POLLUTION:

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse [1] change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.

Presence of matter (gas, liquid, solid) or energy (heat, noise, radiation) whose nature, location, or quantity directly or indirectly alters characteristics or processes of any part of the environment, and causes (or has the potential to cause) damage to the condition, health, safety, or welfare of animals, humans, plants, or property.

Nature's imbalance
For everything we take from the Earth, there is a byproduct or consequence. Perhaps pollution is a symptom of nature's imbalance. Some people reap from the Earth, but countless others become sick, displaced or harmed due to the resulting pollution affecting wildlife and more. On the off chance that a guilty conscience is an unknown symptom of overexploitation, here's a list of the 10 worst forms of pollution and their effects on humans. (Text: Bryan Nelson)

Oil spills
In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, the harmful effects of marine oil spills are obvious. Birds, fish and other marine life can be devastated from a spill, and the ecosystems often take decades to recover. The oil is ingested by some animals, allowing pollutants to enter the food chain, harming fisheries and other industries in the region. Many people don't realize that most oil pollution actually comes from land-based activity. One way or another, oil has seeped into nearly all of Earth's ecosystems.

Radioactive waste
Most radioactive waste comes as a result of nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons reprocessing, but it can also be the byproduct of medical and industrial procedures, coal or mineral mining, or oil processes. All radioactive waste carries the potential for water and air contamination. Radiation poisoning can cause severe genetic damage and may result in cancer. Some forms of radioactive waste can take thousands of years to decay, so once contamination occurs, the problem is often there to stay.

Urban air pollution

According to the World Health Organization, 2.4 million people die every year primarily because of air pollution. Urban areas such as Los Angeles, Mumbai, Cairo, Bejing and many of the world's most populated cities have the worst air quality. Air pollution has been strongly correlated with increased rates of asthma, and pollution from automobiles has a strong link to pneumoniarelated deaths. One of the worst cases of urban air pollution happened in London in 1952, when about 8,000 people died over the course of a few months because of a single smog event.

Mercury poisoning
Most man-made mercury pollution is emitted by coal power plants, but mercury can also be a byproduct of gold mining, cement production, iron and steel production and waste disposal. Once in the environment, mercury can accumulate in the soil, water and atmosphere. It is particularly apparent in the marine food chain. The consumption of fish is by far the most significant source of mercury contamination in humans. Some effects of mercury poisoning include impaired cognitive function, kidney failure, loss of hair, teeth or nails, and extreme muscle weakness.

Greenhouse gases
The most common greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels has greatly increased since the Industrial Revolution. As greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, they cause overall warming and climate change. A few of the profound effects of rapid climate change include rising sea levels, loss of biodiversity and the melting of snowpack, which could threaten the world's fresh water supply.

Pharmaceutical pollution
Pharmaceutical waste is becoming one of the world's biggest pollution concerns. Millions of doses of drugs are prescribed to people annually, and even more antibiotics are given to livestock. Those chemicals eventually make their way into the water supply. There is a natural risk to human health, but the bigger fear is that the pollution will ease the evolution of superbugs bacteria that are immune to antibiotics.

Plastics
Many plastics are toxic. Vinyl chloride (PVC), is a known carcinogen, and bisphenol A (BPA) can disrupt endocrine function, can cause insulin resistance and it has been linked to heart disease. Plastics biodegrade slowly, in some cases lasting for hundreds of thousands of years. Waste accumulated from excessive use of plastics has become a worldwide problem. Gigantic islands of plastic trash have been known to accumulate in the North Pacific Gyre, the most famous of which is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

Untreated sewage

Lackluster sewage treatment in some parts of the world is a major source of disease and water contamination. In Latin America only 15 percent of wastewater is treated, and sewage treatment is virtually unheard of in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to the sanitation hazard, untreated sewage also allows for redistribution and accumulation of other pollutants in the water table.

Lead poisoning
Lead is toxic and is harmful to most of the body's organs, including the heart, kidneys, nervous system, reproductive system, bones and intestines. It is especially dangerous to children because their bodies are still developing. Lead was a common component of paint until 1977, and is still used in certain kinds of paints. It can leak into the water and food supplies. Another major cause of contamination is occupational exposure in industrial settings and plants that process lead-acid batteries.

