Highlights
Environmental pollution is contamination of air, water and land from man-made waste. Pollution leads to depletion of the ozone layer, global warming and climate change. Air pollution is the release of chemicals and particles into the atmosphere. Water pollution includes surface runoff, leakage into groundwater, liquid spills, wastewater discharge and littering. If toxins are spilled on the ground or if an underground storage tank leaks, soil can become contaminated. Well known contaminants include herbicides and pesticides. Toxic waste is waste material, often in chemical form, which pollutes the natural environment and contaminates groundwater.
Other types of pollution include ocean...
Other types of pollution include ocean...
Environmental pollution is contamination of air, water and land from man-made waste. Pollution leads to depletion of the ozone layer, global warming and climate change. Air pollution is the release of chemicals and particles into the atmosphere. Water pollution includes surface runoff, leakage into groundwater, liquid spills, wastewater discharge and littering. If toxins are spilled on the ground or if an underground storage tank leaks, soil can become contaminated. Well known contaminants include herbicides and pesticides. Toxic waste is waste material, often in chemical form, which pollutes the natural environment and contaminates groundwater.
Other types of pollution include ocean pollution and noise pollution. Environmental pollution can have a deadly effect on humans and ecosystems. For example, cigarette smoke, including second-hand smoke, causes cancer, emphysema, stroke and heart attack. Drinking water can become contaminated by untreated sewage, rashes and skin problems occur due to oil spills, while excessive noise can cause hearing loss. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 to put a limit on the amount of pollutants in the air. Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1963, the Noise Control Act in 1972 and the Clean Water Act in 1977. Pollution is a bigger concern in other parts of the world, especially developing countries. Time Magazine reported in 2007 that the most polluted spots in the world included China, India, Peru and Russia.
Other types of pollution include ocean pollution and noise pollution. Environmental pollution can have a deadly effect on humans and ecosystems. For example, cigarette smoke, including second-hand smoke, causes cancer, emphysema, stroke and heart attack. Drinking water can become contaminated by untreated sewage, rashes and skin problems occur due to oil spills, while excessive noise can cause hearing loss. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 to put a limit on the amount of pollutants in the air. Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1963, the Noise Control Act in 1972 and the Clean Water Act in 1977. Pollution is a bigger concern in other parts of the world, especially developing countries. Time Magazine reported in 2007 that the most polluted spots in the world included China, India, Peru and Russia.
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Poorly maintained public pools a growing health concern in South Florida
South Florida Sun-SentinelNothing says "South Florida lifestyle" like a pool, a tropical oasis where you can take a dip year-round. But hundreds of pools are closed annually for carrying parasites, bacteria and other pathogens that can make swimmers seriously ill. Swimming...Tags: Tourism and Leisure, Diseases, Health Organizations, Swimming, Punishment
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China also suffers from indoor air pollution
Los Angeles Times Staff WriterChina is already home to 16 of the planet's 20 most heavily polluted cities -- a noxious consequence of its double-digit economic growth. Now researchers have worse news for the nation's beleaguered lower classes: The air inside their homes is up to 10...Tags: Air Pollution, Renewable Energy, Health Organizations, Diseases, Productivity
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Air quality watch issued in eastern Wisconsin
An air quality watch will be in effect Monday in 33 Wisconsin counties in the eastern part of the state because of particle pollution. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the watch was issued because the forecast calls for elevated levels...Tags: Air Pollution
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UW's program puts railroads back in spotlight
A train can move one ton of freight 400 miles on a gallon of fuel. But even with staggering fuel efficiency, the railroad industry shrank dramatically in the 1970s. The University of Wisconsin at Madison is one of handful of universities seeking to...Tags: Further Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Railway Transportation, Transportation, Energy Saving
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Decades later, lead still lingers at Island Trees school
eden.laikin@newsday.comThe ongoing saga in Levittown about lead contamination at the former rifle range at Island Trees High School began down the road in another district where the problem was almost identical, but the resolution dramatically different. In 1999, Lynbrook...Tags: Environmental Cleanup, Healthcare Policies, Defense, Censorship, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Budget cuts not affecting city's public relations efforts City message coming from a lot of messengers
Chicago Tribune reporterMayor Richard Daley headed to the lakefront last month to announce his latest environmental plans, accompanied by no fewer than six City Hall representatives. But when a stiff breeze threatened the banner used as the mayor's backdrop, two employees of an...Tags: Harold Washington, Midway Airport, O'Hare International Airport, Consumer Electronics Industry, Public Employees
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New boat is like a floating teacher
247-4784The Bea Hayman Clark gurgles to life, and with a couple of dexterous maneuvers, Captain Jimmy Sollner reverses the deadrise-style craft out of its mooring at Norfolk's Waterside marina. This day, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation educator has a dozen...Tags: Gloucester (Gloucester, Virginia), Transportation, Teachers, Teaching and Learning, Hampton Roads
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Scientists look to new ways to save Florida's reefs
Sentinel Staff WriterScientists trying to save Florida's diminishing coral reefs are using new approaches to help damaged reefs recover and survive a changing climate. Damage from environmental problems, including climate change, is inevitable, they say, so they focus...Tags: Tropical Storms, Tourism and Leisure, Wildlife, Nature, Global Change
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If you talk the talk . . .
In his diatribe against drilling in the Gulf, letter-writer Jack Rogers in Tuesday's Sentinel forgets to mention that "no major oil spills or hazardous-material releases have been identified," regarding Hurricane Ike's impact on oil platforms off the...Tags: Disasters, Hurricane Ike, Emergency Incidents, Water Pollution
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No One Injured In Chester Plane Crash; New Skate Park Opens
Plane crashes in Chester. Skate Park Opens in Cromwell. Guilford Land Trust Acquires 141 Acres. Here are a few of the Middlesex County and Shoreline area stories written by Courant staff reporters over the last week. AREAWIDE ΔPoll Shows Jim Himes...Tags: Air and Space Accidents, Personal Income, Society, Transportation Accidents, State Budgets
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Everglades restoration: Time starting to slip away
With the pending acquisition of U.S. Sugar, Floridians' hopes of witnessing meaningful Everglades restoration were considerably raised. But a report issued last week by the National Research Council reminded us of the many obstacles confronting the...Tags: South Florida Water Management District, Water Restrictions, Tourism and Leisure, Kissimmee, Everglades
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Report: Dozens of wetlands boards incommunicado
A new report says dozens of Connecticut municipal boards are leaving state officials in the dark about their decisions affecting environmentally sensitive land. A state watchdog agency says that leaves the state Department of Environmental Protection...Tags: Regulatory Policy and Organizations, Wetlands, Natural Resources
Oct 13, 2008
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Oct 13, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Newsday
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Hampton Roads Daily Press
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| Hartford Courant
Oct 12, 2008
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Oct 11, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
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