Air and Water Pollution Essay Sample

Pollution is a process where specific elements of the environment undergo degradation, and from the same living organisms may find it difficult to survive. Some of these elements that face pollution the most are water and air, as they are the common things that living things require on a daily basis. It is, therefore for that reason the paper will focus on determining the major pollutants of the same, while also indicating some of the solutions that can be put into practice with the intention of reducing both water and air pollution.

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Air Pollutants and their Effects

Primary pollutants are those that when emitted from a source they get into the atmosphere directly, and they include sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. Most of them are as a result of processes like industrial emissions and volcanic eruptions. On the other hand, secondary pollutants are those that are present from various reactions that take place between two or more primary pollutants, or between a primary pollutant and some of the elements that are in the atmosphere (Patnaik, 2018). They include acidic rain that is from a combination of water and nitrogen oxides and oxidants that are photochemical in nature. These pollutants have various effects on humans, but those of secondary pollutants may not have an immediate response when exposed to humans. However, the exposure to the primary pollutants may have adverse consequences to the health of humans. For instance, the exposure of carbon monoxide is chronic since it may lead to visual impairment, and the reduced capability of various activities that entail learning, working and carrying out tasks that are complex. It may be carcinogenic for cases of people who are suffering from ailments that are related to the heart. The exposure to sulfur dioxide may be acute to human health as it causes illnesses within the respiratory system and the alteration of the lungs (Patnaik, 2018).

Water Pollutants and their Effects

A pathogen is an organism that results in the development of diseases, and it propagates the same through the water. An example is a bacterium called the Salmonella which causes diarrhea and gastrointestinal diseases. Organic wastes are the pollutants that come from the remains of animals and plants, as they mainly affect the water. While they may appear harmless in water, they become pollutants when not used in the proper way. However, the presence of organic wastes in water makes the same unfit for human use, especially for drinking and cooking, and in some cases washing as it may affect the skin. Chemical pollutants are mainly inorganic and they occur as a result of industries dumping their wastes in rivers. As a result of the same, they make the water unfit for consumption and also toxic to aquatic life. They include metals that are toxic like mercury and lead, pesticides, and fertilizers. Sediments entail soils that are loose, including clay and silt that may have been carried through erosion by water and ice and dumped into lakes and rivers. While the same may appear as though it is not harmful, it is regarded as one of the most prominent forms of polluting the water, as it reduces the quality of cleanliness of the water, thereby rendering the same unfit for consumption (Patnaik, 2018). Besides that, the presence of sediments increases the likelihood of an area of having floods considering that they block waterways and make water channels narrow.

Personal Efforts to reduce Water and Air Pollution

Personally, there are various things that I can do with intention of reducing the happening of air and water pollution. To reduce air pollution, I would be at the forefront in ensuring that I preserve energy by switching off any electrical appliances when they are not in use. Secondly, I would reduce the usage of my car, and instead apply other methods of moving from one point to another, including the use of bicycles or walking, depending on the distance of destination. On the other hand, I would reduce water pollution by ensuring that I reduce the number of herbicides and pesticides on the farm. Secondly, it is crucial to dump litter in the proper manner so that it does not contaminate the water (Patnaik, 2018).

In conclusion, air and water pollution are the most common forms of degrading the environment, yet these are the elements that living organisms depend on most for survival. From the reading it is clear that humans are the sole causes of polluting the same, while they are also best fit to ensuring that they prevent the release of the various pollutants to the environment.

Reference

Patnaik, P. (2018). Handbook of environmental analysis. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.