Unit -5
Environmental Pollution
Environmental Pollution
Pollution: may be defined as an undesirable change in the
physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air, water
and land that may be harmful to human life and other
animals, living conditions, industrial processes and cultural
assets. Pollution can be natural or manmade.
Pollutants: The agents that pollute are called pollutants
Pollutants
❖ Deposited matter: Soot, smoke, tar or dust and domestic wastes.
❖ Gases: CO, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, halogens (chlorine, bromine
and iodine).
❖ Metals: Lead, zinc, iron and chromium.
❖ Industrial pollutants: Benzene, ether, acetic acid etc., and cyanide
compounds.
❖ Agriculture pollutants: Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers.
❖ Photochemical pollutants: Ozone, oxides of nitrogen, aldehydes,
ethylene, photochemical smog and proxy acetyl nitrate.
❖ Radiation pollutants: Radioactive substances and radioactive fall-outs of
the nuclear test.
Classification of Pollutants
Nature of disposal:
1. Non-degradable pollutants 2. Biodegradable pollutants
Non-degradable pollutants
• Degrade at a very slow pace by the natural biological processes
• Continue to accumulate in the environment
• Inorganic compounds such as salts (chlorides), metallic oxides waste
producing materials and materials like, aluminum cans, mercuric salts
DDT etc.
Classification of Pollutants
Biodegradable pollutants
• Easily decomposes under natural processes and can be rapidly
decomposed by artificial methods.
• The pace of deposition exceeds the pace of decomposition of
disposal
• Cause serious problems when accumulated in large amounts such
as (i) Clogging of drains. (ii) Soil destruction. (iii) Non-aesthetic look
Classification of Pollutants
Nature of form:
1. Primary pollutants:
2. Secondary pollutants
Primary pollutants
Emitted directly from some identifiable sources
a. Sulphur compounds: SO2, SO3, H2S produced by the oxidation of
fuel
b. Carbon compounds: Oxides of carbon (CO+CO2) and hydrocarbons
c. Nitrogen compounds: NO2 and NH3
d. Halogen compounds: Hydrogen fluoride (HF) and hydrochloric acid
(HCl)
e. Particles of different size and substances: The fine particles in air
include particles of metals, carbon, tar, pollen, fungi, bacteria,
silicates and others.
Secondary pollutants
Produced by the combination of one or more
primary emitted pollutants in the atmosphere
Example:
• Formation of toxic components such as
peroxy-acetyl nitrate (PAN) and ozone (O3)
from waste hydrocarbons
• NO2+HCs === O3 + PAN
• Cause smarting eyes and lung damage
AIR POLLUTION
A physical, biological or chemical alteration to the air in the atmosphere can be termed as
pollution
Causes of Air pollution
• Burning of Fossil Fuels: combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other
factory combustibles
• Agricultural activities: insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural
activities
• Exhaust from factories and industries: carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides
of nitrogen, oxides of sulphur organic compounds etc.
• Mining operations: dust and chemicals
• Indoor air pollution: cleaning products, painting supplies
• Suspended Particulate matter: Industries and automobiles release fine solid and
liquid particles into the air
AIR POLLUTANTS
• Carbon Dioxide: Causes nausea and headache, May cause green house effect, rise
in the atmospheric temperature
• Carbon Monoxide: reduces its oxygen-carrying capacity, This leads to laziness,
reduced vision and death
• Oxides of Nitrogen: lower the oxygen carrying capacity of blood
• Oxides of Sulphur: causes chlorosis (yellowing of leaves), plasmolysis, damage to
mucous membrane and metabolic inhibition, Form Sulphuric and sulphurous acids
as acid rain
• Photochemical Oxidants: peroxyacyl nitrate (PAN), Ozone, aldehydes etc.
• Hydrocarbons: forms PAN with nitrogen oxides, which is highly toxic
• Particulate Matter: Fly ash and soot from burning of coal, metal dust containing
lead, chromium, nickel, cadmium, zinc and mercury from metallurgical processes
Injurious to respiratory tract
•Fluorides: Rocks, soils and. minerals containing fluorides release an extremely toxic
gas called hydrogen fluoride on heating. This gas is highly injurious to livestock and
cattle
Aerosols: Aerosols are chemicals released in the air in vapor form.
Include fluorocarbon (carbon compound having fluorine) present in emissions from the
Jet aero planes. Aerosols deplete the ozone layer. Thinning of ozone layer results in
more harmful ultraviolet rays reaching the earth, which are harmful to skin, and can
lead to skin cancer also.
Radioactive Substances: These are released by nuclear explosions and explosives.
These are extremely harmful for health.
Effects of air pollution
Effects on Human Health:
•Oxides of nitrogen and sulphur can cause damage to lung tissues,
asthma, bronchitis and cancer
•Carbon monoxide reaches lungs and combines with haemoglobin of
blood to form Carboxyhaemoglobin
•Volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic
metals etc. can cause mutations, reproductive problems or even cancer
Effects on Plants: Air pollutants affect plants by damaging leaves and
result in death of the plant
•Necrosis (dead areas of leaf),
•Chlorosis (loss or reduction of chlorophyll causing yellowing of leaf)
•Epinasty (downward curling of leaf),
•Abscission (dropping of leaves)
Effects on aquatic life:
• Air pollutants mixing up with rain can cause acid rain
• Acid rain affects aquatic life
Effects on materials:
• Corrosive particulates can cause damage to exposed surfaces
• SO2 can affect fabric, leather, paint, paper, marble and limestone
• SO2 and moisture produce H2SO4
• H2SO4 accelerate corrosion of metallic surfaces.
• Ozone in the atmosphere can cause cracking of rubber
• Oxides of nitrogen can also cause fading of cotton and rayon fibers
Control of Air Pollution
Source control:
•Using unleaded petrol
•Using fuels with low sulphur and ash content
•Encouraging people to use public transport, walk or use a cycle as
opposed to private vehicles
•Ensure that houses, schools, restaurants and playgrounds are not
located on busy streets
Control of Air Pollution (contd.)
•Plant trees along busy streets as they remove particulates, carbon
dioxide and absorb noise
•Industries and waste disposal sites should be situated outside the city
preferably on the downwind of the city.
•Catalytic converters should be used to help control emissions of
carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons
Control measures in industrial centers
•Emission rates should be restricted to permissible levels by each and
every industry
•Incorporation of air pollution control equipment in design of plant
layout must be made mandatory
•Continuous monitoring of the atmosphere for pollutants should be
carried out to know the emission levels.
Air Quality Index
