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3. Water Pollution. Surface waters on our planet remain severely polluted.

Currently, one of the most serious water-quality problems result from the high
level of toxic pollutants found in these waters.

Among the serious threats to people posed by these pollutants are respiratory
irritation, cancer, kidney and liver damage, anemia, and heart failure. Toxic

pollutants also damage fish and other forms of wildlife.

A pulp-and–paper factory was built on the shores of Lake Baikal. As a result,
because of the water pollution, the world’s purest water has been spoiled. The

whole ecological system of the lake has changed greatly. Some organisms that can
be found only in Lake Baikal are disappearing, trees are dying from soot and gas

emissions from the factories.
That’s why scientists, writers, and other people put the problem of Lake Baikal

into the press, to public bodies and the government. Lake Baikal and its shores

have been declared a specially protected zone of the country. There is a hope that
one of the most beautiful and the deepest lakes of the world will never die.

The Aral Sea was a bright blue sea with a lot of fish. The Amurdary and Syrdarya
rivers supplied it with water. But then the water of the rivers was diverted to

cotton plantations. As a result the Aral now is in a very dangerous condition. If no

immediate measures are taken, the Aral Sea will disappear by the year 2010.
The Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea are half dead because great amounts of

chemical and nuclear waste were dumped into their waters.

4. Land Pollution. Air and water quality may be improving, but land pollution is

still a serious problem in many areas. The fundamental issues are (1) how to
restore damaged or contaminated land at a reasonable cost and (2) how to protect

unpolluted land from future damage.
The land pollution problem has been worsening over the past few years, as

modern technology has continued to produce increasing amounts of chemical and
radioactive waste.

Manufacturers produce and dump more than 100 million tons of contaminated oil,

solvents, acids, and sludges each year. Service businesses, utility companies,
hospitals, and other industries also dump vast amounts of wastes into the

environment.