Water Pollution: Why Are We Compromising Our H2O? 8 Ways Pollution is Damaging Our Water Systems
Water pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing us today. Every day, trash, sewage, industrial waste, agricultural runoff and other types of pollutants seep into the oceans, lakes, rivers streams and other waterways of the world. Just how pervasive is this pollution? An estimated 2 million tons of sewage, industrial waste and agricultural waste enter the world’s waterways every day. About Approximately 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year.
All of these contaminants can have a significant impact on our water. Here are eight ways pollution is damaging our water systems.
1. Introducing Pathogens
Sewage and animal waste introduce pathogens to water, which can sicken humans and animals. In developed countries, this problem is relatively rare, but accidental or illegal discharge, as well as agricultural runoff, still occur. In other countries, untreated sewage is often released directly into water sources. Common waterborne illnesses include polio, malaria, cholera and diarrhea, and waterborne diseases kill more than 3.4 million people every year.
2. Introducing Toxins to Wildlife
Other contaminants, including chemicals and heavy metals from industrial wastewater, are toxic to marine life. Some plastics may also contain chemical additives that can seep into the water as they break down. These toxins can reduce organisms’ lifespans and hinder their ability to reproduce. Smaller organisms may ingest these contaminants, and as larger creatures eat those smaller ones, the toxins make their way up the food chain. Eventually, humans may even ingest them.
3. Strangling, Suffocating and Starving Animals
Trash floating in the water can also directly harm marine life include fish, mammals, birds and other forms of life. Animals may get caught in discarded fishing nets or choke on plastic bottle caps. Plastic that washes into streams will eventually make its way to the ocean where it will take a long time to break down. Even as it does break down into smaller and smaller pieces, these tiny pieces can still harm marine life.
4. Depleting Oxygen
Agricultural runoff can increase the level of nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorous, in a body of water, resulting in an algae bloom. As this algae dies off, it causes the dissolved oxygen levels in the water to deplete. Eventually, there is so little oxygen that marine life can’t survive. This creates what is known as a dead zone. Some types of algae blooms also release harmful toxins into the water.
5. Increasing Acidity
In addition to contributing to the greenhouse effect, some of the carbon dioxide we release when generating electricity from fossil fuels ends up in the ocean. Scientists estimate that the sea absorbs about one-quarter of manmade CO2 emissions from the air. The result is that the ocean is becoming more acidic. This change in acidity can interfere with some sea creatures ability to form shells. A high ph can also contribute to the degrading of coral reefs.
6. Raising Temperatures
Rising ocean temperatures due to global warming are also affecting coral reefs. As the average global temperature increased by around 1°F over the past century, the temperature of the oceans has increased by about 0.18°F. Even relatively small increases in temperatures can cause coral reefs to bleach, a condition in which they eject their symbiotic algae. Bleaching makes them more vulnerable to disease and may cause reefs to die off. Krill, an important part of the bottom of the ocean food chain, also reproduce less in warmer temperatures.
7. Blocking Sunlight
Pollution can also block sunlight from reaching marine plants. If these plants can’t get adequate sunlight for a long period, they will die off. This effect is most pronounced when an oil spill occurs, but algae blooms and large collections of plastic waste can also block sunlight from penetrating into the water.
8. Making Water Unusable for Humans
Water pollution doesn’t just affect the animals and plants that live in that water. It also affects the life on land that depends on that water for survival, including humans. As mentioned earlier, contaminated water sources can cause disease and even death. It can also have severe economic impacts. Many people depend on waterways as a source of food or income. Pollution makes fishing more difficult and discourages water-based recreation, which some coastal communities depend on to make a living.
There many ways in which pollution affects our water and, in turn, harms all forms of life, including humans. We need to continue to address this problem and reduce the amount of pollution that enters our waterways — for the sake of ourselves and our environment.
Emily Folk is the editor of Conservation Folks. She writes on topics of sustainability, conservation and green technology.
Craig Monk
October 11, 2018 @ 4:10 pm
Here the main source of food and water contamination and it is sanctioned by your U.S and State Legislature and carried out by your U.S. EPA and State DEQs.
**Every US industry connected to a sewer can discharge any amount of hazardous and acute hazardous waste into sewage treatment plants if they report it. Yeow right! There are over 85,000 chemicals and their compounds found in commerce and growing even today. It ends up in biosolids and effluent and even bags taken to the consumer’s home and used in their garden. See Google the Targeted National Survey of Sewage Sludge (TNSSS) Released 2009
**US EPA Office Inspector General (OIG) Report Google 14-P-0363 in 09/2014. To sum up, industrial pretreatment is not working and has never worked with no action taken by the U.S. EPA or your State EPA. It ends up in biosolids and sewage plant effluent. “The priority pollutants list has not been updated since 1981.” There are many more reports warnings about sewage and biosolids.
**So, when you hear anyone from the multi-billion-dollar sewage industry, or anyone with monetary ties to any part of the sewage industry say the chemicals (Called “other contaminates”) in biosolids are minimal and inconsequential or that they support composting with biosolids, ask them for any current 21st century tests showing the degree of hazard and concentrations of 85,000 plus chemicals and compounds found in biosolids and sewage effluent. An anaerobic digester will not degrade in-organic manufactured chemicals and their compounds. The last EPA limited research on this ill-conceived process done in the 70-80s. Why don’t you ask your State EPA or the U.S. EPA.? All these guys practiced the art of conning the public.
Now add resilient pathogens, antibiotic resistant bacteria and parasites.
When you are setting in the chemo chair being pumped with chemicals that make you vomit, lose your hair, lose your toe and finger nails, makes your tong throat swell up with ulcers, neuropathy in feet and hands, making your food tasteless not to even go down the road of spending everything dime you have save, when you go under the knife and have your breast or other organs removed and then let a radiologist burn you, remember this WARNING. Just where do you think the chemicals used in this cancer treating procedure end up? That’s right, they are thrown off by your body in urine and feces just like every chemical you put in your body and end up where? Biosolids and effluent. Now add industrial chemicals, mix them together and heat them up to 150 to 500 degrees. Everyone should look up how compound chemicals are made.
Chemicals and their compounds in biosolids dumps on our farms, ranches, forest and effluent dumped into our rivers are a large contributor to cancer, chronic diseases, and birth defect because of exposure you should not have been subjected to. You are not immune.
Ultimately you can thank your lobbied, bought off U.S. and State Legislature for this ill-conceived process.
http://www.biosludged.com/
https://www.real.video/5830653593001