Pollution is an unwelcome concentration of substances that are beyond the environment's capacity to handle.

These substances are detrimental to people and other living things. In an undisturbed ecosystem, all substances are processed through an intricate network of biogeochemical cycles, such as the nitrogen and carbon cycles. During these cycles, substances are taken up by plants, move through the food chain to larger and more complex organisms, and when the latter die, are decomposed (broken down) into simpler forms to be used again when they are taken up by plants. Biodegradable substances are those that can be broken down by the environment's biological systems. Pollution occurs when the environment becomes overloaded beyond the capacity of these normal processing systems. Examples include: * An excess of normally helpful substances, such as the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus. * An excess of substances that are harmless, and perhaps even necessary in tiny amounts, but toxic in concentration. Copper, for example, is necessary in small amounts for healthy plant growth, but becomes a pollutant if it occurs in greater quantities. * Synthetic (human made) compounds that are poisonous in the environment, often even in trace amounts, such as DDT, dioxin, PCBs and organochlorines (see Enviro Facts "Toxic waste" and "Poison, farmers and wildlife"). * Substances that, in any amount, are not biodegradable, such as plastics and highly persistent chemicals like DDT and other organochlorines. Some pollutants kill living organisms outright, other sub-lethal pollutants do not kill, but may cause long-term biological damage, interfere with organisms' reproductive cycle, or make them more vulnerable to disease.

TYPES OF POLLUTION Pollutants can be grouped according to the main ecosystem which they affect. One pollutant often affects more than one ecosystem. AIR Sulphur dioxide produced through the burning of coal, causes acid rain and respiratory problems. Nitrogen oxides and volatile hydrocarbons from vehicle emissions, combine to form photochemical smog which causes respiratory problems. Carbon monoxide from vehicle emissions, restricts oxygen uptake, causes drowsiness, headaches, death. Carbon dioxide produced during the burning of coal enhances global warming. CFCs used and aerosols, refrigeration, airconditioning and foam- blowing industries destroys the ozone layer. Methane from feedlots and rubbish dumps enhances global warming. Noise from industry and traffic affects hearing and is stressful. FRESH WATER Sewage contains pathogens which cause typhoid, cholera and gastroenteritis if there is inadequate sanitation. Nutrients in sewage cause eutrophication. Fertilizers used in agriculture cause eutrophication. Silt build up in freshwater ecosystems, caused by inappropriate agriculture, smothers aquatic organisms. Pesticides used in agriculture and by the health services are toxic and interfere with breeding of mammals and birds. Toxic metals which are produced by industry are health and life threatening. MARINE Sewage released into marine systems due to inadequate sanitation will cause the diseases mentioned above. Fertilizers used in agriculture cause eutrophication. Oil spills from tankers smother marine plants and animals. Plastics in the sea causes the death of marine animals. Pesticides used in agriculture and by the health services also causes the death of sea life. LAND Solid waste is classified as hazardous (radioactive, pesticides, medical, poisons) which is health and life threatening; or non-hazardous (domestic, urban, mining, industrial, scrap metal.) which is unsightly and disposal takes up much space.

DEALING WITH POLLUTION In the past, most approaches to handling pollution could be summed up by the phrase `dilution is the solution to pollution'. However, pollution levels have increased so much in amount and toxicity that this approach is no longer acceptable. An alternative approach is source reduction, i.e. a reduction in the amount of pollution where produced. Point source pollution: Pollutants are produced from a stationary location, e.g. industrial plants, mines, and municipal sewage works. Non-point source pollution: This pollution cannot be traced to a specific spot, and is far more difficult to monitor and control. Common examples are veld fires, motor vehicle emissions, fertilizer runoff, sediment from construction and erosion, plastic packaging, and gases from aerosol cans. Some non-point sources can be addressed by laws, such as banning CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), or requiring car manufactures to install emission controls. Polluter-must-pay principle: This means that a polluter should bear the costs of avoiding pollution, or remedying its effects. This principle is difficult to apply when the source of pollution cannot be identified, as is often the case with atmospheric pollution. The principle can be usefully applied following a pollution disaster, such as an oil spill from a tanker. However, the consumer often pays for such pollution costs. For example, Eskom estimates that the fitting of scrubbers (see Enviro Facts "Energy and environment") on the chimneys of their power stations will increase the cost of electricity by 30%. The polluter-must-pay-principle is implemented in Europe and North America, and is increasingly applied in South Africa.

