Geography assignment ...

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Geography assignment Environmental Pollution Submitted by: Maaz Ahmad Siddiqui Submitted to: Ma’am
Faiza Ali Submission date: 6 of May, 2022 Class: Eight Section: Red Criteria: Length According to topic /5
Addressed options: Original content /5 Organized and easy to follow; includes summary /10 Refer to
topics in the course /5 Grand total /25 Pollution Pollution is when some substance or matter causes harm
to the environment and atmosphere of the earth. Over the years pollution has seen a considerable increase
and is expected to increase even more in the future. According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
data published by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, pollution increased 5.5 percent on average in
America alone, from 2016 to 2018. This rapid change in pollution endangers many species and humans on
earth.

There are 3 main types of pollution: Air pollution Water pollution Land pollution Air pollution Air pollution, as
the name suggests is the Air that has become polluted due to harmful substances or matter such as Smoke
and/or Fumes. Air is essential for Humans, Animals, and Plants. We need air to be able to survive. Clean,
dry air is primarily made up of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen The remaining 1 percent is a mixture of other
gases, mostly made up of argon (0.9 percent), along with small amounts of carbon
dioxide, methane, hydrogen, helium, etc. Air pollution can be hazardous substances from both human-made
and natural sources.

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Vehicle emissions, fumes from chemical products, Industry emissions, and activities such as smoking are the
primary sources of human-made air pollution. Nature releases hazardous substances into the air, such as
smoke from wildfires, ash and gases from volcanic eruptions; and gases, like methane, which are released
from decomposed organic matter in soils.

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The tiny substances that pollute the Air are called Particulates. Quantity of Particulates is directly
proportional to the amount of Pollution in the Air, in other words the more the Particulates in the Air the
more Polluted it is. Studies have shown that from the last 5 decades Air Particulates have increased
enormously and tend to increase even more as the earth sees more developments.

Furthermore, there are two sub-types in Air Pollution: Indoor air Pollution Outdoor air Pollution We will
discuss both of these types in detail. Indoor Air Pollution Indoor Air Pollution is the contamination of
household air or the air inside human-built areas. It is measured by the term IAQ which stands for Indoor Air
Quality, according to Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Average Americans spend 90% of their lives
Indoor. Many of the less harmful particulates In the air outside tend to get 2-5 times more Harmful inside
due to common indoor pollutants That are:

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Airborne particles: released from Smoke, Gases, Sneezes, etc. Indoor formaldehyde: released from Indoor
Smoking, Cooking, Furniture, etc. Household odors and gases: released from Painting, Cooking, Perfumes,
etc. Ozone (O3): taken in from outside, also known as ground-level Ozone.

Carbon dioxide: released as waste from human breath. Indoor Air Pollution is a cause of many diseases and
illnesses, as stated by Nancy Irwin Maxwell, in her book, Encyclopedia of Energy, 2004:

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” Exposure to indoor air pollution in developing countries has been most clearly associated with increased
risk of acute lower respiratory infection, middle ear infection (otitis media), and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. An estimated 1.5 to 2 million deaths each year in developing countries are due to indoor
air pollution from the burning of biomass fuels, with perhaps 1 million of these due to acute lower respiratory
infections in children under age 5.”

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Outdoor Air Pollution Outdoor Air Pollution is the contamination of the air present outside. Air quality outside
is measured with the Air Quality Index, AQI for short. The AQI is just like a thermometer for the air and runs
from 0 to 500 degrees. However, instead of showing changes in the temperature, the AQI is a way of
showing the amount of pollution in the air. Outdoor Air Pollution is comparatively less harmful than Indoor Air
Pollution as it is equally spread among the big space while Indoor Air Pollution is way more congested.
According to EPA six pollutants (carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter of
different size fractions, and sulfur dioxide) are common in outdoor air and can harm human health and the
environment.

