Lesson summary "consequences of human economic activity for the environment." Global consequences of environmental pollution

Question 1. What is the cause and what are the consequences of air pollution?

In the early stages of Earth's history, the atmosphere was polluted only by volcanic eruptions and forest fires. After the appearance of man, who began to actively use fire, the impact on the atmosphere became much stronger. The development of industry and transport has led to severe pollution. The consequences of pollution are:

• acid rain - occurs as a result of the dissolution of sulfur and nitrogen oxides in drops of atmospheric moisture; common in the vicinity of metallurgical and chemical plants (for example, copper smelters); have a destructive effect on plants, soil, water bodies, buildings (including architectural monuments);
• greenhouse effect - heat retention at the Earth's surface due to increased concentration of methane and CO 2 in the atmosphere; leads to a gradual increase in the average temperature of the planet, which can cause serious climate changes, as well as melting glaciers, rising sea levels and flooding of parts of the land;
• smog is a toxic fog formed under the influence of sunlight from substances contained in car exhaust gases; has a harmful effect on the human body, animals and plants;
• ozone holes are areas of thinning of the planet’s ozone layer; at the same time, too much solar radiation begins to reach the Earth’s surface, which is dangerous for all living things; Scientists believe that the reason for the formation of ozone holes is the accumulation in the atmosphere of refrigerant decay products (chlorofluorine hydrocarbons from refrigeration units).

Question 2. How does human economic activity affect the structure and fertility of the soil?

When harvesting, a person removes a huge amount of minerals from the soil (primarily potassium salts, phosphorus, nitrogen). If you do not apply fertilizers, then in 50-100 years the soil will be completely depleted.

Plowing the steppes, grazing livestock, and destroying forests provoke soil erosion, both wind and water. Excessive irrigation in hot climates leads to salinization. The latter means that with long-term (centuries) watering of crops with fresh water, its intense evaporation will lead to the accumulation of compounds harmful to plants (sulfates, chlorides, etc.) in the soil. As a result, soil fertility gradually decreases. It was these processes, along with deforestation, that led to the transformation of many zones of ancient agriculture (Egypt, Mezhdurechye, Central Asia) into deserts and semi-deserts.

Question 3. What are the consequences of pollution of the waters of the World Ocean?

Pollution of the waters of the World Ocean is a serious problem. Organic substances, mineral fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides enter the water from fields and pastures. Accidents of tankers and pipelines lead to the formation of huge oil spills, which cause mass death of phyto- and zooplankton, as well as larger animals. Salts of heavy metals that accumulate in water and aquatic organisms cause severe poisoning in humans and other living beings. Finally, ocean pollution leads to the destruction of aquatic ecosystems, a decrease in their productivity, and a depletion of species composition. An example is the death of coral reefs, which not only deprives thousands of unique organisms of food and habitat, but also disrupts the process of ocean inhabitants using CO 2 from the atmosphere.

Question 4. What is the direct influence of man on the flora and fauna of the Earth?

Unfortunately, today this influence is predominantly negative. Man cuts down forests, occupies vast areas for agricultural crops, raises livestock, trampling pastures and often turning them into semi-deserts. Man hunts animals, sometimes exterminating entire species. But even more dangerous for living organisms is the destruction of their habitat, that is, entire ecosystems (and therefore dozens of species of plants and animals at the same time). The processes of global pollution and destruction of the soil, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of our planet are going deeper; problems of health care, energy shortages, food resources, etc. are closely related to them. Material from the site

At the same time, there are more and more examples of not only destructive, but also creative (in relation to the biosphere) human activity: the conservation of rare animals, the creation of environmental protection zones, nature reserves and sanctuaries, environmentally friendly industrial technologies, etc. . e. Of greatest importance are changes in people’s worldview, the development of their environmental awareness and responsibility, the transition from the position of “conqueror of nature” to the awareness of the need to protect and protect the environment, to the understanding that humanity is part of the biosphere and, in the event of its destruction, will itself find itself on the brink of death.

Question 5. What impact does the expansion of agricultural production have on biogeocenoses and the biosphere as a whole?

In general, agriculture has a strong negative impact on biogeocenoses, since, by interfering with natural ecosystems, it disrupts their structure, reduces productivity, and impoverishes species diversity. This, in turn, negatively affects the state of the biosphere as a whole. In many regions of the planet, natural ecosystems are almost completely replaced by agrocenoses. The imperfection of most of them leads to a decrease in fertility and soil erosion, pollution of water bodies, and depletion of water supplies. In the pursuit of productivity, the quality of agricultural products is often sacrificed, which means that problems associated with public health, etc., are exacerbated.

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The impact of human society on nature has increased dramatically. Thus, over the past 30 years, as many natural resources have been used in the world as in the entire previous history of mankind. In this regard, there is a threat of depletion and even exhaustion of certain types of resources. This primarily applies to minerals, water and other types of resources.

At the same time, the scale of waste returning to nature has increased, which has caused the threat of environmental pollution. According to scientists, today there are (relatively) 200 kg for every inhabitant of the planet. waste. Today, anthropogenic landscapes already occupy 60% of the earth's land.

Society does not just use natural resources, but transforms the natural environment. The interaction between man and nature becomes a special area of ​​activity called “environment management”.

Environmental management is a set of measures taken by society to study, develop, transform and protect the environment.

It could be:

• rational, in which the interaction between society and nature develops harmoniously, a system of measures has been created aimed at reducing and preventing the negative consequences of human intervention in nature.
• irrational - a person’s attitude towards nature is consumerist, the balance in the relationship between society and nature is disturbed, the requirements for environmental protection are not taken into account, which leads to its degradation.

Pollution is growing, with up to 100 million tons of waste, and the ocean is especially affected by oil pollution. According to some estimates, from 4 to 16 million tons enter the ocean annually.

Remember!

What global environmental problems are you aware of?

Give examples of environmental problems in your region.

Air pollution. One of the most pressing environmental problems currently is environmental pollution. In the early stages of the development of the biosphere, the air was polluted only by volcanic eruptions and forest fires, but as soon as a person lit his first fire, the anthropogenic impact on the atmosphere began. Back at the beginning of the 20th century. the biosphere coped with the combustion products of coal and liquid fuels that entered the air. It was enough to drive a few kilometers away from industrial enterprises to feel the clean air. However, later the rapid development of industry and transport led to a sharp deterioration in the state of the atmosphere.

Currently, carbon dioxide (CO 2), carbon monoxide (CO), chlorofluorocarbons, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, methane (CH 4) and other hydrocarbons enter the atmosphere as a result of human activity. The sources of these pollution are the combustion of natural fuels, forest burning, emissions from industrial enterprises and car exhaust gases (Fig. 178).

Acid rain. Near copper smelters, there is a high concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air, which causes the destruction of chlorophyll, underdevelopment of pollen, and drying of needles. Dissolving in droplets of atmospheric moisture, sulfur and nitrogen dioxides are converted into corresponding acids and fall to the ground with rain. The soil becomes acidic and the amount of mineral salts in it decreases. When acidic precipitation gets on the leaves, it destroys the protective wax film, which leads to the development of plant diseases. Small aquatic animals and eggs are especially sensitive to changes in acidity, so acid rain causes maximum harm to aquatic ecosystems. In the most developed industrial areas, acid rain destroys the surface of buildings and spoils monuments of sculpture and architecture.

Greenhouse effect. An increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere creates the so-called greenhouse effect. These gases allow sunlight to pass through, but partially block reflected thermal radiation from the Earth's surface. Over the past 100 years, the relative concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 20%, and methane by 100%, leading to an average global temperature increase of 0.5 °C. If the concentration of these gases increases at the same rate in the coming years, by 2050 the Earth will warm by another 2–5 °C. Such warming could cause glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise by almost 1.5 m, causing flooding in many populated coastal areas.

Rice. 178. Air pollution: industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust gases

Smog. Substances contained in car exhaust gases, when exposed to sunlight, enter into complex chemical reactions, forming toxic compounds. Together with water droplets, they form a toxic fog - smog, which has a harmful effect on the human body and plants.

Suspensions of solid particles and droplets of liquids (hazes and fogs) significantly reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. During the winter months in large cities, ultraviolet radiation weakens significantly.

Ozone holes. At an altitude of more than 20 km above the Earth's surface there is an ozone layer (O 3), which protects all living things from excess ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet radiation of a certain wavelength range is beneficial for humans because it causes the formation of vitamin D. However, excessive exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer.

Substances that are used as components of aerosols and refrigerants in refrigerators - chlorofluorocarbons - rise into the stratosphere, where, under the influence of solar radiation, they decompose to release chlorine and fluorine. The resulting gases cause the conversion of ozone into oxygen, destroying the protective shell of the Earth, which arose about 2 billion years ago.

In 1987, it was discovered for the first time that over Antarctica, over an area the size of the United States, the ozone layer had almost completely disappeared. In subsequent years, thinning of the ozone layer was regularly observed over the Arctic and some land areas.

Pollution and overuse of natural waters. Fresh water makes up less than 1% of the world's total water supply, and humanity is wasting and polluting this priceless resource. Population growth, improvement of living conditions, development of industry and irrigated agriculture led to the fact that excess water consumption has become one of the global environmental problems of our time.

Entire rivers are being diverted for irrigation and the needs of large cities, and natural communities are dying along their beds and at their mouths. Water withdrawals for the city of Los Angeles have virtually destroyed the Colorado River. The place where it once flowed into the Gulf of California has become a dry riverbed. The extraction of water from the rivers of Central Asia led to the fact that the Aral Sea actually ceased to exist (Fig. 179). Salt from its dry bottom is carried by the wind, causing soil salinization for many hundreds of kilometers around.

Rice. 179. Reduction of the water area of ​​the Aral Sea. Satellite image taken in the summer of 2002. The red line shows the water boundary as of 1960.

For centuries, groundwater washed out cavities in the bowels of the earth, a kind of underground reservoirs. Numerous springs feeding rivers and lakes are places where groundwater comes to the surface. Overuse of groundwater reduces the number of springs and causes a gradual subsidence of the land surface, the so-called soil subsidence. The soil falls into the resulting underground voids, and if this happens suddenly, it leads to catastrophic consequences.

An equally dangerous phenomenon is water pollution. Organic substances, mineral fertilizers, animal waste, pesticides and herbicides enter the water from fields and pastures (Fig. 180). Sewage that is discharged into the sea without prior treatment poses a threat to human health. Due to tanker and pipeline accidents, a huge amount of oil is spilled into the ocean every year - about 5 million tons. Discharges from industrial enterprises and surface runoff from landfills are often contaminated with heavy metals and synthetic organic substances. Salts of heavy metals (lead, mercury, copper, zinc, chromium, cadmium, etc.) cause poisoning in humans with severe physiological and neurological consequences. Many artificial organic compounds are so reminiscent of natural ones that they are absorbed by the body, but when included in the metabolism, they completely disrupt its normal functioning. As a result, kidney disease, liver disease, infertility and many other physiological disorders occur. Particularly dangerous are toxic compounds that do not decompose and, passing through the food chain, accumulate in organisms.

Rice. 180. Defects in the limbs of tree frogs that developed in ponds in Pennsylvania (USA) are caused by exposure to pesticides

In the early 1970s. A tragedy occurred in the small fishing village of Minamata in Japan. A chemical plant discharged waste containing mercury into the water. The mercury settled to the bottom, was absorbed by bacteria, and then, gradually concentrating, passed through the levels of the food chain and accumulated in fish. A few years before the causes of the tragedy were clarified, people began to notice that cats in the village often had seizures, which led to partial paralysis and later death. At first they thought it was some kind of specific cat disease, but soon similar symptoms began to appear in people. Cases of mental retardation, mental disorders and birth defects appeared. By the time the cause (acute mercury poisoning) was found out and the situation was brought under control, more than 50 people had already died and another 150 became disabled. Mercury entered the human body through fish. Cats were the first to suffer because they ate mostly only fish.

Soil pollution and depletion. Fertile soil is one of humanity’s most important resources for food production. The top fertile layer of soil is formed over a long period of time, but can be destroyed very quickly. Every year, along with the harvest, a huge amount of mineral compounds - the main components of plant nutrition - are removed from the soil. If you do not apply fertilizers, within 50–100 years complete soil depletion.

The most destructive effect on the soil is erosion. Plowing of steppes, destruction of forests, and excessive grazing by livestock make the soil unprotected, and the top layer is washed away by water (water erosion) or carried away by the wind (wind erosion). Soil carried away from the surface of the earth clogs river beds, causing disturbances in the structure of aquatic ecosystems. In irrigated agriculture, excessive irrigation in hot climates leads to soil salinization.

Archaeologists have found that the decline of many ancient civilizations was caused not by external causes or wars, but by slow environmental suicide - the inability to preserve their land and water resources. The loss of soil fertility led to the decline of the once thriving Mayan civilization in Central America. North Africa, which once fed the entire Roman Empire, is today mostly desert.

