CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

2.1 UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION

Figure 1. Environment pollution

Source : lingkunganhidup.co

Pollution or environmental pollution is the entry or inclusion of living things, energy

substances, and / or other components into the environment, or the change of environmental
order by human activities or by natural processes so that the quality of the environment down
to a certain level that causes the environment to be less or can not function again in
accordance with its designation (Principles of Environmental Management No. 4 of 1982).
An environmental pollution event is called pollution. Substances or substances that
can cause pollution are called pollutants. The conditions of a substance are called pollutants
when their existence can cause harm to living things. For example, carbon dioxide with levels
of 0.033% in air is useful for plants, but if higher than 0.033% can provide damaging effects.
A substance may be called a pollutant if:
1. The amount exceeds the normal amount.
2. Being at the wrong time
3. Being in the wrong place
The nature of pollutants are:
1. Destructive for a while, but when it reacts with environmental substances do not damage
anymore.
2. Destructive for long periods. For example, Pb is not damaging when the concentration is
low. However, in the long term, Pb can accumulate in the body to a destructive level.
 2.2 TYPES OF ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION
2.2.1 Based on Where it Happened.

1. Air Pollution

Figure 2. Air Pollution

Source: http://www.sarjanaku.com

Air pollution is the presence of one or more physical, chemical, or biological

substances in the atmosphere in quantities that can harm human, animal and plant health,
impair aesthetics and comfort, or damage property. Air pollution can be generated by natural
sources as well as human activities . Some definitions of physical disturbances such as noise
pollution, heat, radiation or light pollution are considered as air pollution. The natural
characteristics of air resulting in air pollution impacts can be both direct and local, regional,
or global. Indoor air pollution can affect human health just as badly as air pollution in open
spaces.

Air pollution is caused by:

a. CO2
Carbon dioxide comes from factories, machinery using fossil fuels (coal, petroleum),
also from cars, ships, airplanes, and wood burning. Increased levels of CO2 in the air if not
immediately converted into oxygen will result in greenhouse effect.
b. CO (Carbon Monoxide)
The imperfect machining combustion process, will produce CO gas. If a car's engine
is powered inside a closed garage, a person who is on the ground can die from inhaling CO
gas. Turning on the AC when sleeping in a car is closed is also dangerous. Leaking CO gas
from the exhaust can enter the car, so it can cause death.
c. CFC (Khloro Fluoro Carbon)
 Gas CFC is used as a gas developer because it does not react, odorless, and tasteless.
CFC is widely used to develop foam (seat foam), for air conditioning (Freon), refrigerators in
refrigerator, and hairspray. CFCs will cause ozone holes in the atmosphere.
d. SO and SO2
Sulfur oxide gas (SO, SO2) in the air is generated by burning fossils (oil, coal). The
gas can react with nitrogen oxide gas and rainwater, which causes rainwater to become acid,
called acid rain. Acid rain causes plants and animals to die, agricultural production slumps,
iron and metal are easily rusty, ancient buildings, such as temples become quickly worn and
damaged, as are buildings and bridges.
e. Cigarette smoke
Cigarette smoke can cause chronic cough, lung cancer, affect the fetus in the womb
and other health problems. Smokers are divided into two: active smokers (those who smoke)
and passive smokers (people who do not smoke but inhale cigarette smoke). Passive smoking
is more dangerous than active smokers.

As a result of air pollution, that is :

a. Disruption of human health, such as cough, bronchitis, emphysema, and other respiratory
diseases.
b. Damage to buildings due to weathering, corrosion of metal, and fading of paint colors.
c. Disruption of plant growth, such as yellowing of leaves or dwarf plant due to high
concentration of SO2 gas in the air.
d. The occurrence of greenhouse effect events that can raise the air temperature globally and
can change the climate pattern of the earth and melt the ice at the poles.
e. The occurrence of acid rain caused by nitrogen oxide contamination.

