What are the sources of air pollution?

Some of the main contributors to air pollution are:

• Automobile emissions
• Tobacco smoke
• Combustion of coal
• Acid rain
• Noise pollution from cars and construction
• Power plants
• Manufacturing buildings
• Large ships
• Paint fumes
• Aerosol sprays
• Wildfires
• Nuclear weapons

Facts about Air Pollution

Here are a few facts about air pollution:

- Modern plants and factories, cars and buses poison the air. This is also bad, because nowadays it is difficult to breath in big cities.

- Nuclear power stations can go wrong and cause nuclear pollution. This happened in Windscale in Britain and Chernobol in the former soviet union

- To make the air clean we need good filters an nuclear power station, factories and plants, in cars and buses

• Almost 232 million different types of vehicles are driven by U.S. citizens every day, adding greenhouse gases into the air
• U.S. vehicle emissions contribute 45% to global warming
• The average adult consumes 3,000 gallons of polluted air every day
• Vehicle exhaust contributes to 60% of carbon monoxide emissions in the U.S. and up to 95% in large cities
• Every year 335,000 Americans die of lung cancer, which is a direct result of air pollution

How to prevent Air Pollution

The number one way to prevent air pollution is to walk or bike more and drive less. This will prevent fossil fuels from polluting the air. Here are some other ways to prevent air pollution:

• Carpool or join a ride share with friends and coworkers
• Don’t smoke
• Keep your car maintenance up-to-date
• If you have to drive, do your errands at one time
• Don’t buy products that come in aerosol spray cans
• Avoid using lighter fluid when barbecuing outside
• When you drive accelerate slowly and use cruise control
• Always replace your car’s air filter
• Use a push or electric lawnmower rather than a gas-powered one
• Don’t use harsh chemical cleaners that can emit fumes
• Inspect your gas appliances and heaters regularly

 

Water Pollution

Water pollution is the introduction of chemical, biological and physical matter into large bodies of water that degrade the quality of life that lives in it and consumes it.

Water Pollution

Water pollution occurs mostly, when people overload the water environment such as streams, lakes, underground water, bays or seas with wastes or substances harmful to living beings.

Water is necessary for life. All organisms contain it, some drink it and some live in it. Plants and animals require water that is moderately pure, and they cannot survive, if water contains toxic chemicals or harmful microorganisms. Water pollution kills large quantity of fish, birds, and other animals, in some cases killing everything in an affected area.

Pollution makes streams, lakes, and coastal waters unpleasant to swim in or to have a rest. Fish and shellfish harvested from polluted waters may be unsafe to eat. People who polluted water can become ill, if they drink polluted water for a long time, it may develop cancer or hurt their future children.

The major water pollutants are chemical, biological, and physical materials that lessen the water quality. Pollutants can be separated into several different classes:

The first class is petroleum products: oil, fuel, lubrication, plastics. The petroleum products get into water by accidental spills from ships, tanker trucks and when there are leaks from underground storage tanks. Many petroleum products are poisonous for animals. Spilled oil damages the feathers of birds and the fur of animals, often it causes death.

The second class is pesticides and herbicides. There are chemicals used to kill harmful animals and plants. If they penetrate into streams, rivers, lakes, these chemicals can be very dangerous. The chemicals can remain dangerous for a long time. When an animal eats a plant that's been treated with it, the poisons are absorbed into the tissues and organs of the animals.

When other animals feed on a contaminated animal, the chemicals are passed up to them. As it goes up through the food chain, the chemical becomes more harmful, so animals at the top of the food chains may suffer cancers, reproductive problems, and death. Nitrates can cause a lethal form of anemia in infants.

The third class are heavy metals, such as, mercury, selenium, uranium, radium, cesium, etc. They get into the water from industries, automobile exhausts, mines, and natural soil. Heavy metals also become more harmful as they follow the food chain. They accumulate in living being's cells and when they reach high levels of concentration in the organism, they can be extremely poisonous, or can result in long-term health problems. They can sometimes cause liver and kidney damage.

The fourth class is fertilizers and other nutrients used to promote plant growth on farms and in gardens.

The fifth class is infectious organisms and pathogens. They enter water through sewage, storm drains, runoff from farms, etc.

The last one is thermal pollution. Water is often taken from rivers, lakes or seas to be used in factories and power plants. The water is usually returned to the source warmer than when it was taken. Even a small temperature change in a body of water can drive away the fish and other species that were originally there, and attract other species in place of them. It breaks a balance and can cause serious circumstances in future.

Questions:

1. When does water pollution occur?
2. Why do plants and animals require pure water?
3. What are the major water pollutants?
4. How can pollutants be separated?
5. How do petroleum products affect the animals?
6. Why can pesticides and herbicides be dangerous if they penetrate into streams, rivers and lakes?
7. What do heavy metals result in?
8. How do fertilizers penetrate to water?
9. What damage can thermal pollution cause?

Vocabulary:

pollution — загрязнение
to occur — происходить, случаться, совершаться
mostly — главным образом» но большей части
environment — окружение, окружающая обстановка; окружающая среда
stream — река, ручей
underground water — подземные воды
bay — залив» бухта
harmful — вредный
living beings — живые существа
to contain — содержать в себе, включать, иметь в своем составе; вмещать
to require — требовать
moderately — умеренно, сдержанно
to survive — выдержать, пережить, перенести
quantity — количество
shellfish — моллюск, ракообразное
to harvest — проводить массовые охоты
to ingest — глотать, проглатывать
to lessen — уменыпать(ся), сокращать(ся)
petroleum products — нефтепродукты
fuel — топливо, бензин
lubrication — смазка, смазывание (машины)
accidental — случайный
to spill — проливаться), разливать(ся), расплескивать(ся)
tanker truck — грузовой танкер
leak — течь, протечка, утечка
underground storage tank — подземные хранилища (резервуары)
poisonous — ядовитый
to penetrate — проникать внутрь, проходить сквозь, пронизывать
to remain — оставаться
to absorb — всасывать, впитывать; абсорбировать, поглощать
tissue — ткань
contaminated — зараженный, загрязненный
to suffer — страдать; испытывать, претерпевать
lethal form — летальный исход
exhausts — выхлопные газы
to cause damage — причинять ущерб, вред
liver — печень
kidney — почка
nutrient — питательное вещество
sewage — сточные воды, нечистоты
storm drains — дренажи
circumstance — обстоятельство, случай; условие