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Environmental Pollution
- An unfavourable alteration of our surroundings.
Types of Pollutants

Biodegradable
Eg: Wood, Leaves and Cotton

Non – Biodegradable
Eg: Plastics, Metals and Glasses.
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1. Air Pollution
2. Water Pollution
3. Soil Pollution
4. Marine Pollution
5. Noise Pollution
6. Thermal Pollution
7. Nuclear Pollution
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It is an atmospheric condition where certain substances are present in concentration which can cause undesirable effects on man and his environment.
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Eg: Gases, Particulate matter and radioactive substance etc.
Gaseous pollutants – SO x
, No x
, Co x and VOC
Particulate pollutants – smoke, dust, soot and fume etc.,
Radioactive pollutants – Radon 222, Iodine 131 and Strontium 90.
Sources of Air pollution

Natural sources – Volcanic eruption, Forest fires and biological decay.

Man-made sources – Thermal power plants and agricultural activities.
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Effects
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Human respiratory system has a number of mechanisms for protection from air pollution.
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Bigger particles (> 10 micro m) can be trapped by the hairs and sticky muscus lining in the nose.
Aldehydes
Cadmium
Irritates nasal and respiratory tracts
Damage kidney
Hydrogen Sulfide Irritates eyes, causes nausea, bad odour
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Control of Air pollution
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Using non conventional energy
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Planting more trees
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Reducing vehicle exhausts
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Using less polluting fuels
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Using mass transport
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Removal of particulate matter using electrostatic precipitator, cyclone filter etc.
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Removal of NOX from vehicle exhaust
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The alteration in physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water which may cause harmful effects on human and aquatic life.
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Classification of Water pollutants
1. suspended matter
2. thermal discharge
3. pathogens (bacteria, fungi, protozoa fungi)
4. natural organic pollutants
5. synthetic organic pollutants
6. inorganic chemicals
7. radioactive waste, oil, sediments
Causes
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Point source - Ex: flow of water pollutants from sewerage system, industrial effluent etc.
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Non-point source - Ex: agricultural land (pesticides, fertilizers, mining, construction sites).
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Effects
1. Objectionable colour and odour is unacceptable and unsuitable for drinking and other purposes.
2. highly turbid and very hard water is unpleasant to drink, food processing
3. acid and alkaline water cause serious health problem
4. water borne infectious enteric disease like typhoid, cholera, dysentery are the predominant health hazard arising from drinking contaminated water
5. radioactive pollution enter human body through food and get accumulated in thyroid gland, liver, bones and muscles
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6. biodegradable waste deplete D O in the receiving stream, affect the flora cause creates anaerobic conditions
7. non biodegradable waste and pesticides travel the food chain and ultimately reach human where they accumulate in fatty tissues
8. thermal discharge in stream depletes D O
9. Industrial effluents result in addition of poisonous chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, lead may reach human body through contaminated food
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Control measures
1. lay down standard for a. drinking water b. disposal of waste water into water course/sewer/land
2. monitoring
3. treatment a. domestic treatment
• screening
• sedimentation
• filtration, pH adjustment
• disinfection b. waste water treatment
• preliminary treatment
• primary treatment
• secondary treatment
• advanced treatment 12

