General Environmental Pollution Effects
Miguel A. Santos notes that a very important aspect of the effect of pollution is its dose (or concentration) required to cause environmental damage. (10) He defines pollution response as “the change in the effect of a pollutant in response to a change in its concentration”. (11)
In this respect, he identifies 3 different types of response evoked by the environment to different pollution concentrations: (12)
- Linear effect
- Greater-than-linear effect
- Threshold effect
This effect occurs with radioactive substances as well as mercury, lead, cadmium and asbestos.
In the greater-than-linear effect, environmental damage increases with an increase in pollution concentrations but at a decreasing rate. This means that, as pollution concentrations continue to increase the environmental damage will continue to decrease. (14)
This is the case with thermal pollution.
In the threshold effect, pollution produces no effect until a certain threshold in pollution concentrations is achieved. In other words, “so long as a given threshold is not exceeded, the damage from pollution would be completely repaired as quickly as it is produced”. (15)
This effect is found with biodegradable pollutants.
It is also important to mention synergistic effects of pollutants on the environment. While interacting with each other, pollutants can produce greater impacts than when acting individually. (16)
A good example of that is a synergy between asbestos exposure and smoking in causing lung cancer. (17)
There is no doubt that excessive levels of pollution are causing a lot of damage to human & animal health, plants & trees (including tropical rainforests) as well as the wider environment.
All types of environmental pollution – air, water and soil pollution – have an impact on the living environment.
The effects in living organisms may range from mild discomfort to serious diseases such as cancer to physical deformities (for example, extra or missing limbs in frogs).
Experts admit that environmental pollution effects are quite often underestimated and that more research is needed to understand the connections between pollution and its effects on all life forms.
Environmental Pollution Effects on Humans
We know that pollution causes not only physical disabilities but also psychological and behavioral disorders in people.We are discussing the effects of air pollution and specific air pollutants in more detail in the Air Pollutants article.
The following effects of environmental pollution on humans have been reported:
Air pollution (18, 19)
- Reduced lung functioning
- Irritation of eyes, nose, mouth and throat
- Asthma attacks
- Respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing
- Increased respiratory disease such as bronchitis
- Reduced energy levels
- Headaches and dizziness
- Disruption of endocrine, reproductive and immune systems
- Neurobehavioral disorders
- Cardiovascular problems
- Cancer
- Premature death
We discuss air pollution effects in more detail here.
Water pollution (20)
Waterborne diseases caused by polluted drinking water:
Waterborne diseases caused by polluted beach water:
- Typhoid
- Amoebiasis
- Giardiasis
- Ascariasis
- Hookworm
Conditions related to water polluted by chemicals (such as pesticides, hydrocarbons, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals etc):
- Rashes, ear ache, pink eye
- Respiratory infections
- Hepatitis, encephalitis, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach aches
Other notes:
- Cancer, incl. prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Hormonal problems that can disrupt reproductive and developmental processes
- Damage to the nervous system
- Liver and kidney damage
- Damage to the DNA
- Exposure to mercury (heavy metal):
- In the womb: may cause neurological problems including slower reflexes, learning deficits, delayed or incomplete mental development, autism and brain damage
- In adults: Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and even death
- Water pollution may also result from interactions between water and contaminated soil, as well as from deposition of air contaminants (such as acid rain)
- Damage to people may be caused by fish foods coming from polluted water (a well known example is high mercury levels in fish)
- Damage to people may be caused by vegetable crops grown / washed with polluted water (author’s own conclusion)
Soil contamination (21)
Other notes:
- Causes cancers including leukaemia
- Lead in soil is especially hazardous for young children causing developmental damage to the brain
- Mercury can increase the risk of kidney damage; cyclodienes can lead to liver toxicity
- Causes neuromuscular blockage as well as depression of the central nervous system
- Also causes headaches, nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash
- Contact with contaminated soil may be direct (from using parks, schools etc) or indirect (by inhaling soil contaminants which have vaporized)
- Soil contamination may also result from secondary contamination of water supplies and from deposition of air contaminants (for example, via acid rain)
- Contamination of crops grown in polluted soil brings up problems with food security
- Since it is closely linked to water pollution, many effects of soil contamination appear to be similar to the ones caused by water contamination
An Extreme Oil Pollution Case
Pollution of pristine Ecuador rainforest by Texaco / Chevron oil corporation represents perhaps one of the most outrageous cases of oil pollution ever. Some levels of pollutants left by the company on its sites of oil exploration have been calculated to exceed the US safety standards by as much as 1,000 times, causing such side effects as children born with fused fingers and deformed eyes, high cancer rates, etc.
For more details, check out the Oil Pollution of Ecuador Rainforest article.
Source : http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/
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