Our planet is made up of chemical elements. These are mainly iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, sulfur, nickel, calcium and aluminum. Living organisms that exist on Earth also consist of chemical elements, organic and inorganic. Basically it is water, that is, oxygen and hydrogen. Still in the composition of living beings there is sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and so on. The excretions of living beings, as well as their remains, are composed of chemicals and compounds. All spheres of the planet - water, air, soil - are complexes of chemicals. All living and non-living nature interact with each other, resulting in, including pollution. But if everything consists of chemical elements, then they can also exchange and pollute each other with chemical elements. So, chemical pollution of the environment is the only type of pollution? Until recently, this was the case. There was only the chemistry of the environment and living organisms. But the achievements of science and their introduction into production have created other, apart from chemical forms and types of pollution. Now we are already talking about energy, radiation, noise, and so on. In addition, at present, the chemistry of the environment has begun to be supplemented with substances and compounds that were not previously found in nature and were created by man in the production process, that is, artificially. These substances are called xenobiotics. Nature is unable to process them. They do not enter the food chain and accumulate in the environment and organisms.

Chemical pollution still remains and is the main one.

Is pollution possible if the composition of the substance and its pollutant are the same? Perhaps because pollution occurs when the concentration of certain elements in a certain place or environment increases.

Thus, chemical pollution of the environment is an additional introduction into nature, including its flora and fauna, of chemical elements of natural and artificial origin. Sources of pollution are all processes occurring on Earth, both natural and man-made. The main characteristic of pollution can be considered the degree of their impact on living and inanimate nature. The consequences of pollution can be: eliminated and not, local and global, one-time and systematic, and so on.

The science

The ever-increasing anthropogenic influence on nature and the growing scale of its pollution gave impetus to the creation of a branch of chemistry called "Environmental Chemistry". Here the processes and transformations occurring in the soil, hydro- and atmosphere are studied, natural compounds and their origin are studied. That is, the scope of this section of scientific activity is the chemical processes in the biosphere, the migration of elements and compounds along natural chains.

In turn, environmental chemistry has its own subsections. One studies the processes occurring in the lithosphere, the other - in the atmosphere, the third - in the hydrosphere. In addition, there are departments that study pollutants of natural and anthropogenic origin, their sources, transformations, movement, and so on. At present, another department has been created - ecological, the scope of research of which is very close and sometimes identified with the general direction.

Environmental Chemistry is developing methods and means of protecting nature and is looking for ways to improve existing cleaning and disposal systems. This branch of chemistry is closely related to such areas of scientific research as ecology, geology, and so on.

It can be assumed that the largest source of environmental pollution is the chemical industry. But it is not so. Compared to other sectors of industrial production, or transport, enterprises in this industry emit significantly less pollutants. However, the composition of these substances contains much more various chemical elements and compounds. These are organic solvents, amines, aldehydes, chlorine, oxides and much more. It was at chemical enterprises that xenobiotics were synthesized. That is, this industry pollutes nature with its production and produces products that are an independent source of pollution. That is, for the environment, the sources of chemical pollution and production, and products, and the results of its use.

Chemical science and industry, key branches of human activity. They research, develop, and then produce and apply substances and compounds that serve as the basis for the structure of everything on Earth, including itself. The results of these activities have a real opportunity to influence the structure of living and non-living matter, the stability of the existence of the biosphere, the existence of life on the planet.

Types of pollution and their sources

Chemical pollution of the environment, as well as the corresponding branch of science, is conditionally divided into three types. Each species corresponds to a layer in the Earth's biosphere. These are chemical pollution: lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere.

Atmosphere. The main sources of air pollution are: industry, transport and thermal stations, including household boilers. In industrial production, metallurgical plants, chemical enterprises and cement factories are leading in terms of emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Substances pollute the air both when they first enter it, and by derivative compounds formed in the atmosphere itself.

Hydrosphere. The main sources of pollution of the Earth's water basin are discharges from industrial enterprises, household services, accidents and ship discharges, runoff from agricultural land, and so on. Pollutants are both organic and inorganic substances. The main ones include: compounds of arsenic, lead, mercury, inorganic acids and hydrocarbons in various forms and forms. Toxic heavy metals do not decompose and accumulate in organisms living in water. Oil and oil products pollute water both mechanically and chemically. Spilling a thin film on the surface of the water, they reduce the amount of light and oxygen in the water. As a result, the process of photosynthesis slows down, and decay accelerates.

