Environmental Pollution Education

What Factors Are Responsible for Environmental Pollution?

There are various factors that contribute to environmental pollution including natural causes.

Here is an overview of the main factors that contribute to environmental pollution:

Human Caused Factors (Anthropogenic)

Natural Factors

  • Volcanic Activity
  • Wild Fires
  • Oil Seeps

In this article we’ll explain the biggest human-caused factors of environmental pollution.

What is Industrial Pollution?

Corporations that manufacture consumer products release large amounts of pollutants every year. According to a recent study, 100 of the leading energy companies contributed 71% of industrial emissions that year. These companies were responsible for emitting the following contaminants into local ecosystems.

  • Heavy metals (lead, arsenic, copper)
  • Artificial chemicals (PFAS compounds, artificial dyes)
  • Air pollutants (CFCs, particulates, carbon monoxide)

As major urban areas become increasingly industrialized, the role of these industries in the global economy has expanded. Irresponsible industrial activity from these facilities contributes to pollution worldwide. 

But what impact do these pollutants have on us? How do pollutants affect residents living near manufacturing facilities?

In Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” an 85-mile stretch of land populated by 150 oil refineries, plastic plants, and chemical facilities, the predominantly-black community reported a cancer risk of 105 cases per million residents. For reference, nearby communities reported 60-75 cases per million residents.

Pollutants affect all organisms, including plants, animals, and humans, in a contaminated site. Within this article, we’ll discuss how contaminants affect our environment, what industrial factors contribute to environmental pollution, and what consumers can do to encourage sustainable engineering practices.

How does Pollution Impact Us?

Pollution Impacts Our Earth

As global temperatures continue to climb, the number and intensity of natural disasters has increased in the past decade. 

In 2020, scientists reported 8000 more wildfires than the prior year. As the number of forest fires increased throughout the dry season, countless acres of natural brush and forest areas worldwide were destroyed. That year, tendrils of smoke from Australian brush fires that year could be seen hundreds of miles away from outer space. 

Pollution Impacts People

Residents near manufacturing facilities or chemical plants report lower life expectancies and higher rates of chronic illnesses. Those near industrialization centers interact more with pollutants on a daily basis: pollutants enter the human body through the following:

  • Water – Pollutants can enter through drinking, bathing, or cleaning. 
  • Food that people eat on a daily basis can carry contaminants. 
  • Air –  Polluted air can cause respiratory illnesses. 

These foreign substances can affect how major organ systems function. One resident living in a community bordering chemical plants, petrochemical refineries, and manufacturing sites noted, “Out of every 10 houses, there’s a prospect of one or two people that have died of cancer.” 

Studies have shown that poor, nonwhite communities are more likely to live near industrial sites. As a result, pollutants affect people from low-income communities disproportionately, reducing life expectancy, quality of life, and mental health. 

Where do Pollutants Come From?

Pollutants are generated at every stage of the manufacturing process. In the modern era, as cities become increasingly industrialized, consumer products have been produced at unprecedented rates. As more consumer products are generated, major corporations and manufacturers unintentionally release more pollutants into the environment. Thus, in the modern era, as more products are produced on an industrial scale, the amount of pollutants has risen exponentially, affecting our natural environment and the people who live in it.

Material Extraction

When raw materials such as gold, copper, or coal, are mined, pollutants are released into the environment. Ore is broken apart by drills and excavators to extract resources; contaminants leach into nearby groundwater or surface water supplies.

One report conducted in 2013 by Earthworks, an environmental nonprofit, noted that every mining site near the Fort Belknap Indian Community had one pipeline spill. Groundwater near contaminated sites were found to contain cyanide or diesel fuel. 

These oil spills had drastic effects on the surrounding environment. In these areas, surface waters were stained unnatural colors. Wildlife had disappeared, and residents recalled seeing fish and beaver carcasses littering the streams. Contaminated water from these sources leaked into nearby drinking water reservoirs, and those from the Fort Belknap Indian Community were forced to outsource water. Federal agencies currently spend approximately $80 million annually to purify contaminated wastewater streams. 

As mining has become increasingly mechanized in the past century, allowing for more materials to be extracted at faster rates, the use of heavy machinery has also generated more waste and pollutants per ton of material extracted.

Production and Processing

In the United States, 30% of all electricity is generated from coal-burning plants. When nonrenewables such as coal, natural gas, or oil are burned, an immense amount of energy is released, which can be reconverted into electricity.

  • Coal is put into a boiler. Energy within coal is released, which is used to heat water.
  • Water is converted into steam. Steam is then pressurized and sent to a turbine.
  • Pressurized steam pushes a turbine. From the turbine, electricity is generated, which can be used within the facility or sold as a product. 

Pollutants are released when coal is burned. Coal burning produces sulfur oxide, which can precipitate and contribute to acid rain. Furthermore, the coal-burning process can also generate smaller particulates, which can pass through a mask. Though environmental legislation regulates airborne pollutants emitted by major corporations, pollutants are still leached through coal ash storage and disposal.  

Use and Disposal

Plastic has been widely used to package material because of its light weight, durability, and potential recyclability. However, researchers have noted that approximately 10% of all plastic ends up in the ocean. 

  • Microbeads, small pieces of plastic used in exfoliants and beauty products, are too small to be filtered by filtration systems. 
  • Larger pieces of plastic debris, disposed incorrectly in the ocean, can decompose over long periods of time into smaller microplastics. 

In both cases, microplastics are ingested by marine life. Research studies have shown that toxic chemicals have been found in marine animal tissue. These plastics can bioaccumulate in people who regularly consume fish and other seafood. Although microbeads were banned in commercial products in 2015, a large amount of microplastics are still present in natural bodies of water.

Conclusion: What We Can Do

As the human global population continues to grow, more pollutants are expected to enter the environment in the next decade. In the extraction of raw materials, the production of consumer products, and the disposal of these items, pollutants are leached from these products into the natural environment. Improper manufacturing techniques accelerate the spread of these pollutants. 

However, companies that consciously track and lower pollutant production at all parts of the manufacturing process can capture and contain these pollutants. By doing these, industrial organizations can lower, and even eliminate, the amount of pollutants leaving their facilities. Consumers who purchase responsibly can encourage sustainable practices in the industrial sector. Because industrial activity contributes to environmental pollution, responsible engineering practices can greatly shape how our society interacts and perceives pollutants in our natural world. 

If you are interested in being a more sustainable consumer, check out this article, or use this directory to search up companies you purchase products from.

Team Writer