How to Change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC: Solved

How to Change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC: 

Many people are nowadays using Whatsapp through Bluestacks. Bluestack has bought revolution in the world of Android emulator. It is a very useful software for those who do not own a smartphone. It helps them running amazing android apps from their PC. Whatsapp is one of those amazing apps. But, a problem that people commonly face while using Whatsapp on Bluestack isHow to Change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC. Though, most of the people have found alternative ways to do so by Sync with Cloud Storage or sending the pic from someone else’s smartphone. But it is a long process and often run you in complexity. I also used to do the same until I decided to find a better process. I researched about it and found an authentic procedure to do it. So, I am gonna share the process to change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC in this article.

TRICK: FIND CONTACT DETAILS OF ANY UNWANTED CALLER.

But at first I wanna share what I found through the research and how does it work. Bluestack is an android emulator. Think… as it is a real android OS. Now, what do you need that can arrange all your files and folders?? A “File Manager App”. Install it. But, here comes the most complex part. There is no SD card attached to your PC. Bluestacks does not read the data that are stored in your hard drives. So, from where will the File Manager App extract all the files? Well, the answer is here…. The latest version of Bluestacks can access USER DOCUMENT folders from your PC. Copy the files in “My Document” Folder in your PC and extract them from Bluestacks. Follow the below procedure to change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC.

BLOCK ANY UNWANTED WEBSITE IN WINDOWSXP/VISTA/7/8.

Steps to Change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestack from PC:

• At first, Copy your pic into “My documents” in your PC.
• Now, Open Bluestacks and install a file manager app. I have installed “Astro File Manager” and recommend it to you too. Wait for the downloading and installing procedure to complete.

_Step 1- Install Astro File Manager_

• Now, Open “Astro file Manager”. Select “Documents” Directory.

_Step 2- Select Documents_

• You will find your saved pic here.

_Step 3- Select Picture_

• Click on the pic. A window like below image will appear on your screen.

_Step 4- Select ‘View Picture’_

• Select “View Picture” option. Now, Click on the below bar option. Few settings of the image will open. Select “Set as” option.

_Step 5- Click on Bar option and select ‘Set as’_

• Now Set picture as “Whatsapp Profile photo”. Crop the picture as you desire.

_Step 6- Select Whatsapp Profile Picture and crop it_

• You are done now. You have successfully changed Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC.

Alternate Method to Change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks:

After getting some complaints, I have extended this article to “Alternate methods to change Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks“. There are two alternate methods, adopt one of them as per your convenience.

- Alternate Method 1:

• Go to My Computer>>C Drive>>Program Data>>Bluestacks>>User Data>>Shared Folder. (Program Data might be a hidden holder. So Set “Show Hidden Files, Folders and Drive” in View Option).

• Now, copy and paste your desired pic here.
• This picture will be saved in Bluestacks library under BstShared Folder. So, go to Astro File Manager>>BstShared Folder.

_BstShared Folder_

• You will find the pic here. Long Press on the pic. Some options will appear on your Screen. Select “Open As”.

_Open As Option_

• A new window of “Open As” will pop op on your screen. Click on “Image” as shown in the below image.

_Open As Image Option_

• Now, Select “View Picture” option. Click on the below bar option. Few settings of the image will open. Select “Set as” option.

_Step 5- Click on Bar option and select ‘Set as’_

• Now Set picture as “Whatsapp Profile photo”. Crop the picture as you desire.

• You are done now. You have successfully changed Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC.

- Alternate Method 2:

• Follow the same method till 3rd step as shown in alternate method 1 and select “Copy” instead of “Open As” in the 4th step.
• Now, go to  sdCard>>Whatsapp>>Whatsapp Images and paste it here.

_Whatsapp Images in Bluestacks_

• Now, Open Whatsapp in Bluestacks. Click on the bar option as shown in the below image and select “Settings”.

_Settings Option in Bluestacks_

• Now, click on “Profile”. You will the option to change your whatsapp profile picture here.

_Profile Option in Bluestacks_

• Click on it and select “Gallery”.

_Gallery Option in Bluestacks_

• Now, you will your desired pic here. Click on it and crop it.
• You are done now. You have successfully changed Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC.

If you feel any problem while changing Whatsapp Profile Picture on Bluestacks from PC, then feel free to contact us. If you like this article then do share it with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus.

Thank you. 

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BANKING AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

BANKING AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

General Awareness Practice Questions

1.    What is the full form of IFSC ?

A:    Indian Financial System code

2.    Commercial Paper can be issued for a maximum period of ?

A:    365 days

3.    The Mutual funds in India follow accounting standards laid by ?

A:    SEBI

4.    SBI launched minor a/c for children above 10 years named as ?

A:    PehliUdaan

5.    Who is the winner of Man BookerPrize 2014 ?

A:    Richard Flanagan

6.    Who is appointed as Secretary, Economic Affairs ?

A:    RajivMehrishi 

7.    There are how many digits in MICR ?

A:    9

8.    Who has been conferred with the Best Central Bank Governor award for 2014 by Euromoney magazine during October 2014?

