Nutrient Pollution
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/quality.shtml
UN Water for Life Decade
“Day after day, we pour millions of tons of untreated sewage and industrial and agricultural wastes into the world's water systems. Clean water has become scarce and will become even scarcer with the onset of climate change. And the poor continue to suffer first and most from pollution, water shortages and the lack of adequate sanitation." Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
- Every day, 2 million tons of sewage and other effluents drain into the world's waters.
- Every year, more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war.
- The most significant sources of water pollution are lack of inadequate treatment of human wastes and inadequately managed and treated industrial and agricultural wastes.
Sewage Sludge runoff and leachate enter groundwaters adjacent to wetlands and streams.
Declining water quality has become a global issue of concern as human populations grow, industrial and agricultural activities expand, and climate change threatens to cause major alterations to the hydrological cycle. Globally, the most prevalent water quality problem is eutrophication, a result of high-nutrient loads (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen), which substantially impairs beneficial uses of water. Major nutrient sources include agricultural runoff, domestic sewage (also a source of microbial pollution), industrial effluents and atmospheric inputs from fossil fuel burning and bush fires. Lakes and reservoirs are particularly susceptible to the negative impacts of eutrophication because of their complex dynamics, relatively longer water residence times and their role as an integrating sink for pollutants from their drainage basins. Nitrogen concentrations exceeding 5 milligrams per litre of water often indicate pollution from human and animal waste or fertilizer runoff from agricultural areas. An emerging water quality concern is the impact of personal care products and pharmaceuticals, such as birth control pills, painkillers and antibiotics, on aquatic ecosystems.
Nutrient Pollution supports the growth of algae and other microbes in forest soils and waters.
Nutrient pollution affects water quality across the country
https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution
The impacts of nutrient pollution are found in all types of water bodies. Pollutants often enter upstream waters, then flow into larger water bodies like lakes, rivers and bays. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus can also travel thousands of miles to coastal areas where the effects of the pollution are felt in the form of massive dead zones, such as those in the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay. More than 100,000 miles of rivers and streams, close to 2.5 million acres of lakes, reservoirs and ponds, and more than 800 square miles of bays and estuaries in the United States have poor water quality because of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Also, nutrients soak into ground water, which provides drinking water to millions of Americans.
Effects on Human Health
Nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms create toxins and compounds that are dangerous to your health. There are several ways that people can be exposed to these compounds. Nutrient pollution is one of America's most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems, and is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water. Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are natural parts of aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen and phosphorus support the growth of algae and aquatic plants, which provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish and smaller organisms that live in water.
When too much nitrogen and phosphorus enter the environment, the water can become polluted. Nutrient pollution has impacted many streams, rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters for decades, resulting in serious environmental and human health issues.
Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle. Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food resources and habitats, and decrease the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. Large growths of algae are called algal blooms and they can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the water, leading to illnesses in fish and the death of large numbers of fish. Some algal blooms are harmful to humans because they produce elevated toxins and bacterial growth that can make people sick if they come into contact with polluted water, consume tainted fish or shellfish, or drink contaminated water.
Nutrient pollution in ground water, which millions of people in the United States use as their drinking water source, can be harmful, even at low levels. Infants are vulnerable to a nitrogen-based compound called nitrates in drinking water. Excess nitrogen in the atmosphere can produce pollutants such as ammonia and ozone, which can impair our ability to breathe, limit visibility and alter plant growth.
Drinking water can be a source of exposure to chemicals caused by nutrient pollution. Drinking, accidentally swallowing or swimming in water affected by a harmful algal bloom can cause serious health problems including: Rashes, Stomach or liver illness, Respiratory problems, Neurological affects.
Nitrate, a compound found in fertilizer, often contaminates drinking water in agricultural areas. Infants who drink water too high in nitrates can become seriously ill and even die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-tinted skin, a condition known as blue baby syndrome.
Byproducts of water treatment: Stormwater runoff carries nutrients directly into rivers, lakes and reservoirs, which serve as sources of drinking water for many people. When disinfectants used to treat drinking water react with toxic algae, harmful chemicals called dioxins can be created. These byproducts have been linked to reproductive and developmental health risks and even cancer.
Sources and Solutions: Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus that wash into water bodies are often the direct result of human activities. The primary sources of nutrient pollution are:
- Agriculture: Animal manure, excess fertilizer applied to crops and fields, and soil erosion make agriculture one of the largest sources of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the country.
