ENSC 002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Thermal Pollution, Insecticide, Arsenic Contamination Of Groundwater
11 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Inorganic chemicals: contaminants that contain elements other than carbon, doesn"t degrade easily, lead (found in leaded gasoline, industrial pollutants, old paint), mercury (it bioaccumulates in muscles of top predators of the open ocean, usually sourced from coal use) Used in industry as wood preservative, insecticide, etc. Arsenic contamination of groundwater is common & widespread (ca, finland, montana) Radioactive substances: contain atoms of unstable isotopes that spontaneously emit radiation. Mining, natural sources, nuclear power plants, medical & research facilities, Thermal pollution: occurs when heated water produced during industrial processes is released into waterways. Warm water holds less do than cold. Temp. affects reproductive cycles, digestion rates, respiration rates. 2 types of water pollution: point source: can be traced to a specific origin, non point source: pollutants that enter bodies of water over large areas, diffuse, but its cumulative effect is large. Agriculture is leading source of water pollution in us (72%)
