Post 3

Post 3

Biological Pollutants

Four basic categories of water pollution, including biological, chemical, physical, and thermal, and biological is one of the worst. Biological pollution is a type of non-point source pollution because it often reaches water through runoff (the leading cause of pollution into water sources). A wide array of types of biological pollutants exists. These include bacteria, viruses, protozoans, worms, and algae, especially if it occurs in large numbers. Some of these pollutants cause diseases in animals and people. Another kind of biological pollution is invasive species such as various plants and animals. Invasive species can be harmful by edging out keystone species in competition with them that are vital to the food chain that can disrupt the whole ecosystem. Repercussions of biological pollution can be devastating. If nonnative species are introduced to an area, then they can take over and harm native wildlife that may not be found anywhere else in the world. Also, pathogens in the water can make people and animals sick. Bacteria, viruses, protozoans, worms, and algae can be extremely dangerous to the health of people and animals alike. When a large algal bloom takes place eventually all of the nutrients gets used causing a majority of those algae to die. In the decomposition process oxygen is needed taking all of the oxygen out of the water causing a dead zone. Some of the algae can be toxic such as dinoflagellates. Any life within it will die.
One of the ways to detect biological pollution such as bacteria, viruses, and worms in the water is with MIPs, or Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Sensors. These polymers are imprinted with a substance such as caffeine, which is a good indicator of those kinds of contaminants. It leaves caffeine-molecule-shaped holes in the polymer, which allows scientists to detect these pollutants. Causes of biological pollution include poor sanitation, letting exotic pets out into the wild, and dumping waste into water. The effects can be devastating. Poor sanitation can cause diseases in both animals and people through bacteria, viruses, protozoans, and worms. Exotic pets can take compete with keystone native species that are vital to the food chain and can throw the whole ecosystem out of whack.

It’s easy to prevent certain types of biological pollution. One way is to avoid letting your pets into the wild and to not plant non-native plants on your land. To keep pathogens from getting into drinking water, you can make sure that your water is purified properly before drinking it. With biological pollution are more health risks than almost any other type of pollution. One well-known disease is Giardiasis. Giardiasis is caused by a parasite that lives in the intestines of humans and other animals. Other biological pollutants can be found in the water of pools and lakes. They include E. coli, Shigella, norovirus, and crypto.
All of these are diarrheal diseases. Swimming in the ocean can spread diseases after a rainfall or in areas where the health department has identified as unsafe for swimming. All of the bacteria, viruses, protozoans, algae, and worms can be extremely harmful and even cause death in some cases.
Along with health risks there are many cultural and socioeconomic aspects to consider. If the world/economy’s money is spent of purifying the water so it is able for people to drink will cost the average civilian more money. They would have to change their lifestyle to adjust to having less money. If there isn’t mush money spent on purifying the water the people will get sick and that will cause probably cost even more money. Then not only will the people have to get used to financial adjustments, but also making physical adjustments to being sick and unhealthy a majority of the time. If we just put a little more effort and attention toward preventative measures it would make life much more enjoyable for everyone.



Chemical Pollution

Classifications: Chemical water pollution is divided into two classifications: point or non-point.
Point sources of water pollution are when the chemicals directly contaminate water supplies. This occurs when chemicals are dumped into the water intentionally; chemicals seep into groundwater, streams, or rivers because of failing pipes or storage tanks; the chemicals catastrophically contaminate waterways because of industrial accidents; the pollution settle out of polluted air (or is precipitated out of polluted air); or chemicals are leached out of contaminated soil.
Non-point-source chemical pollution also occurs via pesticide runoff from farm fields and homeowners' lawns, as well as runoff of automotive fluids and other chemicals from roads, parking lots, driveways, and other surfaces.

Detection: Chemical water pollution can be detected using water detection kits that test the water for an excess amount of certain chemicals such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, chloride, cyanide, nitrate, copper, ect. The water can also be tested for extra oil within the water that is spilt into it. Trace levels of mercury in fish organs can be detected using a two-photon fluorescent probe designed by Korean scientists.
Two-photon probes are also being developed to detect heavier metals in water such as cadmium and lead.
African clawed frog tadpoles "light up" in response to a pollutant, and can indicate the presence of several chemical species at the same time. The tadpoles are genetically modified and combined with a detection system developed at UW to detect the presence of heavy metal pollution in river water in real time.