MOVEMENT OF POLLUTION Pollution does not stay in one place but is moved around the world by air and water, as well as by living organisms. Even in Antarctica, birds and marine mammals show traces of pollutants such as DDT and PCBs. Some pollution is deliberately moved abroad. Companies restricted by pollution control regulations at home, sometimes move their plants to other less restrictive countries, as was the case with the plant involved in the Bhopal chemical disaster. Or while remaining at home, they may sell products abroad, that are classed in their own countries as too dangerous for sale, such as banned pesticides. In some cases hazardous waste may also be shipped abroad, generally from industrialised countries to developing countries willing to accept such waste for a fee, despite the hazards (see Enviro Facts "Toxic Waste"). When such pollutants turn up again in the originating country, as when food is imported that contains banned pesticides, the process is said to be completing the `circle of poison'.

WHAT YOU CAN DO * Avoid the creation of waste (see Enviro Facts "War on waste"). * Find out all you can about pollution and protest loudly when you see it happening. * Report air pollution to the Chief Air Pollution Control Officer (CAPCO), Department of Health. * Report freshwater pollution to the Department of Water Affairs. Report marine pollution to Department of Environment Affairs and Tourism, Sea Fisheries Research Institute. * Report land (solid waste) pollution to the Department of Water Affairs.

Eutrophication (pronounced you-tro-fi-KAY-shun) is a natural process that occurs in an aging lake or pond as that body of water gradually builds up its concentration of plant nutrients. Cultural or artificial eutrophication occurs when human activity introduces increased amounts of these nutrients, which speed up plant growth and eventually choke the lake of all of its animal life. In nature, eutrophication is a common phenomenon in freshwater ecosystems and is really a part of the normal aging process of many lakes and ponds. Some never experience it because of a lack of warmth and light, but many do. Over time, these bodies of freshwater change in terms of how productive or fertile they are. While this is different for each lake or pond, those that are naturally fed rich nutrients from a stream or river or some other natural source are described as "eutrophic," meaning they are nutrient-rich and therefore abundant in plant and animal life. Eutrophication is not necessarily harmful or bad, and the word itself is often translated from the Greek as meaning "well nourished" or "good food." However, eutrophication can be speeded up artificially, and then the lake and its inhabitants eventually suffer as the input of nutrients increases far beyond what the natural capacity of the lake should be.

The main sources of eutrophication are agriculture and husbandry, industries, aquaculture, municipal sewage water, river run-off and erosion, atmospheric deposition and nitrogen fixation

Human activities almost always result in the creation of waste, and many of these waste products often contain nitrates and phosphates. Nitrates are a compound of nitrogen, and most are produced by bacteria. Phosphates are phosphorous compounds. Both nitrates and phosphates are absorbed by plants and are needed for growth. However, the human use of detergents and chemical fertilizers has greatly increased the amount of nitrates and phosphates that are washed into our lakes and ponds. When this occurs in a sufficient quantity, they act like fertilizer for plants and algae and speed up their rate of growth. Algae are a group of plantlike organisms that live in water and can make their own food through photosynthesis (using sunlight to make food from simple chemicals). When additional phosphates are added to a body of water, the plants begin to grow explosively and algae takes off or "blooms." In the process, the plants and algae consume greater amounts of oxygen in the water, robbing fish and other species of necessary oxygen. All algae eventually die, and when they do, oxygen is required by bacteria in order for them to decompose or break down the dead algae. A cycle then begins in which more bacteria decompose more dead algae, consuming even more oxygen in the process. The bacteria then release more phosphates back into the water, which feed more algae. As levels of oxygen in the body of water become lower, species such as fish and mollusks literally suffocate to death. Eventually, the lake or pond begins to fill in and starts to be choked with plant growth. As the plants die and turn to sediment that sinks, the lake bottom starts to rise. The waters grow shallower and finally the body of water is filled completely and disappears. This also can happen to wetlands, which are already shallow. Eventually, there are shrubs growing where a body of water used to be. In the 1960s and 1970s, Lake Erie was the most publicized example of eutrophication. Called a "dead lake," the smallest and shallowest of the five Great Lakes was swamped for decades with nutrients from heavily developed agricultural and urban lands. As a result, plant and algae growth choked out most other species living in the lake, and left the beaches unusable due to the

