The main factors causing pollution of nature. Causes of environmental pollution

ANTHROPOGENIC POLLUTION: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

Environmental pollution- undesirable change in its properties as a result of anthropogenic intake of various substances and compounds. It leads or may lead in the future to a harmful effect on the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, flora and fauna, buildings, structures, materials, and on the person himself. It suppresses the ability of nature to self-repair its properties.

Human pollution has a long history. More residents ancient rome complained about the pollution of the waters of the Tiber River. inhabitants of Athens and Ancient Greece worried about the pollution of the waters of the port of Piraeus. Already in the Middle Ages, laws on environmental protection appeared.

The main source of pollution is the return to nature of that huge mass of waste that is formed in the process of production and consumption of human society. Already in 1970 they amounted to 40 billion tons, and by the end of the 20th century. increased to 100 billion tons.

A distinction must be made between quantitative and qualitative pollution.

Quantitative environmental pollution arises as a result of the return to it of those substances and compounds that occur in nature in a natural state, but in much smaller quantities (for example, these are compounds of iron and other metals).

Qualitative environmental pollution due to the entry into it of substances and compounds unknown to nature, created primarily by the industry of organic synthesis.

Pollution of the lithosphere (soil cover) occurs as a result of industrial, construction and agricultural activities. At the same time, metals and their compounds, fertilizers, pesticides, and radioactive substances act as the main pollutants, the concentration of which leads to a change in chemical composition soils. The problem of accumulation is becoming more and more complex. household waste; It is no coincidence that in the West, in relation to our time, the term "garbage civilization" is sometimes used.

And this is not to mention the complete destruction of the soil cover as a result, first of all, of open-pit mining, the depth of which - including in Russia - sometimes reaches 500 m or even more. The so-called badlands ("bad lands"), which have completely or almost completely lost their productivity, occupy already 1% of the land surface.

Pollution of the hydrosphere occurs primarily as a result of the discharge of industrial, agricultural and domestic wastewater into rivers, lakes and seas. By the end of the 90s. the total world volume of wastewater has approached 5 thousand km3 per year, or 25% of the "water ration" of the Earth. But since these waters require on average 10 times more pure water to dilute, they actually pollute a much larger volume of channel water. It is not difficult to guess that this, and not only the growth of direct water intake, is the main reason for the aggravation of the problem of fresh water.

Many rivers are heavily polluted - the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Thames, Tiber, Mississippi. Ohio, Volga, Dnieper, Don, Dniester. Nile, Ganges, etc. The pollution of the World Ocean is also growing, the "health" of which is threatened simultaneously from the coast, from the surface, from the bottom, from rivers and the atmosphere. Every year, a huge amount of waste enters the ocean. The most polluted are the inland and marginal seas - the Mediterranean, Northern, Irish, Baltic, Black, Azov, inland Japanese, Javanese, Caribbean, as well as the Biscay, Persian, Mexican and Guinean bays.

The Mediterranean Sea is the largest inland sea on Earth, the cradle of several great civilizations. 18 countries are located on its shores, 130 million people live, 260 ports are located. In addition, the Mediterranean Sea is one of the main areas of world shipping: it simultaneously hosts 2.5 thousand long-distance ships and 5 thousand coastal ships. 300-350 million tons of oil pass through its routes annually. As a result, this sea in the 60-70s. almost turned into the main "garbage pit" of Europe.

Pollution affected not only inland seas, but also central parts oceans. The threat to deep-sea basins is growing: there have been cases of burial of toxic substances and radioactive materials in them.

But oil pollution poses a particular danger to the Ocean. As a result of oil leakage during its extraction, transportation and processing, it annually enters the World Ocean (according to different sources) from 3 to 10 million tons of oil and oil products. Space images show that already about 1/3 of its entire surface is covered with an oily film, which reduces evaporation, inhibits the development of plankton, and limits the interaction of the Ocean with the atmosphere. The Atlantic Ocean is the most oil polluted. The movement of surface water in the ocean leads to the spread of pollution over long distances.

Atmospheric pollution occurs as a result of the work of industry, transport, as well as various furnaces, which together annually throw billions of tons of solid and gaseous particles into the wind. The main air pollutants are carbon monoxide (CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), which are formed primarily during the combustion of mineral fuels, as well as oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, lead, mercury, aluminum and other metals.

Sulfur dioxide is the main source of so-called acid rain, which are especially widespread in Europe and North America. Acid precipitation reduces crop yields, destroys forests and other vegetation, destroys life in river reservoirs, destroys buildings, and adversely affects human health.

In Scandinavia, which receives acid rain mainly from Great Britain and Germany, life has died in 20 thousand lakes, salmon, trout and other fish have disappeared in them. In many countries of Western Europe, there is a catastrophic loss of forests. The same destruction of forests began in Russia. Impact acid rain not only living organisms, but also stone cannot withstand.

A particular problem is the increase in emissions of carbon dioxide (СО2) into the atmosphere. If in the middle of the XX century. worldwide CO 2 emission was about 6 billion tons, then at the end of the century it exceeded 25 billion tons. The main responsibility for these emissions lies with the economically developed countries of the northern hemisphere. But in recent times carbon emissions have also increased significantly in some developing countries due to the development of industry and especially energy. You know that such emissions threaten humanity with the so-called greenhouse effect and global warming climate. And the growing emission of chlorofluorocarbons (freons) has already led to the formation of huge "ozone holes" and the partial destruction of the "ozone barrier". accident on Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 indicates that cases of radioactive contamination of the atmosphere also cannot be completely ruled out.

SOLVING ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: THREE MAIN WAYS.

But humanity not only litters its "nest". It has developed ways to protect the environment and has already begun to implement them.

The first way is to create various kinds of treatment facilities, the use of low-sulphur fuel, the destruction and processing of waste, the construction of chimneys 200-300 m or more high, land reclamation, etc. However, even the most modern facilities do not provide complete purification. And ultra-high chimneys, reducing the concentration of harmful substances in this place, contribute to the spread of dust pollution and acid rain over much wider areas: a 250 m high pipe increases the dispersion radius to 75 km.

The second way is to develop and apply a fundamentally new environmental ("clean") production technology, in the transition to low-waste and waste-free production processes. Thus, the transition from direct-flow (river-enterprise-river) water supply to circulation, and even more so to "dry" technology, can first ensure a partial, and then a complete cessation of wastewater discharge into rivers and reservoirs.

This path is the main one, because it not only reduces, but prevents environmental pollution. But it requires huge expenditures, unsustainable for many countries.

