Industrial Effluents - Causes of Water Pollution
Most industrial operations produce effluents that are discharged into nearby river or any other water body. The industrial effluents contain heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, copper and arsenic. Mercury compounds are used in fields to control seed-born and soil-born diseases of plants. These get washed with rain and become a source of water pollution.
Other chemical pollutants are polychlorinated biphenyls, phenols, dyes, paints, varnishes, and plastics. Some of these chemicals are carcinogens. Industrial effluents are the most hazardous pollutants on land and water.