What environmental pollution brings harm to our lives?

Environmental pollution will cause direct damage and impact to the ecosystem, such as desertification and forest destruction, and it will also cause indirect harm to the ecosystem and human society. Sometimes these indirect environmental effects are more harmful than at that time. The direct harm caused is greater and more difficult to eliminate. For example, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion are environmental effects derived from air pollution. This kind of environmental effect derived from environmental pollution has a hysteretic nature and is often not easily noticed or expected at the time when the pollution occurs. However, once it occurs, it means that the environmental pollution has developed to a quite serious level. Of course, the most direct and easily felt consequence of environmental pollution is the deterioration of the quality of the human environment, affecting human quality of life, health and production activities. For example, urban air pollution causes air pollution and increases people's morbidity rates; water pollution worsens the quality of the water environment and generally reduces the quality of drinking water sources, threatening people's health and causing premature birth or malformation of fetuses. Serious pollution incidents not only bring health problems, but also cause social problems. With the intensification of pollution and the improvement of people's environmental awareness, disputes and conflicts among people caused by pollution are increasing year by year.

Currently, environmental pollution problems have occurred to varying degrees around the world. Aspects with global impact include atmospheric environmental pollution, ocean pollution, urban environmental problems, etc. With the globalization of economy and trade, environmental pollution has increasingly shown an international trend. The problem of transboundary transfer of hazardous wastes that has emerged in recent years is a prominent manifestation in this regard.

As we all know, environmental pollution refers to a state in which the environment becomes unclean, dirty, dirty or otherwise unclean. The process of a state changing from clean to dirty is called pollution. The main sources of environmental pollution include the following aspects:

1) Waste smoke, waste gas, waste water, waste residue and noise discharged from factories;

2) Waste smoke, waste gas, Noise, stolen water, garbage;

3) Exhaust gas and noise emitted by means of transportation (all fuel vehicles, ships, airplanes, etc.);

4) Extensive use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides The water that flows out after farmland is irrigated with pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals.

5) Mine wastewater and waste residue.

1. Adverse effects of environmental pollution on organisms.

Environmental pollution has a very adverse impact on the growth, development and reproduction of organisms. When pollution is severe, organisms will lose their morphological characteristics and survival numbers. There will be significant changes in other aspects. The following describes the harm of environmental pollution to organisms in four aspects: acid rain, harmful chemicals, heavy metals and eutrophication of water bodies.

1. The harm of acid rain to organisms

Acid rain acidifies soil and rivers, and flows into lakes through rivers, causing lake acidification. After lake acidification, not only will the plants growing in the lake and around the lake die, but it will also threaten the survival of fish, shrimp and shellfish in the lake, thereby destroying the food chain in the lake, and eventually turning the lake into a "dead lake". Acid rain also directly harms the leaves and buds of terrestrial plants, causing the death of crops and trees.

Nowadays, the harm caused by acid rain is becoming increasingly serious and has become one of the important problems of global environmental pollution. Sulfur dioxide is one of the main pollutants that cause acid rain. With economic development, humans will burn more coal, oil and natural gas, producing more pollutants such as sulfur dioxide. Therefore, the harm caused by acid rain may become more serious in the future. Our country is one of the countries in the world that emits a large amount of sulfur dioxide, and acid rain has already occurred in some areas. For example, in a certain area in southwest my country, acid rain fell four times within three months in 1982. The pH of the rainwater was 3.6 to 4.6, causing damage to crops in a large area.

As early as the mid-19th century, people noticed that lichens and bryophytes could not survive in cities with severe air pollution, and plant leaves near chimneys often developed disease spots. After research, scientists found that these phenomena are related to the air pollution in the area, and some plants can be used to monitor the air pollution conditions in a certain area. Different plants have different sensitivity to atmospheric pollutants such as sulfur dioxide. For example, when the content of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere is relatively high, the leaves of alfalfa, sunflowers, etc. will quickly turn green, or brown patches will appear between the leaf veins. In severe cases, the leaves will gradually become necrotic. These plants are sensitive to air pollution and can be used to monitor air pollution conditions. They are called air pollution indicator plants.

2． The harm of harmful chemicals to organisms

Pesticides are a common type of harmful chemicals. When people use pesticides to kill germs and pests, they also cause environmental pollution and harm a variety of organisms, including humans.

Many pesticides are compounds that are not easily decomposed. After being absorbed by organisms, they will continue to accumulate in the organism, causing the content of such harmful substances in the organism to far exceed the content in the external environment. This kind of The phenomenon is called bioconcentration. Bioconcentration increases with the extension of the food chain. For example, DDT, a highly effective pesticide, was widely used to control pests decades ago. DDT was used to control larvae in a lake somewhere in the United States, leaving DDT remaining in the lake water. The content of DDT in zooplankton was more than 10,000 times that of the lake water.

Small fish eat zooplankton, and big fish eat small fish. As a result, the content of DDT in the bodies of these big fish is as high as more than eight million times that of the lake water.

3. Harm of heavy metals to organisms Some heavy metals such as Mn, Cu, Zn, etc. are essential trace elements for the life activities of organisms, but most heavy metals such as Hg, Pb, etc. are toxic to the life activities of organisms. Heavy metals such as Hg and Pb in the ecological environment can also be concentrated in organisms through bioconcentration, causing serious harm

4. The impact of Hg on the life activities of water fleas

< p>It can be seen from the demonstration experiment that Hg has a toxic effect on water fleas. Scientists have discovered that Hg in nature can be converted into more toxic methylmercury through the action of microorganisms in water bodies. In seawater contaminated by methylmercury, algae change color and fish die in large numbers. Scientists also found that a PbCl2 solution with a mass concentration of only 4 mg/L can significantly inhibit the normal photosynthesis of spinach and tomatoes. It can be seen that heavy metals such as Hg and Pb are very harmful to the normal life activities of organisms.

5. The harm of eutrophication to organisms Eutrophication refers to the phenomenon of deterioration of water quality due to excessive content of N, P and other mineral elements necessary for plants in water bodies. The water contains appropriate amounts of N, P and other mineral elements, which are necessary for the growth and development of algae plants. However, if these mineral elements enter the water body in large amounts, algae and other plankton will multiply. After these organisms die, they are first decomposed by aerobic microorganisms, which significantly reduces the content of dissolved oxygen in the water body. Then, the biological remains will be decomposed by anaerobic microorganisms, producing toxic substances such as hydrogen sulfide and methane, causing mass deaths of fish and other aquatic organisms. Slow-moving water bodies such as lakes and bays that have experienced eutrophication show colors such as blue, red, and brown due to different types of plankton. Eutrophication occurs in ponds and lakes as "algae blooms" and in seawater is called "red tides." Industrial wastewater, domestic sewage and water discharged from farmland contain a lot of N, P and other mineral elements essential for plants. These mineral elements essential for plants are discharged into ponds and lakes in large quantities, causing eutrophication in ponds and lakes. Eutrophication of ponds and lakes not only affects the aquaculture industry, but also causes carcinogens such as nitrite to be contained in the water, seriously affecting the safe drinking water for humans and animals.

2. Environment and human health

As environmental pollution becomes increasingly serious, many people breathe polluted air, drink polluted water, and eat food from polluted soil all day long. The agricultural products grown make noise in the ears... Environmental pollution seriously threatens human health

1. Air pollution and human health

Atmospheric pollution mainly refers to chemical pollution of the atmosphere. There are many types of chemical pollutants in the atmosphere, and there are dozens of them that are seriously harmful to the human body. my country's air pollution belongs to coal-type pollution. The main pollutants are smoke and sulfur dioxide. In addition, there are also nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. These pollutants mainly enter the human body through the respiratory tract and are directly transported to the body through the blood without going through the detoxification function of the liver. Therefore, chemical pollution in the atmosphere is very harmful to human health. This hazard can be divided into three types: chronic poisoning, acute poisoning and carcinogenesis.

Chronic poisoning The concentration of chemical pollutants in the atmosphere is generally relatively low, which mainly produces chronic poisoning effects on the human body. Scientific research shows that chemical pollution in urban air is an important cause of diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and bronchial asthma. Acute poisoning: When factories emit large amounts of harmful gases and there is no wind or fog, chemical pollutants in the atmosphere cannot easily disperse, which can cause acute poisoning. For example, in 1961, three petrochemical companies in Yokkaichi, Japan, continued to emit large amounts of chemical pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, coupled with windless weather, resulting in a high incidence of asthma among local residents. Later, this local air pollution was controlled, and the incidence of asthma also decreased.

Carcinogenic effects Among the chemical pollutants in the atmosphere, there are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and Pb-containing compounds that have carcinogenic effects. Among them, 3,4-benzopyrene has the strongest effect on causing lung cancer. Burning coal, running cars and cigarette smoke all contain large amounts of 3,4-benzopyrene. Chemical pollutants in the atmosphere can also fall into water bodies, soil and crops. After being absorbed and enriched by crops, they can harm human health.

Atmospheric pollution also includes atmospheric biological pollution and atmospheric radioactive pollution. The main biological pollutants in the atmosphere include pathogenic bacteria, mold spores and pollen. Pathogens can cause people to contract infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, and mold spores and pollen can cause allergic reactions in some people. Radioactive pollutants in the atmosphere mainly come from radioactive waste from the atomic energy industry and medical X-ray sources. These pollutants can easily cause skin cancer and leukemia.

2. Water pollution and human health

When rivers, lakes and other water bodies are polluted, it will cause serious harm to human health, which is mainly reflected in the following three aspects. First, drinking contaminated water and eating organisms in sewage can cause poisoning and even death. For example, in 1956, some patients with unknown causes appeared in the Minamata Bay area of ??Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.

The patients had symptoms such as spasticity, paralysis, ataxia, speech and hearing impairment, etc., and finally died in pain because they could not be treated. People called this strange disease Minamata disease. Scientists later determined that the disease was caused by local industrial wastewater containing Hg. After Hg is converted into methylmercury, it is concentrated in the body of fish, shrimp and shellfish. If people eat these fish, shrimp and shellfish for a long time, methylmercury will cause chronic methylmercury poisoning, mainly brain cell damage. . Methylmercury in the body of pregnant women can even cause stunted growth, mental retardation and limb deformation in children. Second, water bodies polluted by human and animal feces and domestic garbage can cause infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis and bacterial dysentery, as well as parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis. Third, some carcinogenic chemicals, such as arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), aniline, etc., can accumulate in suspended solids, sediment and aquatic organisms in the water body after polluting the water body. Long-term drinking of such sewage can easily induce cancer.

3. Solid waste pollution and human health Solid waste refers to solid materials discarded by humans in production and life, such as mining waste rocks, industrial waste residues, discarded plastic products, and domestic garbage. It should be realized that solid waste only has no use value in a certain process or aspect. In fact, it can often be used as raw materials for another production process. Therefore, solid waste is also called "raw materials placed in the wrong place." However, these "raw materials placed in the wrong place" often contain a variety of substances that are harmful to human health. If they are not used in time and are piled up for a long time, they will pollute the ecological environment and cause harm to human health.

4. Noise pollution and human health

Noise harms people in many aspects: first, it damages hearing. Working in strong noise for a long time can cause hearing loss and even cause noise-induced deafness. Second, it interferes with sleep. When people's sleep is disturbed by noise, they cannot eliminate fatigue and restore physical strength. Third, it induces many diseases. Noise can put people in a state of tension, accelerate heart rate, increase blood pressure, and even induce gastrointestinal ulcers, endocrine system dysfunction and other diseases. Fourth, it affects mental health. Noise can make people feel irritable, prevent them from concentrating on study and work, and can easily cause work injuries and traffic accidents. Therefore, we should take various measures to prevent and control environmental pollution so that all living things, including humans, can live in a beautiful ecological environment

3. The impact of environmental pollution on organisms, environmental pollution and the "three effects"

Environmental pollution often causes cancer, mutagenesis and teratogenesis in humans or mammals, collectively referred to as the "three effects". The harms of the "three effects" generally take a relatively long time to appear, and some harms may even affect future generations.

1. Carcinogenesis

2. Mutagenic effect

3. Teratogenic effects

To sum up, the harm of environmental pollution is huge, involves a wide range of areas, is harmful to a large extent, is highly invasive, and is difficult to control. We must do a good job in preventing environmental pollution at every step , adhere to the principles of prevention first, combination of prevention, and comprehensive management, and truly coordinate environmental protection and management with sustainable economic and social development