Environmental Pollution: Types, Causes, Effects & Solutions

🌍 What is Environmental Pollution?

Pollution = When harmful substances are added to the environment → harms nature & living beings.

🔸 Pollutants = Substances that cause pollution
→ Can be natural (e.g. volcanic ash) or human-made (e.g. plastics, chemicals)

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♻️ Types of Pollutants

➤ Based on Decomposition:

• Biodegradable
  → Break down naturally (e.g. food waste, paper)

• Non-Biodegradable
  → Stay in environment for long (e.g. plastic, metals)
  → Cause bioaccumulation & biomagnification

➤ Based on How They Persist:

• Primary Pollutants
  → Released directly (e.g. smoke, dust, SO₂)

• Secondary Pollutants
  → Formed by chemical reactions (e.g. ozone, acid rain)

➤ Based on Origin:

• Quantitative Pollutants
  → Naturally present but harmful in excess (e.g. CO₂)

• Qualitative Pollutants
  → Man-made only (e.g. pesticides, DDT)

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⚙️ Causes of Environmental Pollution

🔹 Industrialisation
→ Factories emit smoke, waste, chemicals

🔹 Urbanisation
→ Cities = more vehicles + garbage + deforestation

🔹 Agriculture Practices
→ Use of fertilisers, pesticides → soil & water pollution

🔹 Forest Fires
→ Add gases & ash to air → worsens air pollution

🔹 Deforestation
→ Trees help clean air → less trees = more pollution

🔹 Others
→ Fossil fuels, poor waste disposal, mining

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🚨 Effects of Pollution

1. 👩‍⚕️ Human Health

→ Causes asthma, cancer, heart & stomach issues

2. 🐢 Ecosystems & Wildlife

→ Polluted water kills aquatic animals
→ Soil loses fertility → affects food production

3. 🌡️ Climate Change

→ Gases like CO₂, CH₄ → global warming, rising seas

4. 💰 Economy

→ Crops & fisheries suffer
→ Health care costs go up

5. 💔 Life Quality

→ Noise, smell, dirt → lower happiness & mental peace

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🌫️ Types of Environmental Pollution

Pollution Type	Key Points
Air Pollution	Smoke, gases from factories & cars → breathing problems, global warming
Water Pollution	Chemicals, sewage in rivers & oceans → kills fish, makes water unsafe
Soil Pollution	Pesticides & waste → reduces soil fertility, harms crops
Noise Pollution	Loud traffic, machines → stress, hearing loss
Thermal Pollution	Hot water from industries → reduces oxygen in rivers, harms fish
Nuclear Pollution	Radiation from leaks or bombs → very harmful to health & genetics
Marine Pollution	Dumping waste in oceans → damages marine life & coral reefs
Plastic Pollution	Plastics don’t degrade → chokes animals, ruins soil & oceans
Light Pollution	Excess light in cities → harms sleep, wildlife, wastes energy

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🛠️ Control Measures (Solutions)

✅ Government Actions

→ Laws to control emissions, pollution taxes, clean energy

✅ Public Awareness

→ Teach people to reduce waste, plant trees, use clean energy

✅ Sustainable Living

→ Recycle ♻️ → Reduce ➖ → Reuse 🔁

✅ Technology Use

→ Use filters, eco-machines, solar & wind power

✅ Global Cooperation

→ Countries must work together through treaties (e.g. Paris Agreement)

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🧾 Conclusion

Pollution is harming our health, economy, and environment. With better awareness, strong policies, and sustainable habits, we can control it and build a cleaner future.