Main Causes of Water Pollution

Main Causes of Water Pollution The water pollution in Malaysia is originated from point sources and non-point sources. Point sources that have been identified include sewage treatment plants, manufacturing and agro-based industries and animal farms. Non-point sources are mainly diffused ones such as agricultural activities and surface runoffs. According to Malaysia Environment Quality Report 2004, the Department of Environment has recorded 17,991 water pollution point sources in 2004 comprising mainly sewage treatment plants (54%), manufacturing industries (38%), animal farms (5%) and agro-based industries (3%). Another main cause of water pollution encountered worldwide is oil spills. About 29 million gallons of petroleum enters the oceans off North America each year, shows a new study by the National Research Council. Water pollution can be classified according to the nature of pollutants, the sources releasing them and the water bodies into which they are discharged. Water pollution is measured by the concentration of pollutants in the water body and their effects on other water uses. Six categories of pollutants are recognized :- Pathogens Pathogens are disease-causing bacteria, viruses and protozoa, usually from human sewage. As pathogen numbers increase, so does the risk to human health. Biochemical Oxygen Demand Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is created by organic wastes decaying in the water body. Major sources of BOD are pulp and paper mills and municipal sewage. If dissolved oxygen is depressed to zero, all fish die and anaerobic decomposition generates noxious gases. Nutrients Nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, enrich waters and accelerate the aging of lakes and streams (eutrophication). The resultant rich plant growth often prohibits recreational activities, and plankton blooms depress oxygen levels. Major sources of nutrients are municipal sewage and urban and agricultural runoff. Toxic Materials Toxic materials can affect the health of aquatic organisms and their consumers, and of those drinking contaminated waters. Toxicants include heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phthalates. They originate from many sources as a result of the large quantities of chemicals used in industries. Mixtures of toxic materials can be toxic even if their individual concentrations are below lethally toxic levels. Oil pollutants are toxic and may also smother aquatic organisms and cause the death of birds, attracted by the appearance of calm water, by destroying the waterproofing properties of their plumage. Acidification Acidification, particularly of lakes, results from precipitation of sulphur and nitrogen oxides emitted by industries and automobiles. Acidification, particularly of lakes, results from precipitation of sulphur and nitrogen oxides emitted by industries and automobiles. Acid rock drainage, the leach water from waste rock produced from mining ores containing sulphide minerals, causes acidification of surface and ground water. Temperature Changes Temperature changes from waste heat discharges can cause pollution when their elevation reduces dissolved-oxygen levels, accelerates eutrophication, affects ecological processes and blocks migration paths of fishes. Effect of water pollution Effects on Ecosystem Besides the inorganic nutrient input, with the inflow of the waste water most of them from factory, decomposition of organic wastes in river, plant nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates will takes place. This process will promotes the growth of oxygen consuming algae (algal bloom), especially the blue-green algae which produce cynotoxics can cause poisoning to humans and animals. The growth of oxygen consuming algae, which deoxygenates water mostly kill the nearest fish and other animals is referred to as eutrophication. Addition of oxygen not sufficient to support life. Effects on Human Health Nitrate polluted water can cause incidence of tumours and ulcers. Contact with pollutants can cause skin disorders due. Water pollution also causing increased case of constipation, diarrhoea and infections to intestine. It also has dangerous effects on growing foetus in pregnant women. Loss of memory power and reduced mental sharpness. One of the biggest threats for the developing countries is the disease caused by polluted water cholera caused by drinking water to Malaria where mosquitoes breed on polluted stagnant water. Regular intake of polluted water may cause sclerosis, skin legions, and problems in blood circulation, mineral deposits in bones, certain cancers and disease of the nervous system. Reduced activity of immune system. Water borne diseases like jaundice, hepatitis, gasteroenteritis will be more prevalent due to water pollution.Diseases caused by water pollution are the major cause of human death across the world. Such toxic material travels up the food chain and effec ts human through the fish and meat that we eat .Contaminated water causes the food source and plant life to be destroyed , this inversely effects the climatic and environmental properties required for human survival. Improvement of Water Quality a) Primary treatment mechanical screening and sedimentation of undissolved solids in raw sewage is done. But it fails to remove dissolve substance in this liquid. b) Secondary treatment Sewage treated- the primary treatment is brought in contact with agent such as oxygen and aerobic micro-organisms. They will break down the organic matter(can be harmfull) into harmless materials as H2O and CO2. Furthermore, chlorination is carried out to reduce the bacteria.Further treated to tertiary level zero measures are adopted for secondary