Point Source Pollution

Point Source Pollution

Point source (PS) pollution is the release of pollutants from a single, specific, identifiable source, such as municipal sewage discharges in urban areas and industrial water wastes from various manufacturers (Wu & Chen, 2013). The primary sources of pollutants in PS pollution are discharges from factories and water treatment plants. Point source pollution includes effluent from water treatments that release harmful microorganisms and nutrients into water systems like rivers or lakes. Other examples of PS include factories like power stations, paper mills, and chemical production companies. These factories may release air and water pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (benzene) and substances possessing carcinogenic properties (Kibble & Harrison, 2005). Do you need urgent assignment help ? Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com. We endeavor to provide you with excellent service.

Nonpoint Source Pollution

Unlike PS pollution, nonpoint source (NPS) pollution results from a combination of pollutants from various sources. It is caused by snowmelt and rain flowing over the ground. To elaborate, rainfall or snowmelt runoff moves and picks up natural and anthropogenic pollutants and deposits them into water systems, including rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Airborne pollutants also contribute to this kind of pollution. For example, sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxides combine with water to form acid rain. These pollutants end up in water systems due to runoff associated with acid rain (National Geographic Society, 2019).

Water pollutants

Water pollutants are physical, biological, or chemical substances that cause detrimental or aesthetic effects on aquatic life or water consumers (Goel, 2006). Types of water pollutants include inorganic pollutants. Most developing countries are associated with the contamination of drinking water by harmful chemicals such as nitrates, nitrites, and heavy metals. High levels of these inorganic pollutants in water systems- resulting from drain water from agricultural fields and industrial sewages- result in many health complications. For instance, nitrite is a natural carcinogen and increases the risks of esophageal, stomach, and liver cancers. High nitrite levels also increase ammonium levels in the body (Pooja et al., 2020).

References

Goel, P. (2006). Water pollution. New Age International.

Kibble, A., & Harrison, R. (2005). Point sources of air pollution. Occupational Medicine, 55(6), 425-431. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqi138

Pooja, D., Kumar, P., Singh, P., & Patip, S. (2020). Sensors in Water Pollutants Monitoring: Role of Material. Advanced Functional Materials and Sensors. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0671-0

Society, N. (2019). Point Source and Nonpoint Sources of Pollution. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2 February 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/point-source-and-nonpoint-sources-pollution/.

Wu, Y., & Chen, J. (2013). Investigating the effects of point source and nonpoint source pollution on the water quality of the East River (Dongjiang) in South China. Ecological Indicators, 32, 294-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2013.04.002

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Provide one example of point source pollution and one example of nonpoint source pollution. Identify one type of water pollutant and describe the effects this pollutant has on the environment.