Pollution

Class: Basic 5

Subject: Social Studies

Topic: Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances into the environment. These substances are called contaminants.

Contaminants can cause instability, disorder and harm to the ecosystem.

The ecosystem refers to the way living organisms interact with their physical environment.

There are different types of pollution, namely:

Air pollution;

Land pollution;

Water pollution and

Noise pollution.

Air pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the atmosphere. Air pollutants can be solid particles, liquid droplets or gases. They can also be natural or man-made. For example, one of the major sources of air pollutants is the exhaust fumes from vehicles. Vehicles run on petrol and diesel which release a lot of pollutants into the atmosphere. Factories and industries also release a lot of pollutants into the air.

Pollution inside homes is called indoor air pollution.

Indoor air pollution occurs in our homes and inside buildings. The major causes of indoor air pollution is smoking. Smoking cigarettes and tobacco can be very dangerous for our health. Smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease.

Examples of air pollutants are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, particulates and Sulphur dioxide.

Effects of Air Pollution

Air pollution can affect us and make us ill and unhealthy. It can have both short-term and long-term effects on our health.

The release of pollutants into the air is causing global warming.

Global warming is the increase of the average temperature on earth. This means the earth is getting hotter and hotter. This can lead to disasters such as hurricanes, droughts and floods.

Exercise:

1. What is pollution?

2. List the types of pollution.

3. The introduction of contaminants into the atmosphere is known as _________________________.

4. List three air pollutants.

5. What is global warming?

6. Mention three effects of air pollution.

7. Why is global warming harmful?