Industrial Pollution And Environmental Sustainability Environmental Sciences Essay

Industrial pollution is one of the main causes of pollution worldwide. Apart from health hazards, water pollution due to discharge of contaminated water and global warming are some of the harmful effects of industrial pollution. Industry accounts for more than half the volume of all water pollution and for the most deadly pollutants. Some 370,000 manufacturing facilities in the United States of America alone use huge quantities of freshwater to carry away wastes of many kinds. The waste-bearing water, or effluent, is discharged into streams, lakes, or oceans, which in turn disperse the polluting substances. In its National Water Quality Inventory, reported to Congress in 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that approximately 40% of the nation’s surveyed lakes, rivers, and estuaries were too polluted for such basic uses as drinking supply, fishing, and swimming. The pollutants include grit, asbestos, phosphates and nitrates, mercury, lead, caustic soda and other sodium compounds, sulfur and sulfuric acid, oils and petrochemicals.(Sell, 1992)

In addition, numerous manufacturing plants pour off undiluted corrosives, poisons, and other noxious byproducts. The construction industry discharges slurries of gypsum, cement, abrasives, metals, and poisonous solvents. Another pervasive group of contaminants entering food chains is the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds, components of lubricants, plastic wrappers, and adhesives. In yet another instance of pollution, hot water discharged by factories and power plants cause thermal pollution by increasing water temperatures. This increase changes the level of oxygen dissolved in a body of water, thereby disrupting the water’s ecological balance, killing off some plant and animal species while encouraging the overgrowth of others.

Global warming is one of the most common and serious consequences of industrial pollution. The emission of various greenhouse gases such as CO2, methane (CH4), among others from various industries, increases the overall temperature of the earth, resulting in global warming. Global warming has various serious hazards, both on the environment as well as on human health. It results in melting of glaciers and snow-capped mountains, causing an increase of the water levels in seas and rivers, thereby increasing the chances of flood. Apart from this, global warming also has numerous health risks on humans, such as increase of diseases such as malaria and dengue, cholera, Lyme disease and plague, among others.(Freeman, 1995)

Industrial pollution, as stated above, is one of the major causes of air pollution. With the increase in the number of industries and factories due to the industrial revolution; air pollution also has increased significantly. The emissions from various industries contain large amounts of gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrogen, among others. These gases, when present in elevated levels in the atmosphere, often result in various environmental and health hazards such as acid rain, and various skin disorders in individuals.(Freeman, 1995)

Pollution emitted from the industries is also one of the major factors contributing towards water pollution. Dumping of various industrial waste products into water sources, and improper contamination of industrial wastes, often result in polluting the water. Such water pollution disturbs the balance of the ecosystem inside, resulting in the death of various animal and plant species present in the water.(Freeman, 1995)

Soil pollution is defined as a phenomenon is which the soil loses its structure and fertility due to various natural and artificial reasons. Dumping of industrial wastes is one of the prime factors contributing towards soil pollution. Industrial wastes contain large amounts of various chemicals which get accumulated on the top layer of the soil, resulting in loss of fertility of the soil. Such loss of fertility ultimately results in changes in the ecological balances of the environment due to reduction in plant growth.(Freeman, 1995)

Other Common Effects

Certain other common effects of industrial pollution include damaging building sand structures, increasing the risk of various occupational hazards such as asbestosis, pneumoconiosis, among others.(Freeman, 1995)

Pollution of Love Canal

The infamous case of the pollution of Love Canal, on Lake Erie in New York, brought environmental pollution to the public attention in the 1970s. From 1942 to 1953, several chemical companies dumped 20,000 metric tons of chemical waste at this site. In 1953 the land was sold to the local board of education, and the 99th Street School was constructed on the land. The school attracted families to the neighborhood, which grew to contain 800 single-family homes and 240 apartment units by 1978. Unfortunately, eighty different chemicals, including dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), started to leach through the soil, and residents began complaining of odd smells in their houses and experiencing many unexplainable health problems. The school was closed in August 1978, and the federal government contributed $10 million for the relocation of 200 families nearest the site. In 1980 President Carter sent additional funds, for the relocation of 700 more families.(Shen, 1999)

Conclusion:

Strict Legislation is required to control Industrial Pollution. In England and Wales, pollution from industrial installations has been controlled to some extent for over 150 years. The Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (the “PPC Regulations”) were introduced under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 and built on existing systems. The PPC Regulations replaced the pollution control regimes called Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) and Local Air Pollution Control which had been set up under Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990). The PPC Regulations also transposed the Integrated Pollution and Prevention and Control Directive (now Directive 2008/1/EC) – the “IPPC Directive. The primary aim of the IPPC Directive is to ensure a high level of environmental protection and to prevent and where that is not practicable, to reduce emissions to acceptable levels. Separate legislative provisions are in place to transpose the IPPC Directive in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the offshore oil and gas industries.

In America, federal laws stipulate that generators of hazardous waste are responsible for the proper storage and disposal chemicals from the “cradle to the grave.”(Department of Environment, 2009)

Using environmentally-friendly products like Oil Gone Easy S-200 and supporting environmental conservation organizations are some steps that can be taken to curb industrial pollution.