Lithosphere. The main sources of soil pollution are the household sector, industrial enterprises, transport, heat power engineering and agriculture. As a result of their activities, heavy metals, pesticides, oil products, acidic compounds, and the like get into the ground. Changes in the chemical and physical composition of soils, as well as their structure, lead to the loss of their productivity, erosion, destruction and weathering.

Environmental chemistry has information about more than 5 million types of compounds, and their number is constantly growing, which in one way or another "travel" through the biosphere. More than 60,000 such compounds are involved in production activities.

Main pollutants and elements

Environmental chemistry considers the following elements and compounds as the main pollutants of nature.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas. An active compound that reacts with substances that make up the atmosphere. It underlies the formation of the "greenhouse effect". It is toxic and this property grows in the presence of nitrogen in the air.

Sulfur dioxide and sulfuric anhydride increase the acidity of the soil. Which leads to the loss of its fertility.

Hydrogen sulfide. Colorless gas. Distinguishable by the bright smell of rotten eggs. It is a reducing agent and oxidizes in air. It ignites at a temperature of 225 0 C. It is an accompanying gas in hydrocarbon deposits. It is present in volcanic gases, in mineral springs, and occurs at depths of more than 200 meters in the Black Sea. In nature, the source of its appearance is the decomposition of protein substances. In industrial production, it appears during the purification of oil and gas. used to obtain sulfur and sulfuric acid, various sulfur compounds, heavy water, in medicine. Hydrogen sulfide is toxic. It affects the mucous membranes and respiratory organs. If for most living organisms, it is a toxic substance, then for some microorganisms and bacteria it is a habitat.

nitrogen oxides. It is a poisonous gas that is colorless and odorless. Their danger grows in cities, where they mix with carbon and form photochemical smog. This gas adversely affects the human respiratory tract and can lead to pulmonary edema. It, together with sulfur oxide, is a source of acid rain.

Sulfur dioxide. A gas with a pungent, colorless odor. Affects the mucous membrane of the eyes and respiratory organs.

A negative impact on nature is caused by an increased content of fluorine, lead and chlorine compounds, hydrocarbons and their vapors, aldehydes and much more.

Substances designed and created to increase land fertility and crop productivity ultimately lead to soil degradation. The low degree of their assimilation at the places of application makes it possible for them to spread over considerable distances and “feed” plants that are not at all the ones for which they are intended. The main medium for their movement is water. Accordingly, a significant increase in green mass is also observed in it. Water bodies overgrow and disappear.

Almost all “chemical” pollutants of the natural environment have such a complex negative effect.

Until now, xenobiotics or artificially synthesized substances are classified as a separate category of pollutants. They do not enter the normal food chain cycle. There are no effective ways to process them artificially. Xenobiotics accumulate in soil, water, air, living organisms. They migrate from body to body. How will this accumulation end and what is its critical mass?

The result of human impact on the environment, namely, his activity gave rise to the seemingly impossible pollution of nature by what it consists of, is a change in its fundamental, deep composition and structure. The concentration of some chemical elements and the decrease in the volumes of others, generates unexplored and unpredictable, in terms of consequences, effects in the biosphere.

Video - How air pollution affects health

Chemical pollution - the introduction of pollutants into the ecosystem that are alien to it or in concentrations exceeding the background ones.

Any chemical pollution is the appearance of a chemical in a place not intended for it. Pollution arising from human activity is the main factor in its harmful impact on the natural environment.

Chemical pollutants can cause acute poisoning, chronic diseases, and also have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. For example, heavy metals can accumulate in plant and animal tissues, causing a toxic effect. In addition to heavy metals, especially dangerous pollutants are chlordioxins, which are formed from chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons used in the production of herbicides. Sources of environmental pollution with dioxins are also by-products of the pulp and paper industry, waste from the metallurgical industry, and exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. These substances are very toxic to humans and animals even at low concentrations and cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and immune system.

Along with pollution of the environment with synthetic substances new to it, great damage to nature and human health can be caused by interference in the natural cycles of substances due to active industrial and agricultural activities, as well as the formation of household waste (Fig. 2).

