What Is Pollution? What Are The Effects Of Pollutants On The Environment?

• Answer:

  Combination of the environment with waste products and other impurities is simply called pollution. And the substances whose presence in air, water, or soil is harmful to human beings, plants, animals and soil are termed as pollutants. Pollution may be classified as air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, sea pollution, radiation and noise pollution. The environment is being severely damaged by the pollution and is becoming hostile or unfit for the survival of many forms of life including man kind. Following are some of the effects of pollution on environment. a. Sulfur dioxide damages the leaves of plants. It corrodes metallic and stone structure. b. Higher concentrations of carbon dioxide are harmful to animals. c. Carbon monoxide combines with the hemoglobin to reduce oxygen in blood. d. Oxides of nitrogen corrode metals and stones produce the photo-chemical smog that inhibits the plant growth. e. Higher concentrations of ozone reduce air visibility and also cause health problems for example eyes irritation and headache etc. f. Untreated sewage is source of germs causing cholera and typhoid. g. Densely populated bacteria in water due to pollution consume the oxygen of water. This oxygen consumption affects the water animals and even death of fish.