Explain how endogenous microbes can be stimulated to degrade environmental pollutants
Pollutants are substances introduced into the environment that cause adverse effects to the environment and the living beings in the environment. Pollutants often remain in the environment for a long time because they cannot be easily degraded or broken down. Such nonbiodegradable pollutants in the environment also affect the usage of essential resources such as water and soil.
Common pollutants include toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide, heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, plastics, pesticides, industrial runoff, radioactive substances, etc. Such pollutants can cause various harmful effects on nature, such as destruction of habitat, contamination, ozone layer depletion, etc. Humans and other organisms are affected by pollution as well. Air pollution increases the risk of bronchitis, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses; water pollution contaminates water and makes it unsafe for consumption; radioactive substances cause serious mutations and cancers.
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