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Outdoor Air Pollution similar to Indoor Air Pollution can also cause many diseases and illnesses. It is also
worth mentioning that Outdoor Air Pollution, according to multiple verified sources is more dominant in
developing nations due to multiple factors. Dale A. Dickinson, Karen E. Iles, in International Encyclopedia of
Public Health (Second Edition), 2017, says that:

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“The association between outdoor air pollution and a variety of disease outcomes including asthma, cancer,
and cardiovascular disease has been extensively investigated. Since mixtures of air pollutants are ubiquitous
in the urban atmosphere, it has been difficult to ascertain the specific pollutant(s) responsible for the
observed effects. The WHO estimated that exposure to particulate air pollution is responsible for ∼800 000
(1.2%) of total premature deaths worldwide..” Water Pollution Water pollution is the contamination of a
water body, this could be the Ocean, River, Lake or even a Pond. We all know how important water is
important both for us and the Sealife. Just like humans like us live on the land some animals such as fish,
alligators, craps, and sea stars live in deep and shallow water bodies. Clean and pure Water is also
necessary for Humans and Animals on land as drinking of Water is an important necessity of life on earth.

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70% of the earth’s surface is water and so it seems that it will never run out but unfortunately this is not
true, Ocean water has high salinity levels that make it impossible for humans to drink. The only resource of
clean water left is running water from rivers or lakes, this water is also slowly depleting due to Global
warming which would be discussed later. Ocean water is getting dirtier and dirtier every day with a
whooping 8 million pieces of Plastic reaching our ocean each day.

There are about 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our ocean & 46,000 pieces in every square
mile of ocean, that weigh up to 269,000 tons of Plastic. This doesn’t even include rest of the rubbish and
chemicals let in Ocean water each day. This is no good news for Sea life and indirectly humans.

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Due to all this rubbish and junk in the water millions of sea animals die each month, this may lead to the
extinction of Sea animals in future. I would also like to add that humans and Animals both are dependent on
fish and other sea animals for food and nutrition.

Some of the different types of Water Pollution are: Chemical pollution. Groundwater pollution. Microbiological
pollution. Nutrient pollution. Oxygen-depletion pollution. Surface water pollution. Chemical Pollution The
most common type of water pollution, chemicals can taint both underground water sources and those on the
Earth’s surface such as Rivers. As a vital element of the agricultural industry, it isn’t surprising that much
chemical contamination comes from the insecticides and antifungals used in farming, but wastes from
industrial sites are also leading sponsors to this type of pollution.

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Groundwater Pollution As cited above, cultivation is a significant source of water pollution. Fertilizers and
pesticides, when applied on crops can go deep into the ground and taint underwater rivers and water
springs, consequently, compromising the quality of wells, holes and other spaces from which groundwater is
taken for human use.

Microbiological Pollution Unlike most others on this list, microbiological pollution can arise naturally or
affectedly. Micro-organisms such as microbes, protozoans, pathogens, viruses, and other disease-causing
organisms can penetrate water supplies, causing diseases such as bilharziasis, hepatitis, looseness, typhoid
fever, intestinal worms, and Asiatic cholera. Humans are most vulnerable to this sort of pollution in places
where acceptable water treatment structures are not yet in place. Nutrient Pollution Extra amount of
nutrients can upset water-based bionetworks. Composts contain a big amount of advantageous nutrients
which, if pollute rivers, lagoons and water-based bodies, can cause bacterial and mycological growth that
can mass out sunlight and constrain the growth of other organisms.

Oxygen-depletion Pollution In this process, those classes which depend upon oxygen to survive are
eradicated, while anaerobiotic ones continue to live. Some anaerobiotic micro-organisms produce Ammonia,
Sulfates, and other harmful contaminants, which can create the water even more hazardous for animals (and
hypothetically humans, too). Surface-water Pollution In all water sources above earth, i.e., streams, ponds,
oceans, coasts, and waters, surface water pollution can happen both naturally, unintentionally, and
purposely. For example, nursing has an all-important role in normal flood management, which can clue to
reduced water quality, while unintentional oil spills and industries discharging waste into key water sources
are also key sponsors. There are point sources and non-point sources of pollution in water, explained by J.
Jeffrey Peirce, and P. Aarne Vesilind, in Environmental Pollution and Control (Fourth Edition), 1998:

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“ Storm drainage, even though the water may enter watercourses by way of pipes or channels, is
considered nonpoint source pollution. Other nonpoint source pollution comes from farm runoff, construction
sites, and other land disturbances, discussed further in Chapter 10.

