind. Therefore, the most important condition for the formation of mankind is to take care of nature.

Bibliography

1. Akimova T.A., Khaskin V.V. Ecology. M.: UNITI, 1998.

2. Danilov-Danilyan V. I., Losev K. S. Ecological challenge and sustainable development. Moscow: Progress-Tradition, 2000.

3. Konstantinov V. M. Protection of nature. M.: Publishing Center "Academy", 2000.

4. Moiseev N. N. Man and the noosphere. M.: Mol. guard, 1990.

5. Orlov D.S. Ecology and protection of the biosphere in case of chemical pollution: Proc. allowance / Orlov D.S., Sadovnikova L.K., Lozanovskaya I.N. M.: high school, 2002.

6. Petrov K.M. General ecology. Interaction of society and nature. St. Petersburg: Chemistry, 1997.

7. Nature management: Prob. textbook for 10-11 cells. profile schools/N. F. Vinokurova, G. S. Kamerilova, V. V. Nikolina et al. M.: Enlightenment, 1995.

8. Nature management: Textbook. Under the editorship of prof. E.A. Arustamov. M .: Publishing House "Dashkov and K", 2000.

9. Sitarov V. A., Pustovoitov V. V. Social ecology. M.: Publishing Center "Academy", 2000.

10. Khotuntsev Yu.L. Ecology and environmental Safety: Proc. allowance. M.: ACADEMA, 2002.

Sources of environmental pollution can be divided into two categories: natural and artificial. Pollution is the entry into the environment of any element unusual for it. The history of the origin of the Earth and the changes taking place on it can also be attributed to pollution. Pollution is an external influence. The environment reacts to it and changes. That is, pollution causes change. One such change was the emergence of life on Earth. I wonder what kind of pollution it was caused by?

It is generally accepted that natural sources of pollution for the environment are the waste products of organisms, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, sandstorms, and so on. Is it so? Is it possible to consider as pollution of the system what the system itself produces? Or can pollution occur only when an unusual and unfamiliar element enters the system? Yes, as a result of these natural phenomena, there is an excess or lack of any substances. For example, combustion products after fires, sulfur, ash and excess heat after volcanic eruptions, water after excessive precipitation or floods, and so on. And outwardly, all this can be mistaken for pollution. In any case, by outward signs. But all these phenomena, firstly, are the result of the activity of the planet or its biosphere. And secondly, in the process of this “activity”, no new, previously unknown elements and substances are produced on the planet. And only “alien” can pollute.

They call him an agent. It is not included in the system and its internal structure, and therefore is unusual for it. Such for the Earth is solar radiation. Some of its spectra, like ultraviolet, are still detrimental to the biosphere. She developed a whole system of protection against it, reducing the penetration and influence of these rays.

The Earth from the beginning of its existence has always been exposed to various cosmic processes and objects. And from many of them she found protection. But the "attacks" did not stop, and this is quite natural. Meteorites penetrating through the protective layer of the atmosphere, and such large space objects should initially be, cause not only visible destruction. They bring extraterrestrial substances to Earth. Can this be considered pollution? Of course yes. It is difficult to assess the extent of such pollution and the consequences they may cause. Only destruction is visible immediately after the fall of a meteorite, which occurs at the atomic level, can only become known after a significant period of time. It is no coincidence that there are a lot of supporters of the theory of the extraterrestrial origin of life, that is, bringing it from space, including on meteorites or other space objects that fell to Earth.

And the increasing impact of solar radiation on the Earth is happening every day, and we are witnessing it. The atmosphere has recently undergone such changes that it can no longer perform its protective functions as before. We are talking about the warming of the planet's climate, caused by the appearance of "ozone holes" and the "greenhouse effect". The amount of ultraviolet radiation, as a result of a decrease in the amount of ozone in the atmosphere, penetrates more into the areas of the planet inhabited by living organisms. This type of light spectrum carries the greatest amount of energy and is detrimental to some types of microorganism. The "greenhouse effect" is associated with an increase in the amount of another light spectrum - infrared. it thermal radiation originating from objects on the Earth's surface. It returns to the atmosphere and is delayed by it. If the heat did not linger in the lower layers of the atmosphere, then sharp temperature drops would be inevitable, at which the existence of living organisms is impossible.