A:    RaghuramRajan, RBI Governor

9.    PradhanMantri Jan DhanYojana (PMJDY) provides  accidental insurance benefit of?

A:    Rs. 1 lakh

10.    SainaNehwala is related to which game?

A:    Badminton

11.    Capital of Malaysia ?

A:      Kuala Lumpur

12.    International Labour Organization headquarters?

A:      Geneva, Switzerland

13.    Who is the author of the book "The Oath of the Vayuputras"?

A:      AmishTripathi

14.    Which airlines announced to purchase 250 airbus aeroplanes?

A:      Indigo

15.    Under PMJDY, how many bank accounts are opened?

A:     About 7 Crores 

BANKING AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. Periodically Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reviews a few SLR norms. SLR stands for?

a) Statutory Liquidity Ratio

b) Statutory Liquidity Rate

c) Statutory Liquidity Return

d) Statutory Liquidity Repo

e) None of the above

2. In the recent months, Indian Rupee depreciated heavily against US Dollar. Rupee depreciation means?

a) Value of Rupee decreasing against a basket of currencies

b) Less number of Rupees per US Dollar

c) More number of Rupees per US Dollar

d) Less number of Dollars per Rupee

e) None of the above

3. In India, Commodities Market is regulated by?

a) Forward Market Commission

b) Forward Market Committee

c) Forward Market Corporation

d) Forward Market Council

e) None of the above

4. Food Security Bill is recently passed by Parliament. What does the Food Security Bill intend to achieve?

a) At least 3kg of food grains per person per month to be given to general category households, at prices not exceeding 50% of Minimum Support Price.

b) Up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of urban population are to be covered under Targeted Public Distribution System.

c) Children aged six months to 14 years would get take-home ration or hot cooked food.

d) The oldest adult woman in each house would be considered the head of that househole when issuing the ration card.

e) All of the above

5. FIPB stands for?

a) Foreign Investment and Production Board

b) Foreign Investment and Promotion Board

c) Foreign Investment and Promotion Bureau

d) Foreign Investment and Protection Board

e) None of the above

6. In India, Capital Markets are regulated by?

a) Securities and Exchange Board of India

b) Reserve Bank of India

c) State Bank of India

d) International Monetary Fund

e) None of the above

7. RAND is the currency of ?

a) China     

b) Japan    

c) North Korea     

d) South Africa     

e) None of the above

8. Recently RBI took several steps to control Rupee depreciation. Reason(s) for to Rupee depreciation?

a) Exports become costlier

b) Imports become costlier

c) Imports become cheaper

d) Both (a)&(c)   

e) None of the above

9. India's GDP growth is slowing down. GDP means?

a) Gross Domestic Product

b) Gross Domestic Poverty

c) Gross Demand Production

d) Gross Demand Product

e) None of the above

10.The  full  form  of  MIBOR  is

a.  Mumbai  Inter  Bank  Offer  Rate    

b. Melbourne  Inter  Bank  Offer  Rate

c. Madrid  Inter  Bank  Offer  Rate    

d. Moscow  Inter  Bank  Offer  Rate   

e. None  of  these

11.Which of the following is not a function of the RBI?

a. Bank's  Govt    

b. Custodian of foreign exchange         

c. Bank's Bank    

d. Banker to the public     

e. None of these

12. Air-Asia India is the new proposed Airline in India. It tied up with the following Industrial group for its launch in India?

a) TATAs                      

b) Reliance group     

c) Aditya Birla group   

d) Infosys  

e) None of the above

13. Kisan  Credit  Card  scheme  was launched  in  the  year?

a.  2000    

b.  1998     

c.  1996    

d.  1992    

e.  None  of  these

14. IRDA headquarters located in which City?

a) Mumbai     

b) Bangalore 

c) Hyderabad     

d) Chennai     

e) None of the above

15. "Janet Allen" is Chief of which of the following institutions?

a. World Bank     

b. African Development Bank      

c.  Asian Development Bank    

d. Federal Development Bank    

e. Federal Reserve Bank

16. Which private sector bank sets Guin -ness record in blood collection ?

a. ICICI          

b. HDFC     

c. AXIS Bank      

d. YES Bank   

e. HSBC

17. Who wrote "Planned Economy for India" in 1934?

a. Dr. VKRV Rao     

b. M. Visveswaraya     

c. Prof. Dantawala   

d. Neela Kanta Rah    

e. None

18. Recently which bank has started "Tab Banking" service ?

a. SBI     

b. PNB    

c. ICICI     

d. HDFC    

e. BOB

19. As per findings of the recent Raghuram Rajan Committee report which State is the most developed?

a) Kerala   

b) Goa  

c) Gujarat     

d) Tamilnadu       

e) None of the above

20. As per the insurance bill, 2013, Foreign Investors can hold up to?

a) 51% of the capital in an Indian insurance company

b) 39% of the capital in an Indian insurance company

c) 49% of the capital in an Indian insurance company

d) 29% of the capital in an Indian insurance company     

e) None of the above

21. Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) refers to the amount that the commercial banks require to maintain with RBI. What are the permitted SLR investments?