Currently, the entire territory of our planet is to one degree or another subject to anthropogenic influence. Rapid population growth requires constant expansion of production. The construction of cities and industrial enterprises, the development of agriculture and the development of mineral resources have led to the fact that almost 20% of the land has already been completely transformed by man. Mineral reserves, which are classified as non-renewable natural resources, are being depleted. Pollution of the atmosphere and natural waters, soil erosion and depletion, and destruction of natural ecosystems can lead humanity to an environmental disaster. That is why environmental protection measures aimed at preserving the biosphere are becoming increasingly important.

Review questions and assignments

1. What is the cause and what are the consequences of air pollution?

2. How does human economic activity affect the structure and fertility of the soil?

3. What are the consequences of pollution of the waters of the World Ocean?

4. What is the direct influence of humans on the flora and fauna of the Earth?

5. What impact does the expansion of agricultural production have on biogeocenoses and the biosphere as a whole?

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Detailed solution Section page 277 in biology for 9th grade students, authors S.G. Mamontov, V.B. Zakharov, I.B. Agafonova, N.I. Sonin 2016

Question 1. What causes air pollution and what are its consequences?

The main causes of air pollution are the combustion of natural fuels and metallurgical production. If in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the combustion products of coal and liquid fuel entering the environment have been almost completely assimilated by the vegetation of the Earth, currently the content of harmful combustion products is steadily increasing. A number of pollutants enter the air from stoves, furnaces, and car exhaust pipes. Among them, sulfur dioxide is especially prominent - a poisonous gas that is easily soluble in water.

Industrial enterprises and cars cause the release of many toxic compounds into the atmosphere - nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, lead compounds (each car emits 1 kg of lead per year), various hydrocarbons - acetylene, ethylene, methane, propane, toluene, benzopyrene, etc. Together with droplets of water they form a toxic fog - smog, which has a harmful effect on the human body and on the vegetation of cities. Liquid and solid particles (dust) suspended in the air reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. Thus, in large cities, solar radiation decreases by 15%, ultraviolet radiation by 30% (and in the winter months it may completely disappear).

Question 2. Is there a relationship between air pollution and the increase in human illness? Justify your point of view.

Atmospheric air is a vital component of the natural environment, an integral part of the habitat of humans, plants and animals. Atmospheric air is the most significant component (factor) of the human environment, when polluted the impact on human health (the state of the protective resource) is most pronounced.

Environmental pollution, primarily atmospheric air, is a powerful factor in shaping public health, having a negative impact on the reproductive function and natural reproduction of the population, on morbidity, mortality, primarily in socially vulnerable and weakened groups of the population (children, women, elderly).

Atmospheric air pollution is one of the environmental factors that contributes to the development of a certain group of diseases in the population (with intense exposure) and a decrease in the adaptive reserve (with chronic - threshold level of exposure).

In the history of hygienic science, a number of cases are known that were caused by anticyclonic weather with temperature inversion, accompanied by the accumulation of industrial emissions in the surface layer of the atmosphere (“toxic fogs”).

According to research results, the impact of air pollution on the health of the population is currently especially active in small towns.

Question 3. What are the reasons for the possible occurrence of water shortages in some areas of the world?

The constant increase in water consumption on the planet leads to “water hunger,” which necessitates the development of measures for the rational use of water resources.

Question 4: What is the source of fresh water in your area? What is the amount of this water?

Groundwater in the Moscow region has 5 levels of occurrence:

1. groundwater

2. intermoraine semi-confined aquifer

3. Over-Jurassic pressure horizon

4. mid-Carboniferous pressure horizon

5. Lower Carboniferous pressure horizon

The first three levels are located above the first aquifer from the surface of the earth, the depth of which in the Moscow region is very variable and ranges from 1-3 to 70 m. Groundwater is characterized by a lack of pressure, sharp changes in the depth and thickness of aquifers. Below the groundwater horizon there are 2 more aquifers that are hydraulically connected to groundwater, these are the intermoraine semi-confined aquifer and the supra-Jurassic confined aquifer.

All three horizons are fed primarily by precipitation and surface runoff. Replenishment of water reserves in them occurs mainly in the spring. Groundwater reaches the surface in the valleys of small rivers and streams, the waters of the intermoraine semi-confined horizon seep to the surface through ancient and modern sandy deposits (alluvium) in river floodplains, and the waters of the Over-Jurassic aquifer flow to the surface through large rising springs located in river beds.

Mid-Carboniferous and Lower Carboniferous confined aquifers lie at a depth of more than 100 m in limestone and dolomite deposits of the Carboniferous period. They are characterized by significant thickness - up to 50-70 m and relative hydraulic isolation from other aquifers. These waters are the main source of water supply to cities and towns in the Moscow region.

Question 5. What does pollution of the World Ocean lead to?

The waters of the seas and oceans are subject to significant pollution. With river runoff, as well as from sea transport, harmful waste, oil products, heavy metal salts, toxic organic compounds, including pesticides, enter the seas. Pollution of the seas and oceans reaches such proportions that in some cases, caught fish and shellfish are unfit for consumption. Pesticides (from the Latin pestis - infection and tseder - to kill), used in agriculture to combat insect pests, have even been found in the body of penguins living in Antarctica.

Question 6. How does human economic activity affect the structure and fertility of the soil?

Among the anthropogenic changes in soil is erosion (from the Latin erosio - erosion). Erosion is the destruction and removal of soil cover by water flows or wind. Water erosion is widespread and most destructive. It occurs on slopes and develops due to improper cultivation of the land.

Wind erosion is most pronounced in the southern steppe regions of our country. It occurs in areas with dry, bare soil and sparse vegetation cover. Excessive grazing in steppes and semi-deserts contributes to wind erosion and rapid destruction of grass cover. It takes 250–300 years to restore a 1 cm thick layer of soil under natural conditions. Consequently, dust storms are fraught with irreparable losses of the fertile soil layer.

Significant territories with formed soils are withdrawn from agricultural use due to the open-pit mining method for minerals lying at shallow depths. Dug deep quarries and dumps of soil destroy not only the lands to be developed, but also the surrounding areas, while the hydrological regime of the area is disrupted, water, soil and atmosphere are polluted, and agricultural yields are reduced. In areas of underground mining, a sinkhole type of terrain is formed. These two features of the relief are closely related to each other: failures are formed as a result of the appearance of voids under the earth's surface, and waste heaps (earth cones) are formed in those places where waste rock is formed. Terricons appear not only around mines, but also near factories, power plants and other industrial enterprises. They take up a lot of space and generate a lot of dust in the wind.

Question 7. What is the direct influence of humans on the flora and fauna of the Earth?

Selective and sanitary cuttings, which regulate the composition and quality of the forest and are necessary to remove damaged and diseased trees, do not significantly affect the species composition of forest biocenoses. Another thing is clear cutting of trees. Finding themselves suddenly in open habitat conditions, plants in the lower tiers of the forest experience the adverse effects of direct solar radiation. In shade-loving plants of the herbaceous and shrub layers, chlorophyll is destroyed, growth stops, and some species disappear. Light-loving plants that are resistant to elevated temperatures and lack of moisture settle in the clearing areas. The animal world is also changing: species associated with the tree stand disappear or migrate to other places. The development of land for plantations of cultivated plants, i.e., the creation of agrocenoses, also leads to the displacement of natural species.

Mass visits to forests by vacationers and tourists have a noticeable impact on the state of vegetation, resulting in forest fires, as well as trampling, compaction of the soil and its pollution. Soil compaction inhibits the root system and causes plants to dry out. Trampling of grasses disrupts essential stages of the cycle of substances, dooming trees to starvation. The direct influence of man on the animal world is the extermination of species that are of food or other material value to him.

The number of animals is also influenced by human economic activities not related to fishing. The number of Ussuri tigers has sharply decreased. This occurred as a result of the development of territories within its range and a reduction in the food supply. In the Pacific Ocean, several tens of thousands of dolphins die every year: during the fishing season, they get caught in nets and cannot get out of them. Until recently, before fishermen took special measures, the number of dolphins dying in nets reached hundreds of thousands. The effects of water pollution are very unfavorable for marine mammals. In such cases, the ban on catching animals is ineffective. For example, after the ban on catching dolphins in the Black Sea, their numbers have not recovered. The reason is that many toxic substances enter the Black Sea with river water and through straits from the Mediterranean Sea. These substances are especially harmful to baby dolphins, whose high mortality rate inhibits the growth of the population of these cetaceans.

Question 8. What consequences does the extinction of biological species entail?

place in the biocenosis, in the food chain, and no one can replace it; the disappearance of one species or another leads to a decrease in the stability of biocenoses. Even more important is that each species has unique properties that are unique to it. The loss of genes that determine these properties and were selected during long-term evolution deprives a person of the opportunity in the future to use them for his practical purposes (for example, for selection).

Question 9. How does radioactive contamination resulting from accidents at nuclear power plants in Japan in the spring of 2011 affect the state of the biosphere as a whole?

As a result of the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, radioactive elements entered the atmosphere and ocean, in particular iodine 131 (has a very short half-life) and cesium 137 (has a half-life of 30 years). A small amount of plutonium was also discovered at the station's industrial site.

The total volume of radionuclide emissions amounted to 20% of the emissions after the Chernobyl accident. The population of the 30-kilometer zone around the nuclear power plant was evacuated. The area of ​​contaminated land subject to decontamination is 3% of Japan's territory.

Radioactive substances were found in drinking water and food not only in Fukushima Prefecture itself, but also in other areas of the country. Many countries, including Russia, have banned the import of Japanese products and “emitting” radioactive cars.

For the first time since the Chernobyl accident, nuclear energy suffered a serious blow. The world community is once again thinking about whether nuclear energy can be safe. Many countries have frozen their projects in this industry, and Germany has even stated that by 2022 it will turn off the last nuclear power plant and will develop alternative sources of electricity.

Question 10. What is the environmental situation in your region? Name the main sources of environmental pollution in your region.

The environmental situation in the Moscow region is difficult. Areas close to Moscow and industrial areas in the east and southeast of the region are especially contaminated.

The most environmentally hazardous in the Moscow region can be considered pollution from wastewater from industrial and agricultural enterprises; industrial emissions from enterprises, primarily energy; landfills for the removal and disposal of household and industrial waste; aging fuel pipelines and fuel storage facilities (airfield and military). The environmental situation in the Moscow region is significantly complicated by transport, industry and housing and communal services in the Russian capital. Moscow receives water for its industrial and domestic needs from the north and west of the Moscow region, and discharges wastewater into the Moscow River in the south and southeast of the Moscow region.

Question 11. Having studied the material in the paragraph, formulate the main environmental problems of our time. Using additional sources of information, prepare a message or presentation on the chosen topic. Together with your classmates and teacher, organize and conduct a conference “Environmental problems of the modern world and ways to solve them.”

The main environmental problems of our time include:

1. Air pollution;

2. Pollution of fresh waters and waters of the World Ocean;

3. Anthropogenic impact on soil cover;

4. Extermination of many species of plants and animals;

5. Pollution from nuclear energy waste.

Ocean pollution

Our planet could well be called Oceania, since the area occupied by water is 2.5 times larger than the land area. Ocean waters cover almost 3/4 of the surface of the globe with a layer about 4000 m thick, making up 97% of the hydrosphere, while land waters contain only 1%, and only 2% is locked in glaciers. The world ocean, being the totality of all the seas and oceans of the Earth, has a huge impact on the life of the planet. The huge mass of ocean waters forms the planet’s climate and serves as a source of precipitation. More than half of the oxygen comes from it, and it also regulates the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere, since it is able to absorb its excess. At the bottom of the World Ocean, the accumulation and transformation of a huge mass of mineral and organic substances occurs, therefore the geological and geochemical processes occurring in the oceans and seas have a very strong impact on the entire earth’s crust. It was the Ocean that became the cradle of life on Earth; it is now home to about four-fifths of all living creatures on the planet.

Resources of the world's oceans.

In our time, the “era of global problems,” the World Ocean plays an increasingly important role in the life of mankind. Being a huge storehouse of mineral, energy, plant and animal resources, which - with their rational consumption and artificial reproduction - can be considered practically inexhaustible, the Ocean is capable of solving some of the most pressing problems: the need to provide a rapidly growing population with food and raw materials for developing industry, danger of energy crisis, lack of fresh water.

