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
Old Ships Exempt From New Pollution Rules http://bit.ly/11LkSh
fuelsaver0 (Allen Yorke) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:42:59 -0000
Old Ships Exempt From New Pollution Rules http://bit.ly/11LkSh
Researchers discover links between city walkability and air pollution exposure http://bit.ly/5mPMs
Bioethics (Bioethics) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:36:13 -0000
Researchers discover links between city walkability and air pollution exposure http://bit.ly/5mPMs
Eco News - Old Ships Exempt From New Pollution Rules - The Environmental Protection Agency has opted to exempt 13 G... http://ow.ly/15YWK6
ecotect (ecotect.ie) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:35:46 -0000
Eco News - Old Ships Exempt From New Pollution Rules - The Environmental Protection Agency has opted to exempt 13 G... http://ow.ly/15YWK6
Weekly Twilight Pollution Index updated: http://bit.ly/3vXhUe
Snobol4 (Dale Harkness) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:35:10 -0000
Weekly Twilight Pollution Index updated: http://bit.ly/3vXhUe
300 Fish Die From Pollution In Northern Ireland: A County Antrim farmer was today fined £1,000 plus court costs at Antrim Magistratesâ Co..
thegovmonitor (The Gov Monitor) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:33:17 -0000
300 Fish Die From Pollution In Northern Ireland: A County Antrim farmer was today fined £1,000 plus court costs at Antrim Magistrates’ Co..
300 Fish Die From Pollution In Northern Ireland: A County Antrim farmer was today fined £1,000 plus court costs.. http://bit.ly/3CH1U5
thegovmonitor (The Gov Monitor) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:32:58 -0000
300 Fish Die From Pollution In Northern Ireland: A County Antrim farmer was today fined £1,000 plus court costs.. http://bit.ly/3CH1U5
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.
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