"Water pollution, and how it effects us."

Homework

"Water pollution, and how it effects us."

Aleksandar Davitkovik 8v n.4

 

Water pollution is defined as the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities. Water pollution is not just harmful to the various animals living in it, it is also harmful to us.

Water pollution is when bodies of water get contaminated with industrial and agricultural effluents.

Water bodies in the vicinity of urban areas are extremely polluted. This is the result of dumping garbage and toxic chemicals by industrial and commercial establishments.

The effects of water pollution can be long term and affect future generations.

Some of these water-borne diseases are Typhoid, Cholera, Paratyphoid Fever, Dysentery, Jaundice, Amoebiasis and Malaria. Chemicals in the water also have negative effects on our health. Pesticides – can damage the nervous system and cause cancer because of the carbonates and organophosphates that they contain.

 

 

-The Minamata Incident

In 1932, a factory in Minamata City, Japan began dumping its industrial effluent – Methylmercury, into the surrounding bay and the sea. Methylmercury is incredibly toxic to humans and animals alike, causing a wide range of neurological disorders.

Its ill-effects were not immediately noticeable. However, this all changed as methylmercury had started to bioaccumulate inside shellfishes and fish in the Minamata Bay. These affected organisms were then caught and consumed by the local population. Soon, the ill-effects of methylmercury was becoming apparent.

Initially, animals such as cats and dogs were affected by this. The city’s cats would often convulse and make strange noises before dying – hence, the term “dancing cat disease” was coined. Soon, the same symptoms were observed in people, though the cause was not apparent at the time.

Other affected people showed symptoms of acute mercury poisoning such as ataxia, muscle weakness, loss of motor coordination, damage to speech and hearing etc. In severe cases, paralysis occurred, which was followed by coma and death.  These diseases and deaths continued for almost 36 years before it could be officially acknowledged by the government and the organisation.

Since then, various control measures of water pollution have been adopted by the government of Japan to curb such environmental disasters in the future.

Water pollution, to a larger extent, can be controlled by a variety of methods. Rather than releasing sewage waste into water bodies, it is better to treat them before discharge. Practising this can reduce the initial toxicity and the remaining substances can be degraded and rendered harmless by the water body itself. If the secondary treatment of water has been carried out, then this can be reused in sanitary systems and agricultural fields.

A very special plant, the Water Hyacinth can absorb dissolved toxic chemicals such as cadmium and other such elements. Establishing these in regions prone to such kinds of pollutants will reduce the adverse effects to a large extent.

 

Sources for additional information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/pollution