The main resource of the World Ocean is sea water. It contains 75 chemical elements, including such important ones as uranium, potassium, bromine, and magnesium. And although the main product of sea water is still table salt - 33% of world production, magnesium and bromine are already being mined, methods for producing a number of metals have long been patented, among them copper and silver, which are necessary for industry, the reserves of which are steadily depleting, when, as in ocean their waters contain up to half a billion tons. In connection with the development of nuclear energy, there are good prospects for the extraction of uranium and deuterium from the waters of the World Ocean, especially since the reserves of uranium ore on earth are decreasing, and in the Ocean there are 10 billion tons of it; deuterium is generally practically inexhaustible - for every 5000 atoms of ordinary hydrogen there is one atom of heavy. In addition to releasing chemical elements, seawater can be used to obtain the fresh water that people need. Many industrial desalination methods are now available: chemical reactions are used to remove impurities from water; salt water is passed through special filters; finally, the usual boiling is carried out. But desalination is not the only way to obtain potable water. There are bottom sources that are increasingly being discovered on the continental shelf, that is, in areas of continental shallows adjacent to the shores of land and having the same geological structure. One of these sources, located off the coast of France - in Normandy, provides such an amount of water that it is called an underground river.

The mineral resources of the World Ocean are represented not only by sea water, but also by what is “under water”. The depths of the ocean, its bottom, are rich in mineral deposits. On the continental shelf there are coastal placer deposits - gold, platinum; There are also precious stones - rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds. For example, underwater diamond gravel mining has been going on near Namibia since 1962. On the shelf and partly on the continental slope of the Ocean there are large deposits of phosphorites that can be used as fertilizers, and the reserves will last for the next few hundred years. The most interesting type of mineral raw materials in the World Ocean are the famous ferromanganese nodules, which cover vast underwater plains. Nodules are a kind of “cocktail” of metals: they include copper, cobalt, nickel, titanium, vanadium, but, of course, most of all iron and manganese. Their locations are generally known, but the results of industrial development are still very modest. But exploration and production of ocean oil and gas on the coastal shelf is in full swing; the share of offshore production is approaching 1/3 of the world production of these energy resources. Deposits are being developed on an especially large scale in the Persian, Venezuelan, Gulf of Mexico, and the North Sea; oil platforms stretch off the coast of California, Indonesia, in the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. The Gulf of Mexico is also famous for the sulfur deposit discovered during oil exploration, which is melted from the bottom using superheated water. Another, as yet untouched, pantry of the ocean is the deep crevices, where a new bottom is formed. For example, hot (over 60 degrees) and heavy brines of the Red Sea depression contain huge reserves of silver, tin, copper, iron and other metals. Shallow water mining is becoming more and more important. Around Japan, for example, underwater iron-containing sands are sucked out through pipes; the country extracts about 20% of its coal from offshore mines - an artificial island is built over the rock deposits and a shaft is drilled to expose the coal seams.

Many natural processes occurring in the World Ocean - movement, temperature regime of water - are inexhaustible energy resources. For example, the total power of the Ocean's tidal energy is estimated from 1 to 6 billion kWh. This property of ebbs and flows was used in France in the Middle Ages: in the 12th century, mills were built, the wheels of which were driven by tidal waves. Nowadays, in France there are modern power plants that use the same principle of operation: the turbines rotate in one direction when the tide is high, and in the other when the tide is low. The main wealth of the World Ocean is its biological resources (fish, zoo and phytoplankton and others). The ocean's biomass includes 150 thousand species of animals and 10 thousand algae, and its total volume is estimated at 35 billion tons, which may well be enough to feed 30 billion! Human. By catching 85-90 million tons of fish annually, which accounts for 85% of the marine products used, shellfish, algae, humanity provides about 20% of its needs for animal proteins. The living world of the Ocean is a huge food resource that can be inexhaustible if used correctly and carefully. The maximum fish catch should not exceed 150-180 million tons per year: exceeding this limit is very dangerous, as irreparable losses will occur. Many varieties of fish, whales, and pinnipeds have almost disappeared from ocean waters due to excessive hunting, and it is unknown whether their numbers will ever recover. But the world's population is growing at a rapid pace, increasingly in need of seafood products. There are several ways to increase its productivity. The first is to remove from the ocean not only fish, but also zooplankton, some of which - Antarctic krill - have already been eaten. It is possible, without any damage to the Ocean, to catch it in much larger quantities than all the fish currently caught. The second way is the use of biological resources of the open Ocean. The biological productivity of the Ocean is especially great in the area of ​​rising deep waters. One of these upwellings, located off the coast of Peru, provides 15% of the world's fish production, although its area is no more than two hundredths of a percent of the entire surface of the World Ocean. Finally, the third way is the cultural breeding of living organisms, mainly in coastal areas. All three of these methods have been successfully tested in many countries of the world, but locally, so the destructive fishing continues. At the end of the twentieth century, the Norwegian, Bering, Okhotsk, and Japanese seas were considered the most productive water areas.

The ocean, being a storehouse of diverse resources, is also a free and convenient road that connects continents and islands distant from each other. Maritime transport accounts for almost 80% of transport between countries, serving the growing global production and exchange. The world's oceans can serve as a waste recycler. Thanks to the chemical and physical effects of its waters and the biological influence of living organisms, it disperses and purifies the bulk of the waste entering it, maintaining the relative balance of the Earth's ecosystems. Over the course of 3,000 years, as a result of the water cycle in nature, all the water in the World Ocean is renewed.

Oil and petroleum products

Oil is a viscous oily liquid that is dark brown in color and weakly fluorescent. Oil consists primarily of saturated aliphatic and hydroaromatic hydrocarbons. The main components of oil - hydrocarbons (up to 98%) - are divided into 4 classes:

a).Paraffins (alkenes). (up to 90% of the total composition) - stable substances, the molecules of which are expressed by a straight and branched chain of carbon atoms. Light paraffins have maximum volatility and solubility in water.

b). Cycloparaffins. (30 - 60% of the total composition) saturated cyclic compounds with 5-6 carbon atoms in the ring. In addition to cyclopentane and cyclohexane, bicyclic and polycyclic compounds of this group are found in oil. These compounds are very stable and poorly biodegradable.

c).Aromatic hydrocarbons. (20 - 40% of the total composition) - unsaturated cyclic compounds of the benzene series, containing 6 less carbon atoms in the ring than cycloparaffins. Oil contains volatile compounds with a molecule in the form of a single ring (benzene, toluene, xylene), then bicyclic (naphthalene), polycyclic (pyrone).

G). Olefins (alkenes). (up to 10% of the total composition) - unsaturated non-cyclic compounds with one or two hydrogen atoms at each carbon atom in a molecule having a straight or branched chain.

