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
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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.