2. Water Pollution

Figure 3. Water Pollution

Source : http://www.sarjanaku.com
 Water pollution is a change of state in a water reservoir such as lakes, rivers, oceans
and groundwater due to human activities. Lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater are an
important part of the human life cycle and are one part of the hydrologic cycle. In addition to
also drain the water drain sediment and pollutants. Various kinds of functions are very
helpful to human life. The greatest utilization of lakes, rivers, oceans and ground water is for
agricultural irrigation, raw materials of drinking water, as rain water and waste water
drainage, and even potentially as a tourist attraction. Water is usually called polluted when
disturbed by anthropogenic contaminants and when it can not support human life, such as
drinking water, and or shifting is characterized in its ability to support biotic communities,
such as fish. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algal explosions, destruction of fish,
storms, and earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality and ecological status of
water.

Water pollution is caused by:

a. Agricultural Waste.
Agricultural waste can contain insecticide pollutants or organic fertilizers. Insecticides
can kill river biota. If the river biota does not die then eaten by animals or humans, the person
who eats it will die. To prevent this, try to choose a narrow spectrum insecticide (specifically
targeted animals) and biodegradable (biodegradable) and spraying according to the rules. Do
not throw the rest of the medicine into the river. Water-soluble organic fertilizers can nourish
the water environment (eutrophication), because water is rich in nutrients, algae and water
plants thrive (blooming). This will disrupt the water ecosystem, kill fish and organisms in the
water, because the oxygen and sunlight that the organism in the water requires is blocked and
can not get into the water, so the oxygen and sunlight levels are reduced.
b. Household waste.
Household waste consists of various organic materials (eg, vegetable, fish, rice, oil,
fat, human waste), or inorganic materials such as plastics, aluminum, and bottles drifting in
water currents. Garbage collected clogging water channels and causing flooding. Other
polluters may be biological polluters such as disease, bacteria, and fungi. Water-soluble
organic matter will decompose and decompose, consequently the oxygen levels in the water
drop drastically so that the water biota will die. If the contamination of organic matter
increases, will find a reddish Tubifex worm clustered. This worm is a biological clue
(bioindicator) of the severity of organic waste from the waste settlement.
c. Industrial waste.
 Industrial waste in the form of stinking organic pollutants, frothy and colorful
inorganic pollutants, pollutants containing foul-smelling sulfuric acid, and pollutants in the
form of hot liquids. Oil leakage can cause oil to flood the ocean to hundreds of kilometers.
Oil spills threaten the lives of fish, coral reefs, seabirds, and other marine organisms to
overcome them, oil puddles are confined to floating pipes to avoid spread, then sprinkled
with substances that can decompose oil.
d. Fishing Using Toxins
Some residents and fishermen there are using tuba (poison from plants), potas
(chemical poison), or electric current to catch fish. As a result, the dead are not just fish but
also other aquatic biota.

The consequences of water pollution include:

a. Terganggunya life of aquatic organisms due to reduced oxygen content.
b. The occurrence of explosive population of algae and water plants (eutrophication).
c. Basic waterproofing.
d. Extinction of water biota, e.g. fish, yuyu, shrimp, and water insects.
e. The emergence of flooding due to clogged garbage disposal.
f. The spreading of the outbreaks of vomiting.

3. Soil Pollution

Figure 4. Soil Pollution

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Soil pollution is a state in which manmade chemicals enter and change the natural soil
environment. This pollution usually occurs due to: leakage of wastewater or industrial
chemicals or commercial facilities; use of pesticides; the entry of contaminated surface water
into the sub-surface layer; accidents of vehicles transporting oil, chemicals or waste; waste
water from waste dumps and industrial waste directly disposed of in illegally dumped land.
When a hazardous substance has polluted the soil surface, it can evaporate, be swept away by
rainwater and or enter the soil. Pollution into the soil then settled as a toxic chemical on the
ground. Toxic substances in the soil can have a direct impact on humans when touched or can
contaminate groundwater and air above it.
Soil pollution is caused by organic and inorganic waste that comes from household waste,
market, industry, agriculture, livestock, and so on.

The consequences of soil pollution include:

a. Disruption of organism life (especially microorganisms in the soil),
b. The changing nature of the chemical or physical properties of the soil is not good for plant
growth, and
c. Changing and affecting ecological balance.