smell of decaying algae that washed up on the shores. New pollution controls for sewage treatment plants and agricultural methods by the United States and Canada led to drastic reductions in the amount of nutrients entering the lake. Forty years later, while still not totally free of pollutants and nutrients, Lake Erie is again a biologically thriving lake.

This study investigated effects of eutrophication and sedimentation on juvenile abundance, juvenile mortality and community structure of scleractinian corals on fringing reefs on the west coast of Barbados, West Indies, in 1989. Juvenile abundance was lower on cutrophic/high-sediment reefs than less eutrophic/lowsediment reefs, but juvenile size was larger on the former. The larger size could result from size-selective mortality against smaller juveniles on the eutrophic reefs, from lower recruitment to the eutrophic reefs, or from faster growth on the eutrophic reefs. Juvenile mortality was higher on the eutrophic reefs than the less eutrophic reefs and may result from increased smothering of corals by algae and sediment. Algae were more abundant on the eutrophic reefs, probably in response to elevated nutrients and/or because grazers (Diadema antillarum; herbivorous fish) were less common on eutrophic reefs. Juvenile community structure on all reefs was dominated by Type 1 corals (high recruitment, high natural mortality), but Type 2 corals (low recruitment, low natural mortality) became more common in adult communities on the less eutrophic reefs. This transition in community structure did not occur on the eutrophic reefs, adult community structure continuing to be dominated by Type 1 corals. The fact that the pattern of relative abundance of species in the juvenile community is maintained in the adult community on the eutrophic reefs suggests that juvenile mortality rates of different species are similar on eutrophic reefs, and hence that differences in adult community structure between eutrophic and less eutrophic reefs may be largely explained by interspecific differences in juvenile mortality becoming smaller on eutrophic reefs.

During a few decades, many fresh and marine water areas have been seriously affected by eutrophication, due to increasing discharges of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from modern society. The aim of this paper is to discuss the policies that are used and have been suggested to reduce eutrophication, and the factors counteracting these efforts. Policy options to reduce the fluxes of nutrients from point and non-point sources are summarized. A number of processes and mechanisms counteract the control measures taken so far, namely: the growing world population, the increasing urbanization, the intensive land independent animal production, the over-consumption of N and P, the emissions of N to the atmosphere, and the losses of P from P-enriched sediments. It is concluded that the driving force for eutrophication, the losses of nutrients from food production, organic waste, sewage, sludge and ashes can be expected to increase during the coming decades, as the world population continues to grow. Strong policies are needed to promote birth control, and to stop overconsumption of N (animal protein) and unnecessary intake of P (food additives). There is a number of barriers to overcome to reduce large-scale eutrophication, but also a lot of space for new policies and innovations.

Acid Rain At present, acid rain or snow is falling on most of the northeastern United States. The annual acidity value averages about pH 4, but values between pH 2.1 and 5 have been recorded for individual storms. The acidity of precipitation in this region apparently increased about 20 years ago, and the increase may have been associated with the augmented use of natural gas and with the installation of particle-removal devices in tall smokestacks. Only some of the ecological and economic effects of this widespread introduction of strong acids into natural systems are known at present, but clearly they must be considered in proposals for new energy sources and in the development of air quality emission standards.

Effects of Acid Rain on Freshwater Ecosystems

Acid-vulnerable areas are more numerous and widespread than believed 7 years ago. Lakes and streams in acid-vulnerable areas of northeastern North America have suffered substantial declines in acid-neutralizing capacity, the worst cases resulting in biological damage. Many invertebrates are very sensitive to acidification, with some disappearing at pH values as high as 6.0. However, the recent rate of acidification of lakes is slower than once predicted, in part the result of decreases in sulfur oxide emissions. A discussion of some of the processes that have contributed to the acidification of lakes as well as those that have protected acid-sensitive freshwaters is presented. The author is in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Freshwater Institute, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N6, Canada.

