Water pollutants
Water pollutants can be of several types:
Physical pollutants
- Increase or decrease in temperature, from industrial activities that use water as a coolant. In reservoirs, the water that comes from the turbines to the river has a lower temperature. If the temperature of the water rises, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases, which can affect the development of some species.
- Radioactive particles. From nuclear power plant cooling circuits and radioactive waste.
- Solid particles in suspension. They can be inorganic (dust, silts, sands, clays, etc.) and organic (animal and vegetable remains).
Chemical pollutants
The chemical pollutants alter the properties of the water. They come from urban and industrial wastewater, landfills, agricultural and livestock activities, etc. Chemical pollutants can be organic, inorganic, and gases. The most common are chlorides, phosphates, sulfates, nitrogenous compounds, heavy metals, pesticides, organic matter, etc.
Biological contaminants
Biological pollutants are decomposing organic matter and pathogenic microorganisms present in water (bacteria, viruses, protozoa and algae), originating from urban wastewater and agricultural activities, which transmit diseases such as typhus, cholera, dysentery, etc.
Depending on the type of pollutant, water pollution can have the following consequences:
- Disease transmission.
- The decrease in oxygen can lead to the death of aquatic living beings.
- Heavy metals harm agriculture and living things.
- Eutrophication of the waters.
- Etc.
