Types of environmental pollution in cities. Environmental Pollution (7) - Abstract

29.06.2020

There are natural pollution, resulting from powerful natural processes (volcanic eruptions, forest fires, weathering, erosion, etc.) without any human intervention, and anthropogenic pollution, which is the result of economic activity. Pollution is divided into three main types: physical, biological and chemical. Chemical pollution is the most dangerous for natural ecosystems and humans, since it results in the release of various toxicants into the environment: polychlorinated dioxins, organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, radionuclides, heavy metals, etc. According to estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO) , out of more than 6 million known chemical compounds, only about 500 thousand are used in practice; Of these, about 40 thousand have properties harmful to humans, and 12 thousand are toxic. Many chemicals have carcinogenic and mutagenic properties, among which 200 items are especially dangerous: benzene, asbestos, benzopyrene, pesticides, heavy metals (especially mercury, lead, cadmium), various dyes and food additives. The danger of toxic substances for humans is largely determined by the ability of the latter to cumulate (Cumulation is the accumulation of a biologically active substance or the effects it causes during repeated exposure to drugs and poisons on the body). Accumulating in the human body, toxicants can lead to various painful conditions long after their exposure. In addition, toxic substances can lead to various malformations, deformities and hereditary diseases.

Industry

Any human production activity has a negative impact on the natural environment, its resources and processes. Industrial enterprises are divided into mining and processing. The latter are divided into heavy and light industry.

Mining enterprises, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, chemical and oil refining industries, pulp and paper mills, and all types of power plants are characterized by a high level of anthropogenic impact on the natural environment.

The problem of all industrial enterprises is the generation of large amounts of waste:

1) emissions into atmospheric air;
2) wastewater and solid waste from production.

The reduction in the areas of forests, savannas, and steppes due to the rapid construction of cities, large industrial enterprises and highways entails a decrease in the supply of oxygen to the atmosphere. Every year, millions of tons of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrocarbons, ozone, ammonia, carbon monoxide and dust enter the atmosphere.

Mining and processing enterprises use large amounts of water for industrial purposes. This circumstance entails the formation of wastewater contaminated with a variety of substances, the entry of which into water bodies is fraught with disastrous consequences for their inhabitants. Petroleum products, compounds of copper, iron, zinc, surfactants, phosphorus, phenol, ammonium and nitrite nitrogen are discharged into surface waters. Very often, these and other harmful substances end up in groundwater, where they leak from industrial and agricultural waste disposal sites.

The development of large mineral deposits, as well as the extraction of building materials, destroy natural landscapes, destroy soil cover, and disrupt the hydrological balance of groundwater.

Industrial enterprises pollute the natural environment with radioactive substances. A special type of pollution is noise and vibration created by industrial installations and transport.

Transport

Transport, being a very important link in the global economic system, has a sharply negative impact on the quality of the environment. It manifests itself in chemical pollution of the environment by exhaust gases from internal combustion engines; noise pollution; acquisition of land for road construction. Each mode of transport has a specific impact on the environment.

Road transport is one of the most significant sources of air pollution. This effect is especially noticeable within large cities. Air transport has similar environmental impacts.

Excessive air from car exhaust caused a European flood: flooding in Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, the Krasnodar Territory, and Adygea. Drought and smog in the central regions of the European part of Russia, in the Moscow region. The flood can be explained by the fact that powerful flows of hot air from car exhaust CO2 and H2O exhaust gases from Central and Eastern Europe were added to atmospheric currents and fluctuations in air flows, where the growth in the number of cars exceeded all permissible standards. The number of cars on our highways and cities has increased 5 times; the thermal heating of the air and its volume from car exhaust vapors have sharply increased. If the heating of the atmosphere by road transport was significantly less than the heating of the Earth's surface from the sun, then the number of moving cars has increased so much that the heating of the atmosphere from cars becomes comparable to the heating from the sun and sharply disrupts the climate of the atmosphere.

True, the aircraft fleet is much smaller than the automobile fleet, but the impact on the atmosphere of just one airliner is equivalent to the impact of almost 8 thousand cars. In addition, air transport has the highest degree of noise exposure, which is especially noticeable during takeoff and landing, when the aircraft is near the ground.

Water modes of transport mainly affect the planet's hydrosphere. Oil pollution of the World Ocean and inland waters, which has already been mentioned above, is associated, in particular, with the operation of this type of transport.

Modern railway transport has almost no direct impact on the environment. But this is associated with a significant seizure of land for road construction, as well as littering of areas adjacent to the railways.

Agriculture

Of all types of economic activity, agriculture has the greatest impact on the environment. The main reason is that agricultural activities require the development of vast territories. There are not many undeveloped areas left in the world suitable for agricultural activities. There are many factors that hinder the cultivation of new plots of land. These include poor soil quality, arid climate, lack of infrastructure, and environmental restrictions. Modern agriculture has caused significant damage to the environment, primarily through deforestation for cropland. In many regions, further deforestation for arable land could lead to environmental disaster.

