Pollution

As Long Point is centrally located on the North shore of Lake Erie, one has to appreciate the significant role Lake Erie plays as a great ecosystem. With all the positive and negative influence Lake Erie can place on Long Point Country, whether it be by air, water or land, pollution is everyone's concern. Therefore education and awareness is extremely important.

Polluted River

The pollution of rivers and streams with chemical contaminants has become one of the most critical environmental problems of the century. Chemical pollution entering rivers and streams can be classified according to the nature of its sources: point pollution and nonpoint pollution. Point pollution involves those pollution sources from which distinct chemicals can be identified, such as factories, refineries, or outfall pipes. Nonpoint pollution involves pollution from sources that cannot be precisely identified, such as runoff from agricultural or mining operations or seepage from septic tanks or sewage drain fields. It is estimated that each year 10 million people die from drinking contaminated water.

Workers use special nets to clean up a California beach following an oil tanker spill. Tanker spills are an increasing environmental problem because once oil has spilled, it is virtually impossible to completely remove or contain it. Even small amounts spread rapidly across large areas of water. Because oil and water do not mix, the oil floats on the water and then washes up on broad expanses of shoreline. Attempts to chemically treat or sink the oil may further disrupt marine and beach ecosystems. Spencer Grant/Photo Researchers, Inc.

Residents of the Love Canal area in Niagara Falls were forced to evacuate when hazardous wastes leaking from a former disposal site threatened their health and homes in the late 1970s. One of the most notorious cases of toxic waste leakage, the crisis received attention on both local and national levels. Investigation spurred by public outrage revealed that many waste disposal sites like Love Canal existed nationwide. New York alone had several hundred. Several states have since passed stricter regulations on industrial waste disposal and allocated billions of dollars for the cleanup of contaminated areas.

Effluent discharge represents one form of point pollution. Contaminants present in effluent discharge include heavy metals, mercury, raw sewage, coliform bacteria and various disease-causing protozoans. These contaminants accumulate in bottom sediments and become incorporated into bottom-dwelling fish and invertebrates. Once assimilated into living plants and animals, the contaminants move quickly through the food chain, affecting the health of animals and humans.

Pest control has become a difficult issue for farmers because of its potential environmental impact. Although the insecticide being sprayed on this potato field will eliminate a generation of Colorado potato beetles, it may also contaminate local food and water sources.

Blair Seitz/Photo Researchers, Inc.

Pest Control or Pollution?," Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other types of contaminants pouring from industrial smokestacks contribute largely to the world’s atmospheric pollution. Carbon dioxide contributes significantly to global warming, while sulfur dioxide emissions are the principal cause of acid rain in northeastern United States, southeastern Canada, and eastern Europe.

Kim Westerskov/Oxford Scientific Films

Smoke Billowing from Industrial Smokestacks," Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Automobile exhaust adversely affects the health of animals and plants and the chemical nature of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions, two of the major components of automobile exhaust produced in the combustion of petroleum-based fuels, contribute significantly to global warming. Elevated carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon levels cause sunlight to be reflected and trapped within the atmosphere, slowly raising the atmospheric temperature.

Harold Taylor/Oxford Scientific Films

Atmospheric Pollution," Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Smog surrounds the Angel Monument in Mexico City, Mexico, during a thermal inversion. Air pollution increases dramatically as a mass of cold air is trapped below a warmer mass of air. The absence of wind circulation prevents pollution near the earth’s surface from escaping.

Wesley Bocxe/Photo Researchers, Inc.

Thermal Inversion," Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Sources of major air pollutants include individual actions, such as driving a car, and industrial activities, such as manufacturing products or generating electricity. Note: 1 cubic meter (1m3) is equal to 35.3 cu ft; 1 milligram (1 mg) is equal to 0.00004 oz; 1 microgram (1µg) is equal to 0.00000004 oz.

Microsoft Table

Major Air Pollutants," Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved