Disadvantages of Water PollutionFresh sources of water are threatened by exploitation ecological degradation. Water pollution affects the delicate balance in the ecosystem which ultimately impacts the humans and other living organisms. Water pollution effects depend upon the chemicals that are dumped in the particular water body. One of the ill effects is spread of diseases by intake of unclean water. It has been documented that water pollution is a wide range contributor to health problems and diseases to humans. It also impacts wild animals and environment.
Some of the disadvantages of water pollution are as follows:
- Water pollution seriously affects the ecosystem.
- Pesticide contamination in the ground water causes reproductive damage in the wildlife ecosystem.
- Discharge of polluted water which contains organic material from sewage, agricultural run-off causes eutrophication.
- Destroys life in the water based ecosystem which is polluted which in turn disrupts natural food chain.
- Aquatic life is destroyed due to the non-biodegradable pesticides and chemicals.
- Water pollution affects the microbial population.
- There is a steep increase in the BOD levels of water.
- Water pollution brings and imbalance in the host-parasite relationship in the ecosystem, this affects the food webs and food chain.
- The organisms that depend on these water bodies are in grave danger. Consumption infected fish by other animals and humans may cause serious illness.
- Water which has been contaminated by oil spills causes the death of water birds from exposure to cold and air due to feather damage.
- There is bioaccumulation and biomagnifications of pesticides and hazardous chemicals like organochlorines like DDT, BHC, etc in animal bodies.
- Water pollution causes disease like hepatitis in humans on consumption of seafood which is poisoned or contaminated.
- Drinking contaminated water causes disease like cholera, skin diseases and can also cause cancer, reproductive problems, typhoid and stomach ailments.
- Heavy metal poisoning in humans due to consumption of contaminated fish interferes with the proper function of the nervous system.
- Contamination of ground water by pesticides can cause endocrine and reproductive problems to humans and animals.
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Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, its concentration and its persistence. Some pollutants are biodegradable and therefore will not persist in the environment in the long term. However the degradation products of some pollutants are themselves polluting such as the products DDE and DDD produced from degradation of DDT
Types of pollutants
Pollutants that the environment has little or no absorptive capacity are called stock pollutants (e.g. persistent synthetic chemicals, non-biodegradable plastics, and heavy metals). Stock pollutants accumulate in the environment over time. The damage they cause increases as more pollutant is emitted, and persists as the pollutant accumulates. Stock pollutants can create a burden for future generations by passing on damage that persists well after the benefits received from incurring that damage have been forgotten.
Fund pollutants are those for which the environment has some absorptive capacity. Fund pollutants do not cause damage to the environment unless the emission rate exceeds the receiving environment's absorptive capacity (e.g. carbon dioxide, which is absorbed by plants and oceans). Fund pollutants are not destroyed, but rather converted into less harmful substances, or diluted/dispersed to non-harmful concentrations.
Notable pollutants include the following groups:
- Heavy metals
- Persistent organic pollutants
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- Volatile organic compounds
- Environmental xenobiotics
Zones of influence
Pollutants can also be defined by their zones of influence, both horizontally and vertically.
The vertical zone is referred to whether the damage is ground-level or atmospheric. Surface pollutants cause damage by concentrations of the pollutant accumulating near the Earth's surface Global pollutants cause damage by concentrations in the atmosphere
Pollutants can cross international borders and therefore international regulations are needed for their control. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which entered into force in 2004, is an international legally binding agreement for the control of persistent organic pollutants. Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) are systems to collect and disseminate information on environmental releases and transfers of toxic chemicals from industrial and other facilities.
The European Pollutant Emission Register is a type of PRTR providing access to information on the annual emissions of industrial facilities in the Member States of the European Union, as well as Norway.
Clean Air Act standards. Under the Clean Air Act, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are standards developed for outdoor air quality. The National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants are emission standards that are set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which are not covered by the NAAQS.
Clean Water Act standards. Under the Clean Water Act, EPA promulgated national standards for municipal sewage treatment plants, also called publicly owned treatment works, in the Secondary Treatment Regulation. National standards for industrial dischargers are calledEffluent guidelines(for existing sources) andNew Source Performance Standards, and currently cover over 50 industrial categories. In addition, the Act requires states to publish water quality standards for individual water bodies to provide additional protection where the national standards are insufficient.
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Answers:It sounds like you need to understand toxins in qualitative vs. quantitative regards. Yes, too much fluoride CAN be toxic but most water sources do not approach toxic levels. And modern sensing/testing equipment can find "toxins" in smaller and smaller concentrations. As a result, if you sent some distilled water to a lab for analysis, they would probably find some fluorine in it. (Not enough to harm you, most likely, but probably arsenic and all sorts of nasty stuff.) And that is because even distilled water tends to have tiny amounts of minerals unless one is paying for "laboratory grade" distilled water (which isn't sold at your grocery). Yes, one usually gets helpful minerals from drinking water -- but you can get them in other ways. (e.g. food!) But why not get them in "nature's way", unless your local water supply is somehow polluted or tastes really bad. Most minerals are available in generous amounts in a once-per-day vitamin pill. (Many people find calcium supplements helpful because they eat too little vegetables to get calcium in sufficient amounts. Dairy can also be great from some people.) But the bottom line is: There's LOTS of quackery and non-sense out there about fluoride. Learn to search out scientifically sound websites AND NOT THOSE WHICH (1) SELL YOU SOMETHING [even if just books, tapes, seminars, or equipment] or (2) are "conspiracy theory" political websites. Neither is a good place for real science. Many people obsess over some minute risk of a tiny danger -- and then go out to eat at a fast food restaurant and chow down on VERY HARMFUL trans-fatty acids, saturated fats in excessive amounts, too much Omega-6 and not enough Omega-3 fats. So they trade a far-fetched one in a million risk for one that is A SURE THING TO KILL THEM if they continue their habit for years. Think about that. Are you straining the gnat and swallowing the camel?
Answers:easy changes in water temperature enhances harmfull algae,(remember the red tide) and kills many fish who are critical to temperature ,when sea water enters lagoons here in Mexico many fish die ,due to sudden temperature changes also warm water realeases carbon gasses cold water absorbs them
Answers:Wow, that's a tough one. I work with an archaeologist and he's often said that it wasn't for the pollution making the earth warmer through the greenhouse effect we'd have been heading faster into an ice age. So in effect, we've staved off an ice age. That's the only real advantage, I guess. Disadvantages, I feel far outweigh most advantages. Stuff like increased diseases, deaths due to lack of potable water sources, famine and climbing temperatures. Not to mention eco systems dying out and loss of many species of animals unable to withstand pollution and it's effects. Hope that helps.
Answers:I cannot think that you could seriously ask if Pollution - noise or any other form, has benefits. The disadvantages are several. Premature deafness, Lack of ability to hear important sounds clearly leading to inability to hear oncoming danger inability to hear common conversation Tinitus Distortion of speech or music Mental stress from the constant and unremitting noise. Confusion Deterioration of general health. This is coused by constant traffic noise, workplace noise from machinery or processes used in manufacture and construction Earphones Loud music, stereos, Airports, railways, including subway lines, busses, trucks, motorcycles and loud car exhaust.