Agricultural pollution
Pesticides, chemicals and untreated manure are the most dangerous forms of agricultural pollution because they end up in the water supply. Excessive agricultural runoff can prompt the growth of large algal blooms, which starve waterways of oxygen and create "dead zones." Excessive erosion can also be a problem, and even accidental milk spillage from dairies can be a serious contaminant. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, half of all surface water pollution in the U.S. is attributable to agricultural sources. http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/the-10-worst-forms-ofpollution/natures-imbalance

Ten ways to reduce pollution in the environment

One world is large enough for all of us!
As we continue to live and breathe on this planet, we must become more energy conscious, if we are to continue to live and breathe on this planet! Use of natural resources, consumption and waste are all at peak levels, and rising. It is up to each of us to act individually and together to effect change that will make the planet habitable in the years to come. While wars are devastating to humankind, the blatant misuse of energy and resources potentially threatens our long-term survival as a species. It is by conserving energy at home, and growing an environment consciousness in our communities, that we can turn around the dire situation that the world is in now. We must act now! 1) Bring your own bag when you go grocery shopping. Many grocery stores sell cloth bags, or you can just recycle ones that you already have. You can buy a cloth bag online if you like, here. They are very sturdy, and hold as much as the paper or plastic ones do. You can see an article here about how Ireland has addressed the issue of plastic bags by passing a 15 cent tax on each bag. initiated in 2002, it has eliminated 1 BILLION plastic bags per year. 2) Park your car. Every mile driven in a typical car produces a pound of exhaust waste, in the form of carbon dioxide. This amounts to tons of waste over a year.There is a converter here, that will tell you about how much you can reduce environmental pollution by driving less. There are benefits to not driving as well, whether it is exercise and neighborly interactions when

walking or biking; or time to read or talk if carpooling or on the bus. And if you have to use your car (as I feel I have to) combine errands, work and other activities to promote driving less overall. 3) Increase your awareness of electricity use. Turn off appliances and lights when they are not in use. Be particularly aware of cable boxes, video boxes; and to a lesser extent TVs and DVD players. They consume almost as much energy off as they do when they are on! Anytime an appliance is off and there is a light, or clock going (like on a microwave) there is what is called a ghost load. Just unplug it when not in use, or better yet put it on a power strip with an on/off switch. You'll save energy, and cut down on the air pollution that electrical plants - that are often coal powered - create. Click here to find out more about how various household items and activities use energy based on data that you input. 4) Eat less meat. The energy required to produce 1 calorie of beef is 18 TIMES more than that required to make a calorie of wheat. It is mindboggling; however, if we examine the water required to produce a pound of beef, it is just over 5200 gallons. The water pollution is one problem that is out of control when it comes to the meat industry. Every meal that replacesmeat with vegetables, beans or soy protein, and grains makes a significant dent in the overall environmental picture. One really good source of information here is a book by Michael Pollen called The Omnivores Dilemma. 5) Buy locally. Locally grown food travels at most a couple of hundred miles, and is usually picked the day before, if not the day of, delivery. In contrast, the average piece of produce found on your grocer's counter has traveled 1500 miles! In addition, it often need some refrigeration and packaging to survive the 4 - 7 days it takes before it gets there. And it's not just produce that is made locally; many things you can get at the big box is either being made locally, or in those cases where they aren't, they can often be purchased second hand. A lot of pollution can be avoided by just buying locally whenever possible. 6) Plant a tree. Start a garden! Planting a shade tree can significantly impact heating bills once it reaches maturity. Planting a garden is a joyful activity that cuts down on the energy needed to get vegetables to your table. If you don't have the room for a garden, you can alwaysgrow sprouts in your house or apartment. They are one of the most nutritious and easy to grow foods ever, containing not only essential vitamins and minerals, but also life supporting qualities not readily found in other foods. 7) Reduce. Re-use. Recycle. Yes, it's cliche; but, putting it into action isn't. We don't have to always buy something; and nine times out of ten I find that when I'm confronted with the choice or desire to purchase, that simply breathing for a moment is enough to satisfy me. There are many innovative ways to reduce; one way is to purchase things in bulk, thereby cutting down on packaging and expense. Another is to make certain that all batteries are properly recycled, and then to replace the appliances that use them with corded varieties. Or, in the case of remote controls and other items that don't have cords, to get batteries that can be recharged at

home. 8) Join national groups to put pressure on governments and corporations to cut down on their energy consumption. When a law like the one in Ireland is passed, and literally billions of plastic bags are removed from the equation, it dwarfs what the individual can do. Yet, it was individuals who created the law, lobbied for it, and then signed it into action. Here is a site (the NDRC) with environmental petitions to sign and lots of other great information about the environment. And here is another (the EDF). 9) Put less load on your furnace and air conditioner. Either by getting a more efficient model, or by adjusting the thermostat. And while you're adjusting that thermostat, don't forget the ones on your hot water heater (recommended to be set at 120 degrees F.) and the refridgerator. If you want to really make an impact for years to come, you can receive tax credits (in the United States - through 2016 for certain items) for various other types of improvements to your home's energy efficiency. It's worth looking into, as you'll get money back from the government, and spend less money in the years to come as well. 10) Compost! Even the most diligent cook is going to come across a lot of scraps, ends, peels and bruised produce that can't be prepared. And, often there are bits and pieces of food that don't get eaten, and start to go bad. Starting a compost pile in the back yard is just the thing for them! Easy to take care of, the rewards are numerous. Healthier plants make for less pesticide use; and the compost can be used anywhere, indoors or out. Apartment dwellers may find that their local city has a composting program; or they can get an indoor composting unit.