a) Only Gold      

b) Gold or Govt approved Securities       

c) Only Govt approved Securities

d) Only Cash     

e) None of the above

22. Direct Taxes Code (DTC) is intended to be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament. DTC seeks to replace?

a) Indian Contract Act      

b) Indirect Tax Act     

c) Income-Tax Act    

d) Banking Regulation Act      

e) None of the above

23. In July 2013, RBI notified that Non-CTS Cheques are valid till the end of year 2013. CTS means?

a) Cheque Truncation System

b) Cheque Transaction System

c) Cheque Transmission Service

d) Cheque Transport Service

e) None of the above

24. In July 2013, SEBI Act was amended to curb Ponzi schemes. Ponzi Scheme means?

a) Name of a Mutual Fund Scheme to earn higher returns

b) Collective investment Schemes floated by fly by night operators

c) Name of a Bank Deposit Product

d) Name of a Health Insurance scheme

e) None of the above

25. The minimum rate of Interest charged by a Bank from Customers on the loans is?

a) Base Rate   

b) Bank Rate     

c) Prime Rate    

d) Prime Lending Rate      

e) None of the above

26. Which of the following is NOT true with regard to FCNR Accounts?

a) NRIs can open the Account

b) Can be opened in 'Permitted Currency' only

c) Minimum Term is 1 year

d) Maximum Term 5 years

e) None of the above

27. REPO rate means?

a) Rate at which the RBI will borrow from the banks

b) Rate at which banks will borrow from other banks

c) Rate at which the RBI lends to banks

d) Rate at which banks lend to customers

e) None of the above

28. Fiscal Deficit Refers to?

a) The difference between the government's total expenditure and its total receipts(including borrowing)

b) The difference between the government's total expenditure and its total receipts(excluding borrowing)

c) The difference between the government's Tax collections and Salary payments

d) The difference between the government's Tax collections and government's Borrowings        

e) None of the above

29. "DAX" is the stock market in?

a) Germany     

b) USA     

c) France  

d) Hongkong   

e) None of the above

30. Which of the Public Sector bank tag line "India's International Bank" ?

a. SBI               

b. PNB        

c. ICICI      

d. HDFC    

e. BOB

31. Which bank has launched "travel card" for students joining abroad?

a. SBI             

b. PNB        

c. ICICI      

d. HSBC        

e. ICICI

32. Who is the Chairman of the committee set up to scrutinize applications for new Bank licenses?

a) Usha Thorat   

b) Bimal Jalan     

c) C B Bhave     

d) S Damodaran     

e) None of the above

33. Who is the World Bank President?

a) Christine Legrade    

b) Jim Yong Kim     

c) Raghuram Rajan    

d) Monteksingh Ahluwalia     

e) None of the above

34. Ben Bernanke is the Chairman of Federal Reserve. What is Federal Reserve?

a) Central Bank of UK     

b) Financial wing of the World Bank      

c) Central Bank of USA

d) European Union Central Bank    

e) None of the above

35. NEFT means?

a) National Electronic Funds Transfer

b) Negotiated Efficient Fund Transfer system

c) National Efficient Fund Transfer solution

d) Non Effective Fund Transfer system

e)Negotiated Electronic Foreign Transfer system.

36. Distribution of insurance products and insurance policies by banks as corporate agents is known as?

a) General insurance     

b) Non life insurance     

c) Bancassurance   

d) Insurance Banking     

e) Deposit Insurance

37. In respect of partnership business, LLP stands for:

a) Local Labour Promotion

b) Low Labour Projects

c) Limited Loan Partnership

d) Longer Liability Partnership

e) Limited Liability Partnership

38. What is a stale cheque?

a) A cheque issued without drawer's signature.

b) A cheque with only signature of the drawer.

c) A cheque which has completed 3 months from the date of its issue.

d) Any one of the above.         

e) None

39. Interest on savings bank account is now calculated by banks on?

a) Minimum balance during the month

b) Minimum balance from 7th to last day of the month

c) Minimum balance from 10th to last day of the month

d) Maximum balance during the month

e) Daily product basis

40. Largest shareholder (in percentage shareholding) of a Nationalized bank is ?

a) RBI     

 b) NABARD    

c) LIC     

d) Govt. of India       

e) IBA

ANSWERS:

1) A  2) C  3) A  4) E  5) B  6) A  7) D  8) B  9) A  10) A  

11) D  12) A  13) B  14) C  15) E  16) B  17) B  18) A  19) B  20) C  

21) B  22) C  23) A  24) B  25) A  26) E  27) C  28) B  29) A  30) E  

31) E  32) B  33) B  34) C  35) A  36) C  37) E  38) C  39) E  40) D

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HR Interview Questions and Answers

 HR Interview Questions and Answers

Category :: Interview Questions For Freshers

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why should I hire you?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why do you want to work at our company?
• What is the difference between confidence and over confidence?
• What is the difference between hard work and smart work?
• How do you feel about working nights and weekends?
• Can you work under pressure?
• Are you willing to relocate or travel?
• What are your goals?
• What motivates you to do good job?
• What makes you angry?
• Give me an example of your creativity.
• How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
• Are not you overqualified for this position?
• Describe your ideal company, location and job.
• What are your career options right now?
• Explain how would be an asset to this organization?
• What are your outside interests?
• Would you lie for the company?
• Who has inspired you in your life and why?
• What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?
• Have you considered starting your own business?
• How do you define success and how do you measure up to your own definition?
• If you won $10 million lottery, would you still work?
• Tell me something about our company.
• How much salary do you expect?
• Where do you see yourself five years from now?
• On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.
• Do you have any questions for me?

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Waterborne Infectious Diseases

      Waterborne Infectious Diseases

Human infectious diseases are among the most serious effects of water pollution, especially in developing countries, where sanitation may be inadequate or non-existent. Waterborne diseases occur when parasites or other disease-causing microorganisms are transmitted via contaminated water, particularly water contaminated by pathogens originating from excreta. These include typhoid, intestinal parasites, and most of the enteric and diarrheal diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Among the most serious parasitic diseases are amoebiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, and hookworm.

Developed countries are not immune to the problem of infectious waterborne diseases. In 1993, high cryptosporidium levels in Milwaukee's drinking water supply sickened more than 400,000 residents. That was an unusually extreme case, but transmission of disease agents such as bacteria and cysts via contaminated but poorly treated municipal water is more common than it should be. Every year, an estimated seven million Americans are sickened by contaminated water. This is only partly due to drinking water—contamination of recreational water (such as beach water) is also a problem.

WATER-RELATED DISEASES NOT RELATED TO WATER POLLUTION Water-based diseases are somewhat similar to water-borne diseases but are not typically an effect of water pollution. They come from infectious agents that naturally spend part of their life cycles in water. Humans can become infected when they drink or come in contact with the water that serves as home to these organisms . One of the most widespread examples in this category is schistosomiasis, which currently infects 200 million people in 74 countries. Similarly, diseases like malaria and dengue fever are spread by insects that breed or feed near water.

Every year there are thousands of beach closings in the US, and outdated monitoring methods may in some cases leave beachgoers vulnerable to a range of illnesses. Polluted beach water can cause rashes, ear aches, pink eye, respiratory infections, hepatitis, encephalitis, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach aches. Hey, that's no day at the beach!

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 2

Nutrient Pollution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution calls nutrient pollution the most widespread, chronic environmental problem in the coastal ocean. The discharges of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients come from agriculture, waste disposal, coastal development, and fossil fuel use. Once nutrient pollution reaches the coastal zone, it stimulates harmful overgrowths of algae, which can have direct toxic effects and ultimately result in low-oxygen conditions.

Certain types of algae are toxic. Overgrowths of these algae result in "harmful algal blooms," which are more colloquially referred to as "red tides" or "brown tides." Zooplankton eat the toxic algae and begin passing the toxins up the food chain, affecting edibles like clams, and ultimately working their way up to seabirds, marine mammals, and humans. The result can be illness and sometimes death.

FIRST THE TIDE RUSHES IN, PLANTS A KISS ON THE SHORE ... The toxins found in brown-tide algae are strong enough that fishers can get skin lesions from exposure and coastal homeowners can be sickened from just the airborne toxins associated with a nearby brown tide.

Developed countries have started monitoring for toxic algal blooms, closing fisheries as necessary. This has reduced the incidence of related human illness but has had the obvious economic cost of lost income for fishers and related businesses—and it does nothing the solve the problem for the marine life stuck in the middle of the brown tide.

Nutrient-pollution-driven blooms of non-toxic algae and seaweed can also cause problems by reducing water clarity, making it hard for marine animals to find food and blocking the sunlight needed by sea grasses, which serve as nurseries for many important fish species.

When the algal overgrowths finally die, they sink to the bottom and begin decomposing. This process uses oxygen from the surrounding water. In some cases, the decomposition process takes enough oxygen out of the water that the level falls too low to support normal aquatic life and the region becomes a coastal dead zone.

