Types of pollution, their characteristics and consequences

The contamination is defined as the fact of introducing into the environment any element that causes an injury prolonged or permanent in time, so as to alter the normal operation negatively.

When talking about pollution, we generally refer to the negative alteration of the environment generated by the introduction of different physical or chemical agents. Many times these agents are ignored by man, since we usually take care of only what we can see and it is for this reason that the necessary awareness is not taken. Next we will know the main types of contamination.

What is contamination?

Pollution is known as the introduction into a natural environment of a pollutant that generates instability, disorder and damage to an ecosystem, the physical environment or a living being. In general, the consequences of pollution come mainly from human activity.

The polluting element can be a chemical or energetic substance , in addition to sound, heat, light. There are different types or classes of contamination that depend on the environment they affect, the contaminating method and the extent of the source.

Types of pollution

As we detailed, there are different types of polluting elements that generate different types of pollution. Next we will know what they are and their consequences.

• Atmospheric pollution

Air pollution is the best known and is the type of pollution that arises from the release of particles of chemical substances into the atmosphere. It is also known as pollution and affects through the air. One of the best known pollutants of this type of pollution are CO2, methane, nitrogen oxides and the smoke that is generated with combustion.

The air pollution occurs cauda emission of chemicals into the atmosphere which directly affect the quality of the air. These harmful substances come from:

-Gasses expelled from fossil fuels (for example, those released by an exhaust pipe of a car).

-Natural disasters such as fires.

-The burning of garbage.

-The gases released by factories and non-clean energy production processes.

-Intensive agriculture and livestock.

• Water pollution

Water pollution is that which is generated in the emission and release of polluting substances into the waters. It creates difficulties or alters life and daily use, turning it into undrinkable water. In general, this pollution is of industrial origin and includes maritime pollution, which causes great damage to the seas and oceans.

This type of pollution affects rivers, groundwater sources, lakes and seas at the moment when polluting residues are released. It causes great damage to animal and plant species and also to humans, making the water unfit for consumption.

Clear examples of water pollutants are industrial discharges, insecticides or pesticides, and others for domestic use such as laundry detergents or oil discharge for domestic use.

• Soil and subsoil pollution

This type of contamination is caused by the filtration of substances into the soil, which cause physical and chemical alterations in the soil and, for example, make it uninhabitable, contaminate groundwater or make it impossible for life to grow in the area.

The main affected in this type of soil contamination are plants, trees and crops.

• Radioactive pollution

Radioactive contamination is one of the most dangerous and aggressive for life. It is generated by the release of radioactive material and produces effects on any surface. Radioactive contamination is caused by the action of man for example with the dumping of waste or disasters in nuclear power plants such as happened in Chernobyl.

• Thermal pollution

This type of pollution is very little known, and it is the one that is generated by the change of temperature in the environment or in different environments by the action of man.

• Visual contamination

Visual pollution refers to that caused by visual changes that have nothing to do with brightness. For example visual changes that are generated in nature by human activity such as billboards, electrical towers or open pit mines.

The human brain has a certain capacity to absorb data and the excess of shapes, lights, colors and information means that they cannot process all this data correctly and this brings about damage to the health of the eyes, alters the tension and produces stress.

• Light pollution

Light pollution is one in which the contaminating element is visual, that is, it is the emission of light outside of what would be natural light, causing problems such as loss of orientation or changes in biorhythms, either in human beings such as of other animals.

• Noise pollution

Noise pollution is generated by the emission of sound in a proportion, frequency, tone, volume and rhythm in excess that generate an alteration in the environment or in the beings that inhabit it. A clear example of this type of pollution is that experienced by those people who live in very touristy neighborhoods where there are many discos and establishments with music in excessive volume.

In addition to being very annoying, it can cause stress, sleep disorders, hearing loss and even cardiovascular conditions on several occasions.

• Electromagnetic pollution

Although electromagnetic pollution is not directly perceptible by people, it is pollution that derives from the use of electrical elements or that causes electromagnetic phenomena. One of the consequences is that it can cause disorientation and damage to different animals.

• Food contamination

Food contamination refers to the presence of different substances in food that generate effects of different magnitudes in those who consume it. For example, the contamination that occurs in fish by mercury that derives from water contamination or when food is sold in poor condition or infected with some disease.

Consequences of environmental pollution

Although each of the types of pollution has consequences on the environment and on living beings, in general, some common ones can be seen. The main one is how environmental pollution is one of the causes of climate change, mainly through global warming.

On the other hand, all types of pollution, separately or interacting with each other, are a serious risk to the health of living beings and to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. In fact, the consequences of pollution on the ecosystem can be irreparable. In this sense, the exploitation of natural resources, together with the different polluting emissions, destroy natural habitats. With this, many animal and plant species see their natural place diminished, if not destroyed, and must migrate or expose themselves to extinction.