The atmosphere (air environment), hydrosphere (water environment) and lithosphere (solid surface) of the Earth are exposed to pollution.

Depending on the characteristics of mass transfer cycles, the pollutant component can spread to the entire surface of the planet, to a more or less significant area, or be local. Thus, environmental crises resulting from environmental pollution can be of three types - global, regional and local.

One of the problems of a global nature is the increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a result of man-made emissions. The most dangerous consequence of this phenomenon may be an increase in air temperature due to the "greenhouse effect". The problem of disruption of the global cycle of carbon mass transfer is already moving from the field of ecology to economic, social and, finally, political spheres.

Rice. 2.

This is one of the oldest types of environmental pollution that man has encountered. Includes mineral and organic substances. Distinguish between destructible and persistent chemical pollutants. The latter are especially dangerous, as they can accumulate in the biosphere. The presence of persistent pollutants is explained by the fact that man synthesized new substances and even classes of substances that were previously absent in the biosphere, and therefore, there are no natural ways of utilizing these substances in nature. An example of an extremely persistent pollutant is the insecticide DDT: despite the fact that it has not been used for several decades, DDT is found in the blood of animals living in the most remote corners of the globe where this pesticide has never been used.

Chemical contaminants include:

Xenobiotics are substances that are alien to living organisms and are not included in natural biogeochemical cycles.

Ecotoxicants are toxic substances of anthropogenic origin that cause serious disturbances in the structures of ecosystems.

Superecotoxicants (SET) are substances that have a powerful toxic effect in extremely small doses. For SET, the actual introduction of MPC loses its meaning. In addition, they greatly increase the sensitivity of living organisms to other, less powerful pollutants.

Pollutants, being exposed to the complex effects of various environmental factors, are transformed, as a result of which their toxicity may change.

Heavy metals (h.m.) - a metal with a density of 8 thousand kg / m3 or more (except for noble and rare ones). To t.m. include: lead, copper, zinc, nickel, cadmium, cobalt, antimony, tin, bismuth, mercury.

Some of the technogenic emissions of heavy metals entering the atmosphere in the form of fine aerosols are transported over considerable distances and lead to global pollution. The main supplier is non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises. Such enterprises are characterized by the presence of a 5 km zone of maximum concentrations of t.m. and 20-50 km - zones of high concentrations. Severe lead and other heavy metal pollution is observed around freeways.

Plants can accumulate heavy metals, being an intermediate link in the soil -> plant -> animal -> human chain (or bypassing animals). However, plants do not repeat the chemical composition of the soil, as they are capable of selective absorption. The main indicator here is the coefficient of biological absorption - the ratio of the content of the element in the ash of the plant to the concentration in the soil. Plants of the clove family accumulate copper, peppers accumulate cobalt, zinc is absorbed by dwarf birches and lichens, etc.

Heavy metals are poisons. The mechanisms of their toxic action are different. Many metals at certain concentrations inhibit the action of enzymes (copper, mercury). Some metals form chelate-like complexes with common metabolites, disrupting metabolism (iron). Other metals damage cell membranes, changing their permeability and other properties. Some metals compete with the elements necessary for the body (Sr-90 can replace Ca in the body, Cs-137 - potassium, cadmium can replace cygk).

Pesticides enter the biosphere by direct application, with treated seeds, dying plant parts, insect corpses, and migrate in soil and water. Of particular danger are persistent and cumulative (i.e., accumulating in ecosystems) pesticides, which are detected decades after application.

Even at low concentrations in water, pesticides are dangerous due to the ability of some organisms to accumulate these substances in their tissues. So, if the process of concentration (biological amplification) of chlorinated hydrocarbons is repeated at several trophic levels (plankton - fry - mollusks - larger organisms), then in the end their concentration may be very high.

As a result of the accumulation of pesticides, the number of populations of some fish species is decreasing. Numerous cases of mass death of birds and insects in places of intensive use of pesticides have been noted. Such negative aspects of the impact of pesticides on biological objects as mutagenic, carcinogenic, allergenic have been identified.

Oil and oil products.

Oil products are one of the most characteristic ocean pollutants. 15-17 million tons of oil and oil products are annually introduced into the World Ocean and surface waters. The impact of oil pollution on the state of hydrobionts is described by the following facts:

Direct poisoning of organisms with a lethal outcome;

Serious violations of the physiological activity of hydrobionts

Direct coating of birds and other organisms with petroleum products. Oil products violate the isolating functions of plumage, and when trying to clean feathers, birds swallow oil products and die.

Changes in organisms caused by the penetration of petroleum products

Changes in the chemical, physical and biological properties of the environment.

The most dangerous are aromatic hydrocarbons, soluble in water. Lethal concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons for fry and eggs are very low (10-4%). The accumulation of PAHs not only impairs the taste of edible organisms (eg, shellfish, fish), but is also dangerous, as these substances are carcinogenic. Thus, the concentration of carcinogenic hydrocarbons in the tissue of mussels caught in the area of ​​the port of Toulon (France) reached 3.5 mg per kg of dry weight.

The problem of chemical pollution of the planet is one of the global and urgent environmental problems. The ecological part of chemistry investigates the impact of substances on the environment (air, water, solid bark, living organisms).
Let's look at some of these issues:
acid rain
the greenhouse effect
General air pollution
The ozone hole
Nuclear pollution.

the greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is a process in the atmosphere in which incident visible light is transmitted and infrared is absorbed, which increases the temperature at the Earth's surface and harms all nature. Pollution is an excess of carbon dioxide.

This concept was first formulated in 1863. Tydall. In 1896 S. Arrhenius showed that carbon dioxide increases the temperature of the atmosphere by 5 0 C. In the 70s of the 20th century, it was proved that other gases also give a greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide - 50-60%, methane - 20%, nitrogen oxides - 5 %.

A stream of visible rays enters the Earth's surface, they pass through greenhouse gases unchanged, and when they meet the Earth, part of them is transformed into long-wave infrared rays. These rays are blocked by greenhouse gases and heat remains on the Earth.

In 1890 - the average temperature of the planet is 14.5 0 C, in 1980 - 15.2 0 C. The danger is in the growth trend. According to forecasts for 2030-50, it will still grow by 1.5-4.5 0 С.

Effects:

Negative: the melting of eternal snows and the rise of the ocean level by 1.5 m. flooding of the most productive territories, unstable weather, acceleration of the rate of extinction of animals and plants, thawing of permafrost, which will lead to the destruction of buildings built on piles.

Positive: warm winters in the northern regions of our country, some advantages for farming.

Destruction of the ozone layer

Depletion of the ozone layer is the process of reducing the amount of ozone in the atmosphere at an altitude of about 25 km (in the stratosphere). There, ozone and oxygen mutually transform into each other (3O2 ↔ 2O3) under the influence of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and do not let this radiation reach the Earth's surface, which saves the entire living world from extinction. The formation of "ozone holes" is caused by freons and nitrous gases, which absorb UV radiation instead of ozone and disturb the balance.

acid rain

Acid rain is precipitation that contains acids due to the absorption of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by clouds. The source of pollution is industrial emissions of gases, engines of supersonic aircraft. This leads to damage to deciduous plants, corrosion of metals, acidification of soils and water.

The acidity of natural water bodies and precipitation is normal if the pH is 5.6 (due to CO 2 dissolved in water)

Acid precipitation is any precipitation that is acidic. They were first registered in England in 1907-1908. Now there are precipitations with a pH of 2.2-2.3.

Sources of acid precipitation: acid oxides: SO 2 , NO 2

The mechanism of acid precipitation formation: gases + water vapor form solutions of acids with pH< 7

Sulfur compounds are released into the atmosphere:
a) in a natural way i.e. biological processes of destruction, the action of anaerobic bacteria of wetlands, volcanic activity.
b) anthropogenic - 59-60% of the total amount of emissions into the atmosphere, processing of various types of fuel, the work of metallurgy enterprises, cement work, the production of sulfuric acid, etc.

2 H 2 S + 3O 2 \u003d 2H 2 O + 2SO 2

Nitrogen oxides enter the atmosphere:
a) naturally - by a thunderstorm, or under the action of soil bacteria;
b) anthropogenic - due to the activity of vehicles, thermal power plants, the production of mineral fertilizers, nitric acid, nitro compounds, blasting.

2NO + O 2 \u003d 2NO 2

When nitric oxide +4 is dissolved in water, two acids are formed - nitric and nitrous, when nitric oxide +4 is oxidized and interacts with water, nitric acid is formed.

2NO 2 + H 2 O \u003d HNO 3 + HNO 2

4NO 2 + 2H 2 O + O 2 \u003d 4HNO 3

General air pollution

In addition to the listed oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, other gases are also emitted into the atmosphere.

Carbon forms two oxides: carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is poison. It is formed during the incomplete combustion of fuel.

The main suppliers of harmful gases are cars.

MPC CO - 9 -10 μg / m 3

There are many other types of environmental pollution, such as sewage with toxic waste, highly persistent substances (pesticides, heavy metals, polyethylene, etc.), industrial smoke and dust, road transport, oil tankers.

Of course, you can buy a manual and read about the chemical foundations of biology there ... Or go to all the teacher's lectures and learn all the information from there. But if you're short on time and don't feel like spending money, here's a brief and basic introduction to this strange discipline found in some universities.

What is chemical ecology?

Chemical ecology is a branch of ecology that deals with the study of the consequences of the direct and side effects of chemicals on the environment and the likely ways to reduce their negative impact.

This is the main term. However, there are others. For example, English literature understands chemical ecology as the study of chem. interactions between species in an ecosystem.

Chemist Rakov E.G. wants chemical ecology to be understood much more broadly, proposing to include in it the study of any chemical processes occurring in ecosystems (including the circulation of substances).

Chemical pollution of the environment

Humanity has always been connected with the world around it. However, the detrimental impact of man on nature has acquired such a huge scale with the development of a highly industrialized society.

What significance does this have for us? Most directly, because it is because of this that we are in great danger. And the greatest danger is chemical pollution of the environment, since these pollution are not natural for nature, are not characteristic of it.

Types of chemical pollution

There are several types of chemical pollution:

• Chemical pollution of the atmosphere;
• Chemical contamination of the soil;
• Chemical pollution of the oceans.

All of them are so global that it is necessary to stop in more detail and consider in more detail each type of these pollutions.

Atmospheric pollution: types and sources

The main sources of atmospheric pollution are transport, industry and household boilers. But the industry, of course, is bigger than the rest.

"Suppliers" of these pollution are metallurgical enterprises, thermal power plants, cement and chemical plants. They are the ones that release primary and secondary pollutants into the environment. The former immediately fall directly into the atmosphere, and the latter only during the course of any reactions (chemical, physical, photochemical, etc.).

And here are the most popular chemicals that are slowly but surely killing us: carbon monoxide and nitrogen, sulfuric and sulfurous anhydride, hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide, fluorine and chlorine compounds.

Aerosol compounds also have a huge negative impact on our atmosphere, the culprits of which are mass blasting, cement production, the burning of residual seafood, and the consumption of high-ash coal at thermal power plants.

Pollution of the oceans: types and sources

As a result of pollution of the waters of the World Ocean, the natural chemical composition of water changes, as the percentage of organic or inorganic harmful impurities in it increases.

From inorganic pollutants compounds can be distinguished: lead, arsenic, chromium, mercury, fluorine, copper, as well as inorganic acids and bases, which increase the pH range of industrial effluents.

The negative impact is manifested in the toxic effect. When released into the water, these toxins are absorbed by phytoplankton, which further along the food chain transfers toxins to more highly organized organisms.

From organic pollutants the main ones are petroleum products. Getting to the bottom, they partially or completely block the vital activity of microorganisms involved in the self-purification of waters. Further, when decaying, these sediments can create special toxic substances that pollute the waters. And one more negative consequence - these organic pollutants create a film on the surface and prevent light from penetrating deep into the waters, interfering with the processes of photosynthesis and gas exchange. The result of negative consequences can be, among other things, such terrible diseases as dysentery, typhoid fever, cholera.

Soil pollution: types and sources

The main "enemies" of the soil are acid-forming compounds, heavy metals, fertilizers, pesticides, oil and oil products.

Where do these types of pollution come from? Yes, from everywhere: from residential buildings, industrial and household enterprises, thermal power engineering, transport, agriculture.