Cause: Chemical water pollution typically occurs because ...
* the chemicals were dumped into the water intentionally;
* the chemicals seeped into groundwater, streams, or rivers because of failing pipes or storage tanks;
* the chemicals catastrophically contaminated waterways because of industrial accidents;
* the pollution settled out of polluted air (or was precipitated out of polluted air)
* chemicals were leached out of contaminated soil.
* automotive fluids and other chemicals from roads, parking lots, driveways, and other surfaces run off into water supply
It occurs due to introduction of inorganic and organic waste to water. For example, water passing out of a mine contains large amount of copper, iron or other ore. Another source of pollution is metal pipelines. Corrosion of metals of the pipes may yield rusty or black precipitates.
Other chemical pollutants include laundry detergents, radioactive wastes and nitrates from fertilisers etc. An important group of chemicals are polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, a group of industrial chemicals used in the production of electric insulators and paper products.

Physical Pollution

Physical water pollutants are physical substances that are is classified as a point source of pollution because it can either be dumped or traced to where it first was dumped or disposed of and reached the water. Physical pollutants reduce the quality of water.
The causes of this pollution are sand, silt, or soil in the water. There are different methods of detecting physical pollutants. One way of detecting physical pollutants is if the water becomes cloudy because of the presence of matter such as sand, silt, or soil. There is physico-chemical method of detecting traces of natural and synthetic surfactants in water. The build up of pollutants causes algal blooms. The presence of some phosphates or nitrates encourages the growth of the blooms, which leads to eutrophication, which then upsets the ecological balance.
There are repercussions of physical pollutants. The pollution decreases the oxygen level that damages the lives of other organisms. Oil or sediment in the water makes it hard for organisms to carry out their normal activities of reproducing and living. Polluted water also makes it less attractive and people are less likely to want to be near or in the water.
Proactive ways to stop or prevent physical pollution are using fewer nitrate and phosphate fertilizers to lower the amount of algal blooms. Buffer plants on the edges of fields cut down on runoff.
Health risks of physical pollution are the contamination of clean drinking supplies for humans. This can cause people to ingest harmful matter which causes diseases. In countries that lack proper purification systems, this is an even bigger problem than those that can purify their water. Since physical pollution can kill off or make other organisms ill, it disrupts the food chain and the balance of nature.


Thermal Pollution

Thermal pollution can be defined as the degration of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature. It is mainly associated with increases of water temperature due to discharge of heated water from industrial processes like generation of electricity. This form of water pollution is mainly a point source because the heated water is emitted directly into a lake, river, or ocean.

Detection
Thermal pollution can be detected using thermal infrared imaging. These satellite or airborne images depict how warm an area is based on a color code. The colors from warmest to coolest are white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and black. Infrared imaging can be used to determine if a body of water is warmer than normal.

Sources
One of the main sources of thermal pollution is the conversion of heat energy into mechanical energy by the use of a heat engine. These engines include steam engines, turbines, and internal combustion engines. Heat engines work by heating and pressuring a fluid and rejected the unused heat waste to a “sink.” The waste heat from electrical generating stations is transferred to cooling water obtained from local rivers, lakes, or oceans because water serves as a very efficient sink. Afterward, the water is discharged back into the body of water. One example is the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California which has two main reactors. The reactors circulate 2,400 million gallons of ocean water a day. This water is heated to about 19 degrees F above ambient, is discharged back into the ocean, and mixed with ambient seawater. In the end, the average rise in temperature is about 2 degrees F after mixing.

Effects
The main effects of thermal pollution are thermal shock, changes in dissolved oxygen, and redistribution of organisms. Thermal shock is the effect of sharp changes in temperature. Certain animals will perish when the water temperature exceeds their toleration limits. Small changes in temperature can also affect reproductive systems of organisms and increase their change of disease. As a rule, cold water contains more oxygen than warmer water. Raising the temperature of water will decrease its oxygen carrying capacity resulting in the suffocation of organisms. An increased temperature also increases the decomposition rate of organic matter and results in depleted oxygen.