Finally, nutrient pollution can trigger unusual outbreaks of fish diseases. For instance, scientists have found that Pfiesteria, a tiny marine pathogen, can thrive in nutrient-polluted waters. In 1991, one million menhaden fish in North Carolina's Neuse River were killed in a Pfiesteria outbreak. In 1997, several tidal creeks in the Chesapeake Bay watershed experienced Pfiesteria outbreaks, and serious fish kills occurred. Nutrient pollution played a role in both cases.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 3

Chemical Contamination

Over the years, many types of chemicals have gotten into our waterways—and they continue to do so today. Chemical water pollution typically occurs because ...

• the chemicals were dumped into the water intentionally;
• the chemicals seeped into groundwater, streams, or rivers because of failing pipes or storage tanks;
• the chemicals catastrophically contaminated waterways because of industrial accidents;
• the pollution settled out of polluted air (or was precipitated out of polluted air); or
• chemicals were leached out of contaminated soil.

The above types of chemical contamination are considered "point sources" of water pollution. Non-point-source chemical pollution also occurs via pesticide runoff from farm fields and homeowners' lawns, as well as runoff of automotive fluids and other chemicals from roads, parking lots, driveways, and other surfaces.

It's beyond the scope of this article to document the effect of every chemical that has ever polluted water, but it's easy enough to point out a few things:

• Severe chemical spills and leaks into surfaces waters usually have an immediate effect on aquatic life (fish kills, etc.).
• Chronic lower-level chemical pollution has more subtle effects, with problems manifesting over a long period of time and sometimes being difficult to tie directly to the water pollution.
• The human effects of chemical pollution in water can generally be viewed the same as any other form of chemical contamination—water is just the delivery mechanism.

There are a few broad categories of water pollution effects related to chemicals that are worth exploring further, which we do below.

Pesticides

Pesticides are carried in rainwater runoff from farm fields, suburban lawns, or roadside embankments into the nearest creeks and streams. Occasionally they are even intentionally sprayed into waterways as part of a pest-control effort. Egad—talk about destroying the village to save it!

Here are some noteworthy examples of the effects of pesticide water pollution:

• The US EPA has found widespread contamination of waterways by Atrazine, the second most commonly used herbicide in the US. Atrazine causes feminization of male frogs even at concentrations in water as low as 0.1 part per billion. Atrazine water pollution has been noted in many countries, including South Africa, Germany, and Denmark. The Natural Resources Defense Council notes that studies indicate the chemical may be linked to a number of human cancers, including prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A University of California San Francisco study found that Atrazine can affect human reproductive and developmental processes by disrupting human hormone activity. The effect occurs at concentrations as low as 2 ppb.
• Glyphosate (Roundup), another of the world's most common herbicides, was found to cause a 70% decline in frog biodiversity and an 86% decline in the total mass of tadpoles when the glyphosate got into water.
• Pesticides have been found in well water in countries such as India, The Netherlands, Italy, Israel, Japan, Canada and Australia, and the US. Pesticide contamination of drinking water is a particular problem in rural agricultural areas where pesticide use is heavy and drinking water supplies come directly from groundwater or surface water.
• Pesticides can migrate via water into the food chain as well, ultimately being consumed by humans or animals in food.
• In the most infamous case of pesticide pollution, widespread use of the insecticide DDT polluted waterways, contaminating fish, and ultimately poisoning bald eagles (and other animals) that ate the fish. DDE, the principal breakdown product of DDT, built up in the fatty tissues of female eagles and prevented sufficient calcium being released to produce strong egg shells. The thin shells would break when the parents sat on the eggs to keep them warm. DDT affected many other species as well. The case against DDT and other pesticides was first introduced in the classic book by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring.  (ALSO SEE: Related GP article about the potential un-banning of DDT: DDT and Malaria.)
• In terms of general human health effects, pesticides can ...
  • affect and damage the nervous system;
  • cause liver damage;
  • damage DNA and cause a variety of cancers;
  • cause reproductive and endocrine damage;
  • cause other acutely toxic or chronic effects.

Oil and Petroleum Chemicals

When oil pollution gets in water, some of the components of are degraded and dispersed by evaporation, photochemical reactions, or bacterial degradation, while others are more resistant and may persist for many years, especially in shallow waters with muddy sediments.

Though much scientific work remains to be done on the effect that petroleum pollution has on plants and animals, we do know a few things:

Exposure to oil or its constituent chemicals can alter the ecology of aquatic habitats and the physiology of marine organisms. Scientists know that oil (or chemical components of oil) can seep into marsh and sub-tidal sediments and lurk there for decades, negatively affecting marsh grasses, marine worms, and other aquatic life forms that live in, on, or near the sediment. Evidence strongly suggests that components of crude oil, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), persist in the marine environment for years and are toxic to marine life at concentrations in the low parts-per-billion range. Chronic exposure to PAHs can affect development of marine organisms, increase susceptibility to disease, and jeopardize normal reproductive cycles in many marine species.

