Chemical Pollution (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what chemical pollution is, its origin, causes and consequences. Types of pollutants and forms of pollution.

What is chemical pollution?

Chemical contamination, or also chemical risk, is understood as the ability of certain elements and substances, generally used industrially, to enter other compounds, organic tissues and even ecosystems, causing unpredictable and often toxic or lethal changes, such as consequence of uncontrolled chemical reactions.

From a certain point of view, it could be said that all forms of pollution are chemical, since it consists of the introduction of harmful substances into an environment to which they are foreign, and from which it is then difficult to extract them. However, the case of chemical contamination is distinguished from others in that Its causal elements come directly from the chemical industry and constitute toxic or dangerous substances.

Origin of chemical contamination

The presence of chemical elements or chemical substances in an uncontrolled manner in terrestrial ecosystems has occurred throughout its geological history on multiple occasions especially as a consequence of long periods of volcanic activity or, even, the appearance and flowering of photosynthetic plant life, which gradually filled the Earth's atmosphere with gaseous oxygen.

However, in his very brief history on the planet, human beings have altered the balance of ecosystems much more quickly and radically, due to the launch of industries, especially after the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century.

Human beings' understanding of the way matter operates has allowed them to manufacture substances and manipulate the atoms that constitute them, but underproducing in the process other useless and often harmful substances, which in the absence of better management will end up in the environment. Once there, these can enter wildlife and destroy the chemical balance of the ecosystem, having truly serious consequences for the sustainability of life on the planet.

Causes of chemical pollution

For the most part, the causes of chemical pollution are from human sources. There are also chemical materials spewed from underground by volcanoes and geysers, but these events are more infrequent and often give nature the time necessary to recover from ecological damage.

Consequences of chemical pollution

Chemical pollution has serious consequences on the molecular balance of ecosystems and life itself, such as:

High levels of toxicity Which leads to massive deaths of animal, plant or microscopic species, destroying the trophic (food) balance of a given ecosystem, and decreasing its biodiversity.
Chronic diseases Such as cancer, respiratory failure, skin damage, etc., both in humans and in animals and plants.
Unpredictable chemical reactions When introduced into weather and climate cycles, these substances can produce unexpected reactions that give rise to phenomena such as acid rain, for example, in which instead of raining water, a very mild acid rains down, causing material damage.
Biochemical accumulation Certain contaminants can be stored in the bodies of living beings, traveling from one place to another as one animal devours another, and eventually reaching our own food, entering our bodies and causing us diseases.

Types of polluting chemicals

Chemical pollutants can be classified according to their effect on the environment into:

Poisons Substances that, when introduced into the body of living beings, inhibit or dramatically alter their vital biochemical processes and cause death.
Mutagenic Substances whose presence in the organism of living beings affects the conformation of DNA molecules, thus causing unpredictable mutations, some of which can be transmitted generationally.
Corrosives Materials that, when interacting with organic matter, cause corrosion, that is, violent oxidation, causing irreparable damage to it.
Asphyxiating Especially gases, they are lighter than air and tend to displace it, occupying the space of the lungs and generating mechanical asphyxiation in living beings.
Radioactive Atomically unstable substances that emit particles and energy waves at such a frequency that they affect DNA, causing genetic damage and promoting diseases.

Forms of chemical contamination

Chemical contamination generally occurs through inhalation (breathing toxic gases) or direct contact (penetration through the skin), or irradiation (simply by being in the vicinity of the material) in the case of radioactive materials.

In the case of human beings, these behaviors can be controlled and immediate damage minimized but not so in animals or plants, which suffer the effects of chemical pollution and eventually bring them to our own food. Furthermore, we cannot foresee the damage to the ecosystem that occurs silently when dumping substances, let's say, into rivers. Its effects will be observable in the long term, generally when it is too late.

Main chemical contaminants

The main chemical pollutants today are:

Heavy metals. Metal elements used in the manufacture of tools, pipes and other industrial uses, capable of releasing particles over time that end up suspended in the air, in water or as part of food, and that in the long run can cause poisoning or incidents of illness. cancer.
Chemical pesticides Substances used in the agricultural industry and that fulfill the function of protecting crops from insects, bacteria or even herbs that can ruin them, but that also have a residual presence in groundwater and in the food itself, making them slightly toxic for consumption.
Medication residues The disposal of expired or unnecessary medications must occur through appropriate mechanisms, or else their active components will end up in the environment, thus becoming biochemical contaminants.
Commercial waste The chemical content of batteries, aerosol products, disinfectants and other products used daily in our homes almost always end up in the environment and, in large proportions, become a source of harmful chemicals.

Radioactivity

Radioactivity is one of the most serious cases of chemical contamination that exist, since they are unstable chemical elements, which emit particles and energetic waves constantly and in all directions, passing through practically all matter (except lead, which is why it is used to contain this type of materials) and damaging above all the genetic material of living beings.

Radioactive materials have a variable decay period, but in some cases it can be extremely long, as occurs in plutonium-239 that emits radiation for 24,100 years used during the 20th century in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Chemtrails

The chemtrails (from English chemical trails“chemical traces”) are the name that some conspiracy theories give to condensation trails left by airplanes in the atmosphere which would contain, according to these theories, chemical or biological contaminating agents, which dark powers behind the pharmaceutical industry use to keep the population sick and be able to sustain the business of pharmacology.

How to prevent chemical contamination?

Chemical pollution requires firm measures from societies to reduce the amount of harmful materials dumped into the environment on a daily basis. This can mean:

Strict government controls for the chemical, petrochemical and steel industries regarding the management of wastewater, vapors and waste.
Exemplary punishments for those who cause environmental damage through poor or irresponsible handling of chemical substances.
Prohibition of marketing of products with harmful chemical elements, promotion of the consumption of eco-healthy alternatives and recycling strategies so that these products do not end up in the environment.
Prohibition or control of agrochemicals and promotion of independent, objective and self-financed studies that evaluate each product before its mass use.
Recycling systems for hazardous materials: batteries, medications, empty aerosol containers, etc.
Awareness campaigns so that the population understands the risks of chemical contamination.

Examples of chemical contamination

Some classic examples of chemical contamination are those caused by certain chemical industries in the ocean: by pouring their waters full of sulfates and other substances into the water, they encourage the growth (by overfeeding) of certain algae and similar organisms, whose population increases to the point of suffocating other species and then competing with themselves, dying massively and rotting on the shores of the sea, which is all detrimental to biological diversity and marine biotic balance.

Another traditional example has to do with the use of DDT as a pesticide during the 20th century until its ban after traces of this toxic substance were found in animals on the other side of the world, as well as in food and even wastewater for human consumption.

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