Overview & Case Study
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Industrial Pollution is the contamination of the environment by businesses, such as plants and factories, that dump their waste into the air and water
Along with amazing technological advances, the Industrial Revolution of the mid-19th century introduced new sources of air and water pollution. By the middle of the 20th century, the effects of these changes were beginning to be felt in countries around the world. In the 1960's, an environmental movement began to emerge that sought to stem the tide of pollutants flowing into the planet’s ecosystems. Out of this movement came events like Earth Day, and legislative victories like the Clean Air Act, which occurred in 1970, and the Clean Water Act, which was finalized in 1972.
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| London |
During the end of the 13th century, an effort to reduce air pollution by England’s King Edward was made who threatened the people of London with harsh penalties if they didn’t stop burning sea-coal. The king’s regulation had little effect on the people of that time and the ones to come after them. By the late 18th century and first part of the 19th century, coal came into large-scale use during the Industrial Revolution. The resulting smog and soot had serious health impacts on the residents of growing urban centers. In 1952, pollutants from factories and home fireplaces mixed with air condensation killed at least 4,000 people in London over the course of several days. A few years earlier, in 1948, severe industrial air pollution created a deadly smog that asphyxiated 20 people in Donora, Pennsylvania, and made 7,000 more sick. Acid rain, first discovered in the 1850's, was another problem resulting from coal-powered plants. The release of human-produced sulfur and nitrogen compounds into the atmosphere negatively impacted plants, fish, soil, forests and some building materials.
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| Polluted Soil |
People affected by Industrial Pollution were mostly farmers because soil was polluted, and soil pollution is still creating problems in agriculture and destroying local vegetation. It also causes chronic health issues to the people that come in contact with such soil on a daily basis.
