Gourt > Society > Issues > Environment > Pollution (3)
Pollution is the release of chemical, physical, biological or radioactive contaminants to the environment. Principal forms of pollution include:
- air pollution, the release of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere. Common examples include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and nitrogen oxides produced by industry and motor vehicles. Ozone and smog are created as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons react to sunlight.
- water pollution affects oceans and inland bodies of water. Examples include organic and inorganic chemicals, heavy metals, petrochemicals, chloroform, and bacteria. Water pollution may also occur in the form of thermal pollution and the depletion of dissolved oxygen.
- soil contamination often occurs when chemicals are released by spill or underground storage tank leakage. Contaminants include hydrocarbons, heavy metals, MTBE, herbicides, pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Often leads to water pollution via surface runoff and leaching to groundwater.
- radioactive contamination, added in the wake of 20th-century discoveries in atomic physics. (See alpha emitters and actinides in the environment.)
- noise pollution, which encompasses roadway noise, aircraft noise, industrial noise as well as high-intensity sonar.
- light pollution, includes light trespass, over-illumination and astronomical interference.
- visual pollution, which can refer to the presence of overhead power lines, highway billboards, scarred landforms (as from strip mining), open storage of junk or municipal solid waste.
Sources and causes
Arguably the principal source of air pollutants worldwide is motor vehicle emissions. While the U.S. has adopted stringent emissions controls, the EU has not been as assertive in this field; nevertheless, the U.S. is still the leading contributor to mobile source air emissions merely due to the very high number of vehicle miles travelled per capita. Underdeveloped countries lag severely in emission controls on motor vehicles, especially roadway vehicles, and on a per vehicle mile travelled basis produce many times the emissions of the U.S fleet.
More on [ Pollution ]
Ecotoxicology :: Ecology
Air Quality :: Environment
Environmental Health :: Environment
Hazardous Waste
Pollution Prevention and Recycling
Water Resources
Health :: Environment
Anybody know a good festival for docs focused on corporate greed and subsequent chemical pollution?
filmmakingstuff (FilmmakingStuff) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:33:52 -0000
Anybody know a good festival for docs focused on corporate greed and subsequent chemical pollution?
Cancer finding leads to call for federal review of Pompton Lakes pollution treatment project: Lawmakers are asking ... http://bit.ly/855LEE
awesomeaimee (Aimee) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:33:51 -0000
Cancer finding leads to call for federal review of Pompton Lakes pollution treatment project: Lawmakers are asking ... http://bit.ly/855LEE
Cancer finding leads to call for federal review of Pompton Lakes pollution treatment project: Lawmakers are asking ... http://bit.ly/855LEE
topixhealth (topix) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:33:51 -0000
Cancer finding leads to call for federal review of Pompton Lakes pollution treatment project: Lawmakers are asking ... http://bit.ly/855LEE
Lawmakers seek review of NJ pollution cleanup (AP)http://bit.ly/66Zd8v
WhatsHappenin2 (WhatsHappenin2) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:32:35 -0000
Lawmakers seek review of NJ pollution cleanup (AP)http://bit.ly/66Zd8v
its funny how some music artists get signed considering they only create ear pollution. i could make better noise than they can.
scott293 (scott dambrosio) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:31:15 -0000
its funny how some music artists get signed considering they only create ear pollution. i could make better noise than they can.
a @OxyConservative true, but #tcot considers breathing to be air pollution, so they aren't exactly bright people.
danielspengies (danielspengies) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:31:11 -0000
a @OxyConservative true, but #tcot considers breathing to be air pollution, so they aren't exactly bright people.
Chemical Hazard Community Watch - A guide to essential networked resources and links to inform and educate on issues of chemical hazards in our communities for emergency preparedness.
Meta Description: [ A guide to essential networked resources and links to inform and educate on issues of chemical hazards in our communities for emergency preparedness. ]
Clean Air Now! - The states PRIG's reports on the national threat of air pollution.
Groen en Geel - Quarterly newsletter about chlorine and chlorine chemistry, published by Dutch environmental organizations.
Meta Description: [ Groen & Geel biedt nieuws, achtergronden en informatie over chloor, chloorstoffen en de chloorchemie, Groen & Geel provides news, background and information on chlorine, chlorine compounds, chlorine chemistry, and the chlorine industry in the Netherlands. ]
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International Cement Industry - Provides inventory of waste-burning cement plants around the world.
NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program - Provides funding to programs at universities and institutions around the United States to study the human health effects of hazardous substances in the environment.
Meta Description: [ Superfund Basic Research Program Home Page ]
Reach For Unbleached! - Consumer education about paper and pulp mill monitoring.
Scorecard Home - EDF Scorecard makes it easy to find information about toxic chemicals: where they come from in your community, what their human health effects are, and what actions you can take.
Meta Description: [ Find environmental information
about your community: learn how bad the pollution is, where
the toxic chemicals come from, what the health risks are,
and what actions you can take ]
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Sea Dumping in Australia - Research papers describing the history and effects of sea dumping in Australia. Includes a database for research purposes and a paper on chemical warfare agent sea dumping after WW2.
Meta Description: [ iiNet specialises in super fast ADSL2+ broadband. Get the fastest speeds around, up to 24,000kbps - ordinary broadband
just isn't the same. We also have the greatest ADSL2+ coverage in Australia. ]
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StIC - Stop the Incinerator Campaign - Scientific findings, events and details of how to help. Incinerator is located in Swansea, UK.
Tire-Burning Cement Plants World Wide - Provides information and links to related organizations.
When your surroundings are a filthy mess, someone is responsible - Examining why we suffer and tolerate filth. The term filth, for the purposes of this site, encompasses everything from grime and litter to industrial-grade pollution.
Meta Description: [ Filthymess explores why we suffer and tolerate pollution, filth, garbage, and squalid conditions in our everyday environment. ]
World Bank - NIPR: New Ideas in Pollution Regulation - For researchers, government officials, and citizens interested in understanding and improving control of industrial pollution, especially in developing countries. NIPR is the primary source for materials produced by the World Bank's Economics of Industrial Pollution Control Research Project.
| BBC News - China's Grime Belt Air Pollution Extreme | |
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