US Green Living .com
The term pollution prevention refers to the measures taken to reduce the amount of pollution generated in the world. It is an alternative to pollution control which aims to improve pollution problems by managing the pollutant after it is created. Instead, pollution prevention’s goal is to tackle the issue at the very source of the problem. Pollution prevention, as defined by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 in the United States, is made up of four
different processes. These are source reduction, recycling, treatment, and lastly, disposal.
Preventing air pollution is one of the most important goals of pollution prevention. Examples of air pollutants are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. The vast majority of them are caused by human industrial activity. Mining, generating electricity, chemicals used in agriculture all lead to criteria air pollutants being emitted into the air, but the burning of fossil fuels in motor vehicles and factories is by far the greatest contributor to this problem. Air pollutants can be quite damaging to human health due to the events they cause. Each type can be linked to a number of health issues making their reduction all the more important.
More than 75 percent of the earth’s carbon monoxide emissions come from transportation sources that burn fossil fuels. It can create a number of problems for the human body. Contact with carbon monoxide impairs the lungs’ and heart’s ability to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body. For this reason, those who have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease are the most at risk when it comes to carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide has the ability to impair the brain’s functions and cause loss of dexterity and impairment of vision as well.
Another pollution prevention area of focus is water pollution. Industry is the biggest source of water pollution. Many factories release chemicals and manufacturing byproducts into water sources such as streams and rivers which in turn carry the contamination to other bodies of water. The acid rain caused by industrial air pollution also infects water sources. These bodies of water often serve as important water supplies for animals and people as well, especially in underdeveloped countries. The oil industry is responsible for numerous oil spills in oceans and lakes throughout the globe. These oil spills can be incredibly hazardous to marine animal and plant life.
Recognizing these types of pollution as well as many others, pollution prevention applies four steps in stopping it at its source. The first is source reduction. By preventing the creation waste like contaminants and other hazardous substances at their source, you can in turn prevent the damage associated with them. Next is recycling or reusing waste instead of simply discarding it. The third step is treatment. If waste is not able to be recycled, it should be treated in such a way to minimize its effects on the environment. The last process is disposal. When this is done, waste should be thrown away in the most environmentally responsible way possible.