In the process of agricultural use, the content of individual nutrients necessary for plants for full growth in soils decreases, therefore mineral fertilizers play an extremely important role in agriculture. The application of mineral fertilizers is necessary not only in countries such as China, where the amount of land resources is constantly decreasing due to increased urbanization, but also in Brazil, where the area under cultivation is increasing due to the development of new territories. Since the amount of organic fertilizers is very limited, improving the fertile qualities of the soil is only possible through the application of mineral fertilizers obtained from phosphorites, potassium chloride and natural gas.

The use of fertilizers must be balanced, taking into account their interaction with environmental objects. Violation of the requirements for the use of fertilizers, primarily nitrogen and bedding-free manure, not only negatively affects water bodies, water sources, and vegetation, but often leads to an increased content of compounds in crop products that are harmful to humans and animals.

Excessive application of fertilizers (primarily nitrogen), especially if applied incorrectly or untimely, can lead to pollution of reservoirs and groundwater, increasing the content of nitrates, sulfates, chlorides and other compounds above the permissible level. This is especially true for regions with high rainfall.

An increase in the concentration of nutrients in water bodies causes their eutrophication. Eutrophication is the process of enriching water with nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, either anthropogenic or natural. The most undesirable consequence of eutrophication is the excessive development of algae in water bodies, which causes algae blooms. There is also an expansion of coastal flora, which gradually leads to a reduction in area and swamping of water bodies.

Military activities

War is always chaos and death. War harms not only humanity, but also the environment - it destroys the soil, harms animals, birds, and fish. Man lives in constant fear, hunger, and lack of water. In wartime, human rights and freedoms are violated, especially the most important thing - the right to life. However, during the war, the country is drowned in a wave of patriotism. A kind of cultural upsurge begins. Science and military technology are developing. True, not every military invention of mankind is wonderful. For example, nuclear weapons were a mistake, because if someone ever uses them, it will lead to the destruction or mutation of all life on earth, and there may be a complete destruction of man as a living being. The world was already on the verge of such an event once before, in 1962, when World War III was only a matter of seconds away.

Any military action leads to the destruction of the environment. Since, for example, high-explosive weapons can cause great damage to both the soil and vegetation cover and the inhabitants of forests and fields. Also, chemical, incendiary, and gas weapons fundamentally harm the environment. All these impacts on the environment, which are increasing as human economic power increases, lead to the fact that nature does not have time to compensate for the destructive consequences of human economic activity.

The use of natural objects for military purposes is their use to defeat the enemy. The simplest common methods are poisoning water sources and fires. The first method is the most common due to its simplicity and effectiveness. Another method - fires - was also often used in war. The inhabitants of the steppes had a particular passion for this method: this is understandable - in the steppe, fire quickly spreads over vast territories, and even if the enemy does not die in the fire, he will be destroyed by the lack of water, food and feed for livestock. Of course, they also burned forests, but this was less effective from the point of view of defeating the enemy, and was usually used for other purposes.

Another reason is the huge graves remaining at the sites of major battles (for example, 120,000 people died during the Battle of Kulikovo Field). When a huge number of corpses decompose, poisons are formed, which fall into water bodies with rain or groundwater, poisoning them. The same poisons destroy animals at the burial site. They are all the more dangerous because their effect can begin either immediately or only after many years.

Modern armed forces have a significant and dangerous impact on the environment: contamination of territories by military vehicles, forest fires during shooting, destruction of the ozone layer during missile launches and flights of military aircraft, radioactive pollution of the environment by submarines with nuclear installations (the danger is represented by components of spent nuclear fuel , as well as radiation-contaminated hulls of decommissioned nuclear submarines, the disposal of which is carried out at great expense).

In addition, recently there have been more frequent cases of accidents at warehouses of aging ammunition, as a result of which fires destroyed a significant area of forests in the territories adjacent to the warehouses.

Warehouses storing nuclear weapons components (warheads, rocket fuel, etc.) pose a constant threat. Potential sources of radioactive contamination of the environment are sunken submarines with nuclear installations.

However, the main environmental problems generated by the armed forces are the consequences of nuclear weapons testing, military ecocide in Indochina and the Persian Gulf, problems of storage and destruction of chemical weapons, as well as solid and especially liquid fuel for military missiles.

Utilities

Housing and communal services enterprises are the main sources of contaminated wastewater entering surface water bodies. Emergency pollution of water sources is accompanied by the shutdown of city and village water intakes and disruption of the water supply regime. The placement of industrial enterprises and other environmentally hazardous facilities in sanitary protection zones of drinking water supply sources has led to the fact that all water taken from surface sources is subject to special treatment. Most countries are forced to experience a shortage of water supply capacity. As a result, people are forced to use water for household and drinking needs that does not meet sanitary and hygienic requirements.