The third way is in a deeply thought out, most rational distribution of the so-called "dirty" industries that have a negative impact on the state of the environment. Among the "dirty" industries, first of all, are the chemical and petrochemical, metallurgical, pulp and paper industries, thermal power engineering, and the production of building materials. When locating such enterprises, geographical expertise is especially necessary.

Another way is to reuse raw materials. In developed countries, the reserves of secondary raw materials are equal to the explored geological ones. Recycling centers - old industrial areas Foreign Europe, USA, Japan, European part of Russia.

Table 14. The share of waste paper in the production of paper and cardboard in the late 80s, in%.

Plunder natural resources and the growth of environmental pollution have become an obstacle not only to the further development of production. Often they threaten the very lives of people. So back in the 70's and 80's. most of the economically developed countries of the world began to carry out a variety of environmental activities, to conduct environmental policy. Strict environmental laws were enacted, long-term programs for improving the environment were developed, systems of fines (polluter pays) were introduced, special ministries and other state bodies were created. At the same time, a mass movement of the public in defense of the environment began. In many countries, the Green parties appeared and achieved considerable influence, various public organizations such as Greenpeace.

As a result, in the 80-90s. environmental pollution in a number of economically developed countries has begun to gradually decrease, although in most developing countries and in some countries with economies in transition, including Russia, it still remains threatening.

Domestic scientists-geographers distinguish 16 critical ecological regions on the territory of Russia, which together occupy 15% of the country's territory. Industrial-urban agglomerations prevail among them, but there are also agricultural and recreational areas.

In our time, for the implementation of environmental activities, the implementation of environmental policy is not enough measures taken by individual countries. The efforts of the entire world community are needed, which are coordinated by the UN and other international organizations. In 1972, the first UN Conference on the Environment was held in Stockholm, and its opening day, June 5, was declared World Environment Day. Subsequently, an important document "The World Strategy for Conservation of Nature" was adopted, which contained a detailed program of action for all countries. Another similar conference took place in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. It adopted "Agenda for the 21st Century" and other major documents. There is a special body in the UN system - the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which coordinates the work carried out in different countries summarizes world experience. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Geographical Union (IGU) and other organizations are actively involved in environmental activities. In the 80-90s. international agreements were concluded to reduce carbon emissions, freons, and many others. Some of the measures being taken have distinct geographic dimensions.

In the late 90s. there are already about 10 thousand protected natural areas (PAs) in the world. Most of them are in the USA, Australia, Canada, China, India. The total number of national parks is approaching 2 thousand, and biosphere reserves- to 350.

Since 1972, the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage has been in force. In 1998 in the List world heritage, which is supplemented annually, included 552 objects - including 418 cultural, 114 natural and 20 cultural and natural. Most of these facilities are in Italy and Spain (26 each), France (23), India (21), Germany and China (19 each), the USA (18), the UK and Mexico (17 each). There are 12 of them in Russia so far.

And yet, each of you, the citizens of the coming 21st century, should always remember the conclusion that was reached at the Rio-92 Conference: "Planet Earth is in such danger as it has never been before."

GEOGRAPHICAL RESOURCES AND GEOECOLOGY

In geographical science, two interrelated directions have recently taken shape - resource science and geoecological.

Geographic resource science studies placement and structure certain types natural resources and their complexes, issues of their protection, reproduction, economic evaluation, rational use and resource supply.

Scientists representing this area have developed various classifications of natural resources, proposed concepts natural resource potential , resource cycles, territorial combination of natural resources, natural-technical (geotechnical) systems and others. They also participate in the compilation of inventories of natural resources, their economic evaluation.

geoecology from a geographical point of view, studies the processes and phenomena that occur in the natural environment as a result of anthropogenic interference in it. The concepts of geoecology include, for example, the concept monitoring
Basic concepts: geographic (environment) environment, ore and non-metallic minerals, ore belts, pools of minerals; structure of the world land fund, southern and northern forest belts, forest cover; hydropower potential; shelf, alternative energy sources; resource availability, natural resource potential (NRP), territorial combination of natural resources (RTSR), areas of new development, secondary resources; environmental pollution, environmental policy.

Skills: be able to characterize the natural resources of the country (region) according to the plan; use various methods of economic evaluation of natural resources; characterize the natural prerequisites for the development of industry and agriculture of the country (region) according to the plan; give a brief description of the location of the main types of natural resources, single out the countries "leaders" and "outsiders" in terms of availability of one or another type of natural resources; give examples of countries that do not have rich natural resources, but have reached a high level of economic development and vice versa; give examples of rational and irrational use of resources.

The simplest definition of pollution is the introduction or emergence of new pollutants into the environment or the excess of the natural long-term average level of these pollutants.

From an ecological point of view, pollution is not just the introduction of alien components into the environment, but their introduction into ecosystems. Many of them are chemically active and are able to interact with the molecules that make up the tissues of living organisms or actively oxidize in air. Such substances are poisons to all living things.

Environmental pollution is divided into natural, caused by some natural causes: volcanic eruption, breaks in the earth's crust, natural fires, dust storms etc. and anthropogenic, arising in connection with human economic activity.

Among anthropogenic pollution, the following types of pollution are distinguished: physical, mechanical, biological, geological, chemical.

To physical pollution include thermal (thermal), light, noise, vibration, electromagnetic, ionizing pollution.

Sources of soil temperature increase are underground construction, laying of communications. An increase in soil temperature stimulates the activity of microorganisms, which are agents of corrosion of various communications.

light pollution - Violation of natural light environment. It leads to a violation of the rhythms of the activity of living organisms. An increase in water turbidity in water bodies reduces the penetration of sunlight to the depth and the photosynthesis of aquatic vegetation.

Noise pollution . Sound- how physical phenomenon, represents the wave motion of an elastic medium. Noise - all kinds of sounds that interfere with the perception of useful sounds or break the silence. The sound frequency range that the human ear perceives is from 16 to 20,000 Hz. Sound waves below 20 Hz are called infrasonic, above 20000 - ultrasonic.

Sound volume depends on the amplitude of the sound vibrations. sound effect is measured by relative sound intensity (noise level), which is expressed numerically in decibels (dB).

Noise sources are all types of transport, industrial enterprises, Appliances etc. Powerful sources of noise are airports, the greatest noise is created by aircraft during takeoff. Intensive noise is created by railway transport. There are a large number of noise sources in residential premises: operating elevators, fans, pumps, televisions, loud conversations, etc.

Noise adversely affects human health. Sudden sharp sounds of high frequency are especially hard to bear. At a noise level of more than 90 dB, there is a gradual weakening of hearing, a disease of the nervous, cardiovascular system, mental disorders, etc.