Oil and petroleum products are the most common pollutants in the World Ocean. By the beginning of the 80s, about 16 million tons of oil entered the ocean annually, which amounted to 0.23% of world production. The greatest oil losses are associated with its transportation from production areas. Emergency situations involving tankers draining washing and ballast water overboard - all this causes the presence of permanent fields of pollution along sea routes. In the period 1962-79, as a result of accidents, about 2 million tons of oil entered the marine environment. Over the past 30 years, since 1964, about 2,000 wells have been drilled in the World Ocean, of which 1,000 and 350 industrial wells have been equipped in the North Sea alone. Due to minor leaks, 0.1 million tons of oil are lost annually. Large masses of oil enter the seas through rivers, domestic wastewater and storm drains. The volume of pollution from this source is 2.0 million tons/year. Every year 0.5 million tons of oil enters with industrial waste. Once in the marine environment, oil first spreads in the form of a film, forming layers of varying thickness.

The oil film changes the composition of the spectrum and the intensity of light penetration into water. The light transmittance of thin films of crude oil is 11-10% (280 nm), 60-70% (400 nm). A film with a thickness of 30-40 microns completely absorbs infrared radiation. When mixed with water, oil forms two types of emulsion: direct oil in water and reverse water in oil. Direct emulsions, composed of oil droplets with a diameter of up to 0.5 microns, are less stable and are characteristic of oils containing surfactants. When volatile fractions are removed, oil forms viscous inverse emulsions that can remain on the surface, be transported by currents, washed ashore and settle to the bottom.

Pesticides

Pesticides constitute a group of artificially created substances used to control plant pests and diseases. Pesticides are divided into the following groups:

Insecticides to control harmful insects,

Fungicides and bactericides - to combat bacterial plant diseases,

Herbicides against weeds.

It has been established that pesticides, while destroying pests, harm many beneficial organisms and undermine the health of biocenoses. In agriculture, there has long been a problem of transition from chemical (polluting) to biological (environmentally friendly) methods of pest control. Currently, more than 5 million tons of pesticides are supplied to the world market. About 1.5 million tons of these substances have already become part of terrestrial and marine ecosystems through ash and water. Industrial production of pesticides is accompanied by the emergence of a large number of by-products that pollute wastewater. Representatives of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides are most often found in the aquatic environment. Synthesized insecticides are divided into three main groups: organochlorine, organophosphorus and carbonates.

Organochlorine insecticides are produced by chlorination of aromatic and heterocyclic liquid hydrocarbons. These include DDT and its derivatives, in whose molecules the stability of aliphatic and aromatic groups in the joint presence increases, and all kinds of chlorinated derivatives of chlorodiene (Eldrin). These substances have a half-life of up to several decades and are very resistant to biodegradation. In the aquatic environment, polychlorinated biphenyls are often found - derivatives of DDT without an aliphatic part, numbering 210 homologues and isomers. Over the past 40 years, more than 1.2 million tons of polychlorinated biphenyls have been used in the production of plastics, dyes, transformers, and capacitors. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) enter the environment as a result of industrial wastewater discharges and solid waste combustion in landfills. The latter source supplies PBCs into the atmosphere, from where they fall with precipitation in all regions of the globe. Thus, in snow samples taken in Antarctica, the PBC content was 0.03 - 1.2 kg. /l.

Synthetic surfactants

Detergents (surfactants) belong to a large group of substances that reduce the surface tension of water. They are part of synthetic detergents (SDCs), widely used in everyday life and industry. Together with wastewater, surfactants enter continental waters and the marine environment. SMS contain sodium polyphosphates in which detergents are dissolved, as well as a number of additional ingredients that are toxic to aquatic organisms: fragrances, bleaching reagents (persulfates, perborates), soda ash, carboxymethylcellulose, sodium silicates. Depending on the nature and structure of the hydrophilic part, surfactant molecules are divided into anionic, cationic, amphoteric and nonionic. The latter do not form ions in water. The most common surfactants are anionic substances. They account for more than 50% of all surfactants produced in the world. The presence of surfactants in industrial wastewater is associated with their use in processes such as flotation concentration of ores, separation of chemical technology products, production of polymers, improving conditions for drilling oil and gas wells, and combating equipment corrosion. In agriculture, surfactants are used as part of pesticides.

Compounds with carcinogenic properties

Carcinogenic substances are chemically homogeneous compounds that exhibit transforming activity and the ability to cause carcinogenic, teratogenic (disruption of embryonic development processes) or mutagenic changes in organisms. Depending on the conditions of exposure, they can lead to growth inhibition, accelerated aging, disruption of individual development and changes in the gene pool of organisms. Substances with carcinogenic properties include chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons, vinyl chloride, and especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The maximum amount of PAHs in modern sediments of the World Ocean (more than 100 μg/km of dry matter mass) was found in tectonically active zones subject to deep thermal effects. The main anthropogenic sources of PAHs in the environment are the pyrolysis of organic substances during the combustion of various materials, wood and fuels.

Heavy metals

Heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, arsenic) are common and highly toxic pollutants. They are widely used in various industrial processes, therefore, despite treatment measures, the content of heavy metal compounds in industrial wastewater is quite high. Large masses of these compounds enter the ocean through the atmosphere. For marine biocenoses, the most dangerous are mercury, lead and cadmium. Mercury is transported to the ocean by continental runoff and through the atmosphere. During the weathering of sedimentary and igneous rocks, 3.5 thousand tons of mercury are released annually. Atmospheric dust contains about 121 thousand. t. 0mercury, and a significant part is of anthropogenic origin. About half of the annual industrial production of this metal (910 thousand tons / year) ends up in the ocean in various ways. In areas polluted by industrial waters, the concentration of mercury in solution and suspended matter increases greatly. At the same time, some bacteria convert chlorides into highly toxic methyl mercury. Contamination of seafood has repeatedly led to mercury poisoning of coastal populations. By 1977, there were 2,800 victims of Minomata disease, which was caused by waste from vinyl chloride and acetaldehyde production plants that used mercuric chloride as a catalyst. Insufficiently treated wastewater from factories flowed into Minamata Bay. Pig is a typical trace element contained in all components of the environment: rocks, soils, natural waters, atmosphere, living organisms. Finally, pigs are actively dispersed into the environment during human economic activities. These are emissions from industrial and domestic wastewater, from smoke and dust from industrial enterprises, and from exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. The migration flow of lead from the continent to the ocean occurs not only with river runoff, but also through the atmosphere.