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Point source pollution comes mainly from industrial facilities and municipal wastewater treatment plants.
The range of pollutants is vast, depending only on what gets “thrown down the drain.” Land Pollution Just
like Air Pollution is dirty and spoiled air, and Water Pollution is dirty and spoiled water, Land Pollution is dirty
and spoiled land that has either been littered with spoiled. This occurs when waste is not discarded properly.
The cleanliness of our land is vital for our survival. If not cleaned properly it can lead to the extinction of
Plants and Animals. Due to developments and other things like the need for Urbanization we humans have
changed our priorities a bit and have started focusing on Modernization and have forgotten to protect our
environment. Deforestation, the cutting of trees and plants are also a part of this type of pollution and plays
a vital role in the increase of temperatures on the earth, also known as Global warming.

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There are several ways in which we do Land Pollution which include: Deforestation and Soil Erosion
Agricultural Activities Mining Activities Overcrowded Landfills Industrialization Urbanization Construction
Activities Nuclear Waste Sewage treatment Littering Land pollution has many effects on people, animals,
micro-organisms, and plants. Some of the listed above are discussed down below:

Litter Littering, the wrong way of disposing of trash, is unfortunately very common. When someone throws
something such as a wrapper or a piece of plastic on the ground from a car window, even that small bit of
pollution affects the environment enormously. According to Keep America Beautiful, 76% of litter found on
roadways is from people walking and motorcyclists. Not all litter that is thrown, however, is intended. A large
volume of litter can simply fall off a vehicle, etc.… All types of litter, whether intentional or not, causes
pollution by releasing toxins, chemicals, and different small particles as it degrades.

Urbanization and Construction When people settle in areas that previously used to be grasslands it increases
 pollution on the land as the newly settled people start throwing trash. When new areas are built,
construction takes place which involves deforestation and improper disposal of construction waste.

Mining Mining is the digging out of minerals and other materials such as Oil out of the ground, which are
then used for a large range of purposes, producing gas/petrol for vehicles, generating electricity, and selling
materials made of gold and silver. This causes damage and pollution in its availability. That’s why finding
alternatives for energy such as Solar and Wind energy that aren’t dug up from the earth’s surface.

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This type of pollution can cause many diseases just like other types of pollution. It damages the ecosystem
and messes with the nature that can attract dangerous insects that cause Malaria and/or Dengue. They also
increase bacterial growth and the growth of micro-organisms. It also prevents plants from growing and their
health.

Other types of Pollution There are some minor types of other pollution rather than Land, Water, and Air
pollution. These types aren’t that significant but they do affect the environment a lot.

Light pollution In the modern world we see developments taking place day by day, one of the major
developments to date is light in the forms of Lamps, Street lights, Bulbs, Tube lights, and Traffic lights. Light
may cause pollution in form of excessive light, that is misdirected. This pollution can disturb the routine of
humans and animals. Humans may feel depression and sleeplessness that lead to headaches. Animals get
affected by light a lot as well, the animals that stay awake at night, nocturnal life, has issues as light
pollution drastically alters their night-time environment by changing their night into day.

Light trespass Over-illumination Glare Light clutter Sky glow Noise pollution No matter in which part of the
world we live, noise is a dominant in every area that exists. Noise is when the amount of sound passes its
extreme limit that is 70-75 dBa (decibels A) for 24 hours, this is almost the level of noise a Vacuum cleaner
produces when in function. With rapid developments and construction, the amount of noise being produced
has seen a dramatic increase. Some of the major causes of noise pollution are Cars, Planes, Horns,
Machines, Music, Animals, Airports, Construction sites, etc.… This can cause damage to human ears and
could possibly lead to deafness later, some other minor issues include Headaches, depression, anxiety,
etc.…

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