Heavy Metals

Article on Heavy Metals in Landfills by the New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program. Click here.

Pollution Management Strategies

Key Questions
1. What challenges does each type of pollution present?
2. Why?
3. What can be or is being done?

Three level model
-Human activity producing pollutants
+Altering human activity through education, incentives, and penalties to promote:
*Development of alternative technology
*Adoption of alternative lifestyles
*Reducing, reusing, recycling

-Release of pollutants into environment
+ Regulating and reducing point of emissions
*Standards
*Measures to extract pollutants from emissions

-Long-term impact of pollutants on ecosystem
+ Cleaning up pollutants and restoring ecosystems
*Extracting and removing pollutants from ecosystem
*Replanting and restocking animal populations

How to Assess Pollution

Notes Jan. 18 (cont. from yesterday)

Direct Methods
-In situ (field work)

• It is reliable
• It gives straightforward data.
• Measures directly in the source.
  
• Can have technical difficulties (Instruments: costly or not portable)

- Ex Situ (lab work)

• Use a wider variety of methods and instruments
• More flexible (Test more variables, have more repetitions)
• Samples are not fresh. The time after the sample was extracted may affect it and alter the results.

Direct measurements can assess
*Concentration of gases
*Particulate matter
*pH
*Dissolved oxygen in water
*Biomass content
*Salts
*Conductivity
*Turbidity
*Temperature
*Density

Indirect measurement is done through
*BOD
*Indicator species
*Biodiversity
*Spectroscopy
*Chromatography

Pollution Management

Detection and monitoring of pollution can be done directly or indirectly

Directly: Measuring the concentration of pollutants

• Acidity of rain
• Amount of gases in atmosphere or emissions
• Soil pH
• Concentration of nitrates, phosphates, sulfates in soil and water
• Amount of organic matter in soil and water
• Amount of bacteria
• Concentration of (heavy) metals
• BOD (biochemical oxygen demand: the amount of oxygen used by microorganisms to break down organic matter in water): used to determine the pollution of water. The greater the BOD, the more pollution.
  

Indirectly

• Absence or presence of indicator species
• 
  

Air Pollution

Notes Jan. 14

Atmosphere levels
Troposphere
Stratosphere: Ozone layer located here.
Mesosphere
Thermosphere

Pollution concentrate in the troposphere. Climate change is due to the change on temperature in the troposphere.
Greenhouse gases: CFCs, Methane, carbon dioxide.

Primary pollutant: come directly from specific sources such as volcanoes or dust storms. Most hydrocarbons, most suspended particles. Human primary pollutants come from vehicles, factories and industrial activities, and houses. Examples: CO, CO2, SO2, NO, NO2.

Secondary pollutants: these pollutants generate from primary pollutants due to chemical activities in the atmosphere or water. Most of these reactions are enabled by sunlight. Photochemical smog and ozone are examples of secondary pollutants. Examples: SO3, HNO3, H2SO4, O3, nitric and sulfuric ions.

Indoor pollution
Pollution that builds up in houses and buildings can be is known as indoor pollution. It can be divided into several areas:
Bedrooms - Areas of sleep: Dust mites, bacteria and viruses. Can be reduced through good ventilation. Special mattresses and linen as well as good hygiene help reduce bedroom pollutants.
Bathroom - Areas of hygiene: Plumbing leaks, cleaning supplies, heavy metals found in the plumbing, carpeting and flooring, bacteria and viruses, dampness, garbage.
Kitchen - Areas of cooking: Cooking smoke, gas appliances, household cleaning agents, garbage, plumbing leaks.
Garage and Attic - Areas of storage: Storage of chemicals, old things release pollutants. To reduce this, do not store potentially polluting stuff and keeping the area well ventilated.
Living rooms: Tobacco, incense, and environment fresheners, carpets and furniture store pollen, dust and debris. Choose furniture that is not prone to store pollutants (too many cushions, excessive fluff, etc.)
Yards: Pesticides, herbicides, naturally produce pollen and dust. To promote a more eco-friendly yard, the plants in the house must be regional plants that do not need exceptional care.

To be continued...

Major Pollutants

Pollutant	Causes and Sources	Effects
Carbon monoxide	Forms during the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing materials. Motor-vehicles, burning and forest and grasslands, inefficient stoves, open fires	CO reacts with hemoglobin, reducing blood's ability to transport oxygen. Can also cause headaches, nausea, drowsiness.
Carbon dioxide	A result of the carbon cycle, the burning of fossil fuels, and industrial processes	Can alter the pH of water bodies and because of excessive quantities, it is contributing to the greenhouse effect. In the human body, excessive CO2 can cause asphyxiation and kidney damage.
Nitrogen oxides and nitric acid	Combustion of fossil fuels. Motor vehicles are a major contributor. Nitric acid can come from sewage and fertilizers.	Nitrogen oxides harm airways and can lead to respiratory diseases. It also contributes to the formation of ozone. Nitric acid leads to acid rain.
Sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid	Burning of coal and oil, and is also a byproduct of metal and industrial processes.	Both cause acid rain wich results in acidified soils and bodies of water. Health effects include respiratory and cardiovascular problems
Suspended Particulate Matter	Motor vehicles, coal-burning, fireplaces, power plants.	Causes pulmonary problems such as asthma and decreased lung function. In the environment, it reduces visibility.
Ozone	Formed by the reaction of VOCs and nitrogen oxides.	Causes shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing, but can lead to severe lung problems such as reduced function and irritation.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)	Motor vehicles, chemical plants, refineries, factories.	Eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness.
Radon	Produced by the decay of uranium in soil and water.	Lung cancer.