treatment :- i) Trickling filter method like the filter of mineral water,sewage water passes through a thick bed of gravel stones(large stone) so that bacteria will consume most of the organic matter. ii) Activated sludge process à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ in this stage,the sewage water is pumped into an aeration tank. This tank contains sludge which consisting of bacteria and algae. The bacteria is able to decompose almost all of the organic matter and algae will undergo photosinthesis and produces oxygen to promote the growth of these decomposers. c) Reverse osmosis Ways to Help Overcome Water Pollution Water remains one of our most important primary resources, vital to our survival on Earth, yet water pollution is happenning. It is serious. How can we avoid and possibly stop it? Ignorance is the main factor. Knowledge on how to preventing water pollution and its effects to our health should be spread to community. Tighter laws should be legislated and existing laws can be improved to curb illegal dumping of trash and poisonous chemical wastes into water sources.Moreover, waste materials should be disposed off properly. Faeces have to be sent to treatment tanks. Industrial wastes should be treated before disposal, to make sure the substances are harmless.Daily household rubbish can be buried or thrown away neatly in plastic bags, to be sent to special rubbish collecting areas. Increase the campaign of recycle. Excess use of insecticides and chemical fertilizers should be avoided as far as possible. If you are using chemicals that may be harmful to the environment, store them correct ly. Improperly stored chemicals can slowly sweep into the groundwater system, to avoid groundwater contamination,so keep them in tightly sealed containers, inside of structures with cement floors.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller :: Papers

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller In every family unit or household there are roles that each members have to play. These are there so that each person knows what is expected of them and what to expect from other people. They can be basic roles such as the housework, for example one of a housewife's roles would be to keep the house clean. Or they can be less obvious, for example always being available to offer emotional support and being a friendly shoulder to cry on. These varied roles within a group of people can be recognised and discussed by the members, overt, or it can be that the members themselves don't even realise they exist or that any of these roles are assigned to them within the family group, covert. The roles that each member plays can be dependant on several things, for instance age, experience, sex or even the job that they do. Over time these have changed. In past the roles were rigid and ascribed. Women were expected to be housewives and mothers and men to be the breadwinners being able to support their family financially. Nowadays these set roles have become more blurred and conjugal roles in particular are often joint. However in the 1950's we have to remember that the roles within the family were somewhat archaic and traditional compared to today's society. Biff has several roles like all the members of the Loman family. As an elder brother to Happy he offers him advice and help. The two of them get on very well and have a good relationship. We see this at the start of Act I when the two boys are in their bedroom. They talk candidly and with ease sharing a laugh and joke. They have grown up together and Biff has always supported his brother and helped him out, we learn this from when Biff set Happy up with a girl for his first time. He is a good brother to Happy. Biff's other roles in the family are mostly all set by Willy his father.

The Origins of Sociology

FK8R 34 Sociology A: Introduction to Sociology Alisha Walsh In the mid 1800’s, French author Auguste Comte came up with the term â€Å"sociology†. Although previous philosophers, historians and political thinkers had studied and tried to make sense of their societies, this was when it began to develop as a distinctive science. Comte grew up in a time of great social and political upheaval. As the world rapidly changed, he and others began to study the societies they lived in.He sought to create a science of society that could explain the laws of the social world just as science explained the functioning of the physical world. (Giddens 2006:11) Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century political revolutions occurring throughout Europe, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution all lead to previously unseen changes in many societies. The French Revolution of 1789 meant that monarchs of Europe came under severe scrutiny. Subjects began to question their  "divine right† to rule.Ideas of individuals’ rights and their say in how society was run emerged. Political parties and social reform quickly followed. Great scientific discoveries formed a perspective of looking to science and reason to answer questions about the natural and social world. People were turning away from the church, religion and superstition for these answers. The Industrial Revolution 1780-1800 had a profound effect on Britain and laterally Europe. Almost all aspects of life were changed as people became part of the factory system.People moved from rural areas and agricultural jobs to towns where social life was more impersonal and anonymous. They began to work by a clock instead of the rhythms of the season. Traditional values and roles were dropped as new ones evolved. To study Sociology, one must have what C. Wright Mills called a â€Å"sociological imagination†. Sociological thinking and