POLLUTION

• The presence or introduction of any substance

into the environment which has harmful or
poisonous effect on the environment.

• Some of the main causes of pollution

include industrial emissions, poor disposal of
wastes, mining, deforestation, use of fossil fuels
and agricultural activities.
TYPES
• Air pollution
• Water pollution
• Noise pollution
• Land pollution
• Radioactive pollution
Air pollution
• The presence of toxic chemicals or compounds
(including those of biological origin) in the air, at
levels that pose a health risk.
• In an even broader sense, air pollution means
the presence of chemicals or compounds in the
air which are usually not present and which
lower the quality of the air or cause detrimental
changes to the quality of life (such as the
damaging of the ozone layer or causing global
warming).
Air pollution
• Any change in the atmosphere that has harmful
effects is called air pollution.
• Any substance that causes pollution is called a
pollutant.

• Solid particles and gases

that are released into
the air are called
emissions.
• Main cause of emissions
is by motor vehicles
releasing carbon
monoxide into the air.
Air pollution
• Caused by human activities such as mining,
construction, transportation, industrial work,
agriculture, smelting, etc.
• However, natural processes such as volcanic
eruptions and wildfires may also pollute the air,
but their occurrence is rare and they usually
have a local effect, unlike human activities that
are ubiquitous causes of air pollution and
contribute to the global pollution of the air
every single day.
Air pollution
• CAUSES:
(i) Combustion of natural gas, petroleum, coal and
wood in industries, automobiles, aircrafts, railways,
thermal plants, agricultural burning, kitchens, etc.
(soot, flyash, CO2, CO, nitrogen oxides, sulphur
oxides).
(ii) Metallurgical processing (mineral dust, fumes
containing fluorides, sulphides and metallic
pollutants like lead, chromium, nickel, beryllium,
arsenic, vanadium, cadmium, zinc, mercury).
 Air pollution

(iii) Chemical industries including pesticides, fertilizers,

weedicides, fungicides.
(iv) Cosmetics.
(v) Processing industries like cotton textiles, wheat flour
mills, asbestos.
(vi) Welding, stone crushing, gem grinding.
Air pollution
Natural air pollutants include
(a) pollen, spores,
(b) marsh gas,
(c) volcanic gases and
(d) synthesis of harmful chemicals by electric storms
and solar flares.
The major cause of pollution in the urban areas is
automobiles which inefficiently burn petroleum,
releases 75% of noise and 80% of air pollutants.
Concentration of industries in one area is another
major cause of air pollution
Air pollution
Most Common Types of Air Pollutants
• two major forms:
o in a gaseous form (as gases),
o in a solid form (as particulate matter suspended
in the air).
Particulate Matter:
It is of two types—settleable and suspended.
• The settleable dusts have a particle longer than
10 (am. The smaller particles are able to remain
suspended for long periods in the air. The
important effects of particulate matter are.
(i) Dust and smoke particles cause irritation of the
respiratory tract and produces bronchitis, asthma
and lung diseases.
(ii) Smog is a dark or opaque fog which is formed
by the dust and smoke particles causing
condensation of water vapours around them as
well as attracting chemicals like SO2, H2S, NO2, etc.
Smog harms plant life through glazing and necrosis
besides reduced availability of light. In human
beings and animals it produces respiratory troubles.
Particulate Matter:
(iii) Particulate matter suspended in air, scatters
and partly absorbs light. In industrial and urban
areas, sunlight is reduced to 1/3 in summer and
2/3 in winter.
(iv) At a concentration above 150 g/100m3,
cotton dust in ginning process produces
pneumoconiosis or lung fibrosis called byssinosis.
Lung fibrosis produced in other industries includes
asbestosis (in asbestos industry), silicosis (stone
grinders), siderosis (iron mill), coal miners’
pneumoconiosis, flour mill pneumoconiosis, etc
Air pollution
• CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
o Extremely toxic, produced by incomplete
combustion and vehicle exhaust.

• SULPHUR OXIDES
o They occur mainly in the form of sulphur
dioxide. It is produced in large quantity during
smelting of metallic ores and burning of
petroleum and coal in industries, thermal
plants, home and motor vehicles. In the air,
SO2 combines with water to form sulphurous
acid (H2SO3) which is the cause of acid rain
 Air pollution
• NITROGEN OXIDES
o They are produced naturally through biological
and non-biological activities from nitrates,
nitrites, electric storms, high energy radiations
and solar flares. Human activity forms nitrogen
oxides in combustion process of industries,
automobiles, incinerators and nitrogen fertilizers.
Nitrogen oxides act on unsaturated
hydrocarbons to form peroxy-acyl nitrates or
PAN. It gives rise to photochemical smog.
• VOCS (VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS)
o Toxic and carcinogenic, generated through many
human activities such as industrial processes and
waste disposal.
 EFFECTS….

 Smoke+ Fog = Smog

• When certain gases in the air
react with sunlight it can create
a think brownish haze called
photochemical smog
• When the smog level is high it
can settle over a city creating a
dirty haze.
• Potential threats to humans are
breathing trouble, throat
irritation and burning eyes.
• Major sources of smog are the
gases emitted by vehicles.
( eg:Photochemical
smog: Delhi)
EFFECTS….

 ACID RAIN
• Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide particles in
the air, can create acid rain when they mix
with water and oxygen in the atmosphere.
These air pollutants come mostly from coal-fired
power plants and motor vehicles. When acid
rain falls to Earth, it damages plants by
changing soil composition; degrades water
quality in rivers, lakes and streams; damages
crops; and can cause buildings and
monuments to decay.
EFFECTS….

 GLOBAL WARMING
• Environmental phenomenon caused by natural
and anthropogenic air pollution. It refers to
rising air and ocean temperatures around the
world. This temperature rise is at least partially
caused by an increase in the amount
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases trap heat energy in the
Earths atmosphere.
EFFECTS….

 OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

• Other greenhouse gases emitted by natural
and artificial sources also include methane,
nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. Methane is
a major emission from coal plants and
agricultural processes. Nitrous oxide is a
common emission from industrial factories,
agriculture, and the burning of fossil fuels in
cars. Fluorinated gases, such
as hydrofluorocarbons, are emitted by industry.
Fluorinated gases are often used instead of
gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
CFCs have been outlawed in many places
because they deplete the ