The consequences of environmental pollution seriously affect human health, animal health, forests and vegetation, and the environment in general.
Pollution not only causes physical disabilities, but also causes psychological and behavioral disorders in people.
The effects of pollution are quite wide. All the types of contamination -airy, aquatic and terrestrial-have an impact on the environment.
The effects of contamination on living organisms can range from minor ailments to more serious diseases such as cancer or physical deformities.
Pollution occurs when pollutants affect natural environments, resulting in changes that negatively impact lifestyles.
Pollutants are the main components or components of pollution, and are generally waste materials in various forms.
Pollution disturbs the ecosystem and the balance of the environment. With modernization and current development, pollution has reached its peak; global warming and diseases that are related to pollution, are on the rise.
Pollution occurs in different ways: it can affect water, air, earth, it can be radioactive and sonic, among others.
Some causes of pollution are easier to identify, monitor and handle, while other sources are more difficult to control.
8 main consequences of environmental pollution
1- Increased pollen
Even with fewer trees in the environment, increasing carbon dioxide emissions means that some plants, such as ragweed and other tree species, produce more pollen than in the past.
This results in increased uncontrolled allergies, asthma attacks and respiratory problems throughout the world, affecting the health of billions of people.
2- Increase of waterborne diseases
Water pollution is the main cause of several aquatic transmission diseases.
Wastewater from industries and wastewater from houses are mixed, untreated, in bodies of water. This is quite common in developing countries.
This violation of the parameters contaminates the water. As a result, many harmful bacteria grow in the water. In addition, chemical waste, agricultural wastewater and oil spills also pollute water.
Most bacterial-related conditions are considered water-borne diseases.
These include typhoid, intestinal disorder, infection in the kidneys, urinary problems and excretory disorders, among others.
3- Loss of biodiversity
The loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest threats in the world. It is feared that if several species continue to extinguish at the same rate as they do today, there will come a day when humans will have to face a scenario with very little biodiversity.
It must be a priority to maintain biodiversity, which means maintaining the variety of life as wide as possible.
Hundreds of living beings and plants have been extinguished from Earth because the contamination of their environment made their existence impossible on the planet.
4- Health problems in humans
The earth is the reason why humans are able to support themselves, so contamination of it has serious consequences for health.
Crops and plants grown in contaminated soils absorb much of that contamination, and then pass it on to humans and animals that consume them.
Long-term exposure to such soils can affect the genetic information of individuals, causing congenital diseases and chronic health problems that can not be easily cured.
In fact, they can make livestock sick to a considerable extent and can cause food poisoning over a period of time.
It is estimated that more than 70% of soil contaminants are carcinogenic in nature, increasing the likelihood that humans exposed to contaminated soil will develop cancer.
Soil contaminants can also cause skin diseases, disorders of the central nervous system and muscle blockage.
5 - Negative effects on plant growth
The ecological balance of any system is affected due to soil contamination. Most plants are unable to adapt when soil chemistry changes radically in a short period of time.
Bacteria and fungi found on the ground begin to disappear, which creates an additional problem of soil erosion.
Little by little, fertility decreases, making soils unsuitable for agriculture and for any vegetation to survive.
Soil contamination causes large tracts of land to become hazardous to health; this land can not support most forms of life.
Contamination of soils can even lead to widespread famines if plants are unable to grow in them.
6- Global warming
The issuance of Greenhouse gases , particularly of carbon dioxide (CO2), is increasing global warming.
Every day new industries are created, new vehicles begin to transit and more trees are cut to give rise to new houses.
All these elements, directly or indirectly, lead to increased CO2 in the environment. This increase in CO2 generates the melting of polar ice, which increases sea levels and causes a serious danger to people.
7- Reduction of the ozone layer
The ozone layer is a thin layer in the sky that prevents ultraviolet rays from reaching Earth.
The greater exposure to these rays, the greater chance of suffering from skin cancer, suffering from eye diseases and even having a weakened immune system.
As a result of human activities, certain chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were released into the atmosphere, which contributed to the reduction of the ozone layer.
8- Degradation of the environment
The deterioration of the environment is the first effect of increased pollution in the air or water.
The increase of CO2 in the atmosphere generates smog (a mixture of fog and smoke that appears in polluted atmospheres), which can restrict the path of sunlight. Because of this, plants can not perform the process of photosynthesis.
Some gases, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, can cause acid rain. Water pollution derived, for example, from oil spills, leads to the death of many species of marine life.
References
- "What is pollution?"On Conserve Energy Future. Recovered from Conserve Energy Future: conserve-energy-future.com
- "Nine devastating effects of soil pollution"in Earth Eclipse. Recovered from Earth Eclipse: eartheclipse.com
- "Environmental pollution". in Conserve Energy Future. Recovered from Conserve Energy Future: conserve-energy-future.com
- "Top five effects of water pollution on life"(2012) on Pollution Pollution. Recovered from Pollution Pollution: pollutionpollution.com
- "What is soil pollution?"In Conserve Energy Future. Recovered from Conserve Energy Future: conserve-energy-future.com
- "Pollution effects on humans, animals, plants in the environment"in Tropical Rainforest Animals. Recovered from Tropical Rainforest Animals: tropical-rainforest-animals.com
- "What is environmental pollution?"In Earth Eclipse. Recovered from Earth Eclipse: eartheclipse.com