- Stormwater: Rain washes across hard surfaces, such as roofs, sidewalks and roads, and carries pollutants, including nitrogen and phosphorus, into local waterways.
- Wastewater: Our sewer and septic systems are responsible for treating large quantities of waste, and these systems do not always operate properly or remove enough nitrogen and phosphorus before discharging into waterways.
- Fossil Fuels: Electric power generation, industry, transportation and agriculture have increased the amount of nitrogen in the air through use of fossil fuels.
Clean Water Act
Implementing Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). Identifying Polluted Waters and Developing Plans to Restore Them.
2016 Integrated Report Information
A Long-term Vision for the 303(d) Program
Forest-disposed toxic sewage sludge flows to surface and groundwaters in rain
Human Health and Contaminated Water
https://www.epa.gov/privatewells/human-health-and-contaminated-water
Contamination from human activity
Septic tanks are designed to have a “leach field” around them, an area where wastewater flows out of the tank. This wastewater can also move into the ground water.
Bacteria and Nitrates: These contaminants are found in human and animal wastes. Septic tanks or large numbers of farm animals can also cause bacterial and nitrate pollution. Both septic systems and animal manures must be carefully managed to prevent private well contamination.
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs): The number of CAFOs, often called “factory farms,” is growing. On these farms thousands of animals are raised in a small space. The large amounts of animal wastes/manures from these farms can threaten water supplies. Strict and careful manure management is needed to prevent pathogen and nutrient problems in private wells. Salts from high levels of manures can also pollute ground water.
Heavy Metals: Activities such as mining and construction can release large amounts of heavy metals into nearby ground water sources. Some older fruit orchards may contain high levels of arsenic, once used as a pesticide. At high levels, these metals pose a health risk.
Fertilizers and Pesticides: Farmers use fertilizers and pesticides to promote growth and reduce insect damage.
Industrial Products and Wastes: Many harmful chemicals are used widely in local business and industry. These can become drinking water pollutants if not well managed.
Household Wastes: Improper disposal of many common products can pollute ground water.
Water Contamination
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/other/agricultural/contamination.html
Overview: Over the past few decades, the increase in population and advances made in farming technology has increased the demand for crops and livestock from the agricultural industry. This growth in agricultural production has resulted in an increase in contaminants polluting soil and waterways. The increase in contaminants has prompted efforts to reduce the amount of pollutants in waterways in order to improve overall water quality.
Sources: Agriculture in many parts of the world is highly efficient in producing and delivering high-quality products to consumers. However, when agricultural activities are not well-monitored and managed, certain practices can negatively affect water quality.
Agricultural Runoff: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is pollution that comes from many diffuse sources, unlike pollution from point sources such as industrial and sewage treatment plants. “Polluted runoff is created by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into watersheds via lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water.”
In 2002, in the National Water Quality Inventory report to U.S. Congress, the states reported that agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is the leading cause of river and stream impairment and the second leading cause of impairment in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/w2598e/w2598e07.htm
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/pesticides.html
Impacts on Human Health
An estimated 2.2 million people are at risk due to exposure from agricultural pesticides, with the majority of this population being locating in developing nations.
Pesticides can enter the human body through inhalation, ingestion, or by dermal penetration through the skin. Those who work with agricultural pesticides are the most at risk if they are not properly dressed or if there are broken and leaking equipment. The majority of average citizens who are effected by the pesticides intake the pesticide through consumption of a food that was been contaminated with a pesticide.
Pesticide Exposure Effects
http://www.worstpolluted.org/projects_reports/display/85
Pesticides cause headaches, blurred vision, vomiting, abdominal pain, suppress the immune system, lead to blood and liver diseases, depression, asthma, and nerve damage. The issue with these effects is that they may wait appear until a while after being ingested so tracing the symptoms back to the pesticide can prove to be quite difficult. Many of the symptoms can be mistaken for the flu and therefore not properly treated. The inactive ingredients such as chloroform can also cause serious risks to the liver and nervous system. These effects can also be experienced by the animals living around the streams where the pesticides accumulate. The pesticides bioaccumulate within the animals as they are not easily soluble, as that animal is eaten by another animal the pesticide then biomagnifies and obtains an even higher concentration as it moves further up the food chain.
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