AIR POLLUTION

any undesirable change in the quality

of air that harmfully affects our
wellbeing.
 SYLLABUS
•Atmosphere stratifications
•In the Troposphere: Global environmental issues and
remedial measures:
Global warming
Acid rain
PC smog
Ozone depletion
•Types and sources of air pollutants;
•Emission and air quality standards, PUC
•Air pollution control
•Case studies.
 CONTENTS
• Classification of pollutants
• General source of pollutants
• Status of pollution in India
• Air pollution
 Classification of air pollutants
 Sources of air pollution
 Major air pollutants
 Occupational health hazards – Berylliosis, Asbestosis, Silicosis,
Anthracosis, Black lung disease
 Global issues:
 Global warming
 Photochemical smog
 Ozone layer depletion
 Acid Rain (water pollution)
• Control of air pollution
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
• Emission norms and emission standards
 DEFINITION

Pollution can be defined as any undesirable

change in the physical, chemical and biological
characteristic of air, water or land that may or
will harmfully affect human life or that of
various species, our industrial processes, living
conditions and cultural assets.
CLASSIFICATION OF POLLUTANTS
Generally a pollutant is classified as biodegradable and
non-biodegradable.

 Biodegradable pollutants are

those which degrade easily such
as sewage, paper products, vegetables,
juice, seeds and leaves.

 Non-biodegradable pollutants
are those which do not degrade
or degrade very slowly, such
as plastics, metal, rubber and glass.
GENERAL SOURCE OF POLLUTANTS

I. Mobile transport

II. Stationary / immobile combustion

III. Factories and industry processes

IV. Disposal of solid wastes

STATUS OF POLLUTION IN INDIA
STATUS OF POLLUTION IN INDIA
A Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) is used to
typify the quality of the environment at a particular locality ensuing
the source of pollution, their path or conduit and the receiver.

CPCB or SPCB or Pollution Control Committees in alliance with IIT

Delhi, had applied Central Environmental Pollution index to eighty
eight specific industrial clusters or areas in 2009.

Out of eighty eight spots:

43 were “critically polluted” (with score more than 70 out of 100).
32 were “severely polluted” with scores varying between 60 and 70.

In the interim assessment report that was carried out in2012:-

Vapi rank first in pollution with a CEPI score of 90.75 out of 100,
Angul Talcher ranked second with 89.74, while
Vatva and Ankleshwar rank sixth and seventh respectively.
 CLASSIFICATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS

A. Based on Origin:
– Primary Pollutants: those pollutants which are
emitted directly into the air and are found in the
same chemical form in which they are released.
E.g., Particulate matter, SO2, NOx, CO, HC.

– Secondary Pollutants: these are generated in the

environment by interactions between two or more
primary pollutants. E.g., O3, PAN, H2SO4, HNO3.
 SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION

i. Natural Sources:
Process Pollutants Produced
Volcanoes Sulphur dioxide, fly ash
Forest fire CO, Fume, smoke
Biological decay Methane(CH4), ammonia (NH3)
Storm wind Hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
Ocean release Dust particles
Plants and micro organism CO2, Salt spray
Pollens, fungi spores
ii. Anthropogenic or Man-made Sources:

1. Domestic
 Coal combustion generates smoke, soot, dust, CO, SO2, NOx.
 Burning of LPG releases fewer amounts of pollutants
comparatively.

2. Automobiles
 It is contributing nearly 60 – 70 % of air pollution.
 India is the 5th leading car producer in the world in 2011.
 It is the leading producer of three-wheelers (8,78, 000 in 2011-
12).
 The number of government registered vehicles on roads in
India is 142 million vehicles in the year 2011-2012.
(MoEF, Annual report, 2012-13)
3. Industries
 Fertilizer Plants - generates sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons,
PM and fluorine.
 Thermal Plants - fly ash, soot, SO2, CO, NOx.
 Textile Industries - cotton fibres and dust, NOx, chlorine gas, naphtha vapours,
smoke and SO2.
 Steel Plants and metallurgical operations - carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide,
sulphur dioxide, phenol, fluorine, cyanide, particulate matter, copper, lead,
zinc etc.
 Petroleum - Fossil fuels include petroleum and coal; emissions are mainly
sulphur dioxide. Additionally, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2),
nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, particulate matter and traces of metals are
produced.
 Paper and Pulp - PM, SO2, H2S, Methyl mercaptan.
 Food processing - often releases dimethyl sulphide and various types of
odour.