The deterioration of water supply and sewerage systems increases every year, which leads to massive discharges of contaminated wastewater, causing extremely high pollution of water bodies, as well as outbreaks of infectious diseases. More than a third of all water supply networks require complete replacement; Breaks, outages and accidents cause not only water losses, but also temporary cessation of water supply.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, impact on the biosphere, posing a danger to wildlife and the sustainable existence of ecosystems. There are natural pollution caused by natural causes (for example, volcanic activity) and anthropogenic pollution associated with human activity. 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 emergence of new chemical compounds, particles and foreign materials that are toxic or cannot be 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 of elements dangerous to organisms such as mercury, lead, arsenic, etc. Involvement in industrial and agricultural production of heavy metals significantly exceeds the quantities that were in the biosphere cycle during 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 previously not found in nature have been synthesized in the world, of which about 100 thousand have become widespread in the environment (for example, chlorine-containing pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls). Environmental pollution is so great that the natural processes of the cycle of substances in nature and the diluting ability of the atmosphere and hydrosphere are not able to neutralize its harmful effects. Natural systems and connections in the biosphere that have developed over a long period of 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, a decrease in biological productivity, and degradation of ecosystems. Along with this, uncontrolled reproduction of organisms occurs that easily produce resistant 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 across the globe) and persistent (persistent, persisting for many decades ) pollutants. The direct objects of pollution are the atmosphere, water bodies and soils.

Air pollution. Combustion of oil, natural gas, coal, wood and organic waste are the main sources of pollution with sulfur compounds (SO 2, SO 3, H 2 S), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO 2, N 2 O) and carbon (CO, CO 2) , 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 CO 2 over the past 200 years has increased by more than 1.3 times, nitrogen oxides - almost 1.9 times, methane - more than 3 times (main increase after 1950). Anthropogenic emissions of CO 2 (an annual increase of 0.2%, in 2005 exceeded 28 billion tons) and some other gases, including methane, N 2 O, fluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6), ozone, create a “greenhouse effect” in the atmosphere "and can lead 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 environmental problem in Europe, North America, and China. Emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (see Freons) and a number of other substances into the atmosphere lead to the depletion of the ozone layer of the stratosphere, which protects all living things from hard UV radiation. At the beginning of the 21st century, the appearance of an “ozone hole” over the Antarctic was registered (area 28 million km 2; 3.9 million km 2 more than in 2005). It also covers the southern tip of South America, the Falkland Islands, New Zealand, and part of Australia. The emergence of the “ozone hole” is associated with an increase in the incidence of skin cancer and cataracts. There is an increase in the intensity of UV radiation 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 air 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). Over the period from 1999 to 2003, the number of cities in which the maximum concentration of pollutants is ten times the MPC increased from 32 to 48; the main pollutants are lead, benzopyrene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, manganese compounds, NO 2, H 2 S, sulfur, dust. In 2001-04, an additional contribution to environmental pollution was made by transboundary deposition of sulfur and nitrogen compounds, as well as cadmium, lead and mercury (mainly from Poland, Ukraine, Germany), which exceeded receipts from Russian sources.

Pollution of fresh water bodies. Industrial development, urbanization and agricultural intensification in the 20th century led to a significant deterioration in the quality of water in continental surface 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, and in the 1940s, intensive eutrophication of water bodies began; in the 1950s - radionuclide contamination, after the 1960s - acidification. The main pollutants are agricultural, industrial and domestic wastewater, with which compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, copper, fluorine and chlorine, as well as hydrocarbons enter water bodies. Large-scale treatment of industrial wastewater began 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 effective treatment facilities remove up to 94% of phosphorus-containing and up to 40% of nitrogen-containing compounds. Pollution of water bodies with agricultural runoff is primarily due to the presence of various fertilizers and pesticides (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 away). 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 of aquatic plants and oxygen deficiency in water bodies and, as a consequence, significant disruption of aquatic ecosystems. About 10% of the world's freshwater pollution comes from municipal wastewater. In general, more than 1.5 thousand km 3 of wastewater is discharged into inland waters annually, the dilution of which takes about 30% of the total river flow, amounting to about 46 thousand km 3. A significant portion of pollutants enters natural waters from the atmosphere, with rain and melt water. In the USA, for example, in the 1980s, up to 96% of polychlorinated biphenyls, 90% of nitrogen and 75% of phosphorus, and 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 annually from diseases associated with contaminated drinking water sources in Africa alone.

