Types of Wastes: Biodegradable - which can be decomposed e.g.

. paper, left over food Non biodegradable - which cannot be decomposed by microorganisms e.g. plastics

Air Pollution- Contamination of the atmosphere by gaseous, liquid, or solid wastes or by-products that can endanger humans, animals and plants Can come from man-made ( anthropogenic ) or natural sources

Natural Sources
Volcanic activity / Eruption Dust from natural sources, usually large

areas of land with little or no vegetation. Gases, such as methane, emitted by the digestion of animals and decomposition Forest fires Radon gas from earth minerals (Radon is a natural radioactive gas released from the earth, and it can be found concentrated in basement) Pollen grains

Anthropogenic Sources Mobile sources

Transportation e.g. automobiles, airplanes

Stationary sources

B.1 . indoor air pollutants : e.g. Tobacco smoke, cooking and heating appliances, and vapors from building materials, paints, naphthalene, asbestos from pipes, insecticides

B.2. Outdoor air pollutants: e.g. emissions from industrial plants, incinerators, electrical power plants, pesticides
Incineration process of burning wastes Persistent Organic Pollutants ( POPs) - substances which are chemically carbon-based that are not easily broken down by chemical, biological or physical factors

e.g. those that are used in pesticides such as DDT, aldrin, dieldrin and by products of burning wastes such as dioxins and furans

Effects of Air Pollution

Smog - brown to blackish layer of the air Acid rain Occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from motor vehicles and fossil-fuel burning power plants fall back to Earth as acidic precipitation Causes contamination in lakes, damage to forests, crop failures and death of aquatic animals.

Effects of Air Pollution

Thermal

Inversion

Occurs when air close to the earth is cooler

than the air above it. Under these conditions, air pollutions trap.

Global

warming Diseases

 WATER

POLLUTION

Occurrence of impurities in water system so

that its cleansing processes cannot properly function

Causes of water pollution:

Thermal pollution heated water from power plants Organic and inorganic wastes from industrial plants Organic e.g. wastes from slaughter houses , meat canning companies, pesticides Inorganic wastes - heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury from mining; battery manufacturing and pain industries producing toxic PCB ( Polychlorinated Biphenyl) Domestic sewage Marine litters such as fishing debris, recreational and tourism related litters, oil spills

Illegal methods of fishing : dynamite, muro ami ( stones used to crushed corals), cyanide fishing ( spraying of chemicals to stun fishes

Effects: Eutrophication nutrient enrichment of water resulting to algal bloom Death of aquatic plants and animals Diseases Shortage of food and water Destruction of aquatic habitats

Soil Pollution damages the thin layer of fertile soil that covers much of the earths land . Solid waste one of the most visible forms of pollution; also called as refuse or garbage

Types of solid waste:

Household waste - is generally classified as municipal waste Industrial waste Biomedical or hospital waste also known as infectious waste

Different methods of disposal of solid waste:

Ocean dumping oldest method of waste disposal Landfill - a pit or hole where solid waste is disposed and is covered with soil Types : Area - areas where land depressions already exist Trench areas with low water table and soil deep enough for excavations. Incineration- process of burning waste Open dumpsite - uncovered areas that are used to dump solid waste
Unregulated type of dumping; providing breeding ground for pest,

polluting ground and surface water

Sustainable waste management:

3 Rs reuse, reduce, recycle Waste segregation into biodegradable and non biodegradable Composting - natural process of decomposition yields compost which is rich in nutrients

Noise Pollution Noise is by definition, unwanted sound It is an adverse effect of noise in our living and working environment This is a serious environmental problem, particularly as sound levels above a certain intensity can be physically damaging

 Decibels

or intensity unit to measure noise

A level of 70 decibels is considered noise

Sources

of noise : eg. Transportation, household, market, military, industrial processes Effects : hearing damage, stress, miscommunication

Personal Pollution

Causes : narcotics , drugs, alcohols ( liquor), food additives, cosmetics (e.g. hydroquinone from astringents, hair sprays , excessive make up)

OZONE LAYER :
The earths atmosphere is divided into: 1. Troposphere 2. Stratosphere - where ozone layer is located 3. Mesosphere 4. Thermosphere

Ozone layer Is made up of ozone gas (O3) which encircles the earth. It act as protective layer that blocks the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. Christian Freidrich Schonbein discovered the ozone in 1840

These ozone-depleting chemicals are extensively used man-made chemicals including the followings:

cholorofluorocarbons (CFCs); halons; 1,1,1-trichloroethane (methyl chloroform); carbon tetrachloride; methyl bromide; hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs); and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

MONTREAL PROTOCOL - binding commitment between 128 countries taking steps to phase out ozone depleting substances

Chlorine and Bromine known as ozone eaters Ozone depleting substances are found in the following: CFCs - air conditioners, refrigerators, medical instruments, inhalers, cleaning solvent in computers Halons in fire extinguishers Methyl bromide in pesticides Methyl chloroform in electronic parts Carbontetrachloride petrochemical refining