Industrial Pollution
Industrial pollution is the cause the most devastating ocean pollution events. Oil Spill is one of the most reason for the water contamination.Some of the more major spills in recent times include the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 1989 and the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
The polluted ocean.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 1989
Exxon Valdez was a VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) oil tanker that ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989 at 12:04 AM. Exxon Valdez was carrying 1.26 million barrels of oil at the time of this collision, and, as a result of its grounding, spilled over one fifth (about 257,000 barrels) of its cargo. The total volume of the spill could fill 125 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Over four summers were spent on the cleanup effort, which cost more than $2 billion on Exxon’s account, before the cleanup effort was abandoned. Some of the beaches remain oiled to this day, while the original spill covered more than 1,300 miles of shoreline. [3]
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill 2010
Deepwater Horizon was a semi-submersible oil drilling rig that was stationed in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana and operated by BP. On April 20, 2010, a blowout aboard Deepwater Horizon caused an explosion which killed 11 of the crew and displaced the rig from its attachment to the well at the bottom of the ocean. As a result of this displacement, the well was left open to vent directly into the sea. The well was not capped for another 87 days because of the difficulty in sending a probe more than 5,000 feet beneath the surface. During this time more than 3.19 million barrels of oil were let into the ocean, more than twice as many as the Exxon Valdez spill from 20 years earlier. Over 1,000 miles of shoreline along the Gulf were impacted by this spill. [4]
Woburn Massachusetts Water Contamination
Industrial solvent is the reason causing the water pollution of the river in Woburn Massachusetts. Since 1969 to 1979, there were 12 incidence of childhood leukemia happening in this area. Other than the leukemia, The residents show high risks of getting liver, kidney, prostate and urinary cancer. The risks of congenital abnormalities and birth defects were also pretty high during that period. The high chemical content has found in the Woburn water contamination, which are PCE and TCE. They are the major cause of the diseases above.[5]
The chemicals from the bucket which cause the water pollution.
Drinking Water
Drinking water crises are some of the most human-affecting issues with water experienced globally. Whether it is a contamination to a drinking source or a lack of water to drink, problems with drinking water can affect the well-being of thousands of people.
Flint Water Crisis
For the past one to two years the city of Flint, Michigan has been undergoing a drinking water crisis. Since switching the water source from the Detroit River and Lake Huron to the Flint River, the drinking water in Flint has been plagued with high levels of lead and other contaminants. Lead levels up to 10 times higher than average were reported upon further investigation, with this having many health implications for those effected including: skin lesions, hair loss, high lead levels in the blood, vision loss, memory loss, depression and anxiety. This crisis is ongoing, with many national efforts to correct and prevent similar issues from occurring in the future. [5]
Yamuna India
The river “Yamuna India”, which takes over 70% of sources of New Delhi”s water supply, is a perfect example of a polluted river. The water contamination of this Indian river is horrible. Death, disease, cancer, organ damage appears in people’s life because of the river. Not only the pesticides cause the pollution of river, the heavy metals, such as copper, lead, zinc and nickel are also the causes. Even though the filter and filtering techniques are used by people right now, but they can not solve the water pollution radically.[5]
An Indian in the Yamuna River