Causes of Pollution

Where pollution comes from: Waste is generated by all sectors of society — industry, government, agriculture, mining, energy, transportation, construction, and consumers. Waste contains pollutants — materials or chemicals discarded during production or consumption. Pollution occurs when these pollutants are released into the environment beyond its capacity to assimilate them.

• Among all sources, industry is the major generator of waste, both in quantity and in toxicity.
• Business activities — production, distribution, transport, storage and consumption of goods and services — are among the most critical sources of pollution.
• Many enterprises have been responsible for four kinds of pollution: air, water, land and noise.

The four types of pollution:

• (i) Air pollution: Results from a combination of factors that lower air quality — mainly carbon monoxide emitted by automobiles, plus smoke and chemicals from manufacturing plants. Resulting air pollution has created a hole in the ozone layer, leading to dangerous warming of the earth.
• (ii) Water pollution: Caused primarily by chemical and waste dumping. For years, enterprises have dumped waste into rivers, streams and lakes with little regard for the consequences, leading to the death of animals and posing a serious threat to human life.
• (iii) Land pollution: Caused by dumping toxic wastes on land, which damages land quality and makes it unfit for agriculture or plantation. Restoring already-damaged land is a big problem.
• (iv) Noise pollution: Caused by the running of factories and vehicles. It is not merely annoying but a serious health hazard, capable of causing diseases such as loss of hearing, malfunctioning of the heart and mental disorder. …