Water pollution is a big problem. There are many causes of water pollution. Some of the main causes of water pollution are factories, sewage, and chemicals from farms. Water pollution harms the environment in many ways. It can kill animals and plants. It can make people sick. And it can pollute drinking water.
Technology can help improve water conditions. For example, there are now water filters that can remove some of the pollutants from water. There are also laws that require factories to clean their wastewater before they release it into rivers and lakes.
Did you know that water pollution even causes deaths? Every year, water pollution kills thousands of people. Most of these deaths are in developing countries. But even in developed countries like the United States, water pollution is a problem.
Technology can help, such as the water filters mentioned earlier. But ultimately, we need to do more to prevent water pollution in the first place. We need to be more careful about what we put into our waterways, and focus on creating new technologies that can better mitigate what is going into the water.
Each year it is estimated that toxic chemicals are responsible for the death of over 1 million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals and untold numbers of fish. The top 12 most deadly pollutants to marine life are: mercury, cadmium, copper, zinc, oil and oil products, pesticides, PCBs, dioxins and furans, flame retardants, plastics and their degradation products. These pollutants enter the marine environment from a variety of sources, including: sewage effluent, land run-off, atmospheric deposition, oil spills, intentional dumping and accidental leakage from ships.
The main effects of water pollution on marine life are:
Harm to reproductive systems
Reduced growth rates in young animals
Cancer
Interference with the immune system
Damage to organs such as the liver and kidneys
Water pollution can have a devastating effect on marine life, as well as plants. Water pollution impacts plant life by:
Reducing the amount of sunlight that can penetrate the water, which limits the growth of aquatic plants
Increasing the water’s temperature, which can lead to lower oxygen levels and harm plant life
Contaminating the soil near waterways, which can limit plant growth
