17 Factory Pollution Facts: Industrial Pollution Explained!

When we talk about Industrial pollution or factory pollution we need to comprehend that this is one of the primary sources of pollution and has several harmful effects.

Before we get into factory pollution facts let us be aware of the term pollution itself. So what does pollution mean? Pollution is the involvement of harmful substances in the environment.

The world that we live in is always striving towards achieving a more prosperous future and each day a new industry is booming. When we look towards advancement and achievement we tend to forget about its consequences.

When we see improved nuclear technologies and transportation advancements, we tend to forget how it affects our environment. Every factory, from power, transport, agriculture, food, fashion, affects our environment and climate change because of the exhaustion of non-renewable natural resources.

Industrial pollution is a major reason behind all these issues. The excessive release of greenhouse gases such as methane is extensively affecting our environment. And the discharge of harmful chemicals into water is affecting the water supply.

It all started from the industrial revolution and is continuing. However, people have become more concerned and various climate activists are trying to bring the situation under control.

To conclude, we can understand that industrial pollution has long-term effects on our environment. Therefore, we need to create more awareness to save our Earth for the near future. If you are intrigued already and want to learn more about industrial pollution, then keep reading this article as more interesting facts are stated below.

If you like this article then make sure to check our other articles on diesel pollution facts and coal pollution facts and share these amazing facts with everyone.

Factory Pollution Meaning With Example

The industrial revolution indisputably changed the course of history as it altered economies by producing large scale businesses that primarily ran due to the growth of factories. The world was never the same after this however it came with a cost.

A major rise in industries and factories saw a surge in pollution too. The emission of various harmful gasses, hazardous waste, harmful chemicals had a massive impact on the environment.

Any toxic waste or pollutants that are emitted from the factory into the environment is factory pollution.

There are numerous industrial disasters that have occurred since then, including some of the most disastrous events in history such as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Minamata bay disease, the Great Smog in London, and more. However, due to growing concern, various initiatives have been taken by the environmental protection agency to curb the rise of factory pollution.

Factory pollution according to its definition is the introduction of pollutants in any form. It can be tiny particles of solids or liquids in the air and water or even soil.

When we come across any factory we see a huge amount of smoke coming out of humungous chimneys and is being released into the air. Yes, it is a form of factory air pollution.

These gasses are the result of natural gasses, coal, and petroleum that is used by the industries to generate energy. The primary example is the Great Smog in London that occurred in 1952.

The increment of sulfur dioxide depleted the air quality so much that it was become difficult even to see. One of the most heart-wrenching events in history is the Bhopal gas tragedy that occurred in India.

The Bhopal disaster occurred in December 1984 killed thousands of people. The UCIL plant which was situated in the state capital of Madhya Pradesh was a pesticide plant.

MIC or Methyl Isocyanate leaked from this plant and spread all over its neighboring areas.

MIC is a highly toxic gas and in just one week almost 8000 people and more in the following weeks. It didn’t only kill people but also left them with temporary or permanent disabilities.

The Minamata disease is another example of factory pollution. Minamata disease is a neurological illness induced by mercury poisoning.

In Japan, the chemical plant Chisso corporation discharged methylmercury in the industrial wastewater that was gradually absorbed and consumed by the fishes in the water. The consumption of these affected fishes caused mercury poisoning and later this was identified as Minamata disease.

Solid waste is either dumped in the soil, burnt, or dumped into the water. Oil spills and acid rain are a common phenomenon now and it is all related to air pollution of water pollution.

However, nuclear power plants do not cause air pollution directly. But the nuclear power plant requires a huge amount of energy for refining uranium ore and mining that produced carbon dioxide and eventually causes air pollution.

Factory Pollution Sources

Industries or factories are large bodies and the waste or by-product produced by them is also massive. But how is this pollution occurring?

What is creating these pollutants? The waste, gases, chemicals produced by them is the direct consequence of the raw materials used by the industries.

For example, burning fossil fuel releases a huge amount of gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and long-term exposure to these can cause major respiratory illnesses. Similarly, mining for raw materials to run these industries is thoroughly degrading the ecosystem and hampering its balance, and putting the natural resources at risk.

With every passing day, the number of industries are increasing and so is their pollution.

Nevertheless, the amount of industrial pollution can be controlled by controlling the sources. So, keep reading as we have further elaborately discussed the major sources of factory pollution.

Fossil fuels are non renewable natural resources that are present in this world and they have formed from the remains of plants or animals for millions of years. It is one of the main energy sources of a factory.

However, burning fossil fuels in huge amounts to run these factories generates huge toxic pollution that is responsible for climate change too. They are of four types coal, natural gas, petroleum, and Orimulsion.