Proactive measures
The use of cooling towers is one proactive measure to prevent thermal pollution. Instead of dumping heated water back into the ocean, a cascade of water is circulated in a tower and carries the heat up to the atmosphere to cool.

Works Cited

Algal bloom. Prestedge, G. Algal bloom in Orelton Lagoon, 1994. In State of the environment Tasmania [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://soer.justice.tas.gov.au/2003/image/527/index.php?action=glossary&value=off

Bad water. Pilloton, E. (2007). Lifestraw water purifier. In Inhabitat [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/09/13/design-for-the-other-90-lifestraw/

Boil water to kill bacteria. Boiling points of water. How to boil water [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://whatscookingamerica.net/boilpoint.htm

Garbage in ocean. Alviani, C. (2008). Tragedy at sea: VBS.TV sails to the garbage patch. In Core77 [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.core77.com/blog/education/tragedy_at_sea_vbstv_sails_to_the_garbage_patch_10117.asp

Giardiasis. Agents of infectious diseases. (2010). Microbes [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://uhavax.hartford.edu/bugl/microbe.htm

Losing money. GM plans to lose money on hybrid electric cars. (2009). GM-VOLT [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.gm-volt.com/index.php?s=applaud

Molecularly imprinted polymer sensor. Printable sensors. (2010). Science news [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/03/22/printable.sensors

Pathogen bacteria. Clostridium perfringens protection. (2009). Foody life [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.foodylife.com/food-safety-and-hygiene/548/food-origin-pathogens-clostridium-perfringens-and-escherichia-coli-ecoli/

Protozoa. Spencelayh, M. (2006). Protozoan transformers. In Chemical biology [Picture]. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/cb/Volume/2006/10/Protozoantransformers.asp

Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Water Pollution. Retrieved April 7, 2010, from the Alberta Online Encyclopedia website: http://www.abheritage.ca/abnature/environmental/water_pollution.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where are RWIs found? Retrieved April 7,
2010, from the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming/where.htm

Chewonki. Clean Water: Water Pollution. Retrieved April 7, 2010, from Clean Water: Our Precious Resource website: http://www.chewonki.org/cleanwater/water_pollution.asp

Scottish Association for Marine Science. Water Pollution Detection Sensor. Retrieved April 9, 2010, from the Scottish Association for Marine Science website: http://www.sams.ac.uk/sams-news/old-site-news/archive-2004/water-pollution-detection-sensor

Waste

Agricultural, Domestic, and Industrial
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Agricultural Waste

Agricultural waste is a main cause of water pollution. Agriculture waste includes both point and nonpoint sources. Point source examples are accidental milk spills from dairies that enter a body of water directly, which a nonpoint source includes fertilizer run-off. Both sources can result in various damages to ecosystems, the environment, and humans.

Causes
One of the main causes of agricultural waste is industrial farming. Large-scale animal farmers store their livestock’s waste in gigantic tanks called “lagoons.” These lagoons can hold million of gallons of manure at a time. They can often leak or rupture resulting in huge leaks of animal waste. Raw manure is about one hundred sixty times more toxic than municipal sewage and can cause a great amount of damage to marine environments.

Effects/Repercussions
When raw manure enters bodies of water like streams, rivers, or lakes, it results in a variety of negative effects. First, manure is rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous which can cause algal blooms and eutrophicaiton. Next, manure also contains traces of antibiotics and hormones, which are present in animal feed. This can contribute to the development of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria resulting in bacteria that may be more difficult to repel. In one study, sixty seven percent of water taken near poultry farms and thirty one percent of water near swine farms contained antibiotics.

Health Risks
Agricultural waste also causes many human health risks. Animal manure can contain heavy metals and salts from the animals’ feed. Metals such as copper and zinc result in many problems when consumed by humans including kidney problems, nervous system disorders, cardiovascular problems, and even cancer. Next, manure contains high concentrations of ammonia, which can be converted into dangerous nitrates. These nitrates are very poisonous to humans and can cause fatal oxygen levels in babies, spontaneous abortions, and possible cancer. Lastly, manure waste can result in the abundance of disease causing microorganisms called pathogens. Pathogens can respiratory and eye irritation, gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, skin problems, memory loss, and confusion.