The consequences of exposure to infrasound and ultrasound are especially significant. Infrasound causes resonance in various internal organs of a person, vision is disturbed, the functional state of the nervous system, internal organs is disturbed, nervous excitation occurs, etc.

vibration pollution - associated with acoustic vibrations of different frequencies and infrasonic vibrations. Sources of infrasonic vibrations, and the associated vibration are compressor, pumping stations, fans, vibration platforms, air conditioners, cooling towers, turbines of diesel power plants. Vibrations propagate through the metal structures of the equipment and through their bases reach the foundations of public and residential buildings, are transmitted to the enclosing structures of individual premises.

Vibrations have a negative effect on people, cause irritation and interfere with work and rest. When vibrations are transmitted, uneven settlement of foundations and bases occurs, which can lead to deformation and destruction of engineering structures.

Electromagnetic pollution . The development of energy, electronics and radio engineering has caused pollution of the environment by electromagnetic fields. Their main sources are power plants and substations, television and radar stations, high-voltage power lines, electric transport, etc.

Impact measure electromagnetic fields is the field strength. Fields of increased tension negative impact on the human body, cause disorders of the nervous system, headache, fatigue, development of neuroses, insomnia, etc.

ionizing radiation - this is such radiation, the interaction of which with the medium leads to the formation of ions (positively or negatively charged particles) in it from neutral atoms or molecules. There are several types ionizing radiation.

Gamma radiation is a flow electromagnetic waves, has a high penetrating ability, its propagation speed is close to the speed of light. In the air, it can spread hundreds of meters, freely pass through the human body and other organisms.

beta radiation- makes up a stream of negatively charged particles - electrons, penetrates several meters in the air, and several millimeters in living tissues and water.

Alpha radiation - e then the flow of positively charged particles (nuclei of helium atoms), their penetrating ability is small, and the ionizing ability is huge, so they pose the greatest danger when they enter the body.

The impact of ionizing radiation on a person leads to its exposure. A quantitative assessment of the ionization of an organism is dose irradiation. Absorbed radiation dose is the amount of radiation energy absorbed by a unit mass of the irradiated body. The unit of absorbed dose is gray.

Under the influence of ionizing radiation, substances in the body of the organism are ionized at the molecular level, causing strong changes (depending on the dose of radiation) in the nuclei of cells, disrupting their normal functioning.

Distinguish irradiation external when the radiation source is outside the body and internal when the source of radiation is inside the body, getting there with air, water, food, medicines.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the main sources of ionizing radiation were natural sources - cosmic rays and rocks. But even then, the levels of radiation differed significantly, reaching highest values in areas of deposits of uranium ores, radioactive slates, phosphorites, crystalline rocks, etc.

Currently, sources of radioactive radiation created by man have led to an increase in the natural radiation background.

Exposure doses of the population from natural sources depend on the height of cities above sea level, geological structure territory. For inhabitants of mountainous regions, the level of exposure from cosmic rays is increasing. Aircraft crews and passengers who often fly at altitudes of 8-11 km can receive significant doses of radiation.

An increase in the exposure dose from natural sources can be caused by the use of building materials with a high content of radionuclides in the construction of buildings, roads or in the planning of territories.

Dangerous natural source internal exposure is gas radon. It is a radioactive gas radioactive decay radium and thorium. It has now been revealed that it is present in many rooms on all continents. It comes from the rocks of the foundations of buildings and structures and accumulates in the basements and rooms of the first floors, especially when they are not sufficiently ventilated, and also enters other floors through cracks in the walls and ceilings. Radon sources are also building materials from which buildings and structures are built.

Sources of radioactive radiation created by man.

Radiation aerosols released into the atmosphere during nuclear weapons testing. Despite the fact that the volume of nuclear weapons testing has decreased compared to 50-60 years of the XX century, long-lived radionuclides continue to come to the Earth's surface from the stratosphere, contributing to an increase in the radiation background.

Sources of ionizing radiation used in many instruments, equipment in the national economy, civil defense, construction, research purposes, etc.

Common source of exposure are medical procedures (especially X-ray examination). Irradiation doses largely depend on the qualifications of the personnel and the condition of the equipment.

Nuclear power makes a significant contribution to increasing the radiation background: when storing waste generated during the extraction and enrichment of uranium ores, the production of nuclear fuel, during the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and end-of-life equipment of nuclear power plants, but accidents at nuclear power plants pose the greatest danger.

As a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (which is estimated as the largest man-made disaster in the history of mankind) there was radioactive contamination of large areas, both in our country and abroad. More than 500 radionuclides with different half-lives entered the atmosphere as a part of emissions. The radiation background near the accident site was thousands of times higher than the natural background radiation, which led to the need to resettle residents near the lying areas.

Mechanical pollution - pollution of the environment by materials that have only a mechanical effect without chemical consequences. Examples are: siltation of water bodies with soil, dust entering the atmosphere, construction waste dump on a land plot. At first glance, such pollution may seem harmless, but it can cause a number of environmental problems, the elimination of which will require significant economic costs.

biological pollution divided into bacterial and organic. Bacterial contamination - the introduction into the environment of pathogens that contribute to the spread of diseases, such as hepatitis, cholera, dysentery and other diseases.

Sources may be insufficiently disinfected sewage discharged into a water body.

Organic pollution - pollution, for example, of the aquatic environment with substances capable of fermentation, decay: waste from food, pulp and paper industries, untreated sewage.

Biological pollution also includes animal relocation into new ecosystems where their natural enemies are absent. Such relocation can lead to an explosion in the number of relocated animals and have unpredictable consequences.

geological pollution - stimulation under the influence of human activities of such geological processes as flooding, drainage of territories, the formation of landslides, landslides, subsidence of the earth's surface, etc.

Such violations occur as a result of mining, construction, leakage of water and sewage from communications, as a result of the vibrational impact of transport and other influences. The given impacts must be taken into account when designing in construction (choosing the design characteristics of soils, in calculating the stability of buildings and structures).

chemical pollution - change in natural chemical properties environment as a result of emissions by industrial enterprises, transport, agriculture of various pollutants. For example, emissions into the atmosphere of hydrocarbon fuel combustion products, soil pollution with pesticides, and untreated wastewater discharges into water bodies. Some of the most dangerous pollutants are heavy metals and synthetic organic compounds.

Heavy metals are chemical elements that have a high density

(> 8 g/cm3), such as lead, tin, cadmium, mercury, chromium, copper, zinc, etc., they are widely used in industry and are very toxic. Their ions and some compounds are easily soluble in water, can enter the body and have a negative effect on it. The main sources of waste containing heavy metals are ore beneficiation, metal smelting and processing, and electroplating industries.

