essay on thought pollution
Answers
Explanation:
Pollution had existed long before humans evolved. For instance, volcanic eruptions commonly pumped massive amounts of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, causing acid rain: the greenhouse gas, ozone, forms from natural, photochemical reactions in the atmosphere.
However, significant levels of pollution occurred only after the Industrial Revolution, where untreated exhausts and toxic waste products were released into the environment. Air pollution was rampant, with thick, toxic smog covering most towns and cities. Water pollution affected many bodies of water. Toxic substances leached into the soil, hampering the soil quality.
Today, there have been many measures to curb the effects of pollution, but its repercussions can still be observed. For instance, the land and sea ice near the poles have been decreasing at an alarming rate. This has led to the debate regarding climatic factors and their impact on our environment. There was a time when lead used to be added to motor fuel. This substance, combined with the world’s increasing demand for motor vehicles, caused a spike in air pollution. What made this air pollution more dangerous is the fact that the air had high levels of lead.
Lead is toxic and can cause a vast array of health problems. The most common illness are neurological in nature. Lead can also travel through the placenta, between a mother and her unborn child. Moreover, young children and infants are even more sensitive to lead. They can develop learning deficits, behavioural problems and also a low IQ.
Furthermore, some studies have arrived at a “lead-crime postulate”, where children who were exposed to high levels of lead were more likely to indulge in criminal activities. This correlation was made as to the crime rates during the 1980s, and early 1990s were rather high. Lead can also cause neurological effects on vertebrates and impair reproductive capabilities of plants. More ominously, lead can be absorbed into the tissues of such organisms, and they can pass it on to us when we consume them.
Technological progress also brings newer forms of pollution. Radioactive pollution is one of the more rarer types of pollution. This type of pollution occurs naturally as well – elements such as uranium and thorium are present in rocks and soil. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon naturally present in all living organisms. It is created by cosmic rays. However, these natural sources of radiation are of little concern. Only anthropogenic sources of radioactivity are considered a lethal source of pollution. For instance, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is the most publicised nuclear disaster ever to occur. The total death count was documented to be at 16,000. However, unofficial reports indicated that the death toll was much higher. Most deaths occurred due to acute radiation poisoning and many other deaths were caused due to radioactivity- induced cancer. Though it has been more than a few decades, the radioactivity still persists around the site of the nuclear reactor. Efforts to contain the radioactivity included building the Shelter Structure, or more popularly known as the “sarcophagus”. It was built in December 1986 and enclosed the reactor, preventing radiation from leaking through the building.
Though the levels of pollution have dropped down since the industrial revolution, we still see many repercussions to this day. Following are some extreme cases of pollution caused by anthropological activities.
The Great Smog of London was a severe case of air pollution that occurred in 1952. The event caused massive disruption by severely affecting visibility. It also caused a variety of respiratory illness in 1,00,000 individuals and the death of over 4,000 as a direct result of the smog.
In India, pollution is even more rampant. Delhi has recorded one of the worst cases of air pollution, with the air rated as “hazardous” in November 2017.
Answer:
Pollution is a term which even kids are aware of these days. It has become so common that almost everyone acknowledges the fact that pollution is rising continuously. The term 'pollution' means the manifestation of any unsolicited foreign substance in something.Environment is the surroundings in which we live. But the contamination of our environment by pollutants is environmental pollution. The current stage of the earth that we are seeing is the cause of centuries of exploitation of earth and its resources.The environmental pollution, directly and indirectly, affects the lives of humans and other species. These living beings co-existed on the earth with human from centuries.