Humanity has progressed by leaps and bounds in recent times. This can be seen in the growth of AI, IT, driverless cars, cryptocurrency and mobile applications. For instance, the IT industry is expected to boost its expenditure to 5.6 trillion US Dollars this year.
But have you considered the impact that this prodigious development has on the environment? Yes, that’s right. This is the dark side of growth and progress that people do not acknowledge.
For example, the rise in the IT industry contributes to an increase in e-waste generation, making this one of the leading emerging environmental hazards. This can be seen in the fact that Australia is expected to generate up to 657,000 tonnes of e-waste by 2030.
But that’s not all. There are other dangers you need to consider as well. Let’s take a look at those below.
1. Microplastic Pollution in Air and Water
It is no secret that plastic is one of the most common things used today. They are used by supermarket chains, the bottling industry, the IT industry, and the cutlery industry, to name a few.
Humans consume about thirty-nine thousand to fifty-two thousand microplastics annually. They do this through plastic straws, cutlery, and bottles.
But that’s not all. Plastic is also widely used in fishing, shipping, and marine products. For example, polypropylene is a plastic variant used to make ropes. Apart from that, most industries dump these plastic products into the ocean after use.
However, many people do not consider the impact this has on the environment. For instance, plastic takes about four hundred years to decompose.
When these bottles or ropes decompose slowly, they contribute to microplastic pollution, which impacts about 267 species of marine animals. That’s because these bits of plastic either get stuck in their mouths, or are eaten by them.
Apart from that, people also burn plastic to dispose of it on land, leading to increased microplastic concentration and the release of greenhouse gases into the air. The release of greenhouses into the environment leads to poor air quality and issues like smog.
This is why many people end up suffering from cardiovascular diseases like bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and allergies.
You can tackle this by switching to recycled products like jute or organic products like hemp. You can also consult our environmental monitoring services team, who can conduct quality checks on the air and water in and around your home to ensure your safety.
2. Electronic Waste (E-Waste) and Heavy Metal Contamination
The increased use of mobile phones, computers, and laptops has contributed to an alarming increase in e-waste.
For example, as many as 5.78 billion people own a mobile phone as of January 2025.
On the other hand, many people own laptops for work. That’s because laptops are portable.
But what happens when multiple laptops and mobile phones are dumped every year, contributing to about 50 million tonnes of annual e-waste generation?
These products begin to leak poisonous chemicals and gases when they are crushed in waste disposal facilities or scrap yards. The gases and chemicals contain heavy metals like lead, copper, mercury, and cadmium.
As such, people suffer from lead poisoning, cadmium poisoning, and mercury poisoning, leading to issues like:
- kidney damage
- liver damage
- brain damage
- muscular weakness.
This is where e-waste management companies come in. They recycle e-waste by extracting the metallic components, shredding e-waste into bit-sized objects, and selling the remaining objects to people who need them.
The same is true for industrial waste management companies.
3. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Deterioration
Air pollution is something that takes place both externally and internally. For example, When you consume e-cigarettes or tobacco-based products, it degrades the air quality.
Apart from that, dusting carpets, using flame-controlled stoves, old air-conditioners, and excessive moisture also decreases the air quality of your home.
Some other sources of indoor air pollution include the presence of:
- Carbon monoxide from your garbage
- Pet hair in your bedrooms
- Asbestos-lined walls in your attic
- Dust from keyboards and other computer devices in your workplaces
- Machinery in your factory
More than 3 million human beings pass away annually from the above issues, as per data by the World Health Organization.
You can tackle this by contacting the respective authorities of these facilities or places. For example, you can get in touch with the:
- Plant or floor manager of your factory
- Facility or building manager of your office building
- Property manager of your home/apartment building.
They will then contact our indoor air quality monitoring service. We’ll carry out a variety of tests to detect mould, asbestos, and dust.
After that, we will suggest countermeasures to tackle these issues and help you enjoy a clean environment.
Apart from that, we recommend regularly vacuuming your floors, keeping your workstation clean, and keeping indoor plants to improve the air quality.
Nonetheless, you should still call our experts bi-annually to enjoy the benefits of professional advice.
4. Chemical Contaminants in Drinking Water
As you know, drinking water is derived from rivers, lakes, and underground reservoirs. This is why it is subject to pollution and contamination caused by human activity. As per the Safe Water Act, anything apart from water molecules can be considered a contaminant.
But where do these contaminants come from? They come from physical, chemical, radiological, and biological sources.
Physically, you can expect to find sediments from riverbeds or lake beds that are suspended in the water.
Chemical contaminants refer to materials like bleach, nitrogen, certain salts, bacterial toxins, and drugs. This can be seen when people wash clothes by the rivers and lakeside and use detergents and bleach.
You can expect to find radiological contamination in drinking water derived from rivers or lakes near nuclear facilities.
So it’s no surprise that over 2.2 billion people over the world lack access to safe water. This is why they suffer from diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and polio.
You can prevent an increase in contaminated water in and around your home by reducing your dependence on fertilizers. Apart from that, we recommend not flushing down medicines in your bathroom.
At your workplace, you can instruct your co-workers not to dump plastic substances or leave stagnant water lying around. Additionally, you should not dump chemicals into the water streams there.
Additionally, we also recommend contacting our environmental monitoring services as they can test the water around you and recommend next steps.
5. Groundwater Depletion and Salinity Intrusion
Did you know that, per a Reuters study, global groundwater levels have rapidly declined since the 2000s?
That’s why aquifer water levels are being depleted faster than they are being recharged through rain. Additionally, seawater flooding in low-lying coastal areas is increasing the soil’s salinity and contributing to groundwater depletion.
That’s because the salt deposits reduce the space for the water and reduce the water retention of the soil.
This is why you can contact our environmental monitoring services team since we will carry out intensive water testing and help you maintain the quality of your groundwater.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, some of the emerging environmental hazards are decreased groundwater, increased e-waste generation, chemical contamination, microplastic, and indoor air pollution.
That’s why you should contact our environmental monitoring services team as we can help you detect the quality of your water and indoor air, as well as asbestos concentration of your walls.