The contamination of soil by human and natural activities which may cause harmful effects on living beings.
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•
Causes
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Industrial waste
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Urban waste
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Agricultural practices
Radioactive pollutants
Biological agent
Effects
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Affect human health
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Affect soil fertility
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Reduce soil productivity
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Cause abnormalities
Control measures
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Properly collect solid waste
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Microbial degradation
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Recovery of products from waste
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For methane generation, use cattle dung
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For biogas generation, use biodegradable organic waste
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The discharge of waste substances into the sea resulting in harm to living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to fishery and impairment of quality for use of sea.
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Causes
• waste disposal
• oil spill
• thermal pollution (plants located nearby coastal areas)
• ship breaking activities
• aquaculture practices
• nuclear test conducted in seas and oceans
Effects
• disturb entire aquatic or marine ecosystem
• oil has suffocation effect on most aquatic animals
• smaller animals can be caught in oil envelope and die
• thermal
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Pollution may increase the temp. of water and DO may be depleted which causes danger.
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Oil promotes anaerobic conditions by preventing diffusion of oxygen from air
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Disposal of radio active wastes cause chronic, acute and genetic damage
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Affect sensitive flora and fauna
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Loss of buoyancy
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Affect phytoplankton, zooplankton, algal species, coral reefs, fish, birds and mammals.
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Control measures
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Ban to dump the toxic, hazards waste and sewage sludge.
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Prevent sewer overflows
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Minimize coastal developmental activities
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Oil ballast should not be dumped into sea.
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The unwanted, unpleasant or disagreeable sound that causes discomfort for all living beings.
Types of Noise
1. Industrial Noise
2. Transport Noise
3. Neighbourhood Noise
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Effects
1. Physiological effects
Headache increase in the rate of heart beat, pain in heart, emotional disturbances, hearing loss.
2. Annoyance
A noise is said be annoying if the exposed individual or groups of individuals reduce the noise avoid or leave the noisy area if possible. Both loudness and annoyance increase with increasing sound levels.
3. Recently it has been reported that the blood also thickened by excessive noise
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3. Recently it has been reported that the blood also thickened by excessive noise
4. Impulsive noise also causes psychological and pathological disorders.
5. Ultrasonic sound can affect digestive respiratory cardiovascular system and semi circular canals of internal ear.
6. It causes muscle to contract leading to nervs breakdown, tension etc.
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Control measures
Source Control
1. Modification of source such as acoustic treatment to machine surface designed changes limiting the operational timings.
2. Oiling: Proper oiling will reduce the noise from the machine.
3. Transmission path intervention:
Containing the source inside a sound insulating enclosure, construction of noise barrier or provision of sound absorbing material along the path.
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4. Planting of trees:
Planting of trees like neem, tamarind, coconut etc near schools hospitals reduce the noise to the extent of 8 to 10 db.
5. Selection of machinery:
Careful selection of machine tools and equipments to be used may help to lower the noise levels in machine shop.
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Area Permissible noise level
(dB)
Day Night
Industrial 75 70
Commercial 65
Residential 55
Silent Zone 50
55
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Sounds and their decibel scale:
1. Rocket engine – 180 dB
2. Jet plane take off – 150 dB
3. Threshold of pain – 140 dB
4. Recorded music (max) – 130 dB
5. Construction works, news paper press – 100 dB
6. Motor cycle – 90 dB
7. Ordinary conservation – 70/80 dB
8. Air conditioning unit/ Light traffic
– 60 dB
9. Normal living room – 50 dB
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Pollution due to heat which changes the physical and chemical properties of the water that affects man, animals and the aquatic system.
Source / Causes:
1. Industrial waste water
2. Nuclear power plant
3. Domestic sewage
4. Hydro electric power plant
5. Coal fire power plant
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Effects
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Reduction in dissolved oxygen
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Increase in Toxicity
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Interference with biological activities
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Interference with reproduction
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Direct mortality
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Food storage for fish.
Control measures of thermal pollution
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Cooling towers - This is used as a coolant wet cooling tower, dry cooling tower.
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Cooling ponds and spray ponds.
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Artificial lakes – The heated effluents can be discharged into the lake at one end and the water for cooling purposes from the other end.
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The radiation hazard in the environment comes from ultraviolet, visible, cosmic rays and micro wave radiation which produces genetic mutation in man.
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Causes
I) Natural causes
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Solar rays
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Radio nuclides in earths crust
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Environmental radiation
II)Anthropogenic causes
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Medical X-rays
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Radio isotopes
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Nuclear test
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Nuclear installations
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Nuclear reactor
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Effects
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Causes skin burns, loss of teeth, vomiting anemia
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Blood cancer
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Brain damage
Control measures
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Radiation exposure protection
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Radiation contamination protection
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Controlled area
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Disposal of radioactive waste
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Management of solid waste is very important in order to minimize the adverse effects of solid wastes.
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Types of solid wastes
1. Urban wastes
Sources
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Domestic wastes – Food waste, Cloth, Waste paper.