In many regions of Russia, pollution of surface water bodies with petroleum products, compounds of copper, manganese, iron, nitrogen, phenol and other organic substances is tens of times higher than the maximum permissible concentration level. About 20% of polluted wastewater comes from fuel and energy complex enterprises. There are frequent cases of high pollution with mercury, lead, sulfides, hydrogen sulfide, pesticides, lignin, and formaldehyde. In 2005, more than 36% of discharged wastewater was polluted above permissible standards. By 2005, environmental degradation affected the ecosystems of 26% of lakes and rivers. Tens of millions of tons of heavy metal salts and other substances hazardous to organisms have accumulated at the bottom of the Volga and other reservoirs, which has turned these reservoirs into uncontrolled sites for the disposal of toxic waste. In 2005, almost 30% of surface water bodies used for drinking water supply did not meet hygienic standards, and more than 25% of water samples did not meet standards for microbiological indicators.

Pollution of the World Ocean 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 coastal parts of the Gulf of Mexico, for example, the concentration of nitrogen compounds, which had remained unchanged since the early 20th century, increased 2.5-fold 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. Dumping of various wastes into the seas is still widely practiced (at the end of the 20th century, up to 17 tons per 1 km 2 of ocean). Since the 1970s, the volume of untreated municipal wastewater flows has increased sharply (for example, in the Caribbean it accounts for up to 90% of wastewater). The share of atmospheric deposition in coastal pollution is projected to increase due to an increase in the number of vehicles and industrial development. 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 enter the ocean with river runoff, and about 40 thousand tons of mercury come from the atmosphere.

Every year more than 10 million tons of oil enter the ocean (mostly carried out by rivers). Up to 5% of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are constantly covered with an oil film. During Desert Storm (1991), accidental oil leaks into the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea exceeded 6 million tons. As a result of global transport, persistent organochlorine pesticides are found in dangerous quantities in Antarctic and Arctic mammals and birds. Radiochemical production in France, Great Britain, the USSR (Russia) and the USA contaminated the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean, and Eastern Pacific Ocean with long-lived radionuclides. At the bottom of the world's oceans there 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 were sunk after the Great Patriotic War in the Baltic, White, Barents, Kara, Okhotsk and Japanese seas. A serious threat is ocean pollution from poorly biodegradable synthetic waste. Every year, more than 2 million birds, marine mammals, and turtles die as a result of ingesting plastic debris and becoming entangled in abandoned nets.

In the last 30 years, eutrophication of marine water bodies has been observed (for example, the Black, Azov and Baltic Seas), 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 associated with the introduction of alien species, which enter mainly with the ballast waters of ships, is catastrophic. For example, the appearance of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis in the Azov Sea and the rapana in the Black Sea is accompanied by the displacement of the native fauna.

In the internal and marginal seas of the Russian Federation, for some types of pollutants, MPCs are consistently exceeded by 3-5 times. The most polluted areas include the Peter the Great Gulf (Sea of Japan), the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Neva Bay (Baltic Sea). The annual removal of petroleum products by rivers in the 1990s was (thousands of tons): Ob - up to 600, Yenisei - up to 360, Volga - up to 82, Lena - up to 50.

Land and soil pollution. By the end of the 20th century, 2.4 million km 2 of land was degraded due to chemical pollution (12% of the total area of land, the degradation of which is associated with 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, and about 800 tons of cobalt fell onto the soil surface annually from metallurgical enterprises alone. When producing 1 g of blister copper, for example, 2 tons of waste are generated, which in the form of fine particles fall to the surface of the earth from the atmosphere (contain up to 15% copper, 60% iron oxides and 4% each of arsenic, mercury, zinc and lead). Mechanical engineering and chemical production 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 are distributed over thousands of km 2 in North and Central Asia, Central and South Africa, Australia, and North America. Man-made industrial wastelands are forming around large enterprises in many countries. Acid precipitation causes acidification of soils over millions of km2.

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

Modern cities pollute (landfills, wastewater treatment plants, etc.) an area 5-7 times larger than their own. On average, developed countries produce about 200-300 kg of waste per person per year. As a rule, countries with low living standards produce more waste. According to expert estimates, in the world the volume of municipal waste buried in landfills 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 area of land occupied by wastewater treatment facilities (sludge ponds, irrigation fields) is increasing. By the beginning of the 21st century, the removal of toxic waste from developed countries became a serious problem: up to 30% of hazardous waste from Western Europe at the end of the 20th century was buried in the territories of other states.

