Human activities like agriculture, solid waste disposal, and industry have significantly impacted the environment by adding and releasing chemicals. Agriculture contributes to eutrophication through fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus and pesticides that can accumulate up the food chain. Solid waste disposal in landfills produces leachate containing heavy metals and other toxins that seep into soil and water without protective layers. Wastewater from daily use also contaminates the environment with chemicals even after treatment at sewage plants. Burning fossil fuels further pollutes the air with gases causing acid rain and air pollution.

1. Human Impacts on
the Environment

2. Human Impacts
What are some examples of how humans have
impacted the environment?

3. Human Impacts
Many Human Activities lead to chemicals being added
or changed and then released into the environment.
•Agriculture
•Solid Waste and waste disposal
•Industrial Activities

4. Agriculture
Agricultural Activities
To feed the worlds growing population much of our land is covered in
farms. This leads to 2 main contaminants being added to the
environment.

5. Agriculture
Fertilizers
• all fertilizers have 3 numbers
attached to them i.e. (15-30-15)
• This shows the amount of
chemicals that it contains N-P-K
(nitrogen-phosphorous-
potassium).
• Nitrogen and phosphorus can
lead to algal blooms and animal
death in aquatic environments
(eutrophication)

6. Agriculture
Pesticides - Chemicals that kill
pests, preventing the eating/destroying of
our food crops. However many of these
chemicals can enter us and other living
things when we eat the food or if it is
washed off of crops by rain.
Do you remember how this chemical
affected the birds of prey?
And Biomagnification / bioaccumulation?

7. Solid Waste
Solid Waste:
The garbage we make and dispose of
can cause many different chemicals to
enter the environment. These include
heavy metals, cleaning chemicals,
paints, etc.

8. Solid Waste
Landfills - we put our solid waste in
landfills.
Leachate: Rain water dissolves some of
the solid waste to create a toxic mixture
of chemicals known as leachate.
These toxins would normally seep into
the soil and cause major problems.
Landfills are designed to prevent the
transport of leachate into the soil and
water.
This is achieved by adding thick layers
of clay and plastic to the bottom layers
of a landfill preventing the leachate
from moving into the ground.

9. Waste Water
The water we use in our daily lives also
becomes contaminated with chemicals.
Sewage: contaminated wastewater
Septic tank: where sewage is store so
bacteria can help decompose the
organic wastes.
Sewage Treatment Plant: help
remove contaminants from the waste
water. This is not 100% clean and may
release some chemicals like phosphates
and chlorine entering the environment.
Effluent: cleaned sewage

10. Waste Water
Burning of fossil fuels generates
gases that cause acid rain and air
pollution
Pollution: is the introduction of
contaminants/chemicals into the
natural environment that cause change
and cause damage