Dealing with Pollution: Simple Prevention and Solutions
Pollution has become a major problem in the world today. With a decline in the state of the environment due to an increase in pollution, problems are becoming a threat to the lifestyles we take for granted. For example, it will be impossible for our climate to remain stable if the ozone is depleted, but most people do not realize the long-term effects that everyday behavior will have. If everyone makes some simple changes, it will payoff significantly. There are small steps that can be taken providing reduction and avoidance of pollution buildup. The major areas of concern dealing with pollution are solid waste, air pollution, and some everyday pointers to conserve energy in the home.
One of the most problematic types of solid waste is hazardous waste, which is an area of major concern for environmentalists. The United States alone produces over 265,000 tons of hazardous waste every year.1 Hazardous wastes of particular concern are the radioactive wastes from the nuclear power and weapon industries. Even to date there is no safe method for permanent disposal of old elements from nuclear reactors. With the end of the Cold War, nuclear warheads that are no longer in use even pose storage and disposal problems.2
In addition, disposal of household hazardous wastes is a major issue. Some are toxic and poisonous, corrosive, flammable, and even some explosive. These products are harmful if contacted, and also if they contaminate the air or water. Laurence Sombke suggests a few key steps in the management of hazardous household wastes. These include; buy only the amount you need, use it up quickly, use as directed, recycle it, and take it to a hazardous waste collectio...
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Notes
1. Robert J. Samuelson, The Economist: Book of Vital World Statistics (New York: Random
House, Inc., 1990), 253.
2. Microsoft Encarta 98 , "Pollution", Microsoft Corporation.
(1993-1997).
3. Samuelson, 252.
4. Laurence Sombke, The Solution to Pollution (New York: Master Media
Limited, 1990), 40.
5. Sombke, 41.
6. Sombke, 42.
7. Sombke, 80.
8. Sombke, 83.
9. Sombke, 83.
Bibliography
- "Is Noise Pollution dangerous?" : n. pag. Online. Internet. 19 March 1999. Available
http://vipis.co.za/noise/Dangerous.htm.
- Microsoft Encarta 98, "Pollution", Microsoft Corporation. (1993- 1997).
- Samuelson, Robert J. The Economist: Book of Vital Statistics. New York: Random
House, Inc., 1990.
- Sombke, Laurence. The Solution to Pollution. New York: Master Media Limited, 1990.
In conclusion to this investigation one thing is clear and that is that recycling reeks benefits to the environment, Recycling material when compared to making material from raw material is a more efficient energy saving and more environmentally friendly way to reuse material that is usually consider as trash such as empty glass, and plastic bottles, or old newspapers. Recycling helps reduce the possible carbon emissions greatly and does reduce the human carbon footprint. But Recycling doesn’t resolve the pollution that is around the world today. Leading to new questions, questions like what about the landfills are they sustainable, and if so for how long. How long until the air becomes unbreathable? How long until Earth becomes its own furnace?
In my day to day life I have several habits that would be considered harmful to the environment. Throughout this paper I will discuss some of these habits and ways to fix them. The bad habits I have chosen to discuss are; leaving my phone charger plugged into the wall, purposely taking the long way home from work, always choosing to drink bottled water over tap, and using plastic bags at the market and falling asleep with the television on. I am going to discuss how each of these has a bad impact to the environment and how I can help reduce the damage done by these bad habits.
Case Study - Corporate Obstacles to Pollution Prevention. Overview This case focuses on corporate obstacles to pollution prevention. Pollution prevention can be complex, especially for large corporations. There are many different forms of pollution prevention, including emissions control devices and incremental changes in existing technology.
According to the internet human behavior has a very big affect on the environment. Environmental settings such as air pollution, oceans, energy, or noise are all sources that can negatively impact the environmental quality and conditions. Our daily routines have a huge impact on the environment and we do not realize it. New laws that are passing and educating people will help a lot. People are being educated on how to use less water, use our cars less, how to use less energy, and even taking reusable bags when going grocery shopping because plastic bags are very bad for the environment. There are simple solutions that can help in getting started with these efforts. Every little step and effort we make in our daily routines count.
So, it is a necessity that we use it, but the methods for safe disposal should also be explicit. Currently coal, gas and hydro are the major sources of energy. But as mentioned beforehand these resources would become scarce in the future. Nuclear power was devised so that we could gain far more energy from radioactive elements as compared to the aforementioned sources. The energy is produced by the use of nuclear reactors, the fuel used in these reactors is the source of the wastes. The waste is basically used up radioactive elements that were part of the fuel. These elements are extremely toxic in nature and must be disposed of with utmost care. But, the matter of contention is that whether it can be disposed of safely or not. The research and studies represent varying conclusions that may need to be further discussed. The sources used for this essay are
One of the most dangerous environment issues Southern California is facing today is air pollution. This includes the burning of fossil fuels and natural disasters. Los Angeles is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the most polluted city in the United States. I will research information about the causes, the effects, and the history of air pollution in the Los Angeles. For my research, I have relied mostly on, the school’s database and library, as well as current events.
Pollution is affecting many individuals and life, as we know it. We need to do something about how it’s affecting our world. That’s why I urge the issue that more people should realize that pollution is an issue that needs to be prevented because of its negative consequences. Which are health affects, the total destruction of environments, and the death of animals and plants. More awareness must be brought up amongst the people and they must realize the long-term benefits it has for the world.