WE PREFER THE JAVA OF JUAN VALDEZ TO THE OIL OF EXXON VALDEZ Before the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the effects of the pollution were thought to be relatively short-term—a year or two. The effects of the Valdez, however, lasted up to 8 or 9 years, and in some ways still persist today. The oil has persisted in small quantities below the surface in the coarse intertidal sediments, out of reach of the wave action and sunlight needed to break down the oil. Studies have found that marine mammals, sea ducks, and some fish species suffered high mortality for years after the spill because they ate invertebrates contaminated by the hidden oil or ate oil directly while foraging. Studies of pink salmon showed that exposure early in life to small amounts of oil—as low as a few parts per billion—led to stunted growth and higher mortality rates.

MTBE, a gas additive, has contaminated many groundwater sources in the US. Animal studies suggest that ingestion of MTBE causes gastrointestinal irritation, liver and kidney damage, and nervous system effects.

Mercury

Mercury finds its way into water primarily through air pollution from coal-fired power plants and some other industrial processes. In the water, the elemental mercury is converted to methylmercury by certain bacteria, after which it moves up the food chain of fish gobbling each other up. In then end, the larger fish may end up on your dinner plate—swordfish, sea bass, marlin, halibut, or tuna, for example. (For more information on this specific angle of mercury-in-water pollution effects, see our article on Mercury in Fish.)

The effects of mercury on humans are already pretty well understood. However, the more we learn, the worse the news gets, and US EPA keeps lowering its "safe exposure level." Young children and fetuses are most at risk because their systems are still developing. Exposure to mercury in the womb can cause neurological problems, including slower reflexes, learning deficits, delayed or incomplete mental development, autism, and brain damage. Mercury in adults is also a problem, causing:

• central nervous system effects like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease;
• heart disease;
• and, in severe cases, causing death or irreversibly damaging areas of the brain.

Animals in any part of the food chain affected by the bioaccumulation of mercury can also suffer the effects of mercury pollution. Possible effects include death, reduced reproduction, slower growth and development, and abnormal behavior.

PCBs, Dioxins, and Other POPs

PCBs, dioxins, DDT, and a number of other persistent organic pollutants don't readily break down in the environment and tend to collect in the fatty tissues of animals. All of these chemicals are toxic for the animals that harbor them. In cases where humans might eat, say, a PCB-contaminated farmed salmon, their systems must deal with the chemical insult.

Here are a few specific examples of the effects of POPs-related water pollution:

• PCB contamination in Puget Sound exceeds the level known to suppress immune function in the harbor seal. PCBs are also thought to be a factor in the decline of Puget Sound killer whales, whose numbers declined by 14% between 1995 and 2003.
• Elevated levels of PCBs and DDT may be contributing to the deaths of California southern sea otters.
• The breeding success of Baltic seals declined sharply in the 1960s and 1970s. Scientists suspect that PCBs were the main culprit.
• Deformed fish and other aquatic life have been found near Swedish pulp mills that use chlorine as a bleaching agent—a practice that results in discharges of dioxins and other highly toxic substances.

Other Chemicals

Tens of thousands of chemicals are used in industrial processes and are found in car-maintenance products, household cleaners, toiletries, and many other consumer products. Our current regimes for controlling whether these chemicals get into the environment are not sufficient for keeping them out of the water, and the potential myriad effects are worrisome.

It's well understood that many chemicals can have direct toxic effects on aquatic life. Industrial spills into rivers invariable kill fish for miles downstream. But chronic chemical pollution in waterways is an even bigger problem. The number of US river miles on which people have been advised to restrict their consumption of fish consumption of fish has risen sharply in the last two decades, and most states routinely issue advisories on consumption of fish from rivers and streams. (Check your state here.)

A newly emerging threat is the hormone-disrupting character of many chemicals. For instance, chemicals contained in sewage discharges into the waters off the Southern California coast are thought to be responsible for "intersex" fish. Similarly, chemicals in the water are also thought the be responsible for egg-growing male fish in Maryland's Potomac River—possibly the effect of excreted birth-control chemicals.

More generally, the effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals include interrupted sexual development; thyroid system disorders; inability to breed; reduced immune response; and abnormal mating and parenting behavior. In humans, endocrine disruptors are thought to lead to degraded immune function, mental impairment, decreased fertility, and increases in some types of cancers.