Technogenic contamination of soils around large thermal power plants (especially those operating on coal and shale) can be traced over an area of several thousand km 2 (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 areas around nuclear power plants and other nuclear enterprises are contaminated with radionuclides of cesium, strontium, cobalt, etc. Testing of atomic weapons in the atmosphere (before 1963) led to global persistent contamination of soils with cesium, strontium and plutonium. More than 250 thousand tons of lead per year reach the soil surface with vehicle exhaust gases. The soil is especially dangerously contaminated 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 residential areas in 2005 were heavily polluted with compounds of heavy metals and fluorine, 16.5% of soils in these areas are susceptible 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 do not meet sanitary standards. In Moscow and the Moscow region alone, about 3,000 illegal dumps were identified in 2005. More than 47 thousand km 2 (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. The storage areas for prohibited and unusable pesticides (more than 24 thousand tons in 2005), as well as the previously disposed burial sites of these substances, are in unsatisfactory condition. In all areas of oil production, transportation, distribution and refining, soil contamination 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.

Environment protection. Measures aimed at protecting against environmental pollution are part of the problem of nature conservation. They come down mainly to legislative restrictions and a system of fines. The global nature of environmental pollution strengthens the role of international agreements and conventions on pollution prevention. 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 have been concluded. Among them: Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Materials (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); UN 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 against Pollution (1992); Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001).

See also the articles Biosphere, Environmental Monitoring and the article State and protection of the environment in the volume “Russia”.

Lit.: Tinsley I. Behavior of chemical pollutants in the environment. M., 1982; Global Environmental Outlook: Review 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 the European environment: 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: health of nature and humans. M., 2007.

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

Pollutant: Any agent of natural or man-made origin (primarily a physical agent, a chemical substance and a biological species, mainly microorganisms), entering or emerging into the environment in quantities ... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

POLLUTANT- any physical agent, chemical substance or biological species entering or occurring in the environment in quantities beyond normal and causing environmental pollution. Ecological encyclopedic dictionary. Chisinau:... ... Ecological dictionary

Pollutant Dictionary of Russian synonyms. polluter noun, number of synonyms: 2 polluter (2) ... Synonym dictionary

pollutant- Any foreign (extraneous) energy or substance (particles, liquids, gases, energy in the form of heat, static electricity, radiation, etc.) in the technological environment (zone), negatively affecting reliability, safety, efficiency... ... Technical Translator's Guide

POLLUTER, me, husband. Something that pollutes the air, water, soil. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

1) any natural and anthropogenic: physical or information agent, chemical substance and biological species (mainly microorganisms) entering the environment or appearing in it in quantities beyond the natural background;... ... Dictionary of emergency situations

pollutant- Natural or anthropogenic substances that enter or occur in the environment in quantities that are abnormally high compared to their natural levels. Syn.: pollutant... Dictionary of Geography

polluter- 6.1. #pollutant#: Any agent of natural or man-made origin (primarily a physical agent, a chemical substance and a biological species, mainly microorganisms) that enters or occurs in the environment in... ... Official terminology

pollutant- rus pollutant (m), pollutant (c) eng contaminant, pollutant fra impureté (f), contaminant (m), polluant (m) deu Verunreinigung (f), Verunreiniger (m), verunreinigender Stoff (m) spa contaminante ( m), agente (m) polulante… Occupational safety and health. Translation into English, French, German, Spanish

POLLUTANT- In damage control: toxic, harmful or dangerous substance. Any agent: physical agent, chemical or biological species (mainly microorganisms) that can cause harm to human health or the environment. In the laws... ... Insurance and risk management. Terminological dictionary

Any type of environmental pollution is a significant global problem of our time, which is discussed with increasing regularity on television, as well as in scientific circles. Many international organizations have been formed, the main focus of which is the fight against deteriorating natural conditions.

Today, a lot is known about the processes leading to environmental pollution. Many scientific works and books have been written, countless researches have been carried out. However, a practical solution to these problems for humanity was not entirely possible. Issues of natural pollution still remain relevant, and putting them on the back burner could result in tragic consequences for humanity.

The main typological division of types of pollution

From the history of biosphere pollution

Due to the intensive industrialization of public life, the problem of environmental pollution has become especially acute over the past decades, although environmental pollution is still considered one of the oldest problems in human history. In ancient times, at the dawn of mankind, people barbarously destroyed forests, exterminated flora and fauna, and also changed the natural landscape in order to further expand the territories of their residence and obtain more and more precious resources.

Even in those days, this attitude led to climate changes of various scales and other environmental disasters. The constant increase in the Earth's population and the rapid progress of civilization was accompanied by intensive mining. This often led to the drainage of water bodies and, of course, to chemical pollution of the biosphere. The century of the scientific, technological and industrial revolution was marked not only by a new era of social order, but also by a new wave of pollution.

The development of science and technology has given scientists the tools with which it is possible to carry out accurate and detailed diagnostics of the environmental situation on the planet. Satellite data, weather reports, samples of the chemical composition of air masses, water resources, soil, as well as a visual demonstration of smoking pipes everywhere and oil spills on the sea surface can only confirm that the problem is only intensifying due to the expansion of the technosphere. It is not for nothing that some scientists express the opinion that the emergence of Homo sapiens is the main environmental disaster.

