Lecture Presentations on

Environmental Engineering
Course EENV101
Part 1b Wk 3-4 (Jan 21- Jan 28)
Environmental Risks
Chapter Six of Textbook
By Engr. Jessica. M. Castillo

Rev. 3T 2015-16

Week 3 : Learning Objectives

Discuss

how the different areas of the

environment (air, water and soil) are damaged
or destroyed. (CO2)
Identify

the different Scenario in the

environment and its effects.(CO2)
Discuss

the meaning of green chemistry, the

toxic release inventory and the pollution
prevention hierarchy. (CO2)
Explain

how pollutants of the different

environments are produced. (CO2)
Explain

the effects of pollutants on the

different environments. (CO2)

Rev. 3T 2015-16

Rev. 3T 2015-16

Threats to Biodiversity

OVERHARVEST
HABITAT DESTRUCTION
NEW SPECIES INTRODUCTION (includes GMO)
POLLUTANTS INTRODUCTION
GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES

Threats to Biosphere

OVERUSE OF RESOURCES (FOOD etc.)

DISRUPTION OF THE BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE
POLLUTION IN AIR WATER AND SOIL
NATURAL ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES
DISTURBANCE/IMBALANCE OF THE
ECOSYSTEM

Rev. 3T 2015-16

Environmental Risk
Environmental Risk is the measure of the impact
resulting from exposure to an environmental hazard
(unsafe condition).
Example of environmental hazards:
Chemicals
Biological Pathogens
Ozone depletion
Water scarcity
Food shortage etc.
Risk = f (hazard, exposure)

Note: Since hazard may not be completely

eliminated we can reduce also the risk by reducing
the exposure.
Rev. 3T 2015-16

Types of Environmental
Hazards
Physical
Toxicological
Global hazards

Ecotoxicity : environmental risk applied to the

health of plants, animals, and the entire ecosystem,
which support human life.

Rev. 1T 2013-14
Rev. 3T 2015-16

Green Chemistry
In green Chemistry, RISK is reduced
by using chemicals and materials that
would not pollute the environment or
or harm humans (living things) if they
are exposed to them.
Green chemistry
reduces toxicity,
minimizes waste,
saves energy,
cuts down depletion of natural
resources
Rev. 1T 2013-14
Rev. 3T 2015-16

 Examples of Green Chemistry

Initiatives:
Taking chromium and arsenic, which are
toxic out of pressure-treated wood.
Using less toxic chemicals for bleaching
paper.
Substituting yttrium for lead in auto paint
Using enzymes instead of a strong base
for the treatment of cotton fibers.
Etc.

Rev. 3T 2015-16

Hazardous wastes and

Chemicals
Effects of Exposure to toxic or hazardous chemicals
Death
Diseases like cancer
Birth defects
Infertility
Stunted growth
Neurological disorder
etc
Rev. 3T 2015-16

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)

The Toxic Release Inventory or TRI, is a
database that contains specific
toxic chemical release, transfer, waste
management and pollution prevention activities
from manufacturing facilities throughout the United
States.

Toxicity
deals with the effects of chemicals on living organisms

Bioaccumulation
Concentration of a chemical builds up in an organism
over time.
Rev. 3T 2015-16

www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/27/tri/tri/right2kn.pdf

POLLUTION?

the introduction into the environment

of a substance or thing that has harmful
or poisonous effects.

Rev. 1T 2013-14

Disciplines in
Environmental Engineering
Pollution

Control
Water and Wastewater
management
Solid waste management
Toxic and hazardous waste
management
Environmental Management

Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants
into the natural environment that cause adverse
change (in its composition and use).
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Air

Water

Land/Soil

Noise pollution

Thermal pollution

Radiation pollution

Contaminants
Contaminants : unnatural presence of particles,
substances such as poison or hazardous material
not naturally-occurring
Man-made (anthropogenic)
changes in the natural environment
Impairs the environment in performing its
intended task
Leads to the destruction of the ability of the
environment to perform its intended function in
the future.

Pollution Prevention Hierarchy

Source Reduction

Recycling/Reuse
Treatment
Disposal

Rev. 3T 2015-16

Example
The

non-renewable resources have to be

conserved as they cannot be replenished.
The reserves of the resources such as
fossil fuels are limited and man is heavily
dependent on these resources for his day
to day needs.
The renewable resources too have to be
judiciously used. Though they are
replenished, they are subjected to a lot of
pollution that renders them useless. E.g.
water
Rev. 1T 2013-14

RISK ASSESSMENT
Hazard

Assessment

Dose-Response
Exposure

Risk

Assessment

Assessment

Characterization.

Rev. 3T 2015-16

Hazard Assessment
What health problems are caused
by the pollutant when released
into the environment?

Dose-Response Assessment
What is the probability that humans (living things)
will experience an adverse effect when exposed
to a specific concentration of a chemical
(pollutant)?

Exposure Assessment
How severe will the adverse response
(effect) be based on the extent and
frequency of exposure?

Risk characterization
Based on the hazard and the exposure,
what is the level of the risk?
What is the acceptable level of risk?

Rev. 1T 2013-14

12 Principles of Green Engineering

1. Inherent Rather Than Circumstantial Designers need to strive to ensure that all materials and energy
inputs and outputs are as inherently nonhazardous as possible.
2. Prevention Instead of Treatment It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is
formed.
3. Design for Separation Separation and purification operations should be designed to minimize energy
consumption and materials use.
4. Maximize Efficiency Products, processes, and systems should be designed to maximize mass, energy,
space, and time efficiency.
5. Output-Pulled Versus Input-Pushed Products, processes, and systems should be "output pulled" rather
than "input pushed" through the use of energy and materials.
6. Conserve Complexity Embedded entropy and complexity must be viewed as an investment when making
design choices on recycle, reuse, or beneficial disposition.
7. Durability Rather Than Immortality Targeted durability, not immortality, should be a design goal.
8. Meet Need, Minimize Excess Design for unnecessary capacity or capability (e.g., "one size fits all")
solutions should be considered a design flaw.
9. Minimize Material Diversity Material diversity in multicomponent products should be minimized to
promote disassembly and value retention.
10. Integrate Material and Energy Flows Design of products, processes, and systems must include
integration and interconnectivity with available energy and materials flows.
11. Design for Commercial "Afterlife Products, processes, and systems should be designed for
performance in a commercial "afterlife."
12. Renewable Rather Than Depleting Material and energy inputs should be renewable rather than
depleting.

Developed by Paul Anastas and Julie Zimmerman

Government Laws
to protect the environment
and prevent pollution
a) R.A. 9275 Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004
b) R.A. 8749 Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999
c) R.A. 9003, Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act of the 2000
d) R.A. 6969, Toxic Substances and Hazardous
and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990

Rev. 1T 2013-14