In old batteries, there is a toxic lead that is causing health problems for the Taiwan people who are disposing these batteries (Gay, 12). Space is becoming a landfill from the excess of space flights and the radioactive supplies from nuclear reactors, which could come to our atmosphere and explode (Gay, 13). When businesses run out of space to dump their toxic trash they go to poor nations because they do not have strict safety regulations (Gay, 31). The landfills on Earth are not the only place trash is getting put. The ocean is being trashed with plastic bags, soda can holders, and large fishnets, which are harming dolphins, turtles, sea lions, and others (Gay, 69). Military bases in the U.S have more hazardous waste and are responsible for contamination in soil and waters (Gay, 83). There are other hazards happening because we are throwing away so much stuff that companies have to remake all of those products. Incinerators are places where waste is burned to ashes and if we recycle these can go away. Incinerators cause sulfur dioxide, carbon m...
Hazardous materials are in almost every community placing everyone at some level of contact with various chemicals almost daily as they exist throughout the community and in our households. Chemicals are used for a variety of purposes such as in the water purification process, by farmers to produce a higher crop yield and are used in households and almost every business. Not all chemicals are hazardous but most pose some level of risk to people...
Burning waste is not good at all for human health. It’s disturbing smell cause by burning plastic, rubber and some other artificial object can cause lot of trouble...
Countries strengths are measure by it politics, economic and social but beside this, environment change is needed in Malaysia for the better of the future development, educate and lead Malaysian to more value with the environment. While government should protecting and preserving the environment.
Every other day a new industries are being set up, new vehicles on roads and trees are being cut to make way for new homes. All of them, indirect way lead to increase in CO2 leads to melting of polar ice caps which increase the sea level and pose danger for the people living near coastal areas. Pollution can have an impact in our health not only affects people with impaired respiratory system such as asthmatics, but very healthy adults and children too. Exposure to pollution for 6 to 7 hours, even at relatively low concentrations, reduces lung function and induces respiratory inflammation and, healthy people during periods of moderate
America and Europe are at the top of the list for most waste generated according to Waste (4). This is very visible because there’s litter on every street in the towns and cities, as well in lakes, beaches, and rivers. The book Waste by Rob Bowden states that the amount of waste produced is increasing at a rate faster than population growth. About 1.5 million computers, in the U.K, are thrown away each year and most end up in landfills. There are 3 types of waste which are Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, and Hazardous waste. MSW includes waste from public garbage cans and local dumpsters. Industrial Waste includes massive amounts of waste water that is contaminated with chemicals. Hazardous waste is the most dangerous as it presents a danger to human health and the environment. Solutions for waste disposal take time because people need to consider their lifestyle and limit the amount of waste they generate. A good start is to recycle items such as paper, cans, plastic, and clothes. This way they don’t end up in landfills, beaches, or streets. Another solution is to join organizations that go around places to recycle, or organizations that demand the reduction in the amount of products that are being
Policy is needed to regulate which course of action should be taken and how it should be implemented. Because of this, many plans and policies revolving around the management of solid waste have been put in place. Sometimes however, a particular policy can have its shortfalls, potentially resulting in its negative aspects outweighing the positive ones. According to the Conference Board of Canada Report, “Canadians dispose of more municipal solid waste per capita than any other country” (2013). Solid waste management in particular, involves many aspects, ranging from packaging waste, food waste, etc. (White & Franke 1999), hence, the following analysis revolves around household and commercial waste – referred to as Municipal Solid Waste (White & Franke. 1999) – in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Municipal waste is a major health and environmental concern as it contributes to numerous problems like habitat destruction, surface groundwater pollution, and other forms of air, soil, and water contamination. Waste disposal methods like incineration create toxic substances, and landfills emit methane, which contributes to global warming. According to the Zero Waste Objective Report, “The impact of climate change and the increasing awareness of the role of “waste” and “wasting” in the production of greenhouse gas emissions is a constant environmental pressure… (2009). This leads to an increasing limitation of government to prevent and control the volume and toxicity of products in the waste stream and a growing need to shift responsibility to the product manufacturer.
Traditional methods of waste disposal have proven to be ineffective and have caused harmful effects on the environment. The most popular and inexpensive way to get rid of garbage is burial, but burying your problems does not necessarily mean getting rid of them. Landfill sites pose as severe ecological threats as these mass garbage dump yards overflow with trash and frequently contaminate our air, soil and water with hazardous wastes. About 400 million tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year1. A large-scale release of these materials can cause thousands of deaths and may poison the environment for many years. For example many industrial companies around the world cannot afford to enforce the strict pollution regulations set by many developed countries. This usually forces these types of companies to move to developing countries where pollution regulations are very lenient. These developing countries knowingly accept environmentally hazardous companies usually because they are in desperate need of employment. The harmful effects of these companies were clearly illustrated in the 1960s and 1970s when residents living near Minamata Bay, Japan, developed nervous disorders, tremors, and paralysis in a mysterious epidemic. The root was later found to be a local industry that had released mercury, a highly toxic element, into Minamata Bay. The disaster had claimed the lives of 400 people1. Since 1970 you can bet that a lot more than 400 people have died as a result of waste disposal. If the type of waste disposal were cheaper and effective we wouldn’t have to deal with waste problems, which still plague mankind today.