By Nature Foundation St. Maarten
In this edition of the Kids Herald, we go deeper into pollution. When an area is polluted, it means that the water, air or the ground has been made dirty or harmful for living beings, usually by waste products or added chemicals. The harmful materials are called pollutants.
The major kinds of pollution to the environment are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. In our modern day society, we often also talk about specific types of pollutants, such as noise pollution.
Air pollution
Air pollution is when unwanted chemicals and gasses enter the air causing harm to living beings like humans, animals and plants.
Sometimes, air pollution comes from nature, as is the case with the volcano, La Soufriere, from our Caribbean neighbour island St. Vincent. A year ago, that volcano erupted for the first time in 40 years, sending an ash plume of 10 km into the sky. The ashes travelled miles away, even reaching St. Maarten where the sky was hazy for days.
The Saharan dust that travels all the way off the coast of Africa is also an example of natural air pollution. Many people have difficulty with breathing, and burning eyes because of the dust.
Human air pollution is caused by things such as factories, power plants, cars, airplanes, chemicals, fumes from spray cans, and dangerous gasses and fires from landfills.
Our burning dump on St. Maarten is a good (but BAD!) example of release of harmful pollutants in our air.
Water pollution
Water pollution happens when toxic pollutants go into water bodies such as lakes, rivers and seas. This generally happens through human activities like improper sewage systems, oil spills or regular trash that ends up in water.
A year ago, Nature Foundation got a call for a huge oil spill that came from a local utilities company in the Cay Bay area. This type of pollution causes huge damage to fish, birds, plants and other sea creatures, and so the thick, heavy oil had to be cleaned up as soon as possible.
Land pollution
Land pollution happens when trash or other harmful chemicals or materials get left behind on land. Besides the germs that can make people and animals sick, the ground can also get contaminated. Contaminated soil can make plants sick, and if those plants are eaten by humans or animals, they too can get sick.
Noise pollution
Although a bit different than the three main pollution types, noise pollution can also seriously affect a person’s health. Loud music, from bars or events like Carnival when trucks with big speakers pass through Front Street while onlookers are just a few meters away, can lead to deafness or other health problems like insomnia.
Animals can also experience noise pollution. Did you know that in the sea around our island, a lot fewer sea mammals are to be found than around Martinique and Guadeloupe? Dolphins and whales are very sensitive to noise. And although there is no physical wall in the sea that blocks dolphins or whales from swimming in our waters, the noise from the heavy traffic of cargo and cruise ships that sail to our island do keep them away.
Definitions
Toxic: when something has poison or is dangerous.
Improper: not good, not acceptable.
Sewage: waste water that comes from when we use the toilet, take a shower or wash dishes and clothes.
Contaminated: polluted, dirty and dangerous.
Insomnia: not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Sources: www.britannica.com, http://starnoldsvijaynagar.com
