Water Pollution

Water pollution is the contamination of rivers, lakes, underground water, or oceans by substances harmful to living things. Water is vital to life: all organisms contain it; some live in it; some drink it. Plants and animals cannot survive if their water contains a lot of toxic chemicals or harmful microorganisms. If it is severe, water pollution can kill large numbers of fish, birds and animals, in some cases all members of a species in an affected area. Pollution makes streams, lakes, and coastal waters unpleasant to look at, to smell, and to swim in. Fish from polluted waters may be unsafe to eat. People who drink polluted water can be taken dangerously ill and may develop cancer or bear children with birth defects.

The major water pollutants are chemical, biological, or physical materials that lower water quality. To begin with, oil and chemicals get into water mainly by means of accidental spills from ships, pipelines, and leaky underground storage tanks. Moreover, chemicals used to kill unwanted animals and plants, for instance on farms, as well as fertilizers used to promote plant growth, may be collected by rainwater runoff and carried into streams. Some of these chemicals are non-biodegradable and remain dangerous for a long time. Many drinking water supplies, including wells, are contaminated with pesticides from widespread agricultural use. What is more, heavy metals, such as copper and lead, get into water from industries, automobile exhaust, mines etc. Just like pesticides, heavy metals become more concentrated as animals feed on plants and are consumed in turn by other animals. If they are eaten by humans in sufficient amounts, the metal can cause diarrhoea and, over time, damage liver and kidney. Children exposed to contaminated water can suffer mental retardation. In addition, if improperly treated or stored, dangerous wastes can pollute water supplies. Finally, cities and other residential communities contribute mostly sewage, with traces of household chemicals mixed in. Sometimes industries discharge pollutants into city sewers, increasing the variety of pollutants in municipal areas.

Aserious campaign to end all pollution discharges into surface waters, such as rivers, wetlands, and coastal waters began in 1972-1977. Various laws required those who dump pollutants into waterways to apply for federal permits and to be responsible for reducing the amount of pollution over time.

Municipal sewage plants in many areas are now making water so clean that it can be used again. Industries are treating their waste and also changing their manufacturing processes so that less waste is produced. Householders are being asked to limit their use of garden pesticides and fertilizers in order to reduce contaminated runoff. In rural areas, efforts are being made to reduce pollution from agricultural wastes, fertilizers, and pesticides, and from erosion caused by logging and farming. As a result, surface waters are far cleaner than they were in 1972.

/Adapted from http://www.answers.com/topic/water-pollution

http://chemistryinpollution.tripod.com/id6.html

http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/~ahmad/kuliah/manusia/artikel/water.htm/

2. Find the words and word combinations in the text which mean:

1. the waste water from domestic, commercial and industrial sources which is carried away in drains and can be treated in a variety of ways to eliminate its dangerous components __________________

2. an amount of something which has come out of a container __________________

3. cutting down trees for wood __________________

4. a flow of water or chemicals from one place to another, especially when this damages the environment __________________

5. to allow liquid or gas to leave a place, especially when this has harmful effects

__________________

3. A typical feature of the English language is noun + noun word combinations, in which the first noun starts functioning as an adjective:

e.g. contamination site

Sometimes the chain of nouns may be longer. In this case each noun refers to the word it precedes:

e.g. pollution control authorities

Find 5 more examples of such expressions in the text.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Student D

1. Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. What is generally understood by “soil pollution”? What makes it difficult to define the expression?

2. List the main pollutants of soil.

3. How is soil pollution linked to other types of pollution?

4. What is the impact of soil pollution on wildlife?

5. Enumerate the decontamination methods used nowadays. Describe the negative effect they can have on the environment. Which method has the minimal ill effect?

Soil Pollution

Soil pollution comprises the pollution of soils with materials, mostly chemicals, present at concentrations higher than normal which may have negative effects on humans or other organisms. It is difficult to define soil pollution because different opinions exist on how to characterize a pollutant; while some consider the use of pesticides acceptable if their effect does not exceed the intended result, others do not consider any use of chemical fertilizers acceptable. Soil pollution is also caused by agricultural runoff waters, industrial waste materials, acidic precipitates, and radioactive contamination.

Soil pollution can lead to water pollution if toxic chemicals get into groundwater, or if contaminated runoff reaches streams, lakes, or oceans. Soil pollution also contributes to air pollution by releasing dangerous substances into the atmosphere. The decomposition of organic materials in soil can release sulfur dioxide, causing acid rain. Sewage sludge contains heavy metals and, over time the soil may accumulate heavy metals and consequently become unable to even support plant life.

In addition, some chemicals contaminate plants that grow on polluted soils, and they also tend to accumulate increasingly toward the top of the food chain as it can move from soil to worms or fish, and then to birds and their eggs.

Many attempts are being made to decontaminate polluted soils. The most common decontamination method for polluted soils is to remove the soil and deposit it in landfills or to burn it. These techniques, however, often exchange one problem for another: landfilling merely stores the polluted soil while doing little to decontaminate it, and the burning removes toxic organic chemicals from the soil, but subsequently releases them into the air, in the process causing air pollution.

For the removal of heavy metals different soil washing techniques have been developed and chemical methods. The problem with these methods, however, is again that they generate secondary waste products that may require additional waste treatments.

Other methods are used directly at the contamination site. In this case, soil does not need to be excavated, and therefore the chance of causing further environmental harm is minimized. This method involves the artificial stimulation of natural microorganisms by increasing their number and promoting activity. The microorganisms then help degrade the soil contaminants. Of all the decontamination methods this one appears to be the least damaging and most environmentally friendly technique.

/Adapted from http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Soil-Pollution.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewage_treatment/

2. Find the words and word combinations in the text which mean:

1. rain containing substances that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions are released into the atmosphere and combined with water vapor: harmful to the environment __________________

2. the waste water from domestic, commercial and industrial sources which is carried away in drains and can be treated in a variety of ways to eliminate its dangerous components __________________

3. a disposal site where solid waste, such as paper, glass, and metal, is buried between layers of dirt and other materials in such a way as to reduce contamination of the surrounding land __________________

4. to cause sth (both sth positive and sth negative) (3) __________________

__________________

__________________

5. a thick soft substance that remains when liquid has been removed from something in an industrial process __________________

3. A typical feature of the English language is noun + noun word combinations, in which the first noun starts functioning as an adjective:

e.g. contamination site

Sometimes the chain of nouns may be longer. In this case each noun refers to the word it precedes:

e.g. pollution control authorities

Find 5 more examples of such expressions in the text.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Now find a partner from each of the other three groups and answer the following questions together. To do that you need to swap information. Check within a group how well each member understands the causes and the consequences of air, water and soil pollution and knows the ways of fighting all the three types. Use the table below to take notes.

1. What brings about the increase in the pollution level?

2. Define air/water/soil pollution.

3. What are the main pollutants of air/water/soil? Which of them are called greenhouse gases and why?

4. Describe the main sources of air/water/soil pollution.

5. How can air/water/soil pollution affect the environment? What is the effect of air/water/soil pollution on wildlife and on people’s health?

6. What is the climate change? What is it caused by?

7. Are the types of pollution interlinked? Prove it.

8. What measures are taken to limit air/water/soil pollution? Are the methods used always good and effective?

STRATEGY Note-taking To use note-taking effectively, you need to understand that its primary value is not in the record you produce, it is in the process itself. Note-taking is a strategy for making information meaningful, which means connecting new information to existing knowledge. The more connections you make, the better you will understand the information. It is therefore only effective to the extent that you paraphrase, organize and make sense of the information while taking notes. Effective note-taking in class begins with staying alert. To stay alert in class: Ask yourself ‘Why is this information important?’ and ‘How will it help me?’ Listen for central themes rather than for isolated facts. Make connections between facts and themes or among different themes. Keep active. Take notes constantly and ask questions to clarify information. The actual note-taking: An important aspect of good note-taking skills is knowing what to write down in the notes. Distinguishing important from unimportant information is a skill that improves with practice. Being able to identify key words and key points will help you determine what should be recorded. Don’t write down everything you hear. Leave blanks in your notes to add explanations later. Organize as you write. Pay attention to cues such as repetition and emphasis. Indicate main and supporting points as you go. /Adapted from www.sl.psu.edu/Documents/Note_Taking_​Strategies.pdf http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/955.html http://www.memory-key.com/improving/strategies/study/notetaking/

	Causes	Consequences	Solutions
air pollution
water pollution
soil pollution

3. Work with the partners from each of the other three groups to fill in the table below.

Definition		Word (combination)
a. solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels formed in the ground after millions of years by chemical and physical changes in plant and animal residues under high temperature and pressure
b. rain containing substances that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions are released into the atmosphere and combined with water vapor: harmful to the environment
c. smoke or other atmospheric pollutants combined with fog in an unhealthy or irritating mixture
d. the waste water from domestic, commercial and industrial sources which is carried away in drains and can be treated in a variety of ways to eliminate its dangerous components
e. a black powder made mainly of carbon which is produced when coal, wood, etc. is burnt
f. a region of the upper atmosphere high above the Earth, containing a relatively high concentration of ozone which prevents harmful ultraviolet light from the sun from reaching the Earth
g. any of the atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect
h. a prolonged period of scanty rainfall
i. a disposal site where solid waste, such as paper, glass, and metal, is buried between layers of dirt and other materials in such a way as to reduce contamination of the surrounding land
j. the natural surroundings in which an animal or plant usually lives
k. an amount of something which has come out of a container
l. to cause sth (both sth positive and sth negative) (6 words)
m. the thinning of the ozone layer
n. the destruction of forests
o. cutting down trees for wood
p. a thick soft substance that remains when liquid has been removed from something in an industrial process
q. a flow of water or chemicals from one place to another, especially when this damages the environment
r. to allow liquid or gas to leave a place, especially when this has harmful effects
noun + noun word combinations
Text A	Text B	Text C	Text D
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

4. Now read all the four texts and check your answers.

Language work