Synthetic organic compounds are used to produce plastics, synthetic fibers, solvents, paints, pesticides, detergents, and can be absorbed by living organisms and disrupt their functioning.

Heavy metals and many synthetic organic compounds are bioaccumulative. Bioaccumulation- this is the accumulation of pollutants in living organisms when they enter from the external environment in small doses that seem harmless.

Bioaccumulation is exacerbated in the food chain, i.e. plant organisms assimilate pollutants from the external environment and accumulate them in their organs, herbivorous animals, eating vegetation, receive large doses, predatory animals receive even larger doses. As a result, in living organisms at the end of the food chain, the concentration of pollutants can be hundreds of thousands of times greater than in the external environment. This accumulation of a substance as it passes through the food chain is called bioconcentration

Man is inextricably linked with the environment that surrounds him. Pollution is a global problem. In connection with the development of industry, transport and scientific and technological progress, human intervention in the environment has become more significant. This sometimes leads to disastrous consequences. The decision is made at the highest level. But even in this case, it is not possible to control this process.

The most detrimental effect is caused by chemical pollution. They are released into the atmosphere in huge quantities industrial enterprises, boiler houses and other organizations. In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air has increased, which can lead to an increase in the temperature of the planet. This can be attributed to the global problem of mankind.

The oil refining industry causes great harm to the world's oceans. The waste from this area enters the environment and can cause a disruption in the exchange of water and gases between the atmosphere and the hydrosphere.

Agriculture also harms nature. Pesticides, getting into the soil, destroy its structure, and, as a result, the ecological system is destroyed. All these factors are the main reasons why environmental pollution occurs.

There is also biological pollution of the environment. In this case, the destruction of the ecological system characteristic of each individual region occurs. Atypical and bacteria appear in it, which negatively and even detrimentally affect the entire system. The cause of biological pollution is the release of industrial waste into nearby water bodies, landfills, irrigation measures, and sewerage. It is from there that harmful microorganisms penetrate the soil, and then into groundwater.

Mankind, engaging in new biotechnologies and experiments at the gene level, can cause irreparable harm to nature and all living organisms. neglect elementary rules security leads to the release of hazardous substances and microorganisms into nature. In this case, the human gene pool may suffer.

The environment is one of the most dangerous. The consequences of such a catastrophe can become irreparable. As a result, the radioactive background increases, which is natural for the atmosphere. This happens at the time of accidents at high-risk facilities, as a result of coal mining (during explosions of deposits). And again, a person becomes the initiator of these phenomena.

The development of science has led to the discovery of new sources of radiation, which are created artificially. It has become a potential danger to the entire world. The possibilities of such sources are much greater than the natural ones to which the environment has adapted.

The increase was the result of the use of some technical and scientific developments (X-ray, medical diagnostic devices, etc.). The development of new deposits and the extraction of certain minerals can also be called a reason. Reactions using radioactive substances lead to a violation general background. The use and production of nuclear weapons has become a problem for the entire world community.

Thus, environmental pollution is the fault of people. To prevent a catastrophe, one should treat nature more carefully.

The simplest definition of pollution is the introduction or emergence of new pollutants into the environment or the excess of the natural long-term average level of these pollutants.

From an ecological point of view, pollution is not just the introduction of alien components into the environment, but their introduction into ecosystems. Many of them are chemically active and are able to interact with the molecules that make up the tissues of living organisms or actively oxidize in air. Such substances are poisons to all living things.

Environmental pollution is divided into natural, caused by some natural causes: volcanic eruptions, breaks in the earth's crust, natural fires, dust storms, etc., and anthropogenic, arising in connection with human economic activity.

Among anthropogenic pollution, the following types of pollution are distinguished: physical, mechanical, biological, geological, chemical.

To physical pollution include thermal (thermal), light, noise, vibration, electromagnetic, ionizing pollution.

Sources of soil temperature increase are underground construction, laying of communications. An increase in soil temperature stimulates the activity of microorganisms, which are agents of corrosion of various communications.

light pollution - Violation of natural light environment. It leads to a violation of the rhythms of the activity of living organisms. An increase in water turbidity in water bodies reduces the penetration of sunlight to the depth and the photosynthesis of aquatic vegetation.

Sound volume depends on the amplitude of the sound vibrations. sound effect is measured by relative sound intensity (noise level), which is expressed numerically in decibels (dB).

Noise sources are all types of transport, industrial enterprises, household appliances, etc. Airports are powerful sources of noise, aircraft take off the most noise. Intensive noise is created by railway transport. There are a large number of noise sources in residential premises: operating elevators, fans, pumps, televisions, loud conversations, etc.

Noise adversely affects human health. Sudden sharp sounds of high frequency are especially hard to bear. At a noise level of more than 90 dB, there is a gradual weakening of hearing, a disease of the nervous, cardiovascular system, mental disorders, etc.

The consequences of exposure to infrasound and ultrasound are especially significant. Infrasound causes resonance in various internal organs of a person, vision is disturbed, the functional state of the nervous system, internal organs is disturbed, nervous excitation occurs, etc.

vibration pollution - associated with acoustic vibrations of different frequencies and infrasonic vibrations. Sources of infrasonic vibrations, and the associated vibration are compressor, pumping stations, fans, vibration platforms, air conditioners, cooling towers, turbines of diesel power plants. Vibrations propagate through the metal structures of the equipment and through their bases reach the foundations of public and residential buildings, are transmitted to the enclosing structures of individual premises.

Vibrations have a negative effect on people, cause irritation and interfere with work and rest. When vibrations are transmitted, uneven settlement of foundations and bases occurs, which can lead to deformation and destruction of engineering structures.

4. Melting glaciers.

The current glaciation of the Earth can be considered one of the most sensitive indicators of ongoing global changes. Satellite data show that since the 1960s there has been a decrease in the area of ​​snow cover by about 10%. Since the 1950s in the Northern Hemisphere, the area sea ​​ice decreased by almost 10-15%, and the thickness decreased by 40%. According to the forecasts of experts from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (St. Petersburg), in 30 years the Arctic Ocean will completely open from under the ice during the warm period of the year.

According to scientists, the thickness Himalayan ice melts at a rate of 10-15 m per year. At the current rate of these processes, two-thirds of the glaciers will disappear by 2060, and by 2100 all glaciers will have completely melted. The accelerated melting of glaciers poses a number of immediate threats to human development. For densely populated mountainous and foothill areas, avalanches, flooding or, conversely, a decrease in the full flow of rivers, and as a result, a reduction in fresh water reserves, are of particular danger.

