Types

Why are the different types of pollution?
Pollution harms the Earth’s environment and its inhabitants in many ways. The three main types of pollution are:


Land Pollution

Land pollution is pollution of the Earth’s natural land surface by industrial, commercial, domestic and agricultural activities.

What are the sources of land pollution?
Some of the main contributors to land pollution are:

  • Chemical and nuclear plants
  • Industrial factories
  • Oil refineries
  • Human sewage
  • Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars
  • Mining
  • Littering
  • Overcrowded landfills
  • Deforestation
  • Construction debris

Facts about Land Pollution
Here are a few facts about land pollution:

  • Every year one American produces over 3285 pounds of hazardous waste
  • Land pollution causes us to lose 24 billion tons of top soil every year
  • Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year
  • We throw away enough trash every day to fill 63,000 garbage trucks
  • Every day Americans throw away 1 million bushels of litter out their car window
  • Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not

Air Pollution

Air pollution is the accumulation of hazardous substances into the atmosphere that danger human life and other living matter.
What are the sources of air pollution?
Some of the main contributors to air pollution are:

  • Automobile emissions
  • Tobacco smoke
  • Combustion of coal
  • Acid rain
  • Noise pollution from cars and construction
  • Power plants
  • Manufacturing buildings
  • Large ships
  • Paint fumes
  • Aerosol sprays
  • Wildfires
  • Nuclear weapons

Facts about Air Pollution
Here are a few facts about air pollution:

  • Almost 232 million different types of vehicles are driven by U.S. citizens every day, adding greenhouse gases into the air
  • U.S. vehicle emissions contribute 45% to global warming
  • The average adult consumes 3,000 gallons of polluted air every day
  • Vehicle exhaust contributes to 60% of carbon monoxide emissions in the U.S. and up to 95% in large cities
  • Every year 335,000 Americans die of lung cancer, which is a direct result of air pollution

 


Water Pollution

Water pollution is the introduction of chemical, biological and physical matter into large bodies of water that degrade the quality of life that lives in it and consumes it.
What are the sources of water pollution?
Some of the main contributors to water pollution are:

  • Factories
  • Refineries
  • Waste treatment facilities
  • Mining
  • Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers
  • Human sewage
  • Oil spills
  • Failing septic systems
  • Soap from washing your car
  • Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars
  • Household chemicals
  • Animal waste

Facts about Water Pollution
Here are a few facts about water pollution:

  • Over two-thirds of U.S. estuaries and bays are severely degraded because of nitrogen and phosphorous pollution
  • Every year almost 25% of U.S. beaches are closed at least once because of water pollution
  • Over 73 different kinds of pesticides have been found in the groundwater that we eventually use to drink
  • 1.2 trillion gallons of sewage, stormwater and industrial waste are discharged into U.S. waters every year
  • 40% of U.S. rivers are too polluted for aquatic life to survive
  • Americans use over 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides every year, which eventually washes into our rivers and lakes