Impact of Pollution on Natural Resources and Health

Pollution in its many forms is causing increasing damaging to our natural resources and health.

Pollution

The result of some of today’s technological advances is extreme pollution. It can be seen, heard, tasted or even smelt as we drive along our main roads, stroll along our sidewalks or even from the supposing comfort of our home. Also the very food we eat might be polluted though we may not be aware. In this essay I will be discussing the main causes and effects of air, water and noise pollution. Pollution in its many forms is causing increasing damaging to our natural resources and health and lifestyles.
Carbon dioxide is one the main causes of air pollution. Even though humans exhale carbon dioxide, this gas is harmful when emitted from other sources, which are caused due to human activity. Carbon dioxide gas is used in various industries such as the oil industry and the chemical industry. The manufacturing process of most products requires the use of this gas. Also the combustion of fossil fuels and the harmful effects of deforestation have all contributed. Amongst the various gasses emitted during a volcanic eruption, carbon dioxide remains to be at least 40% of the emission. Scientists have identified carbon dioxide as one of those elements that are contributing to global warming. When fuels are burned, some of the pollutants released are greenhouses gases. Though through the process of photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and use the carbon to grow larger. The amount of carbon dioxide released by burning fuels is much more than plants can convert.

Many industrial facilities use clean water to carry away waste from their plants and dump it into rivers, lakes and oceans. Furthermore domestic households, industrial and agricultural practices produce wastewater that may cause pollution. Human infectious diseases are among the most serious effects of water pollution, especially in developing countries, where sanitation may be inadequate or non-existent. Waterborne diseases occur when parasites or other disease-causing microorganisms are transmitted via contaminated water. These include typhoid, intestinal parasites, and most of the diarrheal diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Among the most serious parasitic diseases are amoebiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, and hookworm. Water pollution can make fish sick and even can kill them. Humans are the biggest threat to fish. There are many ways that humans pollute waters. Some of those ways are by dumping oil, radioactive waste and trash into rivers, lakes and seas. This sort of pollution over these years is only increasing at a staggering rate.

Noise pollution from ship engines and sonar systems make it difficult for marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises to communicate, find food, and avoid hazards. Powerful sonar systems operating at certain frequencies may cause damage to marine mammals’ sound-sensitive internal structures, causing internal bleeding and even death. Noise pollution can cause annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high stress levels, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. Furthermore, stress and hypertension are the leading causes to health problems. A comparison of Maaban tribesmen, who were insignificantly exposed to transportation or industrial noise, to a typical U.S. population showed that constant exposure to moderately high levels of environmental noise contributes to hearing loss. High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects and exposure to moderately high levels during a single eight hour period causes a statistical rise in blood pressure of five to ten points and an increase in stress and vasoconstriction leading to the increased blood pressure.

As this essay clearly shows air, water and noise pollution drastically affect humans and our natural habitats. So please reader think twice about dumping garbage into rivers or streams think of the long term effects of that garbage on not only you but on the fish in that stream or where that stream will run. Also what will happen when someone eats that contaminated fish or drinks the contaminated water, because It is evident that pollution in its many forms is causing increasing damaging to our natural resources and health and we as humans need to be more careful about what we do. After all it was us humans that started pollution in the first place.