THE THINNING OF OZONE LAYER The ozone layer protects the Earth from the ultraviolet rays sent down by the sun. If the ozone layer is depleted by human action, the effects onthe planet could be catastrophic.Ozone is present in the stratosphere. The stratosphere reaches 30 milesabove the Earth, and at the very top it contains ozone. The suns rays areabsorbed by the ozone in the stratosphere and thus do not reach theEarth.Ozone is a bluish gas that is formed by three atoms of oxygen. The formof oxygen that humans breathe in consists of two oxygen atoms, O2.When found on the surface of the planet, ozone is considered adangerous pollutant and is one substance responsible for producing thegreenhouse effect.

The highest regions of the stratosphere contain about 90% of all ozone . In recent years, the ozone layer has been the subject of much discussion.And rightly so, because the ozone layer protects both plant and animallife on the planet.The fact that the ozone layer was being depleted was discovered in themid-1980s. The main cause of this is the release of CFCs,chlorofluorocarbons.Antarctica was an early victim of ozone destruction. A massive hole inthe ozone layer right above Antarctica now threatens not only thatcontinent, but many others that could be the victims of Antarctica'smelting icecaps. In the future, the ozone problem will have to be solvedso that the protective layer can be conserved.

Change organic rubbish to biogas

i n c r e a s e t h e a w a r e n e s s a n d s e n s i t i v i t y of the individual to the environment. e t h e b a s i c k n o w l e d g e o f environmental problems and effects of pollutions.

t e a c h t h e p ub l i c t h e n e c e s s a r y s k i l l s t o protect and maintain a healthy society. h e l p t h e i n d i v i d u a l s t o b e c o m e responsible and sensitive to theenvironment. d)Preservation and conservation of theecosystem. t h e d e v e l o p me n t c o mp a n i e s t o replant the forest trees after deforestation. t h e ma n g r o v e s wa mp s a r e a s o that the ecosystem is protected. m i n i n g a n d u s e d l a n d f o r agriculture. e r s c l e a n i n g t o e n s u r e t h e r e is sufficient supply of water in future e)Practice of biological control. by using natural predators instead of usingchemical substances. c h o os e t h e a n i ma l s p r e d a t o r s . 1.The animals predators do not bringany infection or disease.2.the animal predators do not eat theother organisms in the same habitat. f) Efficient use of energy and use of renewable energy p l a ys a n i mp o r t a n t r o l e i n o u r l i f e - r e n e wa b l e e n e r g y wi l l b e e x h a u s t e d i n one day. For example, coal, oil and fossil fuels e n e r g y c a n b e u s e d a s a s ub s t i t u t e o f fuels s u c h a s s o l a r e n e r g y, wave power and tidal power areenvironmental friendly and need to bedeveloped

GREENHOUSE Greenhouse gases are trapped and build up in the atmosphere near the earths surface. This makes the earth warmer than normal. The warning effect of the trapped greenhouse gases causes changes in the weather patterns on a global scale. Rainfall pattern changes, sea level rises and droughts prevail. The greenhouse effect refers to the phenomenon whereby earths temperature increases as a result of heat being trapped in its atmosphere. The greenhouse gases are gasses that trap heat and then warm up earth with this heat. These gases include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and CFC. The percentage of carbon dioxide has been increasing over the past 10 years due to the increasing usage of fossil fuels. Greenhouse effect can be likened to the glass house effect. The glass house is used in countries with four seasons for agricultural purposes. It allows light to penetrate but disallows the reflection of heat energy. This creates a warming effect. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and methane. The trapped heat energy increases the earths temperature. The warming of the earth which is referred to as the green house effect leads to the following negative effects a) Melting of ice at the poles b) Increase in sea level c) Climatic changes d) Increase in the rate of disease outbreak for example diseases like malaria dengue fever. Greenhouse gases are trapped and build up in the atmosphere near the earths surface. This makes the earth warmer than normal. The warning effect of the trapped greenhouse gases causes changes in the weather patterns on a global scale. Rainfall pattern changes, sea level rises and droughts prevail.