When asked about global threats to the environment, anyone can mention at least a few “ecological bombs.”

Melting ice caps, global warming, vanishing Amazon rainforests, and a whole range of endangered species, of which everyone knows at least a few. Yet if we should ask an average Illinois resident to name some of the ecological threats to our State’s environment, our question will most likely be met with an embarrassed silence. The media are partially responsible for that lack of awareness: since the state of Illinois has no world class natural monuments, the environment rarely makes it into the news. While a rare species of dragonfly or the nearly extinct three-spined stickleback may be of little interest to most people, air and water pollution concerns everyone, whether they want it or not. Although most of us live in cities, and reside and work in climate-controlled buildings, we will always be part of nature, and the degradation of the climate will catch up with us.

Air pollution is among the gravest threats to Illinois. The state is one of the most urbanized and industrialized in the U.S. To make things worse, more than half of its electricity comes from coal-burning power plants, and only one percent from renewable energy sources. Moreover, most of these power plants are more than 40 years old, and hence were built before the Clean Air Act came into effect. As a result, for the most part, they are not equipped with pollution-reducing scrubbers. Power plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions, and other pollutants that present a threat to human health. The most susceptible include youth under 15 years of age and pregnant women. Heavy metal exposure can lead to problems with the nervous system, speech and motor disorders, poor coordination, mental retardation, and other impairments. According to Jim Ross, manager of the Air Pollution Control Division at the Illinois EPA, the state’s 21 coal power plants are responsible for over 70% of mercury emissions. At the same time, the EPA reports show that between 2003 and 2004 mercury emissions increased by 4,200 pounds.

Since the problem of pollution is so grave, how come no one does anything to solve it? The answer to that question is twofold. First, state rules are designed in such a way that they foster energy consumption and production, rather than energy conservation. Second, the Bush administration relaxed the Clean Air Act standards in order to increase power plant output.

When it comes to air pollution, however, power plants are not the only culprit. Automobiles are another major factor in producing high concentrations of ground-level ozone; hence health advisory warnings, frequent especially on hot summer days. Ozone that is produced naturally high in the stratosphere provides beneficial protection from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. However, ozone occurring at ground level and generated by a chemical reaction between pollutants and the sunlight is harmful to health. Groups at risk include asthmatics, children, the elderly, and people with depressed immune systems. Typical reactions to high particulate matter in the lower atmosphere can include respiratory distress, chest pains, wheezing, and watering eyes. 

Ozone does not occur naturally in the lower parts of the atmosphere, but is the result of human activity. It is generated when nitrogen and carbon compounds, produced in fuel burning, react with the sunlight. Hot humid days create particularly favorable conditions to ozone creation and, if the weather persists, the ozone concentration can reach a level dangerous to health. It is usually the highest in the afternoon and in early evening, when air is saturated with pollutants emitted by cars and power plants. Those who live in large cities should limit their outdoor activities, and stay indoors.

Environment degradation is not limited to air. Water pollution is especially acutely felt in a state such as Illinois which not only has a complex infrastructure but also large agricultural areas. Over the past 30 years, thanks to the enforcement of the Clean Water Act of 1972, the condition of many rivers and streams in Illinois has greatly improved. The environmental standards introduced by this law targeted point source pollution, such as plants and industries that dumped their emissions directly into the water system. However, it didn’t cover non-point source pollution, such as agricultural fields, roads, golf fields, which pollute lakes and rivers with their runoff. It is estimated that agricultural activity, and more specifically fertilizers, present the greatest threat to the Illinois environment. High concentrations of nitrogen compounds in water cause uncontrollable growth of blue-green algae. Fertilizers and pesticides endanger human health. Besides increased risk of cancer, the so-called blue baby syndrome is among the most frequent symptoms of high nitrogen compounds concentration in drinking water. The syndrome affects the oxygen circulation in new born babies’ cardiovascular system. The EPA estimates that nearly each watershed in Illinois violates the safety standards with respect to nitrogen concentration at least once a year.

Sedimentation is another threat to rivers and lakes. The deposits come from erosion of agri-cultural fields, and their build-up causes da-mage to riparian ecosystems and significantly affects the watershed. For example, the Lake Decatur watershed has lost 30% of its capacity. The EPA estimates that over 46% of rivers and 70% of watersheds in the state of Illinois do not meet the Clean Water Act standards. 

The improvement of legal control of agricultural runoff meets many obstacles. Most regulations are established on voluntary basis. In Illinois, and in the Midwest in general, farmers have a strong lobby which fights against the tightening of regulations, and tries to turn public attention away from the problem of agriculture-based water pollution.

Water pollutants also include heavy metals. Coal-burning power plants pollute the atmosphere with dust particles which, with rain, end up in the soil as well as in rivers and lakes. When heavy metals penetrate the environment, they accumulate in animal and fish tissue. Further, their concentration tends to be greater in animals occupying a higher position in the food chain, and the greatest among predators. This effect is known as “bio-magnification.” The brochure handed out by the Department of Natural Resources with each new fishing license contains instructions about the consumption of caught fish, and recommends consuming no more than one fish-based meal a week. Pregnant women should eat no more than one meal of fish a month.

While water and air pollution and the degradation of natural ecosystems are in most cases directly caused by human activity, there are exceptions to the rule. Invasive non-native species pose a great danger to the Illinois environment. Many of them have been introduced, accidentally or intentionally, by humans. Deprived of predators in their new habitat, these non-indigenous organisms multiply at an uncontrollable rate and compete with native species. The problem can be felt very acutely in Illinois and, in particular, in Lake Michigan. International ships traveling through the Great Lakes region empty their ballast tanks filled with water coming from such remote parts of the world as Asia or Europe. The waste water contains many microorganisms, such as zooplankton or even little fish. This is how the zebra mussel invaded the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan has entire colonies of zebra mussels found at the lake bottom. These organisms cause a great deal of damage, among others to hydrotechnical devices. The zebra mussels also filter water for plankton, thus depriving native fish of much needed nutrients. Scientists estimate that the zebra mussel infestation has greatly contributed to the decline in yellow perch population. Other aquatic nuisance species include goby, a central-Asian species, the spiny water flea, and Eurasian ruffe, a species of perch. 

The most dangerous non-indigenous species in the Great Lakes, however, is the Asian carp. It was accidentally introduced into the Mississippi River basin in the 1990s. Used in the aquaculture industry to manage algae blooms, these fish escaped from confinement during a major flood, and started rapidly multiplying in the Mississippi River. Soon they penetrated into the lower Missouri River and into the Illinois River. The Asian carp dominates over 90% of the water system and pushes out native species.

The Asian carp also poses danger to navigation. These fish, weighing often more than 20 pounds, are notoriously frightened by passing craft, and jump very high sometimes injuring passengers in open boats. Scientists, however, most fear that the Asian carp might penetrate into the Lake Michigan. The Illinois River, although part of the Mississippi River basin, is connected with the Lake Michigan by a channel. According to experts, the Asian carp threatens to upset the entire Great Lakes ecosystem and eliminate many valuable native species, such as salmon and trout. In order to prevent the spread of the Asian Carp into the Lake Michigan, an electric barrier was built in Romeoville with the intention to block the species’ migration. Its effectiveness has not yet been fully tested.

More detailed information on endangered and invasive species can be found at http://dnr.state.il.us or on a website devoted to the Great Lakes region http://www.great-lakes.org.

Information concerning pollution can be found at http://www.epa.gov, as well on the pages of independent organizations, such as http://www.pirg.org, http://www.stopmercury.org, or http://www.cleantheair.org. These organizations lobby to influence local authorities to enact legislation protecting environment.