Prevention
Agricultural waste causes many problems, but it can be prevented. One way of prevention is the creation of smaller farms. Smaller farms are able to conserve water and apply manure and fertilizers responsibly. Farmers can also prevent the amount of waste by reducing the amount of manure, fertilizers, and sewage applied to their fields. Lastly, agricultural waste can be prevented by careful management of disposal of farm waste.

Citations:

Krantz, D., & Kifferstein, B. (n.d.). Water pollution and society. In Water pollution. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/waterpollution.htm

Water pollution. (2009). Edu green. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/water/pollu.htm
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Domestic Waste

Domestic waste is the municipal solid waste. This type of waste is classified as both point and nonpoint pollution. It is classified as point by improper dumping of domestic waste. Domestic waste is also classified as non-point because of the every day things of driving a car or using fertilizer.
There are several ways of detection domestic waste. One of which is using unsuppressed ion chromatography with post-column flow injection detection of phosphorous to detect condensed phosphorous in the wastewater. This way is used because of the short analysis time and its high sensitivity. Another method is the volumetric method to determine the amount f mercury in the water. The wastes are digested with concentrated acids and then extracted by UV irradiation. This method uses a unique time program so as not to disturb, trigger, or ruin anything.
Causes of domestic waste are people not properly disposing of things and of poor waste management. Effects and repercussions of this pollution are many and include health risks. When solid wastes are dumped in water this leads to animal life dying and dysentery and cholera in humans. The improper dumping of wastes is also harmful to the atmosphere, which leads to destruction of the ozone layer. Pollution in the air causes acidic rain, which removes the fertility of the soil. Domestic pollution also affects the drainage flow. Toxic waste materials are deadly to animals, damage the airation system and hinders agricultural. These repercussions affect the economy by causing the loss of income and leading to poverty. Tourism is affected because polluted places are less likely to be visited then clean ones. Polluted water carries disease. Broken bottles collect water and the y become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies. If a human or animal steps on theses objects they become infected with germs. This poor waste management stops the development of countries.
Even though there are so many repercussions there are proactive and preventive measures to take to stop this pollution. Mainly people must reduce what they use and reuse and recycle whenever possible. Changing poor habits also would slow pollution. In example in designing and constructing buildings there are many levels to reduce waste. Architects and engineers should design more eco-friendly buildings that use less material and the builders should not waste material when they are building. Knowledge on the dangers of pollution would help people to know more and try to prevent this danger. Use of products that minimize waste are also important. Using minimal packaging, durable and not disposable items, nontoxic materials, and locally produced goods, biodegradable and bioconvertable material all reduce pollution.
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Industrial

Methods of detection, causes, effects
CAUSES: Waste materials like acids, alkalies, toxic metals, oil, grease, dyes, pesticides and even radioactive materials are poured into the water bodies by many industrial units. Some other important pollutants include polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds, lubricants and hot water discharged by power plants. The pollutants unloaded into the water bodies usually dissolve or remain suspended in water. Sometimes, they also accumulate on the bottom of the water bodies.

Over the years, many types of chemicals have gotten into our waterways—and they continue to do so today. Chemical water pollution typically occurs because ...
* the chemicals were dumped into the water intentionally;
* the chemicals seeped into groundwater, streams, or rivers because of failing pipes or storage tanks;
* the chemicals catastrophically contaminated waterways because of industrial accidents;
* the pollution settled out of polluted air (or was precipitated out of polluted air); or
* chemicals were leached out of contaminated soil.

DETECTION: Industrial water pollution can be detected using available water detection kits that test the water for a larger than normal amount of certain chemicals such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, chloride, cyanide, nitrate, copper, ect. The water can also be tested for an excess of oil within the water that is spilt into it. Trace levels of mercury in fish organs can be detected using a two-photon fluorescent probe designed by Korean scientists.
Two-photon probes are also being developed to detect heavier metals in water such as cadmium and lead.