“ENGAGE THE GLOBAL TOXIFICATION WEAPON!” SCREAMED THE KLINGON COMMANDER For a more general treatment of the problem of "global toxification" from chemical pollution, see our article onhormone disruptors.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 4

Mining

There are a number of negative water-pollution effects from mining operations:

Acid mine drainage: When rain or surface water flows over exposed rock and soil, it can combine with naturally occurring sulfur to form sulfuric acid. The acidified rainwater eventually finds its way to streams and groundwater, polluting them and impacting local aquatic life. Some streams can become so acidic—more acidic than car-battery acid—the aquatic ecosystem is completely destroyed. The same leaching process that causes acid mine drainage can impart heavy-metal pollutants from the soil and rock as well.

Spills and leaks:Whether it's a leak in the containment system of a cyanide leach heap or a breach in a coal-slurry impoundment dam, the result is the same—pollution of streams, rivers, and groundwater, killing aquatic life and poisoning drinking water. Mountaintop Removal Mining: In this technique, the tops of coal-rich mountains are removed and the overburden is dumped into nearby valleys, burying stream habitats altogether, with the obvious catastrophic effect on whatever life forms lived in or around the stream.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS OF MINING DISASTERS In 2000, a tailings dam split open at the Baia Mare mine in Romania. This accident sent some 100,000 tons of wastewater and 20,000 tons of sludge contaminated with cyanide, copper, and heavy metals into the Tisza River, and eventually into the Danube—destroying 1,240 tons of fish and polluting the drinking water supplies of 2.5 million people. In 2008 in the US state of Tennessee, an impoundment dam failed and 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash spilled into adjacent waterways, killing fish, damaging property, and threatening drinking-water supplies. Residents now face concerns about the long-term health effects from the ash, which contains numerous harmful contaminants such as arsenic. It should be noted that in this case the spill was not related to coal mining; it was stored coal ash, the waste that results from burning coal in a power plant. [SOURCES: Worldwatch Institute, Lexington Herald-Leader, Los Angeles Times]

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 5

Marine Debris

Marine debris is basically trash in the ocean. Trash fouls inland waterways too, for sure, but trash seems to be a particular problem in our seas. The Ocean Conservancy calls marine debris one of the world's most pervasive marine pollution problems.

The debris includes escaped inland trash and garbage thrown overboard by ships and boaters—plastic bottles and bags, six-pack rings, cigarette butts, Styrofoam, etc. Marine animals can swallow the trash items, which often look similar to prey they would normally eat, or the trash item may have barnacles or other delectables attached and is inadvertently ingested with the food. For instance, sea turtles will eat a plastic bag believing it to be a jellyfish. The bag can cause an intestinal blockage and sometimes death.

A new and potentially devastating effect of marine debris is emerging. After years of degradation at sea, plastic breaks up. The plastic has not biodegraded but rather has disintegrated into very small pieces. Marine animals near the bottom of the food chain are now ingesting these teeny-tiny little pieces of plastic pollution. How far up the food chain the stuff will go is unknown.

Discarded or lost fishing gear—line, rope, nets—and certain trash items can get wrapped around marine animals fins or flippers, causing drowning or amputation. Marine debris can also degrade coral reefs, sea grass beds, and other aquatic habitats.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 6

Thermal Pollution

It's easy enough to see how discharging the heated-up water from a power plant into a river could cause problems for aquatic organisms used to having their water home stay at a fairly specific temperature. Indeed, industrial thermal pollution is a problem for our waterways—fish and other organisms adapted to a particular temperature range can be killed from thermal shock, and the extra heat may disrupt spawning or kill young fish.

Additionally, warmer water temperatures lower the dissolved oxygen content of the water. That's a double-whammy to aquatic organisms, since the warmer water also causes them to increase their respiration rates and consume oxygen faster. All this increases aquatic organisms' susceptibility to disease, parasites, and the effects of toxic chemicals.

Global warming is imparting extra heat to our oceans, which have absorbed about 20 times as much heat as the atmosphere over the past half-century. The ocean is a complex system, and scientists don't know yet what all of the effects of this type of "water pollution" will be, but here are some likely ones: Sea levels will rise (because of thermal expansion and melting ice), increasing coastal flooding and inundation. There will be more intense hurricanes as they gather additional strength from warmer surface waters. Temperature-sensitive species like corals will see tougher times. Over the last 2-3 decades, temperatures in tropical waters have increased nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit. That may not sound like much, but it's been enough to increase cases of coral bleaching. A study in Science estimated that if carbon dioxide releases continue at the current rate, by mid-century ocean conditions (increased water temperatures + increased ocean acidity) will make it impossible for most corals to survive. Increasing sea-surface temperatures are associated with the northward spread of a oyster pathogen in the eastern US. Similar cases are highly likely.

