South Africa - Water Pollution in Durban Bay

The water-pollution in Durban Bay South Africa

China Yellow River Pollution

China Yellow River becoming more polluted, with water flow dropping despite billions of tons of waste water being pumped into China Yellow River

Israel’s water pollution photos in Haifa

We found  some pictures to show you just how disgusting the water pollution in Haifa really. Ammonia, phosphorous and unhealthy organic matter-filled wastewater being discharged to the sea.

Minamata Disease Photos

This is a photo about Minamata Disease's effect. verry sad !!

Garbage Pollution

Usually people don't think garbage would cause environmental pollution. In fact, garbage can cause the drop of air quality, water pollution and waste of resource. Besides, it influences the economic development.

Thus, prevention and management of garbage becomes a new important task for us. Therefore we need to know where the garbage comes from first.

First, it comes from industries. Industries produce various waster water, gas, toxic substances and chemical wastes. If they are placed in the open air or dumped or illegally poured into the river. As a result, the environment is damaged.

Second, domestic garbage: As citizens have weak awareness of environmental protection, they scatter waste paper and glasses. They use a lot of disposable products at will. Thus, much pollution is caused such as dust pollution.

Third, medical garbage: special products with a lot of bacteria have been leaved behind, including medical polluted water, medical wastes, one- shot injectors and so on.

Water Pollution in Manila, Philippines

Here, a trash-covered creek in Manila, Philippines, where slums often adjoin rubbish dumps. The country's poorest sift through the garbage to find discarded objects they can sell on or re-use, or even scraps of food to eat

Mount Merapi pyroclastic

Residents fled on a motorcycle under volcanic ash fall during the evacuation of a village in Klaten district, November 3, after Mount Merapi erupted. Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted in a terrifying new eruption of lava and red-hot rocks Wednesday, triggering panic and forced the government to order a new evacuation. Scientists say 9616 foot mountain in Central Java, erupted with more force from the explosion last week that killed 36 people, spewing huge clouds of burning gas into the sky.

Map of Regions with the World's Worst Pollution

A number of Canadian scientists has developed a global air pollution maps using satellite data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. From the data recorded, it turns out the air quality in China's most severe compared with other countries around the world.

Anhui province Industrial pollution pictures

In Ma'anshan, Anhui province (安徽 马鞍山), along the Yangtze River there are many small-scale factories, the selection of iron and plastic processing plants. Large amounts of wastewater discharged into the Yangtze River, June 18, 2009

Henan Anyang Iron and steel waste

Henan Anyang Iron and steel waste (steel plants 河南 安阳 钢铁 厂) flows into the River Anyang. March 25, 2008

Industrial waste in Xiaoshan

Industrial waste in Xiaoshan district of Zhejiang (浙江 萧山 化工 园区) eventually flows into the Qiantang River. April 24, 2009

Water Pollution Linked To Male Fertility

New research strengthens the link between water pollution and rising male fertility problems. The study, by Brunel University, the Universities of Exeter and Reading and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, shows for the first time how a group of testosterone-blocking chemicals is finding its way into UK rivers, affecting wildlife and potentially humans.The study identified a new group of chemicals that act as ‘anti-androgens’. This means that they inhibit the function of the male hormone, testosterone, reducing male fertility. Some of these are contained in medicines, including cancer treatments, pharmaceutical treatments, and pesticides used in agriculture. The research suggests that when they get into the water system, these chemicals may play a pivotal role in causing feminising effects in male fish.

Earlier research by Brunel University and the University of Exeter has shown how female sex hormones (estrogens), and chemicals that mimic estrogens, are leading to ‘feminisation’ of male fish. Found in some industrial chemicals and the contraceptive pill, they enter rivers via sewage treatment works. This causes reproductive problems by reducing fish breeding capability and in some cases can lead to male fish changing sex.

Other studies have also suggested that there may be a link between this phenomenon and the increase in human male fertility problems caused by testicular dysgenesis syndrome. Until now, this link lacked credence because the list of suspects causing effects in fish was limited to estrogenic chemicals whilst testicular dysgenesis is known to be caused by exposure to a range of anti-androgens.