4. Agriculture
 mainly pesticides and herbicides - Chlorinated hydrocarbons, phosphates, nitrates
etc.
 MAJOR AIR POLLUTANTS

• Aerosols and VOCs

• Other hydrocarbons
• Particulate matter (inorganic and organic)
• Oxides of carbon
• Sulphur dioxide
• Oxides of nitrogen
 Aerosols

• Aerosols are tiny particles of solid or liquid

suspended in the air.
• Most of the aerosols concerted in the
Northern Hemisphere, due to industrial
development, slash-and-burn cropland, and
overgrazed grasslands.

• Examples: smoke, oceanic haze, smog.

 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

• Class of organic chemical compounds with

substantial vapor pressure at room
temperature.
• Include both natural and man-made chemical
compounds.
 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

• Commonly used in household products like

paints and solvents; wood preservatives; aerosol
sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, moth
repellents and air fresheners, stored fuels and
automotive products, dry-cleaned clothing.

• Examples - Acetone, Benzene, Ethylene glycol,

Formaldehyde, Methylene chloride,
Perchloroethylene, Toluene, Xylene, 1, 3-
butadiene and an important class of compounds
called terpenes, such as myrcene.
PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPs)

• Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic

organic class of compounds that has become a
global concern.
 Global distillation or Grasshopper movement of POPs
• Process goes on and on
with highest
concentrations
occurring in the
circumpolar nations.

• In view of this the

Arctic Council was
constituted by
Denmark, Sweden,
Iceland, Norway, Russia,
Alaska, Greenland,
Finland, etc. to monitor
and assess the source
and pathway of the
POPs.
• POPs lasts for an extended period in the environment;
accumulate and go into from one trophic level to the next
through the food chain.

• In 1992, under UN/ECE (European Commission of Europe)

the Convention of Long Range Transboundary Air
Pollution (LRTAP) was constituted to identify the chemicals
of potential concern.

• In 2001, USA with 90 other nations and EU signed the

treaty in Stockholm, Sweden. Under this treaty the nations
decided trimming down or eliminating the production,
utilization, and/or discharge of twelve main culprits, known
as ‘dirty dozen’.
 The dirty dozen
1. Aldrin -Pesticide, closely related to dielrin; extensively used
on corn and cotton and for termite control.
2. Dieldrin - Pesticide widely used on corn and cotton pests. It
is also a metabolite of aldrin.
3. Chlordane- Pesticide on crops, lawns, and gardens and a
fumigant for termite control.
4. Heptachlor - Insecticide for household and agricultural
uses. It is also a component and a breakdown product of
chlordane.
5. DDT- Pesticide; used for controlling malaria since 2nd world
war; discovered by Paul Mueller.
6. Endrin- Used as insecticide, rodenticide, and also to control
birds.
7. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)- used as pesticide and fungicide
used on seeds, is also an industrial byproduct.
8. Mirex- used as insecticide and as flame retardant.
9. Toxaphene - Insecticide used on cotton pests.
10. PCBs or Polychlorinated biphenyls, widely used in
electrical equipment.
11. Polychlorinated Dioxins and
12. Polychlorinated Furans - Two notorious classes of
“unintentional” pollutants, produced as byproducts of
incineration and industrial processes.
 Particulate Matters

• A generic term used for a subdivision of solid particles

or liquid droplets suspended in a gas or liquid.

• They differ in origin, size, and their chemical

composition, all of which are <10 μm in size.

• Particles with aerodynamic diameter less than equal

to 2.5 µm are known as PM2.5. The lesser the
diameter, more will be the penetrating ability and
greater will be the hazard. Evidence indicates that
respirable particulate matter (RPM) or PM10 is linked
to health hazards.
• Upper RTI are symptomized by are stuffy nose, sinusitis,
sore throat, hay fever, cough, and irritation of eyes.

• Symptoms of the lower respiratory tract infections are

wheezing, phlegm(thick mucus), dysponea (difficult
breathing), asthma, pain in chest, emphysema, etc.

• RPM slow the ciliary beat and mucous flow

inflammation of lung tissue.

• PM causes alterations in blood chemistry and can increase

susceptibility to viral and bacterial pathogens.

• Particulates like arsenic, PAH, radioactive nuclei are

carcinogens.
 CHLOROFLUORO CARBONS (CFCs)
• Organic compound comprising carbon, chlorine,
and fluorine, produced as a capricious derivative
of methane and ethane and commonly known as
‘Freons’.

• Extensively used as refrigerants, propellants and

solvents.

• Presently, gases, such as helium, propane/

isobutane mixtures are used as refrigerants.
 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARDS
1. Berylliosis
• It is a kind of pneumoconiosis; a systemic granulomatous
disease, mainly affecting the lungs.

• Affect employees working in beryllium alloy industry,

ceramic objects, foundry, cathode ray tubes, gas blanket,
projectile, and nuclear reactors.

• Two forms: acute nonspecific pneumonitis and chronic

granulomatous disease with interstitial fibrosis, which may
cause respiratory failure and ultimately death.
What is air quality management?

Air quality management (AQM )refers to all the activities a regulatory

authority undertakes to make sure that the air we breathe is safe, both
outdoors and indoors.
The AQM process is the system of understanding the sources that
contribute to pollution in the air and the health and environmental effects
of the pollutants, and then taking steps to reduce or control the sources to
reach or maintain agreed upon target pollution levels in the air .
These levels may vary from country to country, but the overall system for
planning, assessing, characterizing, mitigating, and implementing control
strategies is similar.
While AQM is generally handled at the national government level, regional
and local governments, industry, and the public all have important roles to
play in this system .
Each air quality management activity is related to the others .It is also
important to recognize that the entire AQM process is dynamic -there is a
continuous review and assessment of standards and strategies based on
their effectiveness and new research on health and environmental effects.
 Criteria Pollutants
U.S .EPA uses six " criteria pollutants " as indicators of air quality, and has established
for each of them a National Ambient Air Quality Standards:

• Particulate matter
• Ground-level ozone
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Carbon monoxide
• Sulfur dioxide
• Lead

When an area does not meet the air quality standard for one of the criteria pollutants, it
may be defined as non-attainment (especially for ozone, carbon monoxide, and some
particulate matter) .

Non-attainment classifications may be used to specify what air pollution reduction

measures an area must adopt, and when the area must reach attainment .
 Particulate Matter
• Larger particles (> PM10) deposit
in the upper respiratory tract
• Smaller, inhalable particles (≤
PM10) penetrate into the lungs
• PM10-2.5 are thoracic coarse PM
• PM2.5 go deeper than PM10-2.5

• Smallest particles (ultrafines,

PM0.1) may enter bloodstream
• Deposited particles may
accumulate, react, be cleared or
absorbed
• Traditional
– Move factory to remote location
– Build taller smokestack so wind blows pollution
elsewhere
• New
– Biofiltration : vapors pumped through soil where
microbes degrade
– High-energy destruction: high-voltage electricity
– Membrane separation: diffusion of organic
vapors through membrane
– Oxidation: High temperature combustor
 ACTIONS…..

VEHICULAR POLLUTION CONTROL

o Improved fuel quality – Bharat Stage IV in major cities,
Bharat Stage – III in rest of the country
o Alternate cleaner fuel (CNG/LPG)
o Progressive emission norms for vehicles
o Improvement in public transport system (Metro)
o Phasing out of old commercial vehicles
o Better traffic management – Restriction on goods vehicles
during day time, Installation of time clocks at important
crossings, Construction of more flyovers and subways
and closing of T-Junctions, Regular information about
traffic flow through radio
 Control Strategies

A control strategy is a set of discrete and specific

measures identified and implemented to achieve
reductions in air pollution. These measures may
vary by source type, such as stationary or
mobile, as well as by the pollutant that is being
targeted. The purpose of these measures is to
achieve the air quality standard or goal .Costs
and benefits are assessed in the development of
the control strategy.