The definition of the biosphere says that living organisms affect the environment and transform it. They secrete waste products, which, probably, can be mistaken for clogging. However, the biosystem is built in such a way that if this "pollution" did not exist, then the system itself would not exist. Yes, and the products produced by living organisms are agents within the system and are characteristic of it. Any kind of natural or internal pollution is an integral and mandatory element of the existence of the biosphere as an integral, unified and self-regulating system.

Internal “pollution” was useful until another component and a living organism of the biosphere, a person, began to actively interfere in the process. He invented a new method of pollution and new elements of pollution, previously unknown to nature. That is, now the definition of the biosphere has sounded fully. Impact, change and transformation has become full and tangible. In the process of his life, or rather, to ensure his life, a person began to create such forms and methods of such provision, which resulted not only in an increase in the volumes and concentrations of elements known to nature, but also in the creation of new, artificial, and therefore unknown, named xenobiotics. The form of human impact on the biosphere was called anthropogenic, and the type of pollution was called artificial, that is, it did not appear as a result of natural phenomena or processes.

Types of artificial pollution

In order to live, a person must work, that is, engage in certain activities. Firstly, it is the provision of water for consumption and industrial needs. Secondly, meet the requirements in food. The remaining activities are aimed at solving household needs for housing and clothing. For these purposes, natural resources and minerals are extracted and processed, transportation and transportation are carried out, and additional energy is generated. In the struggle for life or improving its quality, a person expands the space for his existence, for which he conducts military operations, engages in science, explores space, and so on. All these activities are the main sources of environmental pollution, because they lead to the production of industrial and domestic waste.

Sources of environmental pollution, as a rule, correspond to industries. The greatest danger to nature is oil and gas production, metallurgy and the chemical industry, transport, agriculture, and energy.

Waste is generated not only at the end of the production cycle or after the complete processing of manufactured products. They are also produced during the technological process. Waste itself is a source of pollution, as a result of accumulation, improper storage, lack of processing and disposal, and so on. All types of environmental pollution can be divided into three main ones. Physical, chemical and biological pollution. The physical includes dust, ash and other products of combustion, radiation, electromagnetic fields, noise, and so on. To the chemical - substances and compounds, such as heavy metals, salts, acids, alkalis, aerosols, and the like. Biological is contamination by bacteriological or microbiological materials.

Each source, with its waste, pollutes several types of the natural environment at the same time. That is, its pollution is complex. For example, any industrial production for its needs consumes water, which, having fulfilled its functions, is discharged back into the reservoir. At the same time, passing through the stages of the technological process, it is “enriched” with substances and elements involved in production. Returning back, it mixes with the waters of a river or lake and "shares" these substances. As a result, both the water itself and all organisms participating in the food chain of this biocenosis are exposed to pollution.

Production is usually an energy consumer. For these needs, various types of fuel are used - peat, coal, fuel oil or gas. Burning, these substances transfer energy to production units and mechanisms, setting them in motion, and the products released as a result of combustion enter the atmosphere. Exhaust gases, ash, suspended particles, and so on with air enter the respiratory system of living beings. In addition, over time, these substances with precipitation fall on the soil and water. And again they move along the food chain. Products manufactured by enterprises are delivered to consumers, after which waste is generated. In addition, the products themselves may fall out of their consumer circulation and into ready-made get into the waste. Both products and their waste contain substances that are unusual for nature, either in terms of qualitative composition or quantitative concentration. Waste, even after disposal, the global percentage of which is very small, accumulates in landfills and landfills. There they are not recycled, but rot and burn. The products of decay and combustion, and these are pollutants, enter the soil, water and air in the ways already described and begin their circulation.

Types of sources and their features

Some sectors of the economy have their own specifics. For example, agriculture, the oil and chemical industry, the military complex and energy.