Out of these four natural gases are mostly used, then coal and petroleum.

Therefore one of the main sources of industrial pollution is a fossil fuel. The chemicals and heavy metals that are released by factories, particularly by electronic factories and food industries, can contaminate the main water supply which is groundwater.

These water pollutants for example the nitrate compounds are to be treated before it is being released as industrial waste. Nuclear power plants require uranium that can be obtained only by mining thus mining can lead to land pollution or it can pollute the water supply furthermore.

Types Of Factory Pollution

There are various types of huge amount of toxic gases that are released in the atmosphere causing air pollution, water discharged from industries are excessively polluted. Mining and filling lands with plastics, and other non-biodegradable waste can cause land pollution.

Industries have huge types of machinery that produced immense noise and hence noise pollution. Power plants generate radioactive materials which are extremely harmful.

There is various other pollution that is directly or indirectly linked to industries.

And all these types of pollutions are affecting us and everything on Earth, be it humans, animals, or any other organism. However, shutting down these industries is not the solution to it, but disposing and treating toxic waste can be and keeping air pollution and other kinds of pollution down may help to some extent.

Types of factory pollution are limited within the spheres of energy or transport but food, fashion, and agriculture industries moreover cause pollution. Air pollution that is caused by air pollutants is a fundamental type.

The rise of air pollution due to the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming that is leading to climate change and this has become a matter of concern. The air quality is deteriorating and so is the health of people exposed to them.

Similarly, acid rain, ozone depletion, and Eutrophication is affecting the environment. Water pollution is the second most common type of pollution that results from dumping or releasing the toxic substance into the water making it unfit to drink or for any other purpose.

Big machines create noise pollution.

In particular, if it is near human settlements it can make it difficult to live near industrial regions. The agriculture industry needs huge lands for plantation and it can be done by deforestation that can cause land pollution.

The fashion industry is responsible for an enormous amount of carbon emissions in our ecosystem. Thus every factory causes pollution.

Effect Of Factory Pollution On Environment And Humans

We exist in an ecosystem where human beings and the environment have a codependent relationship. Therefore we can assume that if something affects the environment it will affect humans and other creatures too.

If we start from the root we will see that factories and industries run on fossil fuels which are non renewable resources. Unreasonable usage can deteriorate the percentage of non renewable resources.

Besides fossil fuels, natural gases, forest resources are getting exhausted too creating an imbalance in nature. The direct consequence of this is air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution. Climate change, global warming, oil spill, man made disasters are just a few examples.

Human health and well as animals are vulnerable to many such diseases. The earth’s temperature is increasing and it is putting everyone at stake.

Earth has multiple layers of the atmosphere including the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and finally the exosphere. The amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Hydrofluorocarbons, Nitrogen trifluoride, and Perfluorocarbons are increasing.

This is increasing the earth’s temperature and causing global warming.

Climate change is a major issue that the current world is facing and each year the temperature is increasing. The immediate result of climate change is the melting of glaciers and the rise of sea level that is directly or indirectly affecting our ecosystem by changing the pattern of animals living in different hemispheres.

The coastal areas which are inhabited by human beings will be soon underwater. Besides global warming, ozone layer depletion is another effect that is caused by halons and CFCs that is used for the production of commodities like refrigerators, air-conditioner, aerosol sprays.

The ozone layer protects us from the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun and the depletion of this layer makes human beings more vulnerable to diseases like skin cancer.

Air pollution, in general, can cause breathing problems, and being exposed to them for a long period can even cause lungs cancer. As much as a human outside the factories are susceptible to such diseases human beings working inside the factories are susceptible as well.

Other illnesses may include ventricular hypertrophy, asthma retinopathy, and even Parkinson's diseases. Human beings are greatly affected by water pollution as well.

Heavy metals and often radioactive materials are dumped in the ocean or near water sources.

However, these frequently get mixed with the clean water that the people living near the factories use. Intake of water from these sources can cause neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, diarrhea, and cancer.

Water pollution also affects marine life and that indirectly affects human beings as they consume fish and marine creatures.

Acid rain is another happening, that causes when nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide mixes with other gases present in the atmosphere and form an acidic pollutant. Human beings coming in contact with this will either develop new health problems or it will worsen the existing health problems.

Agriculture is mostly affected by it as it can damage crops that is a primary source of food for both human beings and animals. Industries can dump their waste in landfills too particularly plastic waste that is non-biodegradable.

Plastic contains dangerous chemicals that can get mixed in the soil and cause health problems.

Soil pollution also makes the land infertile and polluted making it useless for any activity including agriculture. Mining for uranium for nuclear power plants causes health problems and even death because of its radioactive nature.

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