5. Agriculture.

The impact of warming on agricultural productivity is ambiguous. In some areas with temperate climate Yields may increase with a slight increase in temperature, but decrease with significant temperature changes. In tropical and subtropical regions, overall yields are projected to decline.

The most serious blow can be dealt the poorest countries least prepared to adapt to climate change. According to the IPCC, by 2080 the number of people facing the threat of hunger could increase by 600 million, twice the number of people living in poverty today in sub-Saharan Africa.

6. Water consumption and water supply.

One of the consequences of climate change could be a lack of drinking water. In regions with arid climates (Central Asia, the Mediterranean, South Africa, Australia, etc.), the situation will be further aggravated due to a decrease in precipitation.

Due to the melting of glaciers, the flow of the largest waterways in Asia - the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, the Yellow River, the Indus, the Mekong, Salween and the Yangtze - will significantly decrease. The lack of fresh water will affect not only human health and agricultural development, but will also increase the risk of political divisions and conflicts over access to water resources.

7. Human health.

Climate change, according to scientists, will lead to increased health risks for people, especially for the poorer segments of the population. Thus, a reduction in food production will inevitably lead to malnutrition and hunger. Abnormally high temperatures can exacerbate cardiovascular, respiratory and other diseases.

Rising temperatures may change the geographic distribution of various disease vector species. As temperatures rise, the ranges of heat-loving animals and insects (such as encephalitic mites and malaria mosquitoes) will spread further north, while the people inhabiting these areas will not be immune to new diseases.

According to environmentalists, humanity is unlikely to be able to prevent completely predictable climate change. However, it is within human power to mitigate climate change, to restrain the rate of temperature rise in order to avoid dangerous and irreversible consequences in the future.

First of all, due to:

1. Restrictions and reductions in the consumption of fossil carbon fuels (coal, oil, gas);

2. Improving the efficiency of energy consumption;

3. Implementation of energy saving measures;

4. Greater use of non-carbon and renewable energy sources;

5. Development of new environmentally friendly and low-carbon technologies;

6. Through the prevention of forest fires and the restoration of forests, since forests are natural sinks of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The greenhouse effect takes place not only on Earth. A strong greenhouse effect is on the neighboring planet, Venus. The atmosphere of Venus is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide, and as a result, the surface of the planet is heated to 475 degrees. Climatologists believe that the Earth avoided such a fate due to the presence of oceans on it. The oceans absorb atmospheric carbon and it accumulates in rocks, such as limestone - through this, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. There are no oceans on Venus, and all the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by volcanoes remains there. As a result, an uncontrollable greenhouse effect is observed on the planet.

An analysis of the total ozone (TO) data confirmed the downward trend in atmospheric ozone noted in the WMO surveys back in 1995. From 1979 to the present, the annual ozone content has decreased by 4-5% globally and by ~ 7% in the middle latitudes of both hemispheres. In recent decades, a significant decrease in TO, previously observed mainly over Antarctica, has become noticeable in the regions of the Arctic and in the adjacent regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Research work carried out by the Central Aerological Observatory (CAO) and the Main Geophysical Observatory (GGO) established that if in the period 1979-1993. there was a decrease in the average annual TO, then the situation later stabilized. With the increase in the volume of observations, allowing more and more quantitative description of the evolution of the ozone layer, there is new evidence that the ongoing changes are associated not only with anthropogenic influences, but also to a large extent with changes in atmospheric circulation.

Monitoring of the state of the ozone layer over Russia is provided by TO measurements at 30 stations of Roshydromet, 16 Russian stations are located in the latitudinal zone 60-85.N, which greatly increases the value of the information obtained from them. There are 3 stations in the area of ​​responsibility of the Northern UGMS: Arkhangelsk, Dikson, Pechora. Observations on them have been carried out under the methodological guidance of the GGO using M-124 filter ozonometers for more than 30 years. At present, a facility is being tested at one station, with the help of which it will be possible to make direct measurements of the solar UV radiation penetrating to the Earth's surface.

UV radiation in moderate doses has a preventive and therapeutic value, providing a general beneficial effect on the human body. The strongest impact on humans and the biosphere is exerted by UV-B radiation (wavelength from 280 to 315 nm). An overdose of natural UV-B radiation is hazardous to human health, causing skin burns in humans, in some cases malignant melanoma with a high tendency to metastasize, as well as cataracts and immunodeficiency.

Chemicals used in agriculture, construction and in everyday life: mineral fertilizers, pesticides, solvents, aerosols, varnishes and paints. The planet produces or uses 5 million different kinds of chemical substances and connections. The toxicity of action has been studied only in 40 thousand substances.

Agriculture.

The second main consumer of water is agriculture, which uses it to irrigate fields. The water flowing from them is saturated with salt solutions and soil particles, as well as residues of chemicals that increase yields. These include insecticides; fungicides that are sprayed over orchards and crops; herbicides, a famous weed control; and other pesticides, as well as organic and inorganic fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other chemical elements. In addition to chemical compounds, a large amount of faeces and other organic residues from farms where meat and dairy cattle, pigs or poultry are raised enter the rivers. A lot of organic waste also comes from the processing of agricultural products (when cutting meat carcasses, processing leather, producing foodstuffs and canned food, etc.).

In developing countries, up to 9 million people die every year from water pollution. According to scientists, already in 2000 more than 1 billion people lacked drinking water. In general, there is a lot of water on Earth. The hydrosphere contains approximately 1.6 billion km3 of free water; 1.37 billion km3 of it falls on the World Ocean. On the continents - 90 million km3, of which 60 million km3 of water is underground - almost all of this water is salty, 27 million km3 of water is stored in the glaciers of Antarctica, the Arctic, and high mountains. Useful stock available fresh water, concentrated in rivers, lakes and underground to a depth of 1 km, is estimated at 3 million km3. All fresh water, at the current rate of its use in industry and agriculture, would long ago have been used up if it had not existed for its circulation in nature. Thanks to the energy of the Sun, water evaporates from the surface of the ocean and spreads throughout the planet in the form of precipitation.

Saturating the soil with moisture and nourishing all life on Earth, the water again flows into the ocean. And the cycles repeat endlessly, linking together all the water resources of the planet. The available fresh water would be enough for humanity now and in the future. On average, the world uses 30 m3 of water per person per year for domestic water supply, of which about 1 m3 is intended for drinking. Despite the enormous consumption of water for the needs of industry and agriculture, the world's clean water reserves would be enough for 20-25 billion people. However, in the near future we are threatened by a water crisis. And not because there is not enough water, but because a person pollutes it, makes it unsuitable not only for drinking, but in general for the life of all the inhabitants of reservoirs and rivers. To save and protect water from harmful influences means to save life on Earth.