imagination requires us to remove ourselves from our eve ryday lives and experience, and look at them differently. Only then can we realise that individual experience can actually reflect larger issues.He emphasised the difference between â€Å"personal troubles of millue† and â€Å"public issues of social structure†(Mills 2000 :5) This means that the sociological imagination allows us to see that public issues such as war, marriage, the economy, urbanisation etc, can affect the individual as well as personal circumstance and experiences. â€Å"The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two. That is its task and its promise. †(Mills 2000:2) He stated that sociologists must ask three crucial questions: What is the structure of this particular society?Where does this society stand in human history? What varieties of men and women prevail in this society and in the coming period? (Mills 200:3) He believed that as individuals these questions would help us make sens e of our own place and experience in the society we live in and identify its structures and characteristics. He also stated that â€Å"they are the questions inevitably raised by any mind possessing the sociological imagination. For that imagination is the capacity to shift form one perspective to another†.The sociological imagination allows us to be analytical and critical of the world and to look at the bigger picture. There are many sociological theories which attempt to explain how society works. They provide a framework for explaining social behaviour. They find the relation between individuals, groups and society. These theories can be put into two broad categories, macro theories and micro theories. Macro theories such as Functionalism and Marxism look to explaining behaviour through the notion of social structures and look at society holistically.Macro theories tend to use quantitive research when a social theory or model is being explored. Data has to be measurable a nd proccessed mathematically (surveys) to provide unbiased results that can be measured, compared and related to large parts of society (Amit B. Marvasti 2004:7). Micro theories such as social action and symbolic interaction look at individual behaviour and how small scale interactions shape society. Micro theories use qualitive research methods, concentrating on smaller groups but providing more detailed analysis and descriptions of human experience.The experiment can be based around a theory and results are recorded as detailed, narrative descriptions as opposed to numerical codes found in quantitive research (Amit B. Mavasti 2004:10) Functionalism analyses how social structures explain behaviour. Interdependent parts of society have to function together to create a whole system. Biological or mechanical analogies are often used. Functionalism emphasises integration, harmony, stability and continuity. It is a positive perspective that views even tragedies or inequality as serving a function in society. McClelland2001:1) It looks at society as a whole and is good at explaining the persistence of social phenomena (anomie). Marxism also focuses on social structures but is a conflict theory. Society is made up of infrastructure and superstructure. This structure is based on the inequality of distribution of production and causes conflict. It recognises different power interests in groups and is good at explaining conflict and change ( SparkNotes Editors 2006). Social Action theory emphasises the intentional behaviour of individuals as the cause of social structure.Individuals shape society as a result of intentional individual or group interaction. It concentrates on the meaning of social behaviour and its interpretation by others and is good at explaining small scale interactions. According to Anthony Giddens , good sociology must examine both social structures and social interactions. It is how a fuller understanding of social life is achieved (Giddens2005:25) . Socialization, Social order and Social Stratification are three key concepts in sociology that try to explain the relationship between the individual and society.Social order is the way in which societies’ basic requirements are met to exist, how peace and order is maintained. It is obtained formally through laws and through the use of social norms, roles and values. It involves a set of linked structures, institutions and practices that can maintain and enforce conformity and social order (Dr Almog 1998). Functionalist theory views individuals as contributing to social order by happily playing out their occupied roles within social institutions. These roles are guided by the norms and values we learn through socialization and are necessary for society to function (Dr Almog 1998).Marxist theory claims that social order is forced on the individual, norms and values are used by institutions that want to maintain capitalism. They are a way to control the working class (Giddens 2006: 301-302). Social Action theory sees social order as a product of social interactions, symbolic meanings and how they are interpreted by others. The individual is a social actor who will interpret and process social stimuli and makes choices accordingly. Socialization is a lifelong learning process and plays a crucial part in forming our identities. It is the process by which individuals learn the culture of their society† (Haralambos & Holborn 2008:3). The important stage of socialization occurs during infancy. The child learns many basic behaviour patterns of its society by responding to the approval or disapproval of their parents and also by copying their example. In western societies, the educational system, religion, the mass media, the occupational group and peer groups are also important