Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, [1] disorder, harm or discomfort to the

ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat, or light. Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be foreign substances or energies, or naturally occurring; when naturally occurring, they are considered contaminants when they exceed natural levels TYPE OF POLLUTION: 1)Air Pollution 2)Water Pollution 3)Noise Pollution 4)Thermal Pollution AIR POLLUTION Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere. (B)CAUSE "Stationary Sources" include smoke stacks of power plants, manufacturing facilities (factories) and waste incinerators, as well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating devices "Mobile Sources" include motor vehicles, marine vessels, aircraft and the effect of sound etc. Chemicals, dust and controlled burn practices in agriculture and forestry management. Controlled or prescribed burning is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for foresters. Controlled burning stimulates the germination of some desirable forest trees, thus renewing the forest. Fumes from paint, hair spray, varnish, aerosol sprays and other solvents Waste deposition in landfills, which generate methane. Methane is not toxic; however, it is highly flammable and may form explosive mixtures with air. Methane is also an asphyxiant and may displace oxygen in an enclosed space. Asphyxia or suffocation may result if the oxygen concentration is reduced to below 19.5% by displacement Military, such as nuclear weapons, toxic gases, germ warfare and rocketry

(C )EFFECT Air pollution can affect our health in many ways with both short-term and long-term effects. Different groups of individuals are affected by air pollution in different ways. Some individuals are much more sensitive to pollutants than are others. Young children and elderly people often suffer more from the effects of air pollution. People with health problems such as asthma, heart and lung disease may also suffer more when the air is polluted. The extent to which an individual is harmed by air pollution usually depends on the total exposure to the damaging chemicals, i.e., the duration of exposure and theconcentration of the chemicals must be taken into account.

Examples of short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Other symptoms can include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema. In the great "Smog Disaster" in London in 1952, four thousand people died in a few days due to the high concentrations of pollution. Long-term health effects can include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. Continual exposure to air pollution affects the lungs of growing children and may aggravate or complicate medical conditions in the elderly. It is estimated that half a million people die prematurely every year in the United States as a result of smoking cigarettes. (D)WAYS TO REDUCE Conserve energy - turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room. Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions.) Keep woodstoves and fireplaces well maintained. You should also consider replacing old wood stoves with EPA-certified models. Visit www.epa.gov/woodstoves. Plant deciduous trees in locations around your home to provide shade in the summer, but to allow light in the winter. Buy green electricity-produced by low-or even zero-pollution facilities. Connect your outdoor lights to a timer or use solar lighting. Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120F. Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes, and paint strippers. Test your home for radon-a dangerous, radioactive gas that is odorless and tasteless. If the test shows elevated levels of radon, the problem can be fixed cost effectively. Visit www.epa.gov/radon. Choose not to smoke in your home, especially if you have children. If you or your visitors must smoke, then smoke outside. Visit www.epa.gov/smokefree.

WATER POLLUTION

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater). Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities.

(B) CAUSE -sewage and wastewater -marine dumping -industrial pollution -nuclear waste -underground storage leakage -oil pollution -global warminh (C) EFFECT -kills life that inhabits water-based ecosystems -Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. - People can get diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. -Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution

(D)WAYS TO REDUCE WATER POLLUTION Toxic products like paints, automobile oil, polishes, and cleaning products should be stored and disposed off properly. As a matter of fact, it is better to use nontoxic, products for the house as far as possible. Also, never dispose off such products by throwing them into your toilet or sink. Dispose off your trash in a proper manner and try and incorporate the recycling habit as far as possible. Non-degradable products like tampons, sanitary napkins, and diapers should not be flushed down the toilet, for these can end up damaging the process of sewage treatment, and usually end up as litter on beaches. Refrain from throwing litter into streams, lakes, rivers, or seas. If you do spot litter on beaches or in water systems, after ascertaining that it is safe, collect them and dispose off them in any nearby waste disposal system. Try using environmentally friendly household products like toiletries, soap-based household cleaning material, and washing powder as far as possible. Try using natural fertilizers and pesticides as far as possible, or if not, do not overuse them or over-water gardens and lawns. This will help in reducing the pollutants that get into water systems due to runoffs.

Automobile oil should be re-used as far as possible. Also, it is important to keep your automobile well maintained in order to prevent leakages of toxic fluids like antifreeze and oil. Also, actively conserve water by turning the tap off when you do not need running water, such as while brushing teeth. Apart from preventing water shortages, it lessens the amount of water that needs to be treated.

THERMAL POLLUTION Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature. (B)CAUSE From motor vehicles to most of the electricity produced at power plants, the primary form of energy involved is heat. The device that converts heat into other useful forms of energy is called a heat engine. A common example of a heat engine is a car engine in which heat energy is released from oil burning converting into mechanical energy or motion. Like any real-world process, combustion of fuels and subsequent conversion of heat into other energy forms are imperfect. The inherent inefficiency of energy conversion processes results in heat losses to the environment. The heat addition to the environment poses serious threats to humans, animals and plants. Effects The residual heat released by power plants adds to the environment and impacts its inhabitants harshly. Since hot water holds relatively less oxygen; many species in these habitats face difficulty in survival. The cooling towers used in power plants release heat directly into the atmosphere, which raises the air temperature drastically, thus contributing to global warming . Water heating due to thermal pollution alters marine ecology to a great extent; hotter water favors some species while it is harmful to others. In a similar way, during nuclear plant startup, shutdown for repair and maintenance and then sudden startup creates abrupt temperature changes in water contained in lakes. These thermal shocks can be lethal for certain aquatic species. (D)WAY TO REDUCE The residual heat released by power plants adds to the environment and impacts its inhabitants harshly. Since hot water holds relatively less oxygen; many species in these habitats face difficulty in survival. The cooling towers used in power plants release heat directly into the atmosphere, which raises the air temperature drastically, thus contributing to global warming .

Water heating due to thermal pollution alters marine ecology to a great extent; hotter water favors some species while it is harmful to others. In a similar way, during nuclear plant startup, shutdown for repair and maintenance and then sudden startup creates abrupt temperature changes in water contained in lakes. These thermal shocks can be lethal for certain aquatic species.

NOISE POLLUTION Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life. The word noise comes from the Latin word nauseas, meaning seasickness.

(B)CAUSE Traffic noise is the main source of noise pollution caused in urban areas. With the everincreasing number of vehicles on road, the sound caused by the cars and exhaust system of autos, trucks, buses and motorcycles is the chief reason for noise pollution. With the low flying military aircrafts soaring over the national parks, wasteland and other vacant areas, the level of noise pollution has drastically increased in these previously unaffected zones. People living beside railway stations put up with a lot of noise from locomotive engines, horns and whistles and switching and shunting operation in rail yards. This is one of the major sources of noise pollution. To meet the demands of the basic necessity of living, the construction of buildings, highways and city streets causes a lot of noise. Pneumatic hammers, air compressors, bulldozers, loaders, dump trucks and pavement breakers are the major sources of noise pollution in construction sites. Though not a prime reason, industrial noise adds to the noise pollution. Machinery, motors and compressors used in the industries create a lot of noise which adds to the already detrimental state of noise pollution. Plumbing, boilers, generators, air conditioners and fans create a lot of noise in the buildings and add to the prevailing noise pollution. Household equipments, such as vacuum cleaners, mixers and some kitchen appliances are noisemakers of the house. Though they do not cause too much of problem, their effect cannot be neglected.

(C) EFFECT

Deafness, temporary or permanent, is one of the most prevalent effects of noise pollution. Mechanics, locomotive drivers, telephone operators etc all have their hearing impairment. The first and foremost effect of noise is a decrease in the efficiency in working. Research has proved the fact that human efficiency increases with noise reduction. Too much of noise disturbs the rhythms of working, thereby affecting the concentration required for doing a work. Noise of traffic or the loud speakers or different types of horns divert the attention, thus causing harm in the working standard. Fatigue caused is another effect of noise. Due to lack of concentration, people need to devote more time to complete their task, which leads to tiredness and fatigue. Noise pollution acts as a stress invigorator, increasing the stress levels among people. Sometimes, being surrounded by too much of noise, people can be victims of certain diseases like blood pressure, mental illness, etc. Noise pollution indirectly affects the vegetation. Plants require cool & peaceful environment to grow. Noise pollution causes poor quality of crops. Animals are susceptible to noise pollution as well. It damages the nervous system of the animals. Noise indirectly weakens the edifice of buildings, bridges and monuments. It creates waves, which can be very dangerous and harmful and put the building in danger condition. Deafness, temporary or permanent, is one of the most prevalent effects of noise pollution. Mechanics, locomotive drivers, telephone operators etc all have their hearing impairment. The first and foremost effect of noise is a decrease in the efficiency in working. Research has proved the fact that human efficiency increases with noise reduction. Too much of noise disturbs the rhythms of working, thereby affecting the concentration required for doing a work. Noise of traffic or the loud speakers or different types of horns divert the attention, thus causing harm in the working standard. Fatigue caused is another effect of noise. Due to lack of concentration, people need to devote more time to complete their task, which leads to tiredness and fatigue. Noise pollution acts as a stress invigorator, increasing the stress levels among people. Sometimes, being surrounded by too much of noise, people can be victims of certain diseases like blood pressure, mental illness, etc. Noise pollution indirectly affects the vegetation. Plants require cool & peaceful environment to grow. Noise pollution causes poor quality of crops. Animals are susceptible to noise pollution as well. It damages the nervous system of the animals. Noise indirectly weakens the edifice of buildings, bridges and monuments. It creates waves, which can be very dangerous and harmful and put the building in danger condition.

(D)WAYS TO REDUCE use ofnoise barriers, limitation of vehicle speeds, alteration of roadway surface texture, limitation of heavy vehicles, use of traffic controls that smooth vehicle flow to reduce braking and acceleration, and tire design. An important factor in applying these strategies is a computer model for roadway noise, that is capable of addressing local topography, meteorology, traffic operations and hypothetical mitigation. Costs of building-in mitigation can be modest, provided these solutions are sought in the planning stage of a roadway project. Aircraft noise can be reduced to some extent by design of quieter jet engines, which was pursued vigorously in the 1970s and 1980s. This strategy has brought limited but noticeable reduction of urban sound levels. Reconsideration of operations, such as altering flight paths and time of day runway use,

has demonstrated benefits for residential populations near airports. FAA sponsored residential retrofit (insulation) programs initiated in the 1970s has also enjoyed success in reducing interior residential noise in thousands of residences across the United States. Exposure of workers to Industrial noise has been addressed since the 1930s. Changes include redesign of industrial equipment, shock mounting assemblies and physical barriers in the workplace. Noise Free America, a national anti-noise pollution organization, regularly lobbies for the enforcement [17] of noise ordinances at all levels of government.