The problem of fresh water scarcity arose for three main reasons:

1) an intensive increase in water demand due to the rapid growth of the world's population and the development of industries that require huge expenditures of water resources;

2) loss of fresh water due to a reduction in the flow of rivers and other reasons;

3) pollution of water bodies by industrial and domestic wastewater.

Loss of fresh water may occur for various reasons. important place this is the phenomenon of water flow reduction, which is characteristic of most rivers in the countries of the world. It is associated with deforestation, plowing meadows, draining floodplain swamps, etc., which causes, on the one hand, an increase in surface runoff and an increase in water flowing into the sea, and on the other, a decrease in the level of groundwater that feeds rivers and maintains their water content. . For this reason, in many countries groundwater resources are greatly reduced. In the USA, for example, from 1910 to 1957 its reserves decreased from 490 to 62 billion m3.

Large losses of water occur during its use. In most cities around the world, water is supplied without meters, which creates a false impression of its unlimited supply, and it is used too generously. A lot of water is lost as a result of its filtration through the walls of irrigation canals.

Pollution of water bodies by industrial and domestic wastewater especially affects the lack of fresh water. The water of many polluted rivers and lakes becomes unsuitable not only for drinking, but also for other domestic and industrial needs.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

A process that reduces the ability of ecosystems to maintain a consistent quality of life. ecosystem in the most in general terms can be defined as the interaction of living organisms with their environment. The results of such interaction on land are usually stable communities, i.e. collections of animals and plants related to each other, as well as to the resources of soil, water and air. The field of science that studies the functioning of ecosystems is called ecology. The nature of ecosystem interactions varies from purely physical, such as the influence of winds and rains, to biochemical ones, which include, for example, meeting the metabolic needs of various organisms or the decomposition of organic waste, returning certain chemical elements to the environment in a form suitable for reuse. use.

If, under the influence of some factors, these interactions become unbalanced, then the internal connections in the ecosystem change, and its ability to ensure the existence of various organisms can significantly decrease. The most common cause of environmental degradation is human activity, which constantly damages the condition of soils, water and air. Natural changes in ecosystems tend to occur very gradually and are part of the evolutionary process. However, many changes are caused by such external influences to which the system is not adapted. Most often these impacts are associated with human activities, but sometimes they are the result of natural disasters. For example, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the northwestern United States led to profound changes in a number of natural ecosystems.

Maintaining the normal functioning of terrestrial ecosystems depends on four factors: water quality, soil quality, air quality and biodiversity conservation. Awareness of the threat to the environment. Human activities that are destructive to natural environment, is usually too intensive exploitation of any resources or pollution of ecosystems with synthetic toxic substances, the effect of which cannot be completely neutralized by natural processes. In most cases, the degradation of the natural environment begins to really disturb society only when it sees that as a result of human activity, the productivity of ecosystems has suddenly decreased significantly.

Thus, the 1960s and 1970s became a period of serious concern about the vulnerability of various ecosystems and individual species from pollution caused by industrial and urban development. The widespread use in the 1940s and 1950s as pesticides of two chlorinated hydrocarbons, DDT and dieldrin, was found to have had a severe impact on the populations of many bird species. These substances, entering the body of birds with food, accumulated in them in high concentrations and caused thinning of the egg shell - this prevented reproduction and led to a significant reduction in numbers. Birds such as the bald eagle and some species of falcons were particularly affected.

see also PESTICIDES. However, as is often the case with other environmental issues, opinions differ about the benefits and harms of pesticides. For example, the practice of using DDT is by no means limited to negative consequences. In Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1948, 2.8 million cases of malaria were noted, but the use of DDT to exterminate mosquitoes carrying the causative agent of this disease led to the fact that in 1963 only 17 cases of malaria were observed. In 1964 the use of DDT was banned in Sri Lanka, and by 1969 the number of malaria cases had risen again to 2 million. It should be noted, however, that the success achieved with DDT may have been temporary, as mosquitoes, like other insects, can develop resistance to pesticides over generations.

FUTURE OUTLOOK

Can a damaged ecosystem be restored? In some cases, environmental degradation is reversible, and in order to return the system to its original state, it is enough to simply stop further pollution and allow the system to be cleaned up through natural processes. In other cases, such as when trying to restore the forests of West Africa or the salt marshes (wetlands) on the east coast North America progress has been very modest. Often, by the time environmental degradation becomes apparent, the relevant ecosystems are so damaged that it is no longer possible to restore them.

Between 1960 and 1990, the world's population almost doubled, reaching 5.3 billion people, and by 2025 it is expected to be 8.5 billion. , and the developed space is limited, human activity begins to spread to such regions that were previously considered unsuitable for settlement (marginal), being too wet, or too dry, or too remote. In the future, the main activity in the field of nature protection, apparently, will unfold precisely in such marginal ecosystems - in swampy and arid areas, as well as in tropical rainforests.

Among the causes of depletion, pollution and destruction of the natural environment, emanating from human anthropogenic activities, one can single out objective and subjective. Objectives include the following.

Firstly, these are the limiting abilities of the earthly nature for self-purification and self-regulation. Until a certain time, earthly nature recycles and purifies the waste of human production, as if protecting itself from their harmful effects. But its possibilities are limited. The capacity of the natural environment does not allow processing the ever-increasing scale of human waste, and their accumulation creates a threat of global environmental pollution.

Secondly, the physical limitation of the land area within the framework of one planet. As a result, mineral reserves hard coal, oil and others that are used by man are gradually consumed and cease to exist. Mankind faces new, more ambitious tasks to find alternative energy sources.

Thirdly, the non-waste production in nature and the waste of human production. In nature, production is carried out in a closed cycle. It is wasteless. The final product of production activity becomes the starting point for a new production cycle. Unlike natural human production in its mass and its basis is waste. In other words, the final product of production is not and does not become the source for the next cycle, but goes to waste. It is estimated that for human life it is necessary to spend at least 20 tons of natural resources per year. Of these, only 5-10% go to products, and 90-95% go to waste. The extreme waste of human production creates pollution of the environment with harmful substances that are not characteristic of nature, which leads to premature depletion of the natural environment and, ultimately, to the destruction of the ecological systems of nature.

Fourthly, the knowledge and use by man of the laws of the development of nature. The fact is that the laws of the development of nature, which determine the consequences of human activity, a person is forced to learn not speculatively and not through laboratory analyses, but in the process of using nature, by accumulating experience in managing the economy.

Two features of the manifestation of the results of human impact on the natural environment should be mentioned here. The first concerns influence over time. The results of industrial and economic activity, pollution of the environment, destruction of its ecological ties are manifested not only in the present, during the lifetime of this generation, but also in the future, during the lifetime of other generations, where a person cannot be a witness to the harmful consequences of his domination over nature.