4. Sound Pollution

Figure 5. Sound Pollution

Source: pollutiononmyearth.weebly.com

Sound pollution (sounds of the environment) is the sound of the results of machines,
animals and humans interfering with the activity or balance of human or animal life. Sound
pollution or sound pollution is a disturbance in the environment caused by sounds or sounds
that result in the unfamiliarity of the surrounding beings.

The noise that causes noise is caused by a vibrating sound source. The vibration of
this sound source disturbs the balance of the surrounding air molecules so that the air
molecules join in vibrating. The vibration of this source causes a wave of mechanical energy
propagation in the air medium according to the longitudinal propagation pattern. Rambatan
waves in the air is known as sound or sound while with the context of space and time so that
it can cause disruption of comfort and health.

In the industry, the source of noise can be classified into 3 kinds, namely:
a. Machine
Noise generated by machine activity.
b. Vibration
Noise generated by the resultant vibration caused by friction, impact or unbalanced
movement of the engine part. Occurs in gears, flywheels, torque rods, pistons, fans, bearing,
and others.
c. Air movement, gas and liquid
This noise is caused by movement of air, gas, and liquids in industrial work processes
such as gas pipelines, pipe outlets, flue gas, jet, flare boom, and others. For example some
sounds that cause noise whose power is measured by dB or decibels are:
i. People noisy / silat tongue = 80 dB
ii. Train sound / krl = 95 dB
iii. Engine motor 5 pk = 104 dB
iv. Lightning sound = 120 dB
v. The jet plane took off = 150 dB

The consequences of sound pollution can be categorized into two, namely the effect on
human physical and psychological disorders.
1. Physical Disorders
Physical impairment due to continuous noise pollution will result in hearing loss,
increased blood pressure, headache, and ringing.
2. Psychological disorders
While psychological disorders can be aggravation and confusion due to not usually to
berkonsetrasi or rest.

For that it is important to know the prevention so that we are not affected by noise pollution,
that is by:
1. Group the room with high noise potential.
2. Use sound-absorbing material.
3. Create an uneven surface to spread the sound.
4. Using earplugs to reduce the intensity of the incoming sound.

2.2.2 Based on Types of Pollutants.

According to the kinds of ingredients, pollution is divided into the following:
1. Chemical contamination: CO2, heavy metals (Hg, Pb, As, Cd, Cr, Ni), radioactive
materials, pesticides, detergents, oils, inorganic fertilizers.
2. Biological pollution: microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Entamoeba coli, Salmonella
thyposa.
3. Physical contamination: metal, cans, bottles, glass, plastic, rubber.

2.2.3 Based on Pollution Level.

According to WHO, the level of pollution is based on levels of contaminants and time
(duration) of contact. The level of pollution is divided into 3, as follows:
1. Pollution that began to cause irritation (disturbance) is light on the five senses and body
and has caused damage to other ecosystems. E.g. motor vehicle exhaust gases that cause eye
discomfort.
2. Pollution that has caused a reaction to the body physique and cause chronic pain. For
example pollution Hg (mercury) in Minamata Japan which causes cancer and the birth of a
disabled baby.
3. Pollution that levels of pollutant substances are so large that cause disruption and illness or
death in the environment. For example nuclear pollution.

2.3 ENVIRONMENT POLLUTING PARAMETERS

To measure the level of pollution somewhere where pollution parameters are used.
The pollution parameter is used as an indicator of the contamination and pollution levels that
have occurred.

Paramater Pollution, including:

1. Physical Parameters
Includes measurements of color, taste, smell, temperature, turbidity, and radioactivity
2. Chemical Parameters
Used to know the levels of CO2, pH, acidity, metal content, and heavy metals.
a. Water pH measurement
 River water in unaffected natural conditions has a pH range of 6.5 to 8.5. Due to
contamination, the pH of water may be lower than 6.5 or higher than 8.5. Organic organic
materials usually cause water conditions to become more acidic. Lime causes water
conditions to become more alkaline (alkaline). So, the change in water pH depends on the
ingredients.
b. Measurement of CO2
CO2 gas can also dissolve into water. Dissolved CO 2 is greatly affected by
temperature, pH, and the number of organisms that live in water. The more organisms in the
water, the higher the dissolved carbon dioxide (unless there is water in the water that
photosynthesizes). CO gas levels can be measured by titrimetry.
c. Measurement of Dissolved Oxygen Levels
Natural dissolved oxygen content in the water range from 5 to 7 ppm (part per million
or one per million, 1 ml of oxygen dissolved in 1 liter of water is said to have a 1 ppm oxygen
content). Decreasing dissolved oxygen levels can be caused by three things:
i. The process of oxidation (pembokaran) organic materials.
ii. The process of reduction by substances produced by anaerobic bacteria from the bottom of
the water.
iii. Respiratory processes of living organisms in the water, especially at night.
Chemical parameters performed through the respiratory activity of microorganisms are
known as biochemical parameters, for example the measurement of BOD or KOB.
d. Measurement of BOD
Organic pollutants (leaves, carcasses, carbohydrates, proteins) can be decomposed by
water bacteria. Bacteria require oxygen to oxidize these organic substances, consequently
dissolved oxygen levels in the water decreases. The more organic pollutants present in the
water, the more oxygen is used, resulting in smaller dissolved oxygen levels.
The amount of dissolved oxygen that bacteria need to oxidize organic matter is called
Biological Oxygen Consumption (KOB / COD) or Biological Oxygen Demand, commonly
abbreviated as BOD.
The BOD figure is determined by calculating the difference between the initial
dissolved oxygen and the dissolved oxygen after the sample water is stored for 5 days at a
temperature of 200C. Therefore BOD is written in full BOD205 or BOD5 only.
3. Biological parameters
In nature there are sensitive animals, plants, and microorganisms and some that are
resistant to certain environmental conditions. Resistant organisms will remain alive. Water
snails and Planaria are examples of pollution-sensitive animals. Rivers that contain water
slugs and planarians show that the river has not yet been contaminated. Tubifex worm (red
worm) is a life-sustaining and even well-developed worm in an environment rich in organic
matter, although other animal species have died. This means that the presence of worms can
be used as an indicator of organic substance contamination. Organisms that can be used as
pollution guides are known as biological indicators.

2.4 FACTORS AFFECTING ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION

2.4.1 Nature Activities or Processes
The environment within an ecosystem can undergo partial or total change. Usually the
total change occurs due to natural disasters, such as floods, hot lava or cold lava, volcanic
eruptions that emit dust particles that can pollute the air, earthquakes, tsunami waves,
hurricanes and others.
The occurrence of damage or changes caused by natural factors can destroy all the
existing communities in the environment. The community will reappear (succession) that
takes a long time, even up to hundreds of years, for example a succession on Mount Krakatau
due to the devastating eruption that occurred more than 150 years ago. Although nature is a
source of pollutants but is relatively rare and generally has local and momentary impacts.

2.4.2 Human Activities

The main environmental pollution comes from human activities such as household
and individual activities, industry, agriculture and transportation. The pollution is continuous
and the impact is also felt, even some of them have wide or global impact. Factors causing
environmental pollution as a by-product of human actions include: Industrialization factors,
urbanization factors, factors, lifestyle factors, population density and economic development
factors. The above factors affect each other in a complex way. If one factor occurs, other
factors can occur, thus the occurrence of environmental pollution can not be avoided.
Examples of each of these factors are as follows:
1. Industrialization factor
a. Mining, transportation, refining and processing of materials to produce goods that can be
used.
b. Mining, transportation, refining and fuel use to generate energy.
c. Remnants of waste produced as by-products during the above processes.
2. Urbanization factors
a. Forest clearing for settlements, industries and transportation systems.
b. Stockpiling or accumulation of waste remnants / garbage and byproducts during the above
processes.
3. Rapid population growth
a. Increased housing needs.
b. Increased demand for food and energy needs.
c. Increased needs of consumer goods and ingredients for life.
4. Factors way of life
a. Excessive use of goods needs to be wasted.
b. The demand for luxury.
c. Waste of energy.
5. Economic development factor
a. Increased use of source materials, eg fuel, forest products.
b. Increased waste remnants as a byproduct of production of goods of interest in the factory
and the increase of pollutants.