Repercussions of each
Oil spills by oil tanks endanger marine life. Estimates of the United Nations state that 1.3 million barrels of oils are spilled annually into the Persian Gulf, and about 285 million gallons are spilled into the oceans every year.
In the United States, industries contribute more than half of the total water pollution. The industrial effluents contain asbestos, phosphates, mercury, lead, nitrates, sulfur, sulfuric acid, oil and many other poisonous materials. In many countries, industrial water is not treated adequately before discharging it into rivers or lakes. This is particularly true in the case of small industries that do not have sufficient capital to purchase pollution control equipment.
Industrial water pollution causes many diseases within humans and kills much of the marine life.

Proactive measures of each
Recently, to control water pollution, different countries have introduced various legislations. The legislations undertaken by the United States include Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1972), the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (1972) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (1974). As well, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act was also amended in 1988.
Most industrial operations are required to treat wastewater before discharging it into rivers. Wastes from feedlots are collected in lagoons, settled, collected, and used for fertilizer. Heavy metals and organic compounds from industry are often reclaimed from wastewater and recycled, decreasing manufacturing costs. Sewage from homes undergoes at least two stages of treatment. Primary treatment consists of sedimentation and dyeing of solids, which may be used as fertilizer. Secondary treatment consists of aeration of the remaining liquid, through a process of stirring, trickling over filters, and spraying; aerobic bacteria oxidize much of the remaining organic matter. Tertiary treatment, using antibacterial agents such as chlorine or ozone, may be used to produce effluent water that is safe for further use.
Mercury finds its way into water primarily through air pollution from coal-fired power plants and some other industrial processes. In the water, the elemental mercury is converted to methylmercury by certain bacteria, after which it moves up the food chain of fish gobbling each other up. In then end, the larger fish may end up on your dinner plate—swordfish, sea bass, marlin, halibut, or tuna, for example.

Known health risks
These harmful pollutants heavily contribute to many diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis, dysentery and salmonellosis. Also, many of the pollutants are also carcinogenic, cancer causing. Pollutants like sodium can cause cardiovascular diseases. Mercury and lead cause nervous disorders. DDT is another toxic material that can cause chromosomal changes. Excess fluoride in water may damage the spinal chord, while arsenic can cause significant damage to the liver and the nervous system. In addition, organic compounds present in polluted water facilitate the growth of algae and other weeds (algal blooms/ red tides), which in turn use more oxygen dissolved in the water. This reduces the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water and the consequent shortage of oxygen for other aquatic life, killing them and forcing them to flee the area.
Human infectious diseases are among the most serious effects of water pollution, especially in developing countries, where sanitation may be inadequate or non-existent. Waterborne diseases occur when parasites or other disease-causing microorganisms are transmitted via contaminated water, particularly water contaminated by pathogens originating from excreta. These include typhoid, intestinal parasites, and most of the enteric and diarrheal diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Among the most serious parasitic diseases are amoebiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, and hookworm.
Developed countries are not immune to the problem of infectious waterborne diseases. In 1993, high cryptosporidium levels in Milwaukee's drinking water supply sickened more than 400,000 residents. That was an unusually extreme case, but transmission of disease agents such as bacteria and cysts via contaminated but poorly treated municipal water is more common than it should be. Every year, an estimated seven million Americans are sickened by contaminated water. This is only partly due to drinking water—contamination of recreational water (such as beach water) is also a problem.
Exposure to mercury in the womb can cause neurological problems, including slower reflexes, learning deficits, delayed or incomplete mental development, autism, and brain damage. Mercury in adults is also a problem, causing:
* central nervous system effects like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease;
* heart disease;
* and, in severe cases, causing death or irreversibly damaging areas of the brain.

Preventive measures or strategies
Three options are available in controlling industrial wastewater. Control can take place at the point of generation in the plant; wastewater can be pretreated for discharge to municipal treatment sources; or wastewater can be treated completely at the plant and either reused or discharged directly into receiving waters.

Environmental factors, cultural beliefs, and socioeconomic considerations on the health of a society
Industrial pollution contaminates the freshwater supplies used for consumption. In more developed regions, industrial pollution is more common, however, it is also prevalent in underdeveloped countries. These areas rely more heavily on natural, unfiltered bodies of water for daily use, which is extremely harmful to their health. They also have less knowledge and money to spend on cleaning their water supplies, so they are negatively affected.