The second feature refers to the manifestation of the consequences of economic activity in space. The impact exerted by management on nature in a certain place, at a certain point, due to current laws The unity and interconnection of the natural environment has an impact on other regions, remote from the point of human impact on the environment. Such originality is capable of creating a false idea about the supposedly harmless of this or that economic activity, about the absence of directly harmful, more precisely, negative symptoms of economic activity.

It is through his sad experience of managing in nature that humanity learns the detrimental consequences of its activities. Mankind learns that the destruction of forests leads to the disappearance of the soil cover, deprives it of soil lands necessary for agriculture, to shallowing, and subsequently to the disappearance of rivers, reservoirs, to a decrease in the oxygen supply of the planet and deprivation of the environment of other environmental protection functions that forests perform ; that mass pollution of the environment gives rise to diseases, leads to the degradation of the human personality, and adversely affects the health of future generations.

Thus, the current generation - the younger one - can already feel the effects of pollution, noted in the 70-80s, when this generation was being formed, born and grew. This is confirmed by data on nervous diseases, on an increase in the birth rate of handicapped people (from 4% to 11%). Unfortunately, a person learns all these sad results in the process of accumulating his experience. But, enriched by this experience, he constantly predicts the elimination negative consequences for the present and future of people, for the entire environment.

The second group consists of subjective reasons. Among them, it should be noted, first of all, the shortcomings of the organizational, legal and economic activities of the state in environmental protection. Secondly, defects in ecological upbringing and education. Despite the achievements of social and technical progress, the end of the 20th century, unfortunately, is characterized by the dominance of human consumer psychology in relation to nature.
Man was born and raised on consumer psychology in relation to nature. He always considered nature primarily as a source of his existence, as a resource, and not as an object of his care and protection.

Despite numerous discussions about the rational use of natural resources, which naturally intensified at the turn of the two centuries, the psychology of the bulk of people remained at the consumer level. This is evidenced by numerous data from sociological surveys of the population, and in particular, one of the surveys conducted among Muscovites. It posed two questions. First, the most important social problems, requiring an urgent solution - 50% called the improvement of medical care, 44% - the supply of food; 37% put housing problems in the first place, 30% - pension provision. The problem of environmental protection is classified among other issues and has not received a significant percentage in this list. Of course, allowance must be made for the difficulties of the period being experienced, but in general, such answers testify to the consumer psychology of a person.

Researches of scientific problems of environmental protection show a close connection between measures for the protection of nature and the state of not only health, but also the morality of a person. There is a dialectical relationship between man and nature. Man influences nature, adapting it to solve his practical problems. Nature transformed by man, adapted by him to solve his tasks according to the system feedback affects a person, forms his personality, his moral and spiritual appearance.

Interesting and original studies on the relationship between alcoholism and environmental pollution are described by A.V. Yablokov in the book “There is no other way” (Progress, 1988, p. 253). An experiment was conducted: rats were placed in a normal ecological environment, placing in front of them clean water and water diluted with a weak solution of alcohol. The rats chose clean water. Then they changed the ecological environment, polluting it carbon dioxide in norms that are close to large cities. Rats began to drink not water, but a solution diluted with alcohol. This experiment leads us to believe that the deterioration of the ecological situation, especially in major cities, where the concentration of the population is high, leads to outbreaks of alcoholism, drug addiction and other harmful social vices.

Among the subjective factors influencing the state of the environment, two more should be mentioned. This is ecological ignorance and ecological nihilism. What they have in common is the neglect of knowledge and use of environmental laws in communication between man and the environment - a kind of ecological anarchism. Features of these factors are not significant. Ecological ignorance - unwillingness to study the laws of the relationship between man and the environment; ecological nihilism - unwillingness to be guided by these laws, a disdainful attitude towards them. A nihilist may have knowledge of these laws, but be scornful of their application, ignore them in economic activity. Ecological ignorance and ecological nihilism, combined with consumer psychology, have taken a dominant place among the problems of environmental protection.

Thermal radiation resulting from .

chemical pollution- an increase in the amount of chemicals in a certain component of the natural environment, as well as the introduction of chemicals into it in concentrations that exceed the norm or are not characteristic of it.

Chemical pollution is one of the most frequently realized types of pollution produced as a result of a variety of human activities. Chemical pollutants include wide range chemical compounds. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 500,000 such compounds, of which about 40,000 are harmful substances and about 12,000 are toxic.

In table. 1 lists the most dangerous chemical pollutants of the biosphere that have the greatest impact on it.

The continuing increase in the number and variety of new industrial enterprises, chemical production, various vehicles, chemicalization of agriculture lead to increasing environmental pollution with all kinds of chemicals (xenobiotics) that enter it with gaseous, liquid and solid emissions and waste.

Table 1. Main chemical pollutants of the biosphere (according to UNESCO data)

A characteristic feature of chemical pollution of the natural environment is that they appear on any spatial scale, including the global one.

The environmental situation in Russia has all the main features and manifestations of the global environmental crisis. Recently, first of all, it has taken place, the levels of which exceed the permissible ones.

The current environmental situation is also dangerous. Currently, the annual emissions of industrial enterprises and transport in Russia amount to about 25 million tons. Currently, there are more than 24 thousand enterprises that pollute the environment in the country. According to official data, more than 65 million people living in 187 cities are exposed to pollutants, the average annual concentrations of which exceed the maximum allowable norms. Every tenth city in Russia has high level environmental pollution.

Significant air pollution in them is caused by stationary sources. Most of the pollutants are gaseous and liquid substances and a much smaller part - solid impurities. The total emission of harmful gaseous substances into the atmosphere is significantly increased by vehicles. The share of road transport in total emissions is on average 35-40% in the Russian Federation, and in large cities it reaches 80-90%. Exhaust gases emitted by vehicles contain more than 200 harmful substances and compounds. The most well-known air pollutants are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and dioxide, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, lead, etc. Some air pollutants have carcinogenic properties (benzpyrene).

The main ways of penetration of chemical pollution into the environment are carried out in the process of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, discharges into surface and ground waters, and disposal of solid waste.

Chemical pollution of the atmosphere

Atmospheric air is one of the most important components of the environment. The main sources of air pollution are thermal power plants and heating plants burning fossil fuels; motor transport; ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy; mechanical engineering; chemical production; extraction and processing of mineral raw materials; open sources (extraction of agricultural production, construction).

