Lecture : 1100 1230 Discussion : 1230 1300 (how to answer questions)

Part3 : Environmental Problems

Part3a : 3/9/13 Pollution (MM) Part3b : 10/9/13 Energy & Climatic changes (MN)

Exponential growth of human population began in the 1800s

Human population growth rate in percent

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Environmental Problem:

POLLUTION

What is pollution? Where does it come from?

Any addition to air, water, soil, or food that threatens the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms The particular chemical or form of energy that causes such harm is called pollutant
Most pollutants are solid, liquid, or gaseous by-products or wastes produced when resource is extracted, processed, made into products, or used Pollution can also take the form of unwanted energy emissions, such as excessive heat, noise or radiation

Environmental Problem:

SOIL POLLUTION

Defined as the build-up in soils of persistent toxic compounds, chemical, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on human, plant growth, and animal health The wars the hit the Earth are one of the immediate causes of soil pollution Many countries found the necessity to improve their living standards

After the WWII (1945), may countries suffered from food shortage and this facilitated the introduction of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals

Environmental Problem:

SOIL POLLUTION

Defined as the build-up in souls of persistent toxic compounds, chemical, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on human, plant growth, and animal health Sources / Types of soil contamination Rupture of underground storage tanks (i.e. septic tanks, etc.) Application of pesticides Percolation of contaminated surface water to subsurface strata Oil and fuel dumping Leaching of wastes from landfills Direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil

Environmental Problem:

SOIL POLLUTION

Defined as the build-up in souls of persistent toxic compounds, chemical, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on human, plant growth, and animal health Examples Pesticides such as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), a potent nerve poison in insect was widely used to combat fever and malaria It was later used to control and/or eradicate disease carrying and crop eating insects Effects: DDT prevents the shelling of bird eggs and in human causes health threats

Environmental Problem:

SOIL POLLUTION

Defined as the build-up in souls of persistent toxic compounds, chemical, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on human, plant growth, and animal health Examples Arsenic, used by the glass industries is also a pollutant (very poisonous) Arsenic are used to eliminate the green color caused by impurities of iron compounds Other examples: heavy metals such as lead, iron, chromium, copper, zinc although small traces are necessary for plant growth, high concentrations of these compounds renders the land unsuitable for plant growth

Environmental Problem:

SOIL POLLUTION

Defined as the build-up in souls of persistent toxic compounds, chemical, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on human, plant growth, and animal health Impacts of Soil Pollution Radical chemistry changes, manifested in the alteration of metabolism of endemic microorganisms and arthropods resident in a given soil environment Disruption of the food chain Alter plant metabolism, reducing crop yields More economic losses

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Categories of Water Pollution

Point source pollution contaminants that enter a waterway through a discrete conveyance, such as ditch or pipe (sewerage treatment plant, factory, etc.) Non-point source pollution diffuse contamination that does not originate from a single discrete source. It is often accumulative effect of small amounts of contaminants gathered from a large area

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Categories of Water Pollution

Ground water pollution groundwater contamination; contamination of aquifers Example: spill of chemical contamination of soil, located away from a surface water body, may not necessarily create point source or non-point source pollution, but nonetheless, may contaminate the aquifer below

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Causes of Water Pollution

Pathogens

Coliform bacteria Cryptosporidium parvum Giardia lamblia Salmonella Novovirus and other viruses Parasitic worms (helminths)

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Causes of Water Pollution

Chemicals and other contaminants

Detergents Disinfection by-products found in chemically disinfected drinking water, such as chloroform Food processing waste (i.e. fats and greases) Insecticides and herbicides Petroleum hydrocarbons (i.e. gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuels, fuel oil) Lubricants (motor oil) Fuel combustion by-products

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Causes of Water Pollution

Chemicals and other contaminants

Tree and bush debris from logging operations Volatile organic compounds (industrial solvents, chlorinated solvents Acidity caused by industrial discharges (sulfur dioxide from power plants) Ammonia from food processing waste Chemical waste industrial by-products

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Causes of Water Pollution

Chemicals and other contaminants

Fertilizers containing nitrates and phosphates Heavy metals Silt (sediment) in runoff from construction sites, logging, slash and burn practices or land clearing sites

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Causes of Water Pollution

Macroscopic pollution

Large visible items polluting waters (marine debris) Trash (i.e. paper, plastic, food waste) Nurdles (small ubiquitous waterborne pellets) shipwrecks