Dumping waste into the sea for disposal

Many countries with access to the sea carry out marine disposal of various materials and substances, in particular dredging soil, drilling slag, industrial waste, construction waste, solid waste, explosives and chemicals, and radioactive waste. The volume of burials amounted to about 10% of the total mass of pollutants entering the World Ocean. The basis for dumping at sea is the ability of the marine environment to process large quantities of organic and inorganic substances without much damage to the water. However, this ability is not unlimited. Therefore, dumping is seen as a forced measure, a temporary tribute from society to the imperfection of technology. Industrial slag contains a variety of organic substances and heavy metal compounds. Household waste on average contains (by dry matter weight) 32-40% organic matter; 0.56% nitrogen; 0.44% phosphorus; 0.155% zinc; 0.085% lead; 0.001% mercury; 0.001% cadmium. During the discharge, when the material passes through a column of water, some of the pollutants go into solution, changing the quality of the water, while others are sorbed by suspended particles and pass into bottom sediments. At the same time, the turbidity of the water increases. The presence of organic substances leads to the rapid consumption of oxygen in water and not to its complete disappearance, the dissolution of suspended matter, the accumulation of metals in dissolved form, and the appearance of hydrogen sulfide. The presence of a large amount of organic substances creates a stable reducing environment in the soil, in which a special type of silt water appears, containing hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and metal ions. Benthos organisms and others are exposed to varying degrees to the effects of discharged materials. In the case of the formation of surface films containing petroleum hydrocarbons and surfactants, gas exchange at the air-water interface is disrupted. Pollutants entering the solution can accumulate in the tissues and organs of aquatic organisms and have a toxic effect on them. The discharge of dumping materials to the bottom and prolonged increased turbidity of the added water leads to the death of sedentary benthos from suffocation. In surviving fish, mollusks and crustaceans, their growth rate is reduced due to deteriorating feeding and breathing conditions. The species composition of a given community often changes. When organizing a system for monitoring waste emissions into the sea, it is crucial to identify dumping areas and determine the dynamics of pollution of sea water and bottom sediments. To identify possible volumes of discharge into the sea, it is necessary to carry out calculations of all pollutants in the material discharge.

Thermal pollution

Thermal pollution of the surface of reservoirs and coastal marine areas occurs as a result of the discharge of heated wastewater by power plants and some industrial production. The discharge of heated water in many cases causes an increase in water temperature in reservoirs by 6-8 degrees Celsius. The area of ​​heated water spots in coastal areas can reach 30 square meters. km. More stable temperature stratification prevents water exchange between the surface and bottom layers. The solubility of oxygen decreases, and its consumption increases, since with increasing temperature the activity of aerobic bacteria decomposing organic matter increases. The species diversity of phytoplankton and the entire algal flora is increasing. Based on the generalization of the material, we can conclude that the effects of anthropogenic impact on the aquatic environment manifest themselves at the individual and population-biocenotic levels, and the long-term effect of pollutants leads to a simplification of the ecosystem.

Protection of seas and oceans

The most serious problem of the seas and oceans in our century is oil pollution, the consequences of which are disastrous for all life on Earth. Therefore, in 1954, an international conference was held in London with the goal of developing concerted actions to protect the marine environment from oil pollution. It adopted a convention defining the responsibilities of states in this area. Later, in 1958, four more documents were adopted in Geneva: on the high seas, on the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, on the continental shelf, on fisheries and the protection of living marine resources. These conventions legally established the principles and norms of the law of the sea. They obliged each country to develop and implement laws prohibiting pollution of the marine environment with oil, radioactive waste and other harmful substances. A conference held in London in 1973 adopted documents on the prevention of pollution from ships. According to the adopted convention, each ship must have a certificate - evidence that the hull, mechanisms and other equipment are in good condition and do not cause damage to the sea. Compliance with certificates is checked by an inspection upon entry into the port.

It is prohibited to discharge oil-containing water from tankers; all discharges from them must be pumped only to onshore receiving points. Electrochemical installations have been created for the purification and disinfection of ship wastewater, including domestic wastewater. The Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed an emulsion method for cleaning sea tankers, which completely eliminates the entry of oil into the water area. It consists of adding several surfactants (ML preparation) to the wash water, which allows cleaning on the ship itself without discharging contaminated water or oil residues, which can subsequently be regenerated for further use. Up to 300 tons of oil can be washed from each tanker. In order to prevent oil leaks, the designs of oil tankers are being improved. Many modern tankers have a double bottom. If one of them is damaged, oil will not spill out; it will be retained by the second shell.

Ship captains are required to record in special logs information about all cargo operations with oil and petroleum products, and note the place and time of delivery or discharge of contaminated wastewater from the ship. Floating oil skimmers and side barriers are used to systematically clean up water areas from accidental spills. Also, in order to prevent oil spreading, physicochemical methods are used. A foam group preparation has been created that, when in contact with an oil slick, completely envelops it. After spinning, the foam can be used again as a sorbent. Such drugs are very convenient due to their ease of use and low cost, but their mass production has not yet been established. There are also sorbent agents based on plant, mineral and synthetic substances. Some of them can collect up to 90% of spilled oil. The main requirement that is placed on them is unsinkability. After collecting oil with sorbents or mechanical means, a thin film always remains on the surface of the water, which can be removed by spraying chemicals that decompose it. But at the same time, these substances must be biologically safe.

A unique technology has been created and tested in Japan, with the help of which a giant stain can be eliminated in a short time. Kansai Sage Corporation has released the ASWW reagent, the main component of which is specially processed rice husk. Sprayed over the surface, the drug absorbs the waste within half an hour and turns into a thick mass that can be pulled off with a simple net. The original cleaning method was demonstrated by American scientists in the Atlantic Ocean. A ceramic plate is lowered under the oil film to a certain depth. An acoustic record is connected to it. Under the influence of vibration, it first accumulates in a thick layer above the place where the plate is installed, and then mixes with water and begins to gush. An electric current applied to the plate ignites the fountain, and the oil burns completely.

To remove oil stains from the surface of coastal waters, American scientists have created a modification of polypropylene that attracts fatty particles. On a catamaran boat, a kind of curtain made of this material was placed between the hulls, the ends of which hang into the water. As soon as the boat hits the slick, the oil firmly adheres to the “curtain”. All that remains is to pass the polymer through the rollers of a special device, which squeezes the oil into the prepared container. Since 1993, the dumping of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) has been prohibited, but their number is steadily growing. Therefore, in order to protect the environment, liquid radioactive waste cleanup projects began to be developed in the 90s. In 1996, representatives of Japanese, American and Russian firms signed a contract to create a facility for processing liquid radioactive waste accumulated in the Russian Far East. The Japanese government allocated $25.2 million for the project. However, despite some successes in the search for effective means of eliminating pollution, it is too early to talk about solving the problem. Only by introducing new methods of cleaning water areas it is impossible to ensure the cleanliness of the seas and oceans. The central task that all countries need to solve together is the prevention of pollution.