The specificity of agriculture lies in the fact that in order to intensify production and increase crop yields, a large number of pesticides and mineral fertilizers. Studies have shown that up to 10% of the introduced substances are productively used. That is, it is precisely such a small amount that is absorbed by plants and affects pests. Mineral fertilizers, pesticides, plant protection products, pesticides are substances with a high content of nitrogen and phosphorus. Wherever these substances are located, in storage areas, in fields or landfills, the substances contained in them enter the environment in various ways. This mainly occurs during the period of floods, heavy rains, snowmelt or blown by the wind. AT full sense the words nitrogen and phosphorus cannot be called pollutants, because they can be almost completely consumed by plants. In this case, too rapid growth of green mass has a negative impact on the natural environment. Filling almost the entire volume of the biome with it and squeezing out the rest of the living world. In such places, the animal world dies or leaves it, plants significantly reduce their species diversity, water resources gradually disappear, giving way to organic deposits.

Chemical industry. Its main originality is the synthesis of elements, substances and compounds unknown to nature. This means that there is no organism capable of converting such a substance into a "suitable" for inclusion in the trophic chain. Xenobiotics, without decomposing and not being processed, accumulate in various natural environments and animal organisms. They cause various types of diseases, up to changes in the gene structure.

The oil industry, which must include all its stages from extraction to refining. This industry deals a double polluting blow to the environment. Firstly, oil itself is, in its physical and chemical properties, a substance close to poisonous. Secondly, the process of its extraction, transportation and processing is extremely dangerous for nature. For example, during exploration and production of hydrocarbons, forests are cut down, soils are destroyed. At this stage of work, as well as during transportation, spills of oil and oil products are frequent. This is where the harmful qualities of the oil itself come into play. Processing of hydrocarbons is a process associated with the use and production of flammable, poisonous substances of this kind, which, by themselves and when used in other industries, emit chemicals that adversely affect the atmospheric air, soil and water resources.

Energy. The main sources affecting the environment of this branch of human activity are: water with elevated temperature, discharged after being used for cooling the technological equipment of stations and hydraulic structures that regulate river flows. In these cases, no specific chemical substances enter nature, but warm water and a regulated flow are such that they cause deep changes in the ecosystems of the regions, up to their destruction.

. Its peculiarity is that in the presence of almost all types of production, including weapons of mass destruction, chemical, bacteriological and nuclear, it is closed to external inspections. In addition, in a number of countries with a powerful military potential, the maintenance of this complex is not enough to carry out sufficient measures to protect the environment, modernize treatment and control equipment, as well as dispose of hazardous substances and store them.

Transport and, above all, automobile. With the invention of the engine internal combustion and the desire of man to live in cities, the nature of settlements has changed dramatically. First of all, it concerns air. In some major cities road transport accounts for up to 90% of all pollutant emissions. Urbanization and enlargement of cities only contributes to the worsening of the situation. Exhaust engine gases contain more than 280 types of various harmful substances. The main ones are: benzapyrene, oxides of nitrogen and carbon, lead, mercury, sulfur, soot and hydrocarbons. In addition, transport companies, car repair shops and private cars also mean thousands of tons of various rubber products, used oils and lubricants, scrap metal, glass, contaminated water after washing vehicles and sites for their repair and storage. All this flows into the water, gets into the soil and air. Most car engines use fuels with a high lead content. Exhaust gases from diesel engines are much more toxic than gasoline engines.

. Both the first and the second are a concentrated accumulation of all possible pollutants. More and more surface-active additives, which are part of washing powders and detergents, are getting into municipal drains. And the distinctive quality of landfills is that absolutely most of them are unauthorized and are formed randomly. This makes it impossible to control the composition of the substances contained in the waste, which means the degree and danger of their influence on the world and human health.

For the environment, the sources and types of pollution can be listed indefinitely. Name the types of production, the formulas of chemical compounds and their quantities, the consequences that they cause in living organisms and the harm that brings human health. You can also list legislative acts, regulatory bodies, events adopted and conferences held. But who has not heard, does not know or does not understand? Why, then, do we leave garbage after resting in the forest, or throw plastic bottle further into the river or pouring used oil into a nearby ravine? And so on. The main, first and main source of environmental pollution is not industrial enterprise, and we are with you and each of us. And here you don’t have to be clever, but just try to do it right at least once.

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