Types (classification) of biosphere pollution

The main pollutants of the biosphere

Today there is a whole classification of types of causes of environmental pollution, which are based on a wide variety of factors.

Mainly, several types of environmental pollution are known. So, there are pollution:

Biological. The source of pollution is living organisms. This may occur naturally or the primary source may be anthropogenic activity;
Physical. Such pollution leads to changes in the corresponding characteristics in the environment. Physical pollution can be thermal, radiation, noise and other types;
Chemical. Occur due to an increase in the percentage of substances or their penetration into the environment. This may result in changes in the normal chemical composition of the resources;
Mechanical. With this type of biosphere pollution comes from garbage.

In fact, each type of pollution can be accompanied by another or several at the same time.

Human air pollution

The gaseous layer of the Earth is the most important participant in the natural processes of the planet, thanks to which its climate and thermal background are determined (currently there is a change in temperature). It protects against the harmful effects of cosmic radiation and takes part in relief formation. The composition of gases in the atmosphere has been modified throughout the history of the formation of a planetary body. The harsh reality is that some of the volume in the gas envelope of the Earth is the result of human activity. Thus, industrial areas and large cities are characterized by high levels of harmful impurities in the atmosphere.

Chemical pollution is caused by some human activities

The main sources of chemical pollution of the atmosphere may be the following activities:

Chemical plants;
Enterprises of the fuel and energy complex;
Vehicle.

Such sources of pollution are considered to be the cause of the appearance of many heavy metals in the atmosphere, such as lead, mercury, chromium, and copper. They are permanent components of air masses from industrial areas. Modern power plants emit thousands of tons of carbon dioxide, soot, dust, and ash into the atmosphere every day.

The increase in the number of vehicles in cities and villages has led to an increased accumulation of many harmful substances in the atmosphere, which come from vehicle exhaust gases. Anti-knock additives that are added to fuel contribute to the release of large amounts of lead. Car engines produce ash and dust, which pollute not only the air, but also the soil.

The air, among other things, is polluted by extremely toxic gases emitted by chemical industry factories. Chemical waste containing nitrogen and sulfur oxides often leads to acid rain. They are prone to react with elements of the biosphere, after which other equally dangerous derivatives are formed. Due to thoughtless human activity, forest fires regularly occur, during which huge amounts of carbon dioxide are released.

Soil contamination by humans

Types of physical pollution and main factors

Soil is a thin layer of lithosphere that was formed due to many natural circumstances. It contains many processes related to the interaction of living and nonliving systems. By extracting natural resources, carrying out mining operations, and constructing a wide variety of buildings, roads and airfields, large areas of soil are destroyed.

Due to irrational human economic activity, the fertile layer of the earth is degrading. There is a change in its natural chemical composition, as well as mechanical contamination. The intensity of agricultural development leads to significant losses of fertile land. Excessively frequent plowing contributes to the fact that the soils are threatened by flooding, salinity and wind, which can result in soil erosion.

The generous use of fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides and chemical poisons in order to destroy pests and weeds leads to the penetration of unnatural chemicals into the soil. Anthropogenic activities lead to changes associated with chemical pollution of the earth, and pollution is produced mainly by heavy metals and their derivatives. The main harmful element in this case is lead, along with its compounds. When processing lead ores, chemical plants emit approximately 30 kg of metals for every ton of raw material processed. Car exhaust, containing a lot of this metal, penetrates the soil and leads to poisoning of living organisms living in it. Liquid waste discharged from mines containing zinc, copper and other metals also leads to land contamination.

The activities of power plants and research centers studying atomic energy, radioactive fallout, for example, during nuclear testing, lead to radioactive contamination. Because of all this, radioactive isotopes enter the soil, and they can then enter human bodies when consuming food. Metals accumulated in the bowels of the earth are dissipated due to excessive human industrial activity. Further they will concentrate in the upper soil layers.

It should be noted that not so long ago only 18 elements were used in industrial production, from those present in the earth’s crust, and in our time - all known.

One example of chemical water pollution by humans

Currently, unlike the earth or air, the waters on the planet are much more polluted than you can imagine. Oil stains, as well as many plastic bottles floating on the surface of the seas and oceans, are just what, as they say, “lies on the surface.” Where most of all kinds of pollutants have already dissolved and remain in this state.

Of course, water quality can deteriorate due to natural reasons. For example, when mudflows and floods occur, magnesium particles are washed out of continental soils, which, when released into water bodies, harm aquatic animals and fish more than their natural enemies do. Any chemical transformations lead to the penetration of aluminum into fresh water. Thus, natural pollution constitutes only a small proportion as opposed to anthropogenic pollution. Due to the fault of people, imperfect industrial equipment pollutes water:

Surface-active compounds;
Pesticides;
Phosphates, nitrates and other salts;
Medicines;
Petroleum products;
Radioactive isotopes.