The consequences of soil pollution are as sad as the pollution of the atmosphere and the World Ocean: pathogenic bacteria (tuberculosis, typhoid, gas gangrene, poliomyelitis, anthrax, etc.), substances toxic to living organisms, and lead enter the soil. All this not only pollutes the soil, but also disrupts the natural and normal circulation of substances, negatively affecting human health.

So we learned brief information about such a science as chemical ecology. It's scary to think how many bad things can happen to us if certain measures are not taken in time. And so that you have time to reflect on improving the quality of life and health of your loved ones and yourself, we offer our assistance in solving everyday student issues– writing essays, term papers, tests, etc.

Introduction

Chemicals are part of our daily life. All animate and inanimate matter is made up of chemicals, and the manufacture of almost every industrial product involves the use of chemicals. Many chemicals, when used appropriately, contribute significantly to improving our quality of life, health and well-being. But there are extremely dangerous chemicals that, if not properly managed, can have a detrimental effect on our health and the environment.

Despite the fact that in recent years the content of such harmful impurities as suspended solids and sulfur dioxide in the atmospheric air of Russian cities and industrial centers has significantly decreased (due to a significant decline in production), the impact of industrial emissions on human health continues to have a significant impact.

About 2 billion tons of petroleum fuel are annually burned in automobile internal combustion engines in the world. At the same time, the efficiency is on average 23%, the remaining 77% is spent on heating the environment.

In the natural and technogenic environment, an isolated effect of harmful factors is rarely found, usually a person is exposed to their combined effects.

chemical pollution organism

Chemical pollution of the environment

Any chemical pollution is the appearance of a chemical in a place not intended for it. Pollution arising from human activity is the main factor in its harmful effects on the natural environment and human health.

Chemical pollutants can cause acute poisoning, chronic diseases, and also have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. For example, heavy metals can accumulate in plant and animal tissues, causing a toxic effect. In addition to heavy metals, especially dangerous pollutants are chlordioxins, which are formed from chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons used in the production of herbicides. Sources of environmental pollution with dioxins are also by-products of the pulp and paper industry, waste from the metallurgical industry, and exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. These substances are very toxic to humans and animals even at low concentrations and cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and immune system.

Along with pollution of the environment with synthetic substances new to it, great damage to nature and human health can be caused by interference in the natural cycles of substances due to active industrial and agricultural activities, as well as the formation of household waste.

In the beginning, the activities of people affected only the living substance of the land and the soil. In the 19th century, when the industry began to develop rapidly, significant masses of chemical elements extracted from the bowels of the earth began to be involved in the sphere of industrial production. At the same time, not only the outer part of the earth's crust, but also natural waters and the atmosphere began to be affected.

In the middle of the 20th century, some elements began to be used in such quantities that are comparable to the masses involved in natural cycles. The low efficiency of most modern industrial technology has led to the formation of a huge amount of waste that is not disposed of in related industries, but is released into the environment. Masses of polluting waste are so great that they pose a danger to living organisms, including humans.

Although the chemical industry is not the main source of pollution (Fig. 1), it is characterized by emissions that are most dangerous for the environment, humans, animals and plants (Fig. 2). The term "hazardous waste" is applied to any kind of waste that may harm health or the environment when stored, transported, processed or disposed of. These include toxic substances, flammable wastes, corrosive wastes and other reactive substances.

Depending on the characteristics of mass transfer cycles, the pollutant component can spread to the entire surface of the planet, to a more or less significant area, or be local. Thus, environmental crises resulting from environmental pollution can be of three types - global, regional and local.

One of the problems of a global nature is the increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a result of man-made emissions. The most dangerous consequence of this phenomenon may be an increase in air temperature due to the "greenhouse effect". The problem of disruption of the global cycle of carbon mass transfer is already moving from the field of ecology to the economic, social and, ultimately, political spheres.

In December 1997 in Kyoto (Japan) the Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (dated May 1992) was adopted. The main thing in the Protocol is the quantitative obligations of developed countries and countries with economies in transition, including Russia, to limit and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily CO 2 , into the atmosphere in 2008-2012. Russia has a permitted level of greenhouse gas emissions for these years - 100% of the 1990 level. For the EU as a whole, it is 92%, for Japan - 94%. The USA was supposed to have 93%, but this country refused to participate in the Protocol, since the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions means a decrease in the level of electricity generation and, consequently, the stagnation of the industry. On October 23, 2004, the Russian State Duma decided to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Pollution on a regional scale includes many industrial and transport wastes. First of all, it concerns sulfur dioxide. It causes the formation of acid rain, affecting plant and animal organisms and causing disease in the population. Technogenic sulfur oxides are distributed unevenly and cause damage to certain areas. Due to the transfer of air masses, they often cross the borders of states and end up in territories remote from industrial centers.

