Water pollution Flashcards
(10 cards)
What are the causes of water pollution?
- Insoluble substances
- Soluble substances
- Germs from toilet waste
What insoluble substances pollute water?
oil
plastics
tyres
tins
glass
toilet waster
Explain how oil pollutes water & the consequences thereof
Ships spill oil into the sea
Oil gets stuck in birds feathers
Birds can’t spread out wings to dry
Birds can’t fly (with oil in feathers)
Birds die from cold/starvation
Explain how plastics pollute water & the consequences thereof
- Bags look like jelly fish in the water –> turtles eat the bags & die
- Animals (eg. seals & penguins) get stuck in fishing line and get hurt / die
What is solid toilet waste called? how can it pollute water?
called faeces
it is insoluble and needs bacteria to break it down; germs in the faeces make people sick (if drink/bath/swim in it)
What soluble substances pollute water?
soaps
fertilizers
insecticides
acids
poisonous chemicals
(very dangerous because invisible so you don’t realise that the water is polluted)
Explain how fertilizers & soaps pollute water & the consequences thereof
They lower the oxygen levels in the water
–> organisms die due to lack of oxygen
Explain the the consequences metals & chemical pollutants in water
- poisonous to animals & humans
- mining waste & paint contain lead –> lead causes brain & kidney damage if consumed
- if crops are watered with contaminated water, chemicals get into our food
Explain how insecticides pollute water & the consequences thereof
- Sprayed on crops to control & kill insects
- Rain washes the insecticides from fields into rivers & dams
- Insecticides point animals in the water
- Humans or animals that eat the polluted animals can be poisoned
Explain how germs pollute water & the consequences thereof
Germs get into the water when
- people do not have toilets at home &
- they use bodies of water as a toilet or if they put their toilet waste into the water
The germs make people very sick
Diseases include diarrhoea & cholera (which are deadly)