Lead author on the research paper, Dr Susan Jobling at Brunel University’s Institute for the Environment, said: “We have been working intensively in this field for over ten years. The new research findings illustrate the complexities in unravelling chemical causation of adverse health effects in wildlife populations and re-open the possibility of a human – wildlife connection in which effects seen in wild fish and in humans are caused by similar combinations of chemicals. We have identified a new group of chemicals in our study on fish, but do not know where they are coming from. A principal aim of our work is now to identify the source of these pollutants and work with regulators and relevant industry to test the effects of a mixture of these chemicals and the already known environmental estrogens and help protect environmental health.”

Senior author Professor Charles Tyler of the University of Exeter said: ”Our research shows that a much wider range of chemicals than we previously thought is leading to hormone disruption in fish. This means that the pollutants causing these problems are likely to be coming from a wide variety of sources. Our findings also strengthen the argument for the cocktail of chemicals in our water leading to hormone disruption in fish, and contributing to the rise in male reproductive problems. There are likely to be many reasons behind the rise in male fertility problems in humans, but these findings could reveal one, previously unknown, factor.”

Bob Burn, Principal Statistician in the Statistical Services Centre at the University of Reading, said: ”State-of- the- art statistical hierarchical modelling has allowed us to explore the complex associations between the exposure and potential effects seen in over 1000 fish sampled from 30 rivers in various parts of England.”

The water pollution research took more than three years to complete and was conducted by the University of Exeter, Brunel University, University of Reading and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Statistical modelling was supported by Beyond the Basics Ltd.

The research team is now focusing on identifying the source of anti-androgenic chemicals, as well as continuing to study their impact on reproductive health in wildlife and humans.

The research water pollution was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council and water pollution is now published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Itai-itai disease: cadmium poisoning (1912)

Ittai-tai disease is caused by cadmium poisoning caused by mining in Toyama Prefecture. Increased demand for raw materials during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I, as well as new mining technology from Europe, increasing the output of mines, placing Kamioka Mining in Toyama between the world of mines. Production increased even more before World War II. Starting in 1910 and continued until 1945, cadmium discarded in significant quantities by mining operations, and the disease first appeared around the year 1912.

These mines are controlled by the Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co., Ltd,. mining is then increased pollution and children Jinzu River tributaries. This river is used mainly for irrigated fields, also for drinking, washing, fishing and other uses by the residents downstream.

Niigata Minamata disease : mercury poisoning (1965)

Niigata Minamata disease (新泻 水 俣 病, Minamata Niigata ) Is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Identical with the original symptoms of Minamata disease in Kumamoto Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, the second outbreak was confirmed with the same name in 1965.

The disease is caused by severe mercury poisoning, the source of methyl mercury in industrial dispose of waste water from mercury-sulfate-catalyzed production of acetaldehyde in Showa Electric Company chemical factory in the village Kanose. These highly toxic compounds dumped untreated into the River Agano first so that accumulated in the food chain, contaminating fish that when eaten by locals cause symptoms of ataxia, numbness in hands and feet, muscle weakness, narrowing of vision and hearing damage and disrupt the ability of speak.

690 victims of the incidents, the most responsible in this incident is Shōwa Electrical Works.

Minamata disease :mercury poisoning (1932 - 1968)

Minamata disease (水 俣 病, Minamata ), Sometimes referred to as Minamata disease, Chisso (チッソ 水俣病, Chisso-Minamata ), Is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in hands and feet, muscle weakness, narrowing the field of vision and damage to hearing and speaking. In extreme cases, can lead to madness, paralysis, coma and death follow in a few weeks after the onset of symptoms. This disease can also affect the fetus in the womb.

Minamata disease was first discovered in Minamata city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan in 1956. This is caused by the release of methyl mercury in industrial waste water from the Chisso Corporation chemical plant, which operated from 1932 to 1968. This highly toxic waste water and stored in shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, if eaten by local residents resulted in mercury poisoning.

In March 2001, 2265 victims have been officially recognized (1784 of whom have died) and over 10,000 have received financial compensation from Chisso. In 2004, Chisso Corporation has paid $ 86 million in compensation, within one year and ordered to clean up the contamination. Enforcement and the claim for compensation continues until this day.