AT modern conditions more than 400 million tons of particles of ash, soot, dust and various kinds of waste and building materials enter the atmosphere. In addition to the above substances, other, more toxic substances are emitted into the atmosphere: vapors of mineral acids (sulfuric, chromic, etc.), organic solvents, etc. At present, there are more than 500 harmful substances polluting the atmosphere.

Many branches of energy and industry generate not only the maximum amount of harmful emissions, but also create environmentally unfavorable living conditions for residents of both large and medium-sized cities. Emissions of toxic substances lead, as a rule, to an increase in the current concentrations of substances above maximum allowable concentrations(MPC).

MPC of harmful substances in the atmospheric air of populated areas- these are the maximum concentrations related to a certain averaging period (30 minutes, 24 hours, 1 month, 1 year) and not having, with a regulated probability of their occurrence, either direct or indirect harmful effects on the human body, including long-term consequences for the present and subsequent generations that do not reduce the working capacity of a person and do not worsen his well-being.

Chemical pollution of the hydrosphere

Water, like air, is a vital source for all known organisms. Russia is one of the countries most provided with water. However, the state of its reservoirs cannot be called satisfactory. Anthropogenic activity leads to pollution of both surface and underground water sources.

The main sources of pollution of the hydrosphere are discharged wastewater generated during the operation of energy, industrial, chemical, medical, defense, housing and communal and other enterprises and facilities; disposal of radioactive waste in containers and containers that lose their tightness after a certain period of time; accidents and catastrophes occurring on land and in water spaces; atmospheric air, contaminated with various substances and others.

Surface sources of drinking water are annually and increasingly polluted by xenobiotics of various nature, so the supply of drinking water to the population from surface sources is an increasing danger. About 50% of Russians are forced to drink water that does not meet sanitary and hygienic requirements for a number of indicators. The water quality of 75% of water bodies in Russia does not meet regulatory requirements.

More than 600 billion tons of energy, industrial, household and other waste waters are annually discharged into the hydrosphere. More than 20-30 million tons of oil and products of its processing, phenols, easily oxidizable organic substances, copper and zinc compounds enter the water spaces. Unsustainable agriculture also contributes to the pollution of water sources. Residues of fertilizers and pesticides washed out of the soil enter water bodies and pollute them. Many pollutants of the hydrosphere are able to enter into chemical reactions and form more harmful complexes.

Water pollution leads to the suppression of ecosystem functions, slows down the natural processes of biological purification of fresh water, and also contributes to a change in the chemical composition of food and the human body.

Hygienic and technical requirements for water supply sources and the rules for their selection in the interests of public health are regulated by GOST 2761-84 “Sources of centralized domestic and drinking water supply. Hygienic, technical requirements and selection rules”; SanPiN 2.1.4.544-96 “Requirements for water quality of non-centralized water supply. Sanitary protection of springs”; GN 2.1.5.689-98 “Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPC) of Chemical Substances in the Water of Water Bodies of Domestic Drinking and Cultural Water Supply”, etc.

Hygienic requirements for the quality of drinking water centralized systems drinking water supply are specified in sanitary rules and norms. The norms are established for the following water parameters of reservoirs: the content of impurities and suspended particles, taste, color, turbidity and water temperature, pH, composition and concentration of mineral impurities and oxygen dissolved in water, MPCs of chemicals and pathogenic bacteria. MPCv is the maximum allowable pollution of water in reservoirs, at which safety for human health and normal conditions water use. For example, for benzene MPCv is 0.5 mg/l.

Soil chemical contamination

The soil- numerous lower animals and microorganisms, including bacteria, mold fungi, viruses, etc. The soil is a source of infection with anthrax, gas gangrene, tetanus, botulism.

Along with the natural uneven distribution of certain chemical elements in modern conditions, their artificial redistribution is also taking place on a huge scale. Emissions from industrial enterprises and agricultural facilities, dispersing over considerable distances and getting into the soil, create new combinations of chemical elements. From the soil, these substances, as a result of various migration processes, can enter the human body (soil - plants - man, soil - atmospheric air - man, soil - water - man, etc.). All kinds of metals (iron, copper, aluminum, lead, zinc) and other chemical pollutants enter the soil with industrial solid waste.

The soil has the ability to accumulate radioactive substances that enter it from radioactive waste and atmospheric radioactive fallout nuclear testing. Radioactive substances are included in food chains and affect living organisms.

Among the chemical compounds that pollute the soil are carcinogenic substances - carcinogens, which play a significant role in the occurrence of tumor diseases. The main sources of soil pollution with carcinogenic substances are vehicle exhaust gases, emissions from industrial enterprises, thermal power plants, etc. Carcinogens enter the soil from the atmosphere together with coarse and medium-dispersed dust particles, when oil or its products leak, etc. The main danger of pollution soil is linked to global air pollution.

Rationing of chemical pollution of soils is carried out according to the maximum allowable concentrations of MPC in accordance with GN 6229-91 "List of maximum allowable concentrations (MPC) and approximate allowable amounts of chemicals in the soil."

Impact of chemical pollution of the environment on human health

In recent decades, the problem of preventing the adverse effects of environmental factors on human health has moved to one of the first places among other global problems.

This is due to the rapid increase in the number of factors of different nature (physical, chemical, biological, social), the complex spectrum and mode of their influence, the possibility of simultaneous action (combined, complex), as well as the variety of pathological conditions caused by these factors.

Among the complex of anthropogenic (technogenic) impacts on the environment and human health, a special place is occupied by numerous chemical compounds widely used in industry, agriculture, energy and other areas of production. Currently, more than 11 million chemicals are known, and in economically developed countries over 100 thousand chemical compounds are produced and used, many of which actually affect humans and the environment.

The impact of chemical compounds can cause almost all pathological processes and conditions known in general pathology. Moreover, as knowledge about the mechanisms of toxic effects deepens and expands, new types of adverse effects (carcinogenic, mutagenic, immunotoxic and other types of actions) are revealed.

There are several principal approaches to prevent the adverse effects of chemicals:

• a complete ban on production and use;
• prohibition of entry into the environment and any impact on humans;
• replacing a toxic substance with a less toxic and dangerous one;
• restriction (regulation) of the content in environmental objects and the levels of exposure to workers and the population as a whole.

Due to the fact that modern chemistry has become a determining factor in the development of key areas in the entire system of productive forces, the choice of a prevention strategy is difficult, multicriteria task, the solution of which requires an analysis of both the risk of developing immediate and long-term adverse effects of a substance on the human body, its offspring, the environment, and the possible social, economic, biomedical consequences of a ban on the production and use of a chemical compound.

The determining criterion for choosing a prevention strategy is the prevention (prevention) of a harmful action. In our country and abroad, the production and use of some dangerous industrial carcinogens and pesticides is prohibited.