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Commercial wastes – Packing material, cans, bottles, polythene.
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Construction Wastes – Wood, concrete debris.
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Bio medical wastes – Anatomical wastes, infectious wastes.
2. Industrial wastes
Sources
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Nuclear power plants – generates radioactive wastes
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Thermal power plants – produces fly ash in large quantities
3. Chemical industries
Produces large quantities of hazardous and toxic materials
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EFFECT OF SOLID WASTE
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Biodegradable materials in the disposed municipal waste undergo decomposition . This produces foul smell and breeds various types of insects which spoil land well.
2. Industrial waste containing toxic metals and hazardous waste affect soil characteristics.
3. Toxic substances name percolate into the ground and contaminates the ground water.
4. Burning of some industrial waste or domestic waste produces furan, dioxins and poly chlorinated biphenyls which are harmful to human beings.
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Control measure
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Disposal Methods
1. Landfills
• dumping
• spreading the solid waste on the ground
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Compacting it and then covering it with soil at suitable intervals
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After 2 or 3 years solid waste volume shrinks by 25-30% and the land is used for parks, roads and small buildings
Merits
Simple and economical.
Segregation is not required.
Natural resources are returned to soil and reclyed .
Converts low lying, marshy waste land into usefull areas.
De-Merits
Large area needed. Bad odour.
High transportation cost.
Sources of mosquito, flies.
Insecticides and pesticides are to be applied at regular intervals.
Causes fire hazard due to methane formation in wet weather.
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2. INCINERATION
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In this method the municipal solid wastes are burnt in a furnace called incinerator.
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The heat produced in the incinerator during burning is used as steam power for generation of electricity through turbines.
• The temperature maintained is about 700 ˚ C and increase to
1000˚ C when electricity is to be generated
Advantages
1. Requires little space
2 .Hygienic point of it is safest.
3. Incinerated plants of 300 tons per day capacity generate 3 MW of power.
Disadvantages
1. Capital and operational cost is high.
2. Needs skilled persons.
3. Formations of smoke, dust and ash causes air pollution.
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3. COMPOSTING
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In this method bulk organic waste is converted in to manure by biological action.
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Dumped in underground trenches in layer of 1.5 meters and is finally covered about 20 cm and left for decomposition.
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Within two to three days biological action starts .
• The temperature of the compost increases by 75˚C.
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The refuse is converted to a brown coloured powder known as humus and is used in agricultural fields.
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The compost contain N,P and other minerals.
Advantages
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Recycling occurs.
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Number of industrial solid wastes can also be treated by this method.
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Role of an individual in prevention of pollution
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Plant more trees
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Help more in pollution prevention than pollution control
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Use water, energy and other resources efficiently
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Purchase recyclable, recycled and environmentally safe products
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Reduce deforestation
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Remove NO from motor vehicular exhaust
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Use of eco friendly products.
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Solid waste generated
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India – 960 Million
Tonnes
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Coimbatore -
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Pollution Case Studies
1. Bhopal gas tragedy: (Air Pollution)
Pesticide factory-Union Carbide- corporation leak large volume of methyl iso cyanate –atmosphere Bhopal- Indiamidnight on December 3,1984-city- change-gas chamberwithin a week 10,000 people died – 1000 people turned blind-lakhs of people still continue to suffer various diseases
2. Chernobyl Disaster : (Nuclear pollution)
Occur at Chernobyl in USSR 28 th April,1986-the reactor exploded- result of uncontrolled nuclear reactionsradioactive fuel spread out in to the surrounding areas – killed at least 20,000 people-damage to soil, water and vegetation around 60 km.
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Disaster is a sudden calamity which brings misfortune and miseries to humanity.
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It is a perceived natural event which threatens both life and property.
Types of Disaster management
1. Natural disaster: Floods, Cyclones, earth quakes, landslides. etc.,
2. Man made disaster: Accidents, pollutions, fire accidents, bomb blasts.
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Submergence of waste areas of land under water for many days in continuation
Causes
1.Heavy rainfall
2. Sudden Snow melt
3. Clearing of forest for agriculture
4. Industries increase the value and rate of water discharge after a storm
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Effects:
1. Damage to building and property
2. Soil erosion is the major loss of agriculture
3. Any product submerged by flood water cannot be rescued
Control measures:
1. Building wall prevent spilling out the flood water over flood pains
2. advance meteorological information will prevent flood damage
3. reduction of run off by increasing infiltration through appropriate forestation
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Earthquake is the motion of the ground surface caused by wave motion starting from a focal point
Causes
1. Underground nuclear testing
2. Volcanic eruption
3. Pressure of manmade dams, reservoir and lakes
4. movements of plates of earth
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Effects:
1. Cause Tsunami
2. Deformation of ground surface
3. In hilly and mountain areas may cause land slides which damage the settlement and transport system
4. Depending on the severity of the quake collapses house and people died in 1000 eg. Earthquake in Bhuj town
Control measures:
1. Government can inform the earthquake prone zone and caution residence
2. building should be designed to withstand tremors
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Cyclone is meteorological phenomena intense depressions forming over the open oceans and moving towards the land .
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Effects:
1. Depends on the intensity of the cyclone
2. Damage to human life crops roads, transport, communication could be very heavy
Control measures:
1. planting more trees on hostel areas
2. construction of dams
3. Radar system is used to detect cyclone eg.Cyclone in AP
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The movement of earth materials like coherent rock, mud, soil and debris from higher region to lower due to gravitational pull is called landslide.
Causes
1. Earthquake, shock, vibration
2. Deep water ground mining
3. movement of heavy vehicles on the unstable sleepy region
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Effects:
1. Increase erosion of soil
2. block the roads
3. damage the houses, crop yield, life stock
Control measures:
1. Planting of deep rooted vegetation
2. Encouragement for construction of bridges water ways
3. Create national parks, sanctuaries biosphere.
e.g.land slides in U.P
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