Transcript water pollution last part

WATER POLLUTION
A bit of review of water pollution – a quiz
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Fertilizers and pesticides can pollute
Surface and ground water
Only surface water (i.e. lakes, rivers, etc.)
Only ground water
None of the above
Quiz…continued
2. Runoff means that
a.
Soil from farmers’ field can wash into lakes
and rivers
b.
There is no danger of pollution
c.
Pesticides can wash into lakes and rivers with
soil
d. Both a) and c)
Quiz…continued
3. Too much nitrate in the water can lead to:
a.
lung cancer
b.
Blue baby syndrome if it is in the drinking
water
c.
Too much algae growing
d. Water plants growing like crazy
Quiz ….continued
4. Biological contamination of water means
a.
There are too many plants in it
b.
There are pathogens in it
c.
There are too many animals in it
d. None of the above
Quiz ….continued
5. Non-point source pollution is pollution that
a.
Comes from an easy-to-identify source
b.
Comes from industries only
c.
Comes from a big area
d. Always comes from a pipe
Pollution of Lakes
Discharge of untreated
municipal sewage
(nitrates and phosphates)
 Eutrophication
Nitrogen compounds
produced by cars
and factories
Natural runoff
(nitrates and
phosphates
Discharge of
detergents
( phosphates)
Discharge of treated
municipal sewage
(primary and secondary
treatment:
nitrates and phosphates)
Manure runoff
From feedlots
(nitrates and
Phosphates,
ammonia)
Lake ecosystem
nutrient overload
and breakdown of
chemical cycling
Dissolving of
nitrogen oxides
(from internal combustion
engines and furnaces)
Runoff from streets,
lawns, and construction
lots (nitrates and
phosphates)
Runoff and erosion
(from from cultivation,
mining, construction,
and poor land use)
Fig .22.7, p. 499
Type of water pollution

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
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
Bacteria,Viruses,Protozoa, Parasitic worms
Oxygen demanding substances
Inorganic plant nutrients
Metals
Organic chemicals
Sediment or suspended matter
Thermal pollution
Genetic pollution
Heavy metals…..

•
•
•
•
•
Copper
natural, fungicides, insecticides, copper pipes
can be lethal to some at 0.1 ppb, algae – 1-10
ppb, fish 500ppb
Lead
Pipes, industry
Associated with brain damage and nervous
system problems
Heavy metals…continued
Mercury
 Comes from mining, burning coal, natural sources
 Also causes problems with the brain
Arsenic
 Natural sources, old mines
 Can lead to cancer

Heavy metals are ‘magnified’ (get to be more and
more) up the food chain….
Biological
Magnification
Water
0.000002 ppm
Herring gull
124 ppm
Phytoplankton
0.0025 ppm
Herring gull eggs
124 ppm
Lake trout
4.83 ppm
Zooplankton
0.123 ppm
Rainbow smelt
1.04 ppm
Type of water pollution








Bacteria,Viruses,Protozoa, Parasitic worms
Oxygen demanding substances
Inorganic plant nutrients
Metals
Organic chemicals
Sediment or suspended matter
Thermal pollution
Genetic pollution
Organic chemicals
Organic chemicals are any that have carbon in
them. Some break down quickly (less
dangerous), some take a long time (dangerous)
and some break down into more toxic
chemicals (really dangerous).
Organic chemicals…..continued
Types of organic chemicals?
Pesticides – mostly insecticides (kills insects)
and herbicides (kills weeds)
Petroleum products – e.g. _____________
Volatile organic compounds – e.g. benzene
Pharmaceuticals (drugs) – e.g. prozac
Solvents – e.g. PCBs
Organic chemicals…..continued
Petroleum products
Sources:
 oil spills

fuels (e.g. diesel) and lubricants (e.g. motor oil)
from cars, trucks and airplane (gasoline, diesel, jet
fuels) from stormwater runoff, parking lots and
leaking storage tanks
Organic chemicals….continued
Petroleum products
Effects:
- dizziness, diarrhea, headaches, nervous system
effects, cancer
Cleaning up:
- difficult, expensive, various ways – chemicals
or microorganisms
Organic chemicals ….continued
Pharmaceuticals like painkillers, tranquilizers,
anti-depressants, antibiotics, birth control
pills, estrogen replacement therapies,
chemotherapy agents, anti-seizure
medications,
Sources: down the toilet into sewage water or in
the landfill into ground water
Organic chemicals…continued
Pharmaceuticals: What are the health effects?
-
-
-
Human effects are not yet know, not acute but
long-term?
Hormone problems in fish (estrogen in water)
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (antibiotics in
water)
Earlier egg-laying in shellfish (antidepressants
in water)
Organic chemicals …..continued
Pharmaceuticals: What can be done?
Advanced water treatment is available but very
expensive!
Water Pollution: Causes
Hazardous waste injection well
Pesticides
Coal strip
mine runoff
De-icing
road salt
Pumping
well
Waste lagoon
Gasoline
station
Water pumping
well Landfill
Buried gasoline
and solvent tank
Cesspool
septic tank
Sewer
Leakage from faulty
casing
Accidental
spills
Discharge
Confined aquifer
Groundwater
flow
Fig. 20-11
Industry
Nitrogen oxides
from autos and
smokestacks,
toxic chemicals,
and heavy metals in
effluents flow into
bays and estuaries.
Cities
Toxic metals
and oil from
streets and
parking lots
pollute waters;
Urban sprawl
Bacteria and viruses
from
sewers and septic
tanks contaminate
shellfish beds
Construction sites
Sediments are washed into
waterways, choking fish and plants,
clouding waters, and blocking
sunlight.
Farms
Runoff of pesticides, manure, and
fertilizers adds toxins and excess
nitrogen and phosphorus.
Closed
shellfish beds
Closed
beach
Oxygen-depleted
zone
Red tides
Excess nitrogen causes
explosive growth of
toxicmicroscopic algae,
poisoning fish and
marine mammals.
Toxic sediments
Chemicals and toxic
metals contaminate
shellfish beds, kill
spawning fish, and
accumulate in the tissues
of bottom feeders.
Oxygen-depleted zone
Sedimentation and algae
overgrowth reduce sunlight,
kill beneficial sea grasses, use
up oxygen, and degrade habitat.
Healthy zone
Clear, oxygen-rich
waters promote growth
of plankton and sea grasses,
and support fish.
Fig. 21-10, p. 505
Global Outlook: Stream Pollution in
Developing Countries

Water in many of
central China's rivers
are greenish black from
uncontrolled pollution
by thousands of
factories.
Figure 20-7
Case Study: India’s Ganges River: Religion,
Poverty, and Health

Religious beliefs, cultural traditions, poverty, and
a large population interact to cause severe
pollution of the Ganges River in India.
 Very
little of the sewage is treated.
 Hindu believe in cremating the dead to free the soul
and throwing the ashes in the holy Ganges.
 Some
are too poor to afford the wood to fully cremate.
 Decomposing bodies promote disease and depletes DO.
Case Study: India’s Ganges River: Religion,
Poverty, and Health

Daily, more than 1
million Hindus in India
bathe, drink from, or
carry out religious
ceremonies in the
highly polluted Ganges
River.
Is Bottled Water the Answer?

Some bottled water is not as pure as tap water
and costs much more.
 1.4
million metric tons of plastic bottles are
thrown away.
 Fossil fuels are used to make plastic bottles.
 The
oil used to produce plastic bottles in the U.S. each
year would fuel 100,000 cars.