in the socialisation process ( Haralambos & Holbor2008:3).Functionalist theory believes that socialisation reinforces the social structure and maintains society. That it is functional and beneficial to social order. It transfers culture, norms and values to new generations and integrates individuals into society. It is the social glue that holds society together and helps create a sense of harmony and cooperation (Kent McClelland 2001). Marxism sees socialization as one of the most effective tools of the Bourgeoisie.It legitimises existing social inequalities and prepares the individual for a class related role they will fill indefinitely (SparkNotes Editors 2006). Social Action theory believes socialization is relevant in relation to symbols and their interpretation, the development of social identity and the small scale interactions that shape it. Socialisation helps maintain social order (Cardiff University 2010). Social Stratification is the ranking and ordering of individuals within a society. It is a structured hierarchy which leads to divisions and higher status, wealth and privilege for some groups.Social class is the stratification system f ound in modern industrial societies like the UK, but it can also occur due to other attributes such as gender, age, religious education or military rank (Giddens 2006:295) Members of a particular strata will share a similar lifestyle and common identity which will to some extent distinguish them from members of other social strata (H & H 2008:19) A functionalist perspective of social stratification is that it is based on meritocracy and is therefore an inevitable part of all societies.Talcott Parsons believed that social stratifications are a basic expression of shared values which are an essential part of a functioning society. Social stratification is functional because it integrates various groups in society (H& H2008:21) Marxism regards stratification as a divisive structure rather than an integrated one. It is seen as a mechanism for the ruling class to exploit the subject class, rather than a means of furthering collective goals (H & H 2008:27). Various institution s such as legal and political systems are used to dominate the subject class resulting in conflict (H & H 2008:28).Social action theory focuses on how a persons’ social standing affects their everyday interactions. According to Max Webber, social stratification not only involves class but also status and party (social status and political power) (Giddens 2006:302-303). Social action theory studies the processes behind stereotypes, mixed interactions and labelling. Its notes how stratification is a way to put people in groups and questions how much power individuals in these groups have to realise their goals (Cardiff University 2010) ReferencesHaralambos & Holborn (2008) Sociology Themes and Perspectives , 7th Edition, London, Harper Collins Anthony Giddens (2006) Sociology, 5th Edition, Cambridge, Polity Press Amit B. Mavasti (2004) Qualititive Research in Sociology, London, Sage Publications Ltd C. Wright Mills (2000) The Sociological Imagination, 40th Edition, New York , Oxford University Press Inc World Wide Web Page Kent McClelland, Grinnel College 2001 Functionalism (Online) Available: web. grinnel. edu/courses/soc/s00/soc111-01/IntroTheories/Functionalism. tml SparkNotes Editors 2006 Sparknote on Sociology Major Figures (Online) Available: http://www. sparknotes. com/sociology/major-figures/ (Acceseed 31 October 2012) Dr Oz Almog, Electronic Journal of Sociology 1998 The Problem of Social Type: A Review (Online) Available:www. sociology. org/content/vol003. 004/almog. html (Accessed 31 October 2012) Angus Bancroft and Sionead Rogers, Cardiff University 2010 Max Weber-Natural Science, Social Science and Value Relevance (Online) http://www. cf. ac. uk/socsi/undergraduate/introsoc/weber6. html

Shop Until You Drop - 590 Words

What you have in life should not be measured upon what all you have or what you are able to buy but how happy you are. Over time people have evolved to where they feel like they need materials to make their life happy. Someone once told me that I need material things in life and at first I thought that they were right but now I know that it is untrue. When I was younger I used to think it was true. I learned fast that my happiness was not measured upon what I had, but it is longevity and whether or not you live up to your standards. My mother taught me at a young age that I did not need the name brand items, but as long as I had a roof over my head, shoes on my feet, clothes on my back, a bead to sleep in, and food on my table I cannot complain. A person can have the characteristics of consumerism when all they do is shop for items. Consumerism is an issue that has become very controversial over the past few years. Consumerism has grown over the years and is shown around the holiday season but consumerism is a fixable issue. As the United States has grown so has the growth of consumption. Consumerism is a fixable issue but there are people who do not believe that consumerism is a bad idea. In order to buy whatever a person wants, they will work more than multiple jobs in order to get that they want (Schor). People will buy the more â€Å"luxurious† item instead of buying the â€Å"necessary† item just because they are more attracted to them(Schor). Some people were not taught at aShow MoreRelated Shop Until You Drop: The Stigma About Consumerism Essay2044 Words   |  9 Pagesdistinction is one of the primary drivers of contemporary consumerism and consumption. However, due to the increasing accessibility of commodities and experiences, people are not easily distinguishable. 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