Citations:

Bora, C. (2000- 2010). Industrial water pollution. Retrieved March 19, 2010, from Buzzel website: www.buzzel.com/articles/industrial-water-pollution.html

Krantz, D & Kifferstein, B. (2010). Water pollution and society. Retrieved March, 19, 2010, from Umich website: http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/waterpollution.htm

Shiells, E. (February 2, 2010). Mercury detection in fish organs. Retrieved April 9, 2010, from RSC Publishing website: http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2010/03/mercury_detection.asp

Water Pollution: Classifying water Pollution. (2010). Retrieved March 23, 2010, from Natural Resources Management and Environment Department website: http://www.fao.org/docrep/W2598E/w2598e04.htm

Water Pollution Effects. (April 2010). Retrieved April 9, 2010, from Grinning Planet website:http://www.grinningplanet.com/2006/12-05/water-pollution-effects.htm
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Picture Citations:

Agricultural pollution. Pollutants entering from fixed point sources. Geochemical aspects of lakes in India [Picture]. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://jnuenvis.nic.in/subject/lake/lakes.htm

Agricultural pollution 2. Wetlands & streambanks. C.D. Davis excavating selected projects [Picture]. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.davis-excavating.com/projects/index.html

Assembly of industrial water softeners. About central water filters. (2007). Central water filters [Picture]. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.centralwaterfilters.com.au/company.htm

Domestic waste. What are the effects of poor domestic waste management. (n.d.). Angel fire [Picture]. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.angelfire.com/nc/namicol/effects1.html

Domestic waste1. What are the effects of poor domestic waste management. (n.d.). Angel fire [Picture]. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.angelfire.com/nc/namicol/effects1.html

Domestic waste2. What are the effects of poor domestic waste management. (n.d.). Angel fire [Picture]. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.angelfire.com/nc/namicol/effects1.html
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Industrial pollution. Point source. (2008). In NOAA ocean service education [Picture]. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/media/supp_pol03a.html

Industry. Milton, C. (2008). Green without sustainability. In Corporate eye [Picture]. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.corporate-eye.com/blog/2008/07/green-without-sustainability/

Method of detecting agricultural pollution. Sena, A. Infección por VIH y SIDA. In Espacio alternativas del Uruguay [Picture]. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.centrodealternativas.com/alimentacion-salud-uruguay.htm

Method of detecting domestic pollution. What is mercury element? (2009). Sky news wire.com [Picture]. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from Prudent International Inc website: http://skynewswire.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=919

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Preventing agricultural pollution. A compost bin? Sure. Building blocks in Tupelo [Picture]. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://buildingblocksintupelo.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/a-compost-bin-sure/

Preventing domestic pollution. It's the water. (2010). Maine: Things to do [Picture]. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.mainethingstodo.com/mttd/2009/04/its-the-water/

Preventing industrial pollution. Krantz, D., & Kifferstein, B. (n.d.). Classifying water pollution. In Water pollution and society [Picture]. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/waterpollution.htm

Proactive measures against agricultural waste. Moore, D. (2010). Spanning the globe. In Virginia cooperative extension [Picture]. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.weblogs.cals.vt.edu/spanning/comments/sunday_march_4/

Proactive measures against domestic waste. Staples environmental report. (2010). City of Ann Arbor [Picture]. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.a2gov.org/government/financeadminservices/procurement/Pages/ENVIRONMENTALREPORTS.aspx

Smoking chimneys. Singh, A. Smoking chimneys. In Industrial pollution, India [Picture]. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from UNEP website: http://www.unep.org/wed/2007/english/Photo_Gallery/WED_2007/i_PhotoGallery.asp?Frame=Zoom&PicIndex=40

Rapid pathogen analyzer. Bio micro nanofluids. (2009). Research projects at the microsystem technology lab [Picture]. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.kth.se/ees/omskolan/organisation/avdelningar/mst/research/projects

Repercussions of agricultural pollution. Washing hands. Hygiene [Picture]. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.gg.rhul.ac.uk/ict4d/water/hygene1.html

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Water pollution in Peru. Top 10 most polluted countries. (2008). Crunkish [Picture]. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://crunkish.com/top-10-pollution-causes/

Water Pollution: A Global Threat

Scientists believe that over the next century water will be the largest problem for the human race. A problem currently exists in finding fresh, quality drinking water. Water pollutants are categorized into two groups: point source and non-point source. Pollutants cause algal blooms, chemical contamination, and increase health risks. Analytical equipment helps to monitor pollutants along with pH meters and turbidometers. Prevention tactics include watershed monitoring. An example of a socioeconomic factor is that it requires more money from the government to sustain clean, drinkable water throughout the country.

