Chemistry · Ch 15 — Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Pollution
Environmental Pollution
Environmental pollution is any undesirable change in our environment that has harmful effects on plants, animals and human beings. It is usually caused by the addition of waste products of human activity to the environment -- the added substances are called pollutants, and may be solids, liquids or gaseous substances present in significant concentration. Day by day the air we breathe, the water we drink and the place we live in become more contaminated by the growing addition of industrial and domestic waste. …
Bio-degradable Pollutants
Bio-degradable pollutants are pollutants that can be easily decomposed by natural biological processes. Examples: plant wastes and animal wastes -- these break down relatively quickly once released into the environment, so they do not persist or accum …
Non-biodegradable Pollutants
Non-biodegradable pollutants are pollutants that natural biological processes cannot decompose. Examples: metal wastes (mainly mercury and lead), D.D.T, plastics, and nuclear wastes. Because these substances are not broken down naturally, they are harmful to living organisms even at low concentration, and it is difficult to eliminate them from the environment onc …