In large cities and industrial centers, the air, along with carbon and sulfur oxides, is often polluted with nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emitted by car engines and chimneys. Smog is often observed. Although these pollutions are local in nature, they affect many people who live compactly in such areas. In addition, the environment is damaged.

One of the main environmental pollutants is agricultural production. Significant masses of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are artificially introduced into the system of circulation of chemical elements in the form of mineral fertilizers. Their excess, not assimilated by plants, is actively involved in water migration. The accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in natural water bodies causes increased growth of aquatic vegetation, overgrowth of water bodies and pollution of them with dead plant residues and decomposition products. In addition, the abnormally high content of soluble nitrogen compounds in the soil leads to an increase in the concentration of this element in agricultural food and drinking water. It can cause serious illness in humans.

Water pollutants are also organic waste. Their oxidation consumes an additional amount of oxygen. If the oxygen content is too low, the normal life of most aquatic organisms becomes impossible. Aerobic bacteria that need oxygen also die, and bacteria develop instead that use sulfur compounds for their vital activity. A sign of the appearance of such bacteria is the smell of hydrogen sulfide - one of the products of their vital activity.

Among the many consequences of the economic activity of human society, the process of progressive accumulation of metals in the environment is of particular importance. The most dangerous pollutants include mercury, lead and cadmium. The technogenic inputs of manganese, tin, copper, molybdenum, chromium, nickel, and cobalt also have a significant impact on living organisms and their communities (Fig. 3).

The main measures to combat air pollution are: strict control of emissions of harmful substances. It is necessary to replace toxic starting products with non-toxic ones, switch to closed cycles, improve gas cleaning and dust collection methods. Of great importance is the optimization of the location of enterprises to reduce transport emissions, as well as the competent application of economic sanctions.

International cooperation is beginning to play an important role in protecting the environment from chemical pollution. In the 1970s, a decrease in the concentration of O 3 was found in the ozone layer, which protects our planet from the dangerous effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In 1974, it was established that ozone is destroyed by the action of atomic chlorine. One of the main sources of chlorine entering the atmosphere are chlorofluoro derivatives of hydrocarbons (freons, freons) used in aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners. The destruction of the ozone layer occurs, perhaps, not only under the influence of these substances. However, steps have been taken to reduce their production and use. In 1985, many countries agreed to protect the ozone layer. The exchange of information and joint research into changes in the concentration of atmospheric ozone continue.

Carrying out measures to prevent the ingress of pollutants into water bodies includes the establishment of coastal protective strips and water protection zones, the rejection of poisonous chlorine-containing pesticides, and the reduction of discharges from industrial enterprises through the use of closed cycles. Reducing the risk of oil pollution is possible by improving the reliability of tankers.

To prevent pollution of the Earth's surface, preventive measures are needed - to prevent contamination of soils with industrial and domestic sewage, solid domestic and industrial wastes, and sanitary cleaning of the soil and the territory of populated areas where such violations have been identified.

The best solution to the problem of environmental pollution would be non-waste industries that do not have sewage, gas emissions and solid waste. However, waste-free production today and in the foreseeable future is fundamentally impossible; for its implementation, it is necessary to create a cyclic system of matter and energy flows that is uniform for the entire planet. If the loss of matter, at least theoretically, can still be prevented, then the environmental problems of energy will still remain. Thermal pollution cannot be avoided in principle, and so-called clean energy sources, such as wind farms, still damage the environment.

So far, the only way to significantly reduce environmental pollution is low-waste technologies. Currently, low-waste industries are being created, in which emissions of harmful substances do not exceed the maximum permissible concentrations (MAC), which will not lead to a deterioration in public health, and waste does not lead to irreversible changes in nature. The complex processing of raw materials, the combination of several industries, the use of solid waste for the manufacture of building materials are used.

New technologies and materials are being created, environmentally friendly fuels, new energy sources that reduce environmental pollution.