Introduction And History Of Anthropogenic Pollution

It is only within the last decades that the world became increasingly concerned about the public health effects associated with environmental pollution. In fact, the industrial revolution far outweighed the phenomenon of environmental pollution as we now know it to be. People in developing countries are more prone to toxic contamination from industrial practices. Over the years, due to rapidly developing technology, people have been exposed to a wide variety of broad-spectrum compounds. Technology has given us apparent simplicity, and thousands of substances produced in various fields are on the market each year. The global production of anthropogenic chemicals increased from 1 million to 400 million tons for each year between 1930 and 2000. Statistics produced by Euro-Stat show that more than 50% of the chemicals produced contributed to hazardous environmental products within 2002-2011. Furthermore, more than 70% of these chemicals describe a significant impact in the environment.

During the last few decades, the world has revealed the lethal effects of unbridled growth of various human activities like urbanization, transportation, industry and agriculture. This has further worsened with the growth of living standards and greater consumer demand through numerous chemicals, leachates, nutrients, oil spills, etc. Apart from the use of disposable or non-biodegradable materials and inadequate facilities for waste, hazardous wastes, sludge, pesticide spills are also a common cause.

It means the introduction of polluting agents into the surroundings that cause nuisance or harm to other living beings or damage the environment. Pollutants can be a chemical entity or an energy source, such as light, heat or sound. They are natural products, but in the presence of concentration higher than their natural amount in the environment, they are called pollutants. Pollutants were divided by Santos into two categories: biodegradable and nonbiodegradable. Biodegradable is easily breakable, which is decomposed in the process of living organisms of the world, including phosphate organic waste products, and inorganic salts. Non-biodegradable cannot be broken down by living organisms; it remains in the ecology for a long time which can take an exceptionally long period. They consist of materials such as plastics metals pesticides glass radioactive isotopes.

Since Silent Spring was first published by Rachel Carson, it has been pointing out the persistence and concern over the persistence and biological effects of anthropogenic contaminants. Forms of pollution exist that negatively impact plants, animals, mankind, as well as wild animals by reducing or killing the health status of their individual organisms. Anthropogenic contamination through environmental pollution begins with the manifestation of mankind. When Homo sapiens lit fires, its smoke was the first environmental pollution. All living organisms of this world have to face due to the dramatic increase in pollution during the last few years.

This review focuses mainly on ecosystem pollution, and it attempts to outline some of the key characteristics of anthropogenic pollutants, particularly water, and soil pollutants, as well as pesticides, PAHs, and heavy metals.

History of Anthropogenic Pollution

Anthropogenic pollution is not something new; it has existed for thousands of years since man learned to handle fire. The soil of caves is doped with heavy layers of soot several thousand years ago. Thus, it must have been very difficult for cavemen to breathe due to the smoke. Moreover, their eyes got irritated due to the smoke inside a room. Even the lungs of mummies that date back to the Paleolithic period have been found to be black. Environmental pollution was the cause of various diseases in early times. Human excreta must have been the first environmental pollution. Some bacteria present in the human intestine, such as Escherichia coli, may have adopted this way from the feces to the springs and inflicted diseases on early man. This environmental pollution has caused the illness of millions even today. Dust pollution also came into existence in early times. This caused populations to be concentrated in cities, an effect of the industrial revolution which in turn increased air pollution levels, due to the burning of fossil fuels and rivers being filled with organic pollutants in the form of sewage.

Traffic increased the air pollution of cities. Many new classes of chemicals, including halogenated organic compounds, alkyl phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) and phthalates, were synthesized solely for the home market and for use in industry and agriculture. These chemicals entered the environment directly from these sources. The older pollutants undoubtedly affected populations of wildlife and human health, but we are only now becoming aware of the effects from newer pollutants. Their effects may be as bad or worse.

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