CLIMATE CHANGE — CONVEYOR OF HYPOXIA The movie The Day After Tomorrow dramatized what might happen to North America if global warming shut down the oceanic conveyor belt. In reality, Northern Europe would be much more in the crosshairs of such an event, but marine species in the deep ocean that now get their oxygen supplies from sinking surface water could also be highly affected. More generally, warmer water has less oxygen-holding capacity than colder water. The oceans have already warmed 1 degree on average—and the trend is still up. In a related issue, warming-driven changes in the oceans' thermohaline circulation could increase the risk of hypoxia in the deep ocean. Related GP article: The Day After Tomorrowscience

Water Pollution Effects – Category 7

Noise Pollution

"Noise pollution" from ship engines and sonar systems make it difficult for marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises to communicate, find food, and avoid hazards. Powerful sonar systems operating at certain frequencies have been implicated in whale beachings and may cause damage to marine mammals' sound-sensitive internal structures, causing internal bleeding and even death.

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CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT (POLLUTION) — 01.OCT.2014 Living on Earth Communities at Odds with States on Fracking Wastewater Zoning — Fracking wastewater is trucked from Pennsylvania into Ohio, where it is processed and injected into deep wells. Many locals worry about earthquakes and water contamination, but local councils are finding that state rules override citizens' concerns about waste-water well siting. Go to page  |  Download/listen   7:09 GP comment:  Regardless of what the industry says, waste-water injection is just a regulated pollution activity. Inevitably, all injected waste will contaminate groundwater somewhere. Original Show Pub Date: 19.Sep.2014 CATEGORY:  ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT (POLLUTION) — 03.SEP.2014 Sea Change Radio Keeping An Eye On The Natural Gas Boom — Even the most casual followers of energy policy have become aware of the controversy surrounding the massive expansion of fracking in this country over the past decade. Successful attempts to lift the curtain on fracking, like Josh Fox’s 2010 documentary film Gasland, have spurred a grassroots movement to push back against an industry that would have us believe that fracking is clean and safe as well as the solution to US energy woes. Journalist Neela Banerjee discusses the battle for America’s health and well-being that is being fought on the parallel fronts of policy and PR. Go to page  |  Download/listen   30:00 GP comment:  There is some good info here but also some delusion. The natural gas boom is neither a substantial contributor to US economic well being or a meaningful path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Wind, solar, and plug-in electric vehicles, as good as they are, cannot supplant fossil fuels without significant lifestyle change. Original Show Pub Date: 18.Aug.2014 CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT (WATER), SPECIES — 28.AUG.2014 Resistance Radio The Colorado River—Past, Present, and Future — Gary Wockner coordinates the Save the Colorado River Campaign, whose mission is to protect and restore the Colorado River and its tributaries from the source to the sea. Topics include the history of the river; water rights and farms vs. cities; impact of dams and water rights on species; and opportunities for improving the river's future. Go to page  |  Download/listen   39:45 GP comment:  The chance of a major hydroelectric dam coming down to benefit species is zero (and, from an overall environmental perspective, should be zero). It's good that their "dam talk" acknowledges that reality. Original Show Pub Date: 24.Aug.2014 MORE Get more audio clips on pollution, environmental issues, and many more topics in Grinning Planet's biweeklydownloadable audio news feed.

Frequent or chronic exposure to both high- and low-intensity sounds may cause stress on all higher forms of marine life, potentially affecting growth, reproduction, and ability to resist disease.

WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS – Category 8

Costs to Consumers

Tap water quality is regulated, and nearly 100% of community water systems in the US are meeting clean drinking water standards. But is that good enough? Why are so many people convinced it's worth buying bottled water?

When the Environmental Working Group tested tap water from a number of cities, it found 119 "normal" chemicals—those for which the EPA has set health-based limits—and another 141 completely unregulated chemicals. If tap water has that many chemicals in it but is still classified as meeting water quality standards, one might say that the standards are, um, lax.

If nothing else, it's fair to say that even "safe" tap water usually has a "chloriney" taste. Chlorine and its disinfection byproducts are known health threats, and none of us wants to be the victim of the next cryptosporidium-in-drinking-water problem or some similar nightmare.

So it's no wonder many of us go to the extra expense and trouble of buying bottled water or using water filters, even though there are no regulations that guarantee those approaches will provide water that is safer.

We should not accept this situation passively. It's costing us LOTS of money. The bill for bottled water is about $12 billion annually—in the US alone. And you can add purchases of kitchen-sink water filters on top of that. Add in the extra fueluse (and air pollution) associated with manufacturing, packaging, and transporting these products, and we see that the cost of trying to avoid polluted tap water is rather high. Heck, we didn't even count the health costs associated with waterborne diseases and other health problems due to water pollution.

Suppose we as a society were to spend even half of this money instead on addressing the causes of water pollution. It would go a long way toward fixing aging water treatment plants; funding wetlands restorations and watershed monitoring efforts; and beefing up enforcement of clean-water laws.

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