There can be many sources of such pollutants. A lot of contamination is allowed:

Farms;
Fishing;
Oil platforms;
Power plants;
Chemical industry enterprises;
Sewage.

By the way, acid precipitation, which also appears as a result of human activity, dissolves soils, which leads to the leaching of heavy metals.

In addition to chemical water pollution, there is also physical, or more precisely, thermal pollution. Large quantities of water are used in the electric power industry. Thus, thermal power plants use it to cool turbines, and waste heated liquids are discharged into reservoirs. Mechanical deterioration of water quality indicators due to household waste and organic residues in cities reduces the habitats of aquatic inhabitants, and some of them die.

Polluted waters are the main cause of most diseases. For example, many living beings die, the ecosystem of the seas and oceans suffers, and normal natural processes are disrupted. As a result, contaminants end up in food products, after which they negatively affect human bodies.

Global pollution problems: how to deal with them?

To avoid catastrophic consequences, the fight against physical pollution should be task No. 1. Problems must be solved at the global level, because nature does not have state borders. To prevent pollution, sanctions are needed against enterprises that dump waste into the environment, as well as considerable fines for throwing garbage in the wrong places. It is necessary to stimulate compliance with environmental safety standards using financial methods. Such approaches have already proven their effectiveness in some countries.

One of the promising areas in the fight against pollution may be the use of alternative energy sources. Thus, the use of solar panels, hydrogen fuel and other energy-saving technologies will lead to a reduction in emissions of harmful compounds into the environment.

To combat pollution you need:

Build treatment facilities;
Create national parks and reserves;
Increase green spaces;
Draw public attention to the problem of the consequences of pollution.

Environmental pollution is a global world problem, the solution of which is directly dependent on the active participation of everyone who considers planet Earth their home; otherwise, environmental disaster simply cannot be avoided.

Stopping pollution is essential to saving our planet and ensuring people's health and well-being. The air and water are poisoned by dangerous chemicals, and if nothing is done, the Earth will lose its beauty and diversity. In this article, we will tell you some ways to do your part to stop environmental pollution.

Steps

Selecting a vehicle

If possible, walk or bike. Avoiding your car for short trips is a great way to improve the environment. If you don't have far to travel and the weather is good, walk or bike. This way you will not only help stop environmental pollution, but also get some useful exercise.

Use public transport. Traveling by bus or subway will help reduce your carbon emissions because you won't be using your own car. If public transport is excellent where you live, use it. This will allow you to take your mind off the road and read or just relax.

Combine trips. Daily travel by private car has a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, when you need to travel for several things, try to combine your trips into one. This will also save you money, as starting a cold engine uses 20% more fuel than when the car is running.

Have your vehicle serviced regularly to ensure that the engine and components are operating properly. Keeping your car in excellent condition will reduce your carbon emissions and also help prevent other problems with your car.

Change the oil every 3 months or every 5000 km.
Maintain recommended tire pressure.
Change air, oil and fuel filters regularly.

Drive carefully, because dangerous driving contributes to environmental pollution. Driving safely will also save you money by reducing your fuel consumption.
- Accelerate gradually, lightly pressing the gas pedal.
- Do not exceed the permitted speed.
- Maintain a constant speed (try using cruise control if you have it).
- Prepare for braking in advance.
Buy a hybrid or electric car. Electric cars run solely on electricity, so they don't produce any emissions. A hybrid car has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Both electric and hybrid cars help reduce pollution. Although a hybrid car uses gasoline, such cars are more fuel efficient and produce fewer emissions (compared to conventional cars).
- Keep in mind that the price of electric and hybrid cars is higher than most conventional cars.
Food selection
1. Buy local products whenever possible. Transporting food across the country and around the world uses significant amounts of fuel, resulting in air pollution. So, buy locally sourced foods from nearby farms rather than food imported from other regions. If the farmer or gardener sells their own produce, ask how they grow it to learn about their efforts to prevent pollution.
  - Go to a farmer's market to interact with the direct producers of the food.
  - Find products made or grown by local producers at your local store.
  - At large grocery stores, look for products made in your region.
2. Limit or avoid consumption of animal products made in large factories. This means meat, milk, cheese and eggs. Such enterprises heavily pollute the environment - the waste of some of them is comparable to the waste of a small city. To do your part to protect the environment, do not buy or eat animal products produced in large factories.
  - If you cannot give up animal products, reduce your consumption, for example, to 1-2 times a week.
  - If you want to help make an even bigger difference in the fight for a cleaner environment, consider becoming a vegetarian or vegan.
3. Eat organically grown fruits and vegetables. These products are grown by farmers who use production methods that do not harm the environment. For example, such farmers do not use chemical pesticides that pollute groundwater. By purchasing organically grown fruits and vegetables, you contribute to the development of farmers who practice environmentally friendly production methods.
  - Look for fruits, vegetables and other foods labeled "Organic."
4. Grow your own fruits and vegetables. Plant a garden or vegetable garden on your own property, and you will contribute to protecting the environment. Plants and trees convert carbon into oxygen, which reduces air pollution. Moreover, the fruits and vegetables you grow will replace products from the store, which require a lot of fuel to transport.
  - If you're new to gardening, start small. To start, plant some tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers in your garden. As you gain experience and skills, gradually expand the area of your garden.
Selecting an Energy Source
1. When leaving the room, turn off the lights and electrical appliances. To save more energy, you can unplug electrical appliances. Or connect all electrical appliances to the surge protector so that when it is turned off, all electrical appliances are turned off at once.
  