Classifications
Two different classifications of water pollutants exist: point source and non-point source. Point source pollutants are put into the water directly, such as an oil spill or disposing of a plastic bottle directly into a water body. This type of pollution can include oil derivatives like gas, plastics, and additives and chemical dumping (nuclear waste dumping and other industrial processes). Non-point pollutants are emitted indirectly. Such forms include drugs passed from one’s urine into a sewage system that ends up in a water body or as simple as fertilizer off of the lawn enters a body of water as run off. More non-point pollution sources exist than point source pollution sources. Sewage, air pollution (acid rain, carbon dioxide, nitric oxides, ammonia, and mercury), personal care products (pharmaceuticals, detergents, and cleaning substances), and sediment (dirt, mining byproducts, fertilizers, and pesticides) are all non-point pollution sources. Most non-point pollution sources come from run-off. When run-off occurs, the rain mixed with chemicals falls, and when returning back to a body of water, brings those pollutants into that body of water with them.

Negative Environmental Effects
There are many negative effects of water pollution. Nutrient pollution is one of these effects. This includes red tides, which are caused by an overabundance of toxic algae. These toxins pass through the food chains, kill off life in the contaminated water and can be passed on to humans causing harm. Chemical contamination is another effect caused by chemical spills and has an immediate effect on marine life. Marine debris is the trash in oceans, which harms marine life.

Detection
Three commonly known ways of detecting these effects are pH meters, turbidometers, and dissolved oxygen tests. To detect pollution, scientists in laboratories will sample small amounts of water and look for contaminants. pH meters measure how acidic or basic water is, more scientifically as the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxide ions in the water. Turbidometers measure the presence of suspended solids in water, and then the samples are taken to laboratories which can detect the presence of pollutants up to parts per trillion. Dissolved oxygen tests measure the presence of dissolved oxygen in a body of water. Water with no oxygen is the signal of severe pollution.

Health Risks
Neglecting to accurately test potential drinking water can create health risks in humans. Health is a major concern when regarding consumption. Risks can be minor or even fatal. Two categories of water related health risks are waterborne infectious diseases and threats from chemically contaminated water. Waterborne infectious diseases can include parasites, intestinal and external, hookworms, diarrheal diseases- which were the leading cause of death during the civil war and currently account for a large death toll in developing countries, and other microorganisms. Chemically contaminated water, such as mercury and DDT, damage the nervous system, the liver, DNA, the reproductive system, endocrine system, and can cause cancer. Mercury in particular can cause neurological problems, delayed mental development, slower reflexes, and Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease. The measure to take if you realize that you have a chemical contaminants in your body, in particular mercury, is taking MSM tablets, which are a form of mercury that can help flush out most of the toxins within you.

Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics plays into water pollution and is demonstrated by separating the industrial developed countries and the developing countries. The developing countries lack proper infrastructure to control sewage and other water pollutants, which increases the spread of infectious diseases and chemicals. In the industrially developed countries, the people don’t have to worry as much about waterborne disease and chemically contaminated water. In fact, malaria and cholera like diseases have primarily been wiped out from the United States, which is an industrial developed country.

Cultural Beliefs
Cultural beliefs are also affected by water. For example, Muslims bathe and wash before their daily prayers. The water must be clean so they can purify themselves properly. The Hindus bathe in river water to cleanse them of their sins. Christians use water for Baptism to cleanse the members of Original Sin.

Currently, water pollution is the greatest arising threat in the world. Keeping our Earth clean should be a major concern for all people. Start by doing simple things in your own house like watching what you put down your sink, use environmentally friendly toiletries, fertilizers and pesticides, don’t overuse your resources, and don’t litter. Help save our people, our water, and our earth.

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