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Causes of Water Pollution

Thermal pollution

Rise or fall in the temperature of a natural body of water caused by human influence Common cause: use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers Also caused by the release of very cold water from the base of reservoirs into warm rivers

Environmental Problem:

WATER POLLUTION

Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground water by human activities

Impacts of Water Pollution

Unsuitable for human consumption Can cause diseases (i.e. cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, parasitic infection) Corrosion potential of water Problematic for certain irrigated crops, reduced crop yields Affects biodiversity (i.e. aquatic organisms, birds feeding on aquatic animals) Blockage of drains, overflowing sewerage systems

Environmental Problem:

AIR POLLUTION

Introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages natural atmosphere, into the atmosphere Forms of Air Pollutants Solid particles Liquid droplets Gases Natural Man-made

Environmental Problem:

AIR POLLUTION

Introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages natural atmosphere, into the atmosphere Types of Air Pollutants Primary pollutants substances directly emitted from a process such as volcanic ash from volcanic eruptions, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxides from factories Secondary pollutants not emitted directly, rather they are formed in the atmosphere when primary pollutants react or interact, for example ground level ozone, photochemical smog

Environmental Problem:

AIR POLLUTION

Introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages natural atmosphere, into the atmosphere Most common air pollutants in the air Sulfur oxides (SOx) e.g. sulfur dioxide (SO2-; SO2) Anthropogenic sources: industrial processes, combustion of coal and petroleum Natural sources: volcanic eruption Effects: combined with NO2 will cause acid rain (H2SO4) Nitrogen oxides (NOx) e.g. nitrogen dioxide (NO2); the most prominent air pollutant; reddish-brown toxic gas that has a sharp, biting odor Anthropogenic sources: high temperature combustion

Environmental Problem:

AIR POLLUTION

Introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages natural atmosphere, into the atmosphere Most common air pollutants in the air Carbon dioxide (CO2) (vital to living organisms) Anthropogenic sources: combustion Natural sources: plants and animals (natural gas in the atmosphere)

Carbon monoxide (CO) colourless, odourless, non-irritating but very poisonous gas Anthropogenic sources: combustion Natural sources: by-products of plants chemical processes

Environmental Problem:

AIR POLLUTION

Introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages natural atmosphere, into the atmosphere Most common air pollutants in the air Volatile organic compounds e.g. methane (CH4), benzene, tuolene, xylene Anthropogenic sources: combustion, industrial processes Natural sources: plants and animals

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) harmful to the ozone layer Anthropogenic sources: industries (aerosol propellants, cleaning solvents; refrigerants; plastic blowing agents, etc.)

Environmental Problem:

AIR POLLUTION

Introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages natural atmosphere, into the atmosphere Most common air pollutants in the air Ammonia NH3-; gas with a pungent odor Anthropogenic sources: pharmaceutical industries Natural sources: agricultural processes (use of fertilizers)

Environmental Problem:

AIR POLLUTION

Introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages natural atmosphere, into the atmosphere Impacts of Air Pollution Human health - breathing/respiratory diseases (emphysema, bronchitis), inflammation of epithelial linings, long-term exposure causes cancer, asthma, respiratory infections, pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease

Environmental global warming and climate change

EXAMPLE OF WORLDS WORST CASE INCIDENT/DISASTER

THE GREAT SMOG OF 1952 December 1952, London

To cope up with the very cold winter, Londoners burned more coal than usual The resulting air pollution was trapped by the inversion layer formed by the dense mass of cold air, thereby increasing the concentrations of pollutants dramatically Fog was so thick, driving became almost impossible Decreased visibility resulted to more crimes During the 4-day period of fog, at least 4,000 died as a direct result of the weather

EXAMPLE OF WORLDS WORST CASE INCIDENT/DISASTER

MALAYSIAS HAZE PROBLEM 1997-98

Cause: Forest fire in Sumatra, Indonesia, (manmade, to clear forest for oil palm plantation?) The haze formed when sulphides, nitrous oxides, and ash released by burning are combined with the industrial pollution and exhaust from cities Pollution index = 500 (first time in Malaysia); 200,000 people were hospitalized Affected other countries in the region = $9.3 B economic losses

What have we learned from Part3a

Increase of human population Several environmental problems Pollution

Soil Water Air

Definition, examples, sources, impacts