Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William

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Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of
William Mary Partnership between Educators and
Researchers for Enhancing Classroom Teaching
(GK-12 PERFECT)
Funding source National Science Foundation GK-12
grant no. DGE-0840804
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Pollution
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Pollution

The introduction of chemical, physical, or
biological material into the environment that has
negative effects on living organisms.
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Sources of Pollution
Point Pollution Pollution discharged from
a single source
Nonpoint Pollution Pollution that comes
from many sources rather than a single
specific site.
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Factory Waste

• Point
• Point pollution can be easy to regulate and
  control.
• Point pollution is easily identified and traced.
• Examples include

Sewage Waste
Landfills
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• Nonpoint
• Nonpoint pollution is the accumulation of small
  amounts of pollution that adds up to a huge
  pollution problem.

Vehicle Exhaust
Crop Dusting
Land Use Cover
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Types of Pollution
Pathogens Disease-causing organisms such as
bacteria (untreated sewage).
Organic Chemicals Pesticides, industrial
chemicals, fertilizers, plastics, oil,
gasoline are examples (most are toxic)
Inorganic Chemicals Acids, toxic metals, carbon
monoxide (most are toxic)
Radioactive Waste Power plants, nuclear
processing
Physical Agents Heat and suspended soils
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Pollution is found in
Fresh Water
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Pollution is found in
Soils
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Pollution is found in
Air
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Pollution is found in
Oceans
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Paradigm a theoretical framework.
Until the 1960s, people believed the
paradigm The Solution to Pollution is Dilution
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Raw Sewage Dumping
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In 1945, open air testing of nuclear weapons
began in New Mexico, and nuclear bombs exploded
over Hiroshima and Nagasaki later that year.
Nuclear waste found in food!
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Rivers Caught on Fire
June 23, 1969 Cleveland, Ohio
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Smog Clouded Cities
1963 - 300 people die from smog-related problems.
Many hundreds made ill.
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Toxic Chemicals Sprayed Everywhere
DDT
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Paradigm Shift People were introduced to a new
way of thinking about pollution.
1962 A book called Silent Spring, by Rachel
Carson changed the way we understood
pollution. What has already silenced the voices
of spring in countless towns in America? This
book is an attempt to explain. Rachel Carson
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Rachel Carsons book lead to the ban of DDT
around the world.
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Dilution Paradigm Solution to Pollution is
Dilution
Boomerang Paradigm What You Throw Away Can Come
Back to Hurt You
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Culture follows the shift
Oh, mercy mercy meOh, things ain't what they
used to beNo, no Oil wasted on the oceans and
upon our seasFish full of mercuryOh, mercy
mercy meOh, things ain't what they used to
beNo, no Radiation in the ground and in the
skyAnimals and birds who live nearby are
dyingOh, mercy mercy meOh, things ain't what
they used to beWhat about this overcrowded
land?How much more abuse from man can you stand?
Mercy, Mercy Me Marvin
Gaye (1971) Oh, mercy mercy meOh, things ain't
what they used to beNo, no Where did all the
blue sky go?Poison is the wind that blowsFrom
the north, east, south, and sea
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The Lorax
He was shortish. And oldish. And brownish. And
mossy. And he spoke with a voice that was
sharpish and bossy. Mister! he said with a
sawdusty sneeze, I am the Lorax. I speak for the
trees. Dr. Suess (1971)
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Problem Persistent organic pollutants (POPs),
such as DDT, and other inorganic contaminants,
such as mercury, breakdown slowly. POPs stay in
the environment for many years.
PCBs
Mercury
Dioxin
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Organic pollutants are stored in the fat of
organisms.
Bioaccumulation is the increase in pollutant
concentrations in an organism over time (as an
animal or plant grows older).
TIME
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Biomagnification is the increase in concentration
of a pollutant at higher levels of the food chain