Noise pollution

Noise pollution or noise disturbance is the disturbing

or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance
of human or animal life. The source of most outdoor
noise worldwide is mainly caused
by machines and transportation systems, motor
vehicles, aircraft, and trains.[1][2] Outdoor noise is
summarized by the word environmental noise.
Poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution,
since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings
can result in noise pollution in the residential areas.
Documented problems associated with urban noise go
back as far as Ancient Rome.[3]
Outdoor noise can be caused by machines, construction activities, and music performances,
especially in some workplaces. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by outside (e.g. trains) or
inside (e.g. music) noise.
High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans and an increased incidence
of coronary artery disease.[4] In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or
prey detection and avoidance, interfere with reproduction and navigation, and contribute to
permanent hearing loss.[5]
Health
Humans
Noise pollution affects both health and behavior. Unwanted sound (noise) can damage psychological
health. Noise pollution can cause hypertension, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep
disturbances, and other harmful effects. Sound becomes unwanted when it either interferes with
normal activities such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one's quality of life. [10]
Chronic exposure to noise may cause noise-induced hearing loss. Older males exposed to
significant occupational noise demonstrate more significantly reduced hearing sensitivity than their
non-exposed peers, though differences in hearing sensitivity decrease with time and the two groups
are indistinguishable by age 79.[11] A comparison of Maaban tribesmen, who were insignificantly
exposed to transportation or industrial noise, to a typical U.S. population showed that chronic
exposure to moderately high levels of environmental noise contributes to hearing loss. [6]

Soil contamination
Soil contamination or soil pollution as part of land
degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-
made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil
environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity,
agricultural chemicals, or improper disposal of waste. The most
common chemicals involved
are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic
hydrocarbons (such as naphthalene
and benzo(a)pyrene), solvents, pesticides, lead, and
other heavy metals. Contamination is correlated with the degree
of industrialization and intensity of chemical usage.
The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from health risks, from direct contact with the
contaminated soil, vapors from the contaminants, and from secondary contamination of water
supplies within and underlying the soil.[1] Mapping of contaminated soil sites and the resulting
cleanup are time consuming and expensive tasks, requiring extensive amounts
of geology, hydrology, chemistry, computer modeling skills, and GIS in Environmental
Contamination, as well as an appreciation of the history of industrial chemistry.[2]
In North America and Western Europe the extent of contaminated land is best known, with many of
countries in these areas having a legal framework to identify and deal with this environmental
problem. Developing countries tend to be less tightly regulated despite some of them having
undergone significant industrialization.

Water pollution
 Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies
(e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). This
form of environmental degradation occurs
when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into
water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful
compounds.
Water pollution affects the entire biosphere plants and
organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all
cases the effect is damaging not only to
individual species and population, but also to the
natural biological communities.
Introduction
Water pollution is a major global problem which requires ongoing evaluation and revision of water
resource policy at all levels (international down to individual aquifers and wells). It has been
suggested that water pollution is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases, [1][2] and that it
accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily.[2] An estimated 580 people in India die of
water pollution related illness every day.[3] About 90 percent of the water in the cities of China is
polluted.[4] As of 2007, half a billion Chinese had no access to safe drinking water.[5] In addition to the
acute problems of water pollution in developing countries, developed countries also continue to
struggle with pollution problems. For example, in the most recent national report on water quality in
the United States, 44 percent of assessed stream miles, 64 percent of assessed lake acres, and 30
percent of assessed bays and estuarine square miles were classified as polluted.[6] The head of
China's national development agency said in 2007 that one quarter the length of China's seven main
rivers were so poisoned the water harmed the skin.[7]
Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants and
either does not support a human use, such as drinking water, or undergoes a marked shift in its
ability to support its constituent biotic communities, such as fish. Natural phenomena such
as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality
and the ecological status of water.

Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of harmful substances including particulates and biological
molecules into Earth's atmosphere. It may cause diseases, allergies or death in humans; it may also
cause harm to other living organisms such as animals and food crops, and may damage
the natural or built environment. Human activity and natural processes can both generate air
pollution. Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst toxic
pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places report.[2] According
to the 2014 WHO report, air pollution in 2012 caused the deaths of around 7 million people
worldwide,[3] an estimate roughly matched by the International Energy Agency.[4][5]
Pollutants[edit]
An air pollutant is a substance in the air that can have
adverse effects on humans and the ecosystem. The
substance can be solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases.
A pollutant can be of natural origin or man-made.
Pollutants are classified as primary or secondary. Primary
pollutants are usually produced from a process, such as
ash from a volcanic eruption. Other examples
include carbon monoxide gas from motor vehicle exhaust,
or the sulfur dioxide released from factories. Secondary
pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the
air when primary pollutants react or interact. Ground level
ozone is a prominent example of a secondary pollutant. Some pollutants may be both primary and
secondary: they are both emitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) - This is by far the most emitted form of human caused air pollution.
Although CO2 is currently only about 405 parts per million in earth's atmosphere, billions of
metric tons of CO2 are emitted annually by burning of fossil fuels.[6] CO2 increase in earth's
atmosphere has been accelerating.[7]
Sulfur oxides (SOx) - particularly sulfur dioxide, a chemical compound with the formula SO 2.
SO2 is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Coal and petroleum often
contain sulfur compounds, and their combustion generates sulfur dioxide. Further oxidation of
SO2, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as NO2, forms H2SO4, and thus acid rain.[2] This
 is one of the causes for concern over the environmental impact of the use of these fuels as
power sources.

Thermal pollution
Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process
that changes ambient water temperature. A common cause of thermal
pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial
manufacturers. When water used as a coolant is returned to the natural
environment at a higher temperature, the change in temperature
decreases oxygen supply and affects ecosystem composition. Fish and
other organisms adapted to particular temperature range can be killed by
an abrupt change in water temperature (either a rapid increase or
decrease) known as "thermal shock."
Urban runoffstormwater discharged to surface waters
from roads and parking lotscan also be a source of elevated water
temperatures.
Ecological effects
Warm water
Elevated temperature typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen of water, as gases are less
soluble in hotter liquids. This can harm aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians and other aquatic
organisms. Thermal pollution may also increase the metabolic rate of aquatic animals,
as enzyme activity, resulting in these organisms consuming more food in a shorter time than if their
environment were not changed.[4]:179 An increased metabolic rate may result in fewer resources; the
more adapted organisms moving in may have an advantage over organisms that are not used to the
warmer temperature. As a result, food chains of the old and new environments may be
compromised. Some fish species will avoid stream segments or coastal areas adjacent to a thermal
discharge. Biodiversity can be decreased as a result.[5]:41517 [6]:340
High temperature limits oxygen dispersion into deeper waters, contributing to anaerobic conditions.
This can lead to increased bacteria levels when there is ample food supply. Many aquatic species
will fail to reproduce at elevated temperatures.[4]:17980
Primary producers (e.g. plants, cyanobacteria) are affected by warm water because higher water
temperature increases plant growth rates, resulting in a shorter lifespan and species overpopulation.
This can cause an algae bloom which reduces oxygen levels.
Temperature changes of even one to two degrees Celsius can cause significant changes in
organism metabolism and other adverse cellular biology effects. Principal adverse changes can
include rendering cell walls less permeable to necessary osmosis, coagulation of cell proteins, and
alteration of enzyme metabolism. These cellular level effects can adversely
affect mortality and reproduction.
A large increase in temperature can lead to the denaturing of life-supporting enzymes by breaking
down hydrogen- and disulphide bonds within the quaternary structure of the enzymes. Decreased
enzyme activity in aquatic organisms can cause problems such as the inability to break down lipids,
which leads to malnutrition.