In the modern world, the impact of the environment on human health has become a global problem that requires drastic measures. Today there is a lot of talk about protecting nature and water resources, but little is being done. The decline in soil fertility, the death of flora and fauna, the deterioration of air quality, and the pollution of freshwater lakes and rivers continue.

Main types of pollution

Let's look at the most common types of pollution. The most common are permanent chemical emissions industrial enterprises, automobiles, boiler houses. Increase in carbon dioxide volume leads to a gradual increase in temperature on our planet. This is urgent problem of modern humanity.

The world's oceans are suffering from human activities in the oil refining industry. Territories located near oil fields are subject to destructive exposure to industrial waste. This leads to disruption of gas exchange between the hydrosphere and.

The most dangerous is radioactive radiation. The radiation disaster has irreversible consequences: development of genetic diseases, oncology, neurological diseases, early aging.

We have briefly outlined the main sources representing danger to life that negatively affect human health.

Reasons for the deterioration of the situation

Ecology studies interaction of living beings and plants with the environment and the results of human activity. How does it affect our health?Environmental pollution and human health are closely interrelated.

Air

How it happens atmospheric influence on the human body? It changes every season and daily - temperature, pressure, humidity. A healthy body quickly gets used to and adapts to changes. But there are categories of patients and weather-sensitive people, whose organisms have difficulty adapting to weather changes, various disasters, so they do not feel well during sudden changes in temperature and surges in atmospheric pressure.

When harmful substances enter the atmosphere, air pollution. Many substances, coming into contact with other natural elements, are modified, becoming even more dangerous. The most common consequences of this process are ozone holes, acid rain, greenhouse effect and smog. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2014, the cause of annual death and almost 3.8 million people becomes exactly air pollution. The total number of people who died due to inhalation of contaminated air in open and closed spaces has reached 7 million. Don't forget the impact negative ecology on the development of cancer. According to WHO research, air pollution is the main cause of cancer.

Important! If you want to protect yourself from unwanted impacts in your home and outdoors, review your city's ambient air quality reports daily. Based on the data obtained, take measures to protect yourself.

The soil

Soil is an invaluable resource that gives humans a chance to exist. The main reason soil pollution the person himself becomes. It is estimated that over the past hundred years, approximately 28% of all fertile soils on the planet have been eroded. Every year a considerable part of the land is lost fertile layer turning into desert.

Important! affects health, because all the food we eat is grown on the earth. In modern food you can find lead, cadmium, mercury, and sometimes even cyanide (arsenic and beryllium compounds). These substances have one dangerous property - they are not excreted from the body.

The impact of an unfavorable environment on a person can increase significantly if the body lacks vitamins A, B and C. Special mention should be made of agriculture. To control weeds and pests, agricultural producers use pesticides , which end up first in the soil and then in food. Fertilizers

• are divided into several types: herbicides
• – serve to destroy harmful plants; insecticides
• – used to control insects; fungicides
• – used against fungal formations; zoocides

– are created to combat animal pests.

All of them are found in food products in certain quantities. You see how closely connected nature and human health are. Arable land

are most susceptible to degradation, and repeated grazing of animals in one area leads to the destruction of grass cover, which is especially noticeable after grazing sheep. Irrigation of the land also causes negative impacts, leading to its salinization.

Surface and underground waters It has been established that more than 400 types of different substances can cause water pollution . To find out if water is suitable for drinking, it is subjected to special treatment

. It goes through three stages: sanitary-toxicological, general sanitary and organoleptic. If at least one indicator is exceeded, the water is considered polluted. Water pollution

• divided into three types: chemical (
• oil and its products, dioxins, pesticides, heavy); biological
• (contains viruses and other pathogens); physical

The most common types of water pollution are the first two types. Radioactive, thermal and mechanical are relatively less common.

The process itself surface and groundwater pollution, including drinking, is determined by various factors. The main ones include:

• leakage of oil and petroleum products;
• the entry of pesticides from fields into water systems;
• gas and smoke emissions;
• discharge of sewage water into water systems.

Exist natural sources of pollution. They include highly mineralized groundwater and seawater, which are introduced into fresh water due to improper operation of water intake structures.

The importance of ecology

Ecology affects health every day. Environmental issues are inextricably linked to our daily lives. The food we eat, the water we drink and the food we inhale depend on the state of the environment.

Impact polluted air- a pressing problem in big cities. The air of large industrial cities contains a huge concentration of chemical substances, which contributes to the development of various diseases, including cancer. Pathologies of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, gastrointestinal tract, blood, allergic and endocrine diseases are the consequences of the influence environment for development pathogenic microflora, degenerative and other changes.

Important! During pregnancy, the fetus is very sensitive to all external pathogens. Environmental factors play an important role in shaping a child's health.

Plant food and water that we consume daily come from the soil. Nowadays, almost every farm uses fertilizers, growth stimulants, and pest control agents. All this comes to our table. If the transmission of harmful substances does not occur directly, then through products animal origin- meat, milk. The result is a variety of diseases of the digestive system, a decrease in the body’s protective functions, deterioration in the absorption of nutrients, toxic effects on the body and early aging.

The main problem - drinking water contamination, which negatively affects human health. Territories where there is a persistent deterioration in the quality of drinking water tend to increase infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Statistics say that deaths due to viruses entering the body account for 30 to 50 million cases in Russia.

Today people are constantly faced with ionizing radiation. Mining, air travel, nuclear explosions and the release of processed radioactive substances lead to changes in the radiation background of the external environment. The effect depends on time, dose and type of radiation. How does radiation affect humans? Most often, the consequence is the development of infertility, radiation sickness, burns, cataracts - visual disorders.

Environmental risks

One of the main quality indicators public health is environmental risk. But the main problem is not the degree of this indicator, but the fact that when it affects a person, the consequences appear only after 2-3 generations, gradually affecting the human body. Therefore, most people do not think about it, because they do not feel a direct threat.

Diseases mainly depend on age, profession and gender. IN risk group people get there after reaching 50-60 years of age. Men aged 20 to 30 are considered the healthiest, girls under 20. The area of ​​residence plays an important role. In places with increased environmental risk, the population gets sick 30% more often.

Patterns of action of environmental factors on organisms

Examples of environmental pollution

Conclusion

As we see, the influence of an unfavorable environment on human health can lead to disastrous consequences, even death. Unfortunately, creating unfavorable and often destructive living conditions for oneself is inherent in one person. It's time for us to think about this global problem for the sake of our own well-being.