This is a unit introduction regarding general pollution topics. Vocabulary listed is from the IB Environmental Systems and Societies guide.

1. POLLUTION
An overview

2. Important Vocabulary
• Pollution - The addition to an environment of a
substance or an agent (such as heat) by human
activity, at a rate greater than that at which it can be
rendered harmless by the environment, and which
has an appreciable effect on the organisms within it.
• Contamination - making something unfit for use due to
undesirable materials (contaminated water due to
hazardous waste)
• Toxic - materials that are poisonous to living things
• Carcinogen - a toxin that increases the risk of cancer

3. Point Source Pollution
• Point source pollution - The release of
pollutants from a single, clearly identifiable
site; for example, a factory chimney or the
waste disposal pipe of a factory into a river.
• More easily managed because its impact is
more localized and easier to control.

4. Non-Point Source Pollution
• Non-point source pollution - The release of
pollutants from numerous, widely dispersed
origins; for example, gases from the exhaust
systems of vehicles.
• Difficult to isolate and correct.

5. Major Sources of Pollutants
• Combustion (burning) of fossil fuels
• Domestic waste (paper, glass, metal,
plastics, organic waste, packaging)
• Industrial waste
• Manufacturing systems
• Agricultural systems

6. Measuring Pollution
• Units are needed to describe the amount or
concentration of a pollutant or toxin in the
environment.
• Air pollution measured in ppm (parts per million)
or ppb (parts per billion).
• Water pollution measured in mg/L or ug/L.
• These are all very small amounts!
• http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=MLY&rls=org.mozilla:en-
US:official&biw=1024&bih=577&tbm=isch&tbnid=oim4sVLnpOztkM:&imgrefurl=http://www.drchetan.com/dental-fluorosis-clinical-features-
treatment.html&docid=o5hPUj78gWpSXM&imgurl=http://www.drchetan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/dental-
fluorosis.jpg&w=400&h=375&ei=VKeOUNvrPI2I8QS4loCwDQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=307&sig=110564946614323100926&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=166&start
=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:78&tx=55&ty=54
When fluoride exceeds 4 ppm

7. Monitoring Water Pollution:
BOD levels
• Eutrophication- When a body of water has high
concentration of nutrients (nitrates, phosphates), which
cause an increase in plant, algae, and bacteria growth.
This growth shades water and reduces photosynthetic
activity.
• BOD (biochemical oxygen demand)- amount of oxygen
needed to decompose organic material in water.
• When bacteria and algae die and decompose, BOD
increases and oxygen in water is consumed. If oxygen is
consumed, organisms die.
• BOD levels can be used to see how polluted the water is.
More organic waste = higher BOD.

8. Eutrophication
• The natural or artificial
enrichment of a body of
water, particularly with
respect to nitrates and
phosphates, that results in
depletion of the oxygen
content of the water.
Eutrophication is
accelerated by human
activities that add
detergents, sewage or
agricultural fertilizers to
bodies of water.
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c

9. Monitoring Water Pollution:
Biotic Index
• Biotic Index: a scale used to measure the quality of the
environment by showing the types of organisms present
in it.
• Bio-indicators: organisms used to monitor the health of
streams because the have different pollution tolerance
ranges.
• Bio-indicators can be highly sensitive to pollution, slightly
pollution tolerant, or highly pollution tolerant.
• Bio-indicators are collected in streams and used to
calculate biotic index.

10. http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/spring/pics/critter2.gif

11. Monitoring Air Pollution
• Measure particulate matter (particles
suspended in air that we breathe)
• Measure critical pollutants such as sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen monoxide,
ground level ozone.
http://www.solarthermalm

12. Size of Air Particulates
• http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/baq/images/PM

13. Measuring Soil Pollution
• Soil pollution can lead to water pollution due
to water run-off into rivers.
• Measure inorganic contaminants (nitrates,
phosphates, heavy metals, radioactive
materials)
• Measure organic contaminants (detergents,
pesticides, fuels)

14. Soil Contamination
• http://drazizul.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/land-poll

15. Sources
• Point Source Pollution
• http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/smoke-stack.jpg
• http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/images/wsci_03_img0431.jpg
• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3-
x4LEC1ybE/T10pOSQ8PbI/AAAAAAAAAcg/dSGEe3J_oZE/s1600/point+source+pollut.jpg
• Non-point source pollution
• http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/j/g/jgg5037/images/contro1.jpg
• http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/environmental/water-quality/assets/oil-gas_rainbow_stormdrain.jpg
• http://www.ypte.org.uk/UserFiles/images/Acid_rain_woods1.JPG