Sources of Pollution per Type

Air
Point source: Ammonia is a pollutant that is commonly released because of industrial processes.

Non-point source: Nitrogen oxides are pollutants that are released into the air due to the combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities such as cars and other vehicles, and agricultural sources.

Water
Point source:
Wastewater treatment plants are a source of pollutants ranging from organic nutrients to chemical agents. This is considered a point source pollutant because the plants have identifiable discharge pipes.

Non-point source:

1. Excess nutrients that can come from industrial or agricultural runoff or even animal wastes and soil gathered along a water's path.
2. Chemical contaminants that enter a body of water through urban runoff and contaminated stormwater.
   

Soil
Point source: Industrial wastes and agricultural pesticides are a source of contaminants that release chemicals into the soil, compromising its health.
Non-point source: Runoff can also affect soil because contaminated groundwater seeps into it. If the runoff carries excessive nutrients, these could also become soil pollutants.


Notes
It can be seen in this comparison that when talking about waste and pollution management, each case need to be considered on an individual basis because a pollutant can come from a non-point source or a point source.

Pollution and Wastes

Notes Jan. 12, 2011

Waste is any unwanted byproduct of a certain activity, but it is not considered pollution when its levels surpass what nature can handle.
A pollutant is any waste in excessive amounts.

Every living thing produces waste, but even the waste from other species could turn into pollution when its levels skyrocket. Example: an uncleaned aquarium, algal blooms.

When there is an uncontrolled growth of population, the amount of wastes produced by the organisms becomes so much that it is said the it pollutes the ecosystem. Pollution limits growth, harms health, or has otherwise negative effects.
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What is pollution?
The presence of a waste or an agent in quantities higher than what the environment can naturally handle.

Every waste or agent has different tolerance levels. Some wastes are considered pollutants just by the fact of being produced, i.e. chemicals.The agents and wastes that are considered pollutant the instant they are produced are those that are not naturally present in an environment.

Types of pollution

• Point source: Pollutants that can be tracked to a particular source.
• Non-point source: Pollutants for which a clear source cannot be precisely identified.

Pollution is constantly present due to human activity. Pollution management is a term that has been present since the Industrial Revolution, but it was not until the 20th century when the concept started becoming important. During the time of the Industrial Revolution, the people did not consider that the wastes produced by the industrial processes would become a major pollutant that would compromise the health of different ecosystems. This era was characterized by unprecedented and uncontrolled development.

Policies and their Effect on Human Population

The objective of this activity is to discuss how international and national development policies and cultural influences can affect human population development and growth.

The following outline presents a comparison between the countries of Australia and United Kingdom in terms of sustainability policies and the effect on their respective populations.

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Australia
Population facts

• Ageing population (Baby boomers are growing old)
• High levels of immigration into the country
• Consistent growth, but uneven across the different regions
• Great majority of population lives in urbanized areas

Aims

• Economic stability
• Address labor shortages
• Prepare accordingly for when the population pyramid finally inverts
• Sustainability across the country
• Improve connections between regions
• Improve infrastructure
• Increase food production without compromising the environment
  

Policies

• Immigrants on work visas will face a much more simplified process.
• Infrastructure development projects will focus on those areas that present the most growth.
• Economic policies are working to strengthen connections with international companies.
• Agricultural policies are working to increase food production, but limiting the amount of additional resources that are used. (Target: Low input, high yield)
• Working to relocate people in order to limit the growth of urbanized areas so as to protect biodiversity and avoid the habitat degradation and loss.

United Kingdom
Population facts

• Aging population (Baby boomers)
• Growing population
• Population divided by regions
• There is a certain level of immigration

Aims

• Control population growth
• Manage population segments before the population pyramid inverts
• Protect natural resources
• Achieve high employment levels
  
• Sustainability through education
  

Policies

• Government support will help provide jobs and training.
• Prevent emigration by creating communities where people will want to live and work.
• Provide family planning services
• Work toward social inclusion of all citizens
• Focusing on education and sustainability through educating the population
• Work together with international organization to determine sustainability policies
• Health care available to increase the population's well-being.
  

Conclusions
It can be seen in both cases, the policies are made according to the population conditions. This means that policies issued are based on the needs identified in a specific population. At the same time, the policies have an effect on the people, so it goes both ways. For example, Australia has a high immigration rate and the growth of its own population is constant but not enough to cause significant problems. This is why Australia focuses on taking advantage of immigration to target labor shortages which will become an increasing problem as the population ages. United Kingdom also has an aging population, but it is focusing more on retaining its current population and training them to address the labor shortages.

Both countries are focusing on achieving sustainability, but each of the policies are made considering the culture, geography, and needs of each country's population.

New Year, New Activities

This post marks the beginning of Environmental Systems and Societies III, the final round of this IB course.