Environmental pollution

Under Environmental pollution becomes in the framework of the Environmental protection completely generally the contamination that Environment, that means the natural living environment of humans, by the load of nature with waste and pollutants, z.B. Poisons, Micro organisms and radioactive substances, understood.

The environmental pollution cannot only limit itself to its developing place, but also by wind, Water or other mechanisms in far distant ranges arises (Long-distance haulage (environment)) and at places to be proven in such a way, where these substances were never used.

Ranges of the environmental pollution

As a function of the regarded Umweltkompartiment (water, Soil, Air) can be divided the environmental pollution into different ranges:

• Air pollution
• Waters contamination
• Groundwater load
• Pollution of the soil (see Bodenschutz)
• Noise
• Light contamination
• Smell contamination

History of the environmental pollution

The history of the environmental impact is in principle coined/shaped by five development steps. With each step is the extent and/or. the spreading of the environmental impact up to the global environmental pollution grown.

Fire

With the use of the fire by humans for the first time - however locally closely limited - one of humans caused environmental pollution arose. By the fire the developing Emissions and combustion residues did not lead under any circumstances to a provable load of the environment.

Agriculture

With the beginning that Agriculture humans have by the creation of Monokulturen for the first time Ecological systems changed. These changes were however reversible, D.h. as soon as a cultivated area was not any longer used, nature it fetched itself back within short time again.

Town construction

The beginning that Civilization (Town construction) led for the first time also to irreversible environmental changes. Clearing large forest stands in the Mediterranean area for the building of fleets is a salient example of an irreversible change of an ecological system. The production of metals by melting ores is an example of the first substantial environmental pollution caused by humans.

Industry

Larger environmental damage in the direct surrounding field of factories steps that with the beginning industriellen revolution up. The often schwefelhaltigen exhaust gases (Flue gases) partly led to strong damage up to dying the adjacent Vegetation.

Global load

That 20 Century is characterized by the occurrence of global environmental problems, like z.B. that Ozone hole or the possible Climatic change by the rising emission of so-called Greenhouse gases. Long-lived organic pollutants, those sucked. POPs, by certain long-distance haulage mechanisms spread world-wide and their operational areas are faraway proven. The enrichment (accumulation) of pollutants in the environment or in organisms can cause large damage (s. z.B. Discussion around the employment of DDT).

Important pollutive materials

The environment can be gotten dirty by many materials, z.B.

• Chemicals
• Heavy metals, see Lead children and Gressenicher illness
• Oil
• Fertilizer (Nitrate, Phosphate) with inappropriate application
• Pestizide, Herbicides, Fungicides in Agriculture and back gardens with inappropriate application
• Carbon dioxide during release by burn of fossil fuels
• Nitrogen oxides, Ammonia
• Sulfur dioxide
• Medicament, Antibiotics

Consequences of the environmental pollution

The consequences of the environmental pollution are already since the beginning that Industrialization admits, as in the direct environment of manufacturing plants plant damage was observed. Into that Consciousness the broad public moved the consequences of the environmental pollution beginning that 1970er years with the occurrence of Forest damage and the discussion around that Acid rain.

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