Harmful Environmental Pollutants

There are many dangerous and harmful environmental pollutants that have various effects on plants, animals and humans. Pollution of the environment is a human-caused issue that is a big concern of all countries and governments, and many regulations and restrictions exist to reduce or eliminate the source of pollution. Some environmental pollutants include mining discharge, organic pollutants, mercury, pesticides and herbicides and air pollution.

Mining Discharge

• Many mines use caustic chemicals and acids, such as sulfuric acid, to leach out the desired minerals from the ore. The chemicals can enter the water supply through direct discharge or through indirect discharge when rain or other water washes the chemicals into the nearest water supply. There is also the possibility that the chemicals can seep into the groundwater and contaminate water wells, aquifers or springs. Mining chemicals can kill plants and animals that come in contact with them and contaminate both human and animal drinking water supplies.

Organic Pollutants

• Organic chemicals, like dioxin, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenols) used in many industries and farming operations, do not decompose in the environment, and animals will eventually consume them. They are deposited in the fat tissues of animals, so if humans or other animals eat these contaminated animals, then the predator will become contaminated with the toxin. PCBs in the ocean can affect seals by reducing their immune systems. When a predator, such as a whale, eats the seal, the whale will die due to the toxic contamination of the seal. Fish affected with dioxin poisoning will be deformed.

Mercury

• Mercury is a dangerous element that can bioaccumulate in living organisms; that is, it can continue to collect in the tissues the more it is consumed without being flushed out. It enters the environment as an air pollutant discharged from coal-burning power facilities. It can get into the ground or the water supplies this way. It can also get into the water supply by dental facilities that use mercury amalgam tooth fillings and discharge them into the sewer system by dental facilities or by people flushing mercury spills down the drain. Mercury poisoning in humans, especially children, causes neurological effects, learning problems, autism, heart disease and, in some cases, brain damage.

Pesticides and Herbicides

• Pesticide pollution can easily get into the water supply through rain runoff of agricultural fields and neighborhoods. An herbicide called atrazine will cause male frogs to change into female frogs. Doctors have linked pesticides and herbicides to cancer in humans, especially cancer of the prostate and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The herbicide Roundup, which contains glyphosate, will kill frogs and tadpoles. If humans or animals consume contaminated animals, they will be poisoned as well.

Air Pollution

• Air pollution is especially harmful because it does not necessarily stay in one place but can travel on the wind to other cities or countries. Air pollution contains particulate matter that can be inhaled and cause irritation in the lungs and throat and, in some cases, can cause cancer or asthma. Air pollution also damages the environment by causing acid rain that pours down onto the land and water, damaging ecosystems and food crops.