  Make small changes that will lead to significant energy savings. It is recommended to do the following:
  
  If you have the ability to regulate the temperature in the room, set the thermostat to 25 °C in the warm season, and 20 °C in the cold season. You will save energy by properly regulating your heating and air conditioning system.
  
  Improve the insulation of your home. To do this, caulk the cracks around the window frames or replace the old frames with new ones. In winter, you can use special means. If you have old-style frames and not double-glazed windows, you can seal them for the winter so that the heat does not leave your home.
  
  Consider alternative energy sources. If you live in your own home or are planning to build one, explore the possibility of installing solar panels or a wind turbine.
  
  Consider switching to a different energy source. This means switching from a non-renewable source (for example, gas) to a renewable one (electricity). For example, if you are designing your own home, consider installing an electric boiler instead of a gas one. In a city apartment, you can replace a stove with a gas oven with an electric stove, if the electrical wiring allows.
Recycle, reuse and reduce waste
1. Recycle everything that can be recycled. If possible, avoid purchasing products that do not have a triangle with arrows symbol on the packaging to indicate that the product can be recycled. Also avoid products made from several different materials (these products are difficult to recycle).
  - Find out if your waste collection company offers recycling services. If not, there may be special centers in your city where you can take recyclable waste. Find out on the Internet where you can take, for example, waste paper or plastic bottles.
2. Buy products made from recycled materials. This way you will help reduce the demand for new materials, the production of which pollutes the environment.
  - Look for products labeled “Made from Recycled Materials.”
  - Recycled products are often labeled with percentages indicating the amount of recycled material out of the total raw material. Look for products that have large percentages listed on them.
Preventing chemicals from entering the water supply
1. Use fewer chemicals. The chemicals we use for cleaning, personal hygiene, and car washing are washed down the drain, but often end up in the water supply. Such chemicals are harmful not only to the plants and animals that make up the ecosystem of our planet, but also to humans. If possible, use natural analogues of chemicals.
  - For example, to clean the bathroom, you can make a solution of vinegar and water or baking soda, salt and water. These natural ingredients are excellent cleaning agents, but they do not pollute the water when washed down the drain.
  - Try making your own laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent. If you don't have time, buy a detergent made from natural ingredients.
  - If you can't find a natural alternative, use chemicals in the smallest quantities possible.
2. Do not use pesticides or herbicides. These chemicals are sprayed above the ground and when it rains they fall into the groundwater. Pesticides and herbicides protect crops from pests, but they harm the environment by leaking into groundwater, which is essential for the survival of people and animals.
  
  Do not flush medications down the drain. Disinfection systems cannot completely remove drug residues from water, which negatively affects every person who drinks such water. Each medicine has specific instructions for disposing of it. If you need to throw away medications, find out how to do it correctly (do not flush medications down the drain!).
  - It is recommended to wash off some medications so that they do not fall into the hands of a certain category of people (for example, children). But remember that this is an exception to the rule.
3. Dispose of toxic waste properly. Some substances should not be thrown into the trash because they seep into the ground and contaminate groundwater. If you are unsure how to dispose of toxic chemicals you have, contact your local service provider to find out how to dispose of them.
4. Save water. Remember that water is a valuable resource, and its overuse has a negative impact on the environment. In your daily life, you can easily reduce your water consumption and improve the ecosystem of your region. Here's what to do:
  - Fix water leaks promptly.
  - Install water-saving faucets.
  - When washing dishes, turn off the water.
  - Replace your old toilet with a new model that uses less water.
  - Don't water your lawn too much.
Involving other people in the fight for a cleaner environment
1. Find out which businesses in your area are the most polluting. Look for the necessary information on the Internet or talk to people who will tell you about it. Collect as much data as possible to have a better understanding of the situation.
  - Although individuals can do their best to combat environmental pollution, its main source is enterprises. Therefore, be sure to find out who or what is causing the main harm to the environment.