Industrial Water Pollution: Causes And Effects

Water is essential to life, yet it is being destroyed by pollution. Water pollution occurs when harmful substances contaminate a body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic and unsafe for humans, animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi. Industries are among the worst offenders when it comes to water pollution, with manufacturing waste being the largest contributor. This waste includes oils, chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins that are released directly or indirectly into water sources, leading to contaminated drinking water and environmental destruction. While some regions have strict regulations for treating wastewater, many countries lack adequate standards, allowing unmonitored waste to contaminate local waterways. The fashion, construction, mining, oil, chemical, and agricultural industries are significant contributors to water pollution, and their impact on water sources is a pressing issue that requires attention and action.

Industrial waste, including garbage, oils, chemicals, and scrap metals

Industrial waste is the largest contributor to water pollution. This waste includes garbage, oils, chemicals, scrap metals, and more, which contaminates water sources. There are two ways that manufacturers pollute water: directly and indirectly. Direct pollution involves dumping waste into water systems, whereas indirect pollution occurs when waste and pollutants are left on the land and absorbed into the soil, eventually making their way into groundwater.

Garbage

Manufacturers create waste that can contaminate water sources if not disposed of properly. This waste includes dirt and concrete, among other things. In Europe, discharged wastewater must be treated to meet specific standards before being dumped into water systems. However, in other countries, manufacturing plants are not held to the same high environmental standards, leading to increased water pollution.

Oils

Oil pollution is a significant issue, with frequent spills and chronic low levels of illegal discharges. Oil spills can occur in various ways, including pipeline ruptures, well blowouts, and accidents involving tankers, ships, or offshore platforms. These spills can have devastating ecological consequences, killing wildlife and damaging ecosystems. Oil pollution can also result from operational discharges, such as tank washings from tankers, which can contain hydrocarbon residues.

Chemicals

The use of chemicals in industry has grown dramatically in recent decades, and these chemicals often find their way into water sources. While the Clean Water Act in the United States requires industries to disclose the pollutants they release into drinking water sources, enforcement of these regulations is often lacking. As a result, communities are exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, including 1,4-dioxane, bromides, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These contaminants have been linked to various health issues, and their presence in water, soil, air, and food poses a significant risk to public health.

Scrap Metals

Scrap metals, if not properly recycled, can contaminate nearby soil and water supplies. Recycling scrap metal offers environmental and economic benefits, including reducing landfill use, preserving natural resources, and lowering the cost of creating new products. Additionally, recycling helps to prevent the release of toxins, such as mercury and lead, that can leach out of scrap metal in landfills.

Inadequate wastewater treatment, particularly in developing countries

Inadequate wastewater treatment is a pressing issue, especially in developing countries, where it poses risks to public health, environmental preservation, and sustainable development. Here are some key considerations regarding this issue:

Health Risks

The lack of proper wastewater treatment in developing countries contributes to the spread of waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid fever, and rotavirus. These diseases take the lives of approximately 297,000 children under five years old each year. The impact is most severe in impoverished communities within countries such as Afghanistan, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The untreated wastewater is often contaminated with human excreta, carrying harmful bacteria and viruses that cause these deadly illnesses.

Environmental Impact

Untreated wastewater also takes a toll on the environment, especially fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs. Developing countries with high populations, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, discharge large volumes of raw wastewater directly onto their coral reefs. This wastewater carries solids, endocrine disrupters, inorganic nutrients, heavy metals, and pathogens that stunt coral growth, increase disease prevalence, and reduce reproduction rates. The damage inflicted on corals by raw wastewater is severe and irreversible.

Challenges in Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure

Developing countries face significant challenges in establishing and maintaining adequate wastewater treatment infrastructure. They often lack sufficient sanitation facilities, and the funding for infrastructure development and access to clean water for treatment processes are limited. This situation leads to inadequate containment and treatment of human waste, exacerbating the health and environmental risks associated with untreated wastewater.

Innovative Approaches

In response to these challenges, developing countries have started embracing innovative approaches to wastewater treatment. They are exploring decentralized wastewater treatment systems, low-cost and low-tech solutions, and nature-based solutions. These approaches aim to overcome infrastructure limitations and provide more sustainable options for wastewater management.

Global Targets and Data Collection

Improving access to clean water and sanitation is a priority, as reflected in the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. By 2030, the goal is to achieve adequate and equitable sanitation for all and halve the proportion of untreated wastewater. However, achieving this target is complicated by the lack of reliable data, especially in developing countries. There is a need for more robust surveys, improved data collection tools, and coordinated investment from various stakeholders to address this global issue effectively.

Agriculture, through the use of fertilisers, pesticides, and livestock waste

Agriculture is a major contributor to water pollution, particularly through the use of fertilisers, pesticides, and livestock waste.

Fertilisers

Fertilisers are a significant source of water pollution, particularly in the form of nutrient pollution. Excessive use of fertilisers can lead to fertiliser runoff, where the nutrients in fertilisers are washed away from fields and into nearby water bodies. This can cause eutrophication, a process in which excess nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) lead to an overgrowth of algae and other aquatic plants. Eutrophication can result in reduced oxygen levels in the water, known as hypoxia or anoxia, which can kill fish and other aquatic organisms. Eutrophication can also lead to the production of toxins by certain types of algae, which can be harmful to humans and wildlife.

Pesticides

Pesticides are another major source of water pollution in agriculture. When pesticides are applied to crops, they can be washed off by rain or irrigation water and enter nearby water bodies through runoff. Pesticides can also leach through the soil and contaminate groundwater. Some pesticides are persistent and can remain in the environment for long periods, posing risks to human health and ecosystems.

Livestock Waste

Livestock waste, or manure, can also contribute to water pollution in agriculture. Manure contains high levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which can lead to eutrophication when released into water bodies. Manure also contains pathogens, antibiotics, and hormones that can contaminate water sources and pose risks to human and wildlife health.

The impact of agriculture on water pollution is complex and varies depending on factors such as land management practices, the type of fertilisers and pesticides used, and the methods of livestock waste disposal. While agriculture can play a significant role in water pollution, it is important to note that other factors, such as industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, also contribute to water pollution.

Radioactive substances, which can persist in the environment for thousands of years

Radioactive pollution refers to any substance that emits radiation beyond what is naturally released by the environment. Typically, it is produced by industries such as uranium mining, nuclear power plants, the manufacture and testing of large-scale weaponry, and universities and healthcare facilities that use radioactive materials for research.

Radioactive substances can persist in the environment for thousands of years due to their long half-life. This makes their disposal extremely challenging. For instance, the clean-up of the decommissioned Hanford nuclear weapons production site in Washington required the disposal of 56 million gallons of radioactive waste. This process is expected to cost over $100 billion and take until 2060 to complete.

Radioactive contamination of water is a growing concern for human health and the environment. Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of particles or waves from the unstable nuclei of certain elements. There are three types of radioactive emissions: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Alpha particles are positively charged helium atoms, beta particles are negatively charged electrons, and gamma rays are neutral electromagnetic radiations. These emissions can have detrimental effects on human health, causing various disorders such as cancer, leukaemia, genetic mutations, osteonecrosis, cataracts, and chromosomal disruption.

Radioactive pollution of water can occur through several industrial activities. Nuclear reactors and nuclear warhead experiments are significant sources of human-induced radionuclide discharge. Nuclear power plants release atomic waste, and water used as a coolant in these plants can also become contaminated. Additionally, nuclear submarines can cause radioactive contamination in marine environments, as evidenced by accidents and sinkings such as the Rocky Flats plant incident, and the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear disasters.

Mining activities, particularly those involving radioactive elements like uranium and thorium, contribute to both surface and groundwater pollution. Uranium, being naturally present in oceans and seas, can reach significant concentrations in marine water due to higher salinity. Moreover, nuclear power plants located in coastal regions further add to the radiological contaminants in marine environments.

Radioactive isotopes used in medical treatments, such as radioactive iodine for thyroid disorders, can also find their way into water sources. While all water contains some level of radiation, the production of nuclear weapons and energy, mining, and industrial activities involving the cracking of bedrock can significantly increase these levels. Oil and gas drilling, fracking, and industrial activities that disturb radioactive elements in the earth's crust can lead to the seepage of these elements into aquifers and water supplies.

The impact of radioactive pollution on human health is severe. Ingesting contaminated water or exposing human tissues to radiation through polluted water and foodstuffs can lead to serious health risks. High doses of radiation can cause acute radiation syndrome or cutaneous radiation injury. Moreover, exposure to radiation has been linked to various disorders, including cancer, leukaemia, and genetic mutations.

To address this issue, proper analysis and monitoring of radioactive pollutants are crucial to ensure a safe water supply. Prevention and precaution measures can help mitigate anthropogenic sources of radioactive contamination in water resources. Treatment methods such as aeration, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and granular carbon adsorption are effective remedial measures for treating contaminated water.

The fashion industry, from the production of textiles to the washing of clothes

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters of the environment ever, contributing to both water pollution and waste. It produces around 92 million tonnes of waste annually, which is more than the waste from consumer electronics and twice as much as the food thrown away by supermarkets.

The fashion industry pollutes water throughout the entire production chain. Firstly, there is the runoff of fertilisers from cotton plantations into nearby lakes and rivers. Cotton is the most widely used natural fabric for clothing and requires large amounts of water for irrigation and treatment, depleting local freshwater and groundwater resources. To meet the high demand for cotton caused by the culture of fast fashion, pesticides and fertilisers are often used to increase output. The agrochemical-contaminated water then pollutes nearby water sources, posing threats to local biodiversity and human health.

Secondly, there is the production of synthetic fabric, which requires 70 million barrels of oil per year and releases lead, arsenic, benzene and other pollutants into water sources.

Thirdly, there is fabric dying and treatment, which generate about 20% of the world's wastewater. In Bangladesh alone, 1,500 billion litres of water are used annually in garment factories and mills, depleting the region’s dwindling groundwater resources and transporting byproducts and harmful contaminants, including oil, phenol, dyes, pesticides and heavy metals, into nearby water sources.

Finally, there is the use of the product, when washing releases fibres and dyes into the wastewater. This contributes to the release of half a million tonnes of microfibres into the waterways every year. These fibres can take hundreds of years to decompose and can disrupt underwater ecosystems.

The fashion industry is responsible for the consumption of 79 trillion litres of water annually, contributing to about 20% of industrial wastewater.

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