Pollution.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Before the Industrial Revolution (1770 – 1850), the main source of pollution was human waste and bad sanitation. Cholera – (water) Diarrhea & vomiting Typhoid – (water) High fever & bleeding Typhus – (lice) High fever, joint pain, severe headaches Tuberculosis – (living conditions + pollution) Bloody cough & fever Rickets - (pollution blocking the sun) Skeletal deformities 312 BCE - Romans constructed aqueducts to get clean drinking water 100 BCE – Increased metallurgy and large-scale agriculture produced noticeable amounts of methane; lead poisoning noticed 1273 – Edward I told Londoners to stop burning sea-coal. 1347 – The Black Death (spread by fleas) killed abt 1/3 of all Europeans. Florence, Italy began cleaning its streets. 1575 – First deep mining coal mine constructed (Scotland) 1577-1579 – Typhus outbreak in England killed 10% of population. 1775 – Sir Pott identified carcinoma in chimney sweeps 1793 - Yellow Fever Outbreak in Philadelphia 1800 – Wooden props first used to support roof of coal mines 1815 – Mt.Tambora, Indonesia (largest volcano) 1830-1851 Second Cholera Pandemic 1842 – Women, girls & boys under 10 yrs forbidden to mine in England 1846-1849 – Typhus epidemic in Ireland (along with the Great Famine Mid 1850a – Chicago built first major sewage system in US (very first in Hamburg, Germany); acid rain discovered Cholera struck London (John Snow traced it to a contaminated well) WWI – Typhus caused 3 million deaths in Russia 1936 Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire DDT used worldwide to help combat typhus and malaria Manufacture and demand for synthetic materials (plastics) Radioactive fallout from atomic warfare and testing 1955 – Air Pollution Control Act 1966 – Detroit, Michigan nuclear power plant meltdown 1972 – Water Pollution Control Act 1975 – Catalytic converter invented, enabling cars to use unleaded gasoline 1979 – Three Mile Island, PA nuclear plant meltdown 1985 – British Antarctic Survey discovered hole in the ozone layer 1987 – Montreal Protocol – almost eliminating chlorofluorocarbons use worldwide 1988 – The Great Pacific Garbage Patch predicted (found in 1999) 1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska 1990 – Oil Pollution Act & Clean Air Act 2003 – Environmental Protection Agency established Carbon dioxide, CO2 Sulfur dioxide, SO2 Hydrochloric acid, HCl Hydrogen fluoride, HF Hydrogen sulfide, H2S Carbon monoxide, CO Methane, CH4 Light pollution Littering Noise pollution Soil contamination Radioactive contamination Thermal pollution (temp changes in water) Visual pollution (power lines, billboards, strip mining, etc.) Water pollution U.S. temperatures increased 2°F + in past 50 years Precipitation increased 5% Extreme weather events more frequent and intense Oceanic storms have increased in intensity Sea levels are rising Arctic sea ice is declining (source: U.S. Global Change Research Program) Certain gases in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. Water vapor Carbon dioxide Methane Nitrous oxide Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Variations in solar energy Volcanic eruptions (Source: NASA) Change light bulbs to Energy Star qualified products Change air filters regularly, use programmable thermostat Use water efficiently Reduce, reuse, recycle Composting Walk or bike more Unplug appliances when not in use Before the Industrial Revolution, what was the main source of pollution? What 3 types of pollution began as a direct result of WWII? Name 3 compounds which cause air pollution. What are some other types of pollution? What is the connection between the Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change? What are 2 natural and 2 man-made causes of the Greenhouse Effect? .