Pollution

Pollution occurs when poisonous and other harmful substances are released in the environment. These harmful substances are known as pollutants and are dangerous to and often kill living things. There are four major types of pollution namely, water, air,land and noise pollution.

Water Pollution

All living things need water to survive. We get our water from sources such as oceans, rivers, ponds, lakes and streams. When these sources are polluted, it causes illnesses and a lot of times death for animals and plants.

Causes of Water Pollution

Unfortunately for us, water is polluted in many ways. Some of the causes are natural while others are man made and include sewage, waste from farms, volcanic eruption, waste from factories, flood, animal waste, algae, acid rain and oil spill. Even bathing or washing in a water source is a form of pollution as the detergent and other chemicals in soaps harm life. These chemicals also lead to excessive growth of algae on the surface of water. It blocks sunlight and air, thus reducing oxygen.

Effects of Water Pollution

Death of aquatic animals such as fish, crabs, birds and dolphins.
A break in the food chain caused when one or more organism in a feeding relationship dies off or goes into steep decline. This affects the survival of other organisms that depend on them

Diseases

Activity 1: Arrange the causes of water pollution mentioned in your notes under the correct column.

Natural Causes Man Made Causes

Activity 2: Write at least 2 paragraphs detailing steps that can be taken to reduce water pollution. The first paragraph should explain what water pollution is and 3 ways in which it's caused. The second paragraph should be about the solutions you have to reduce it.

LESSON TWO: Air Pollution

Air Pollution

Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole. Humans have been abusive to the air to the extent where governments have had to enact laws to protect the air from pollutants. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores can all be pollutants. Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance you'll have health problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from air pollution.

Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas in factories and cars release gases and chemicals into the air. These gases are called Greenhouse gases and include carbon-dioxide, carbon-monoxide, methane and others. Too much of these gases are dangerous because they trap the earth’s heat in the atmosphere which leads to warmer temperatures and climate change: rising sea levels, more extreme weather including more frequent and severe hurricanes, heat-related deaths, and increasing transmission of infectious diseases like Lyme.

How to Help Reduce Air Pollution

The following are some ways in which you can help the reduce air pollution. In your own words, explain how and why each works. You can use the internet to help you.

Car Pooling -

Reforestation -

Electricity conservation -

Using alternative energy sources -

LESSON THREE: Land/Soil Pollution

Soil pollution occurs when the level of pollutants on the surface of the earth is so high that it harms the land, habitats and endangers our health, especially through the food we eat.

Types of Soil Pollution

Chemical pollution is the presence of chemical pollutants enough to harm habitats and health. Most of the chemicals that pollute the environment are man-made, resulting from the various activities such as farming in which fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are used. Chemical pollution can also be caused from household chemicals such as bleach and detergents.

Oil spills include any spill of crude oil or oil distilled products (e.g., gasoline, diesel fuels, jet fuels, kerosene, lubricating oils) that pollute the surface of the land. Oil spill pollution may comprise a variety of amounts starting with one or more gallons of oil and up to millions or even hundreds of millions of gallons.

Solid waste - disposal of plastics, cans, and other solid waste falls into the category of soil pollution. Disposal of electrical goods such as batteries causes an adverse effect on the soil due to the presence of harmful chemicals. For instance, lithium present in batteries can cause leaching of soil.

Effects of Soil Pollution

The toxic substances that are deposited on the earth's surface harm our health and well-being and affect food, water and air quality. Some effects of land pollution are:

Damage to habitats and ecosystems - soil pollutants destroy habitats and whole ecosystems leading to the death of organisms to the extent where some become endangered or even extinct.
Damage to health - soil pollutants enter our body through the food chain causing illnesses to appear. Moreover, the spread of antibiotics in the environment increases the pathogens' resistance to these drugs.
Poor harvests - poor soil quality decreases the amount of food farmers would normally produce if the soil was otherwise rich. This leads to famine and starvation in many parts of the world.
Migration - people living in areas where the soil is polluted will move to live in areas where the soil is better to ensure food security and a chance of better health. This movement of people causes over population in areas moved to.

Ways to Prevent Soil Pollution

Reduce, recycle and reuse (3 R's)
Keep surroundings clean of wastes (clean up campaign) and dispose of wastes properly.
Drink water from a cup or reusable container instead of a single use plastic bottle.

Homework

Create a poster inviting your community members to participate in a clean up campaign. Remember to include the date and time and the reason for the clean up.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse