The Effects of Global Pollution

Pollution can come from many sources, and it has a variety of effects. Depending on the scope of the pollution and the potency of the pollutant, the damage caused by pollution can range from minor health irritations to major environmental changes. Some types of pollution can be minimized by taking care with the toxic substances you use in your daily life.

Air Pollution

• Air pollution comes from a variety of sources, including natural dust storms. Vehicles burning fossil fuels contribute significantly to the air pollution in metropolitan area. Scientists theorize that the air pollution produced by burning fossil fuels such as gasoline, coal, and oil is damaging the environment. Climate change occurs when these pollutants cause the Earth to change temperature and alter its delicate climates.
  In addition to the environmental effects of air pollution, health effects caused by pollutants are also a major concern. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's guide to the health effects of pollution, air pollution can cause symptoms ranging from minor throat and lung irritation to brain damage and heart disease.

Water Pollution

• Pollutants which threaten water include fertilizers, leaking underground storage tanks and leakage from public landfills. Nonpoint pollution is when waste such as pet waste, bacteria, fertilizer and toxic waste enters the water supply. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, nonpoint pollution can be minimized if each person properly disposes of refuse such as pet waste and cleaning fluids. Construction sites which are improperly cleaned up can cause dust and construction materials to be washed into the public waterways. On an individual basis, the pollution you contribute may be slight, but the collective pollution can have a great effect on the safety of local water.

Toxic Waste

• Toxic waste can be released accidentally. In 1998, a lead-zinc spillage occurred at a waste lagoon dam, one of several at the Los Frailes lead-zinc mines. The sludge was stopped by an emergency dam before it reached the Doñana National Park in Spain. According to the Barcelona Field Studies Centre, the spillage raised the acidic levels of the river, which killed vegetation all around the river, as well as thousands of fish. The spillage affected the local tourist economy, contaminated drinking water and wells which serviced surrounding communities, and cost $270 million to clean up.

Oil Spills

• Oil spills receive a lot of media attention because they are so emotionally charged. Media coverage of an oil spill will inevitably include video of dead birds and fish on oil-laden beaches, and oil-smattered seabirds laboriously cleaned by volunteer workers. In addition to the cleanup costs, the economic cost of the oil itself can be in the millions of dollars. The effects of oil spills are not simply emotional and financial. Oil is toxic to marine life, and can cause severe damage to the ecosystem surrounding an oil spill.

Marine Life

• Plankton is the most common victim of the aftermath of an oil spill. According to the International Oil Tankers Pollution Federation, oil has been shown in a laboratory to be "lethal or sublethal" to plankton. That means that plankton which is exposed to an oil spill will probably get sick or die. If the oil is not actively toxic to the plankton, the plankton can still smother in the weight of the oil.
  Plankton are vital to the marine ecosystem because they feed so much marine life. Many species of fish and other animals depend on plankton for their food source. If the smaller fish which eat plankton are unable to find food, larger fish, sharks and whales may starve in turn.