Chemical Pollution Incidents

Introduction

Pollution is the direct or indirect alteration of the physical, chemical or biological properties of a water resource so as to make it less fit for any beneficial purpose for which it may reasonably be expected to be used or harmful of potentially harmful to the welfare, health or safety of human beings; to any aquatic or non-aquatic organisms; to the resource quality or to property (Department of Life Sciences OAW20AT. Mrs. C De Kock and L Esterhuizen). Pollution incidents are very different from each other and of a various kind, ranging from large fires and chemical releases to shipping disasters, farm slurry spills, odours from waste sites and non-functioning sewerage systems in a manner that is supposed to. They may be caused

Recent pesticide and fungicide spillage from crop sprayers have resulted in a continuously death of many thousands of fish and has a huge impact on other wildlife. Petroleum is another form of chemical pollutant that is usually the main contaminants of water through oil spills when a ship ruptures. Oil spills usually have only a localized effect on wildlife also but can spread for miles. The oil can cause the death of many fish and stick to the feathers of seabirds causing them to lose the ability to fly.These types of incidents are almost always preventable through good housekeeping, staff training and good practices. These type of incidents must be attended and seek to make their impacts less harmful by working with associated businesses to isolate the pollution or by deploying equipment to remove it or render it harmless. Sometimes, despite the efforts of the operator, there is still damage to the environment which is why prevention should always be a business priority in case of these kinds of incidents. Some chemicals like insecticides are used in water for the benefit of the humans and other aquatic life so they say, but they are harmful to humans because they can cause human poisoning. Keeping in mind that many scientist are not recommending that insecticides because they believe that it is more toxic and causes even more damages to the environment and

There are a few things that an individual can do to help. Learning about the issue is the greatest and most important step to take. An individual should never throw rubbish away anyhow but always look for the correct waste bin. If there is none around it is advisable to take it home and put it in one’s trash can and this includes places like the beach, riverside and water bodies. By so doing one would have made a huge difference in pollution reduction. One should use water wisely, shouldn’t keep the tap running when not using it. An individual can also reduce the amount of water that is used in washing and bathing. If all this are done it can significantly prevent water shortages and reduce the amount of waste water that needs to be treated. It is advisable that one should not throw chemicals, oils, paints and medicines down the sink drain or the toilet. In many cities local environment office can help with the disposal of medicines and chemicals. One should check with the local authorities if there is any chemical disposal plan for local residents that will make thing easier for everyone. Buy more environmentally safe cleaning liquids that can be used at home and other public places because they are less dangerous to the environment. If one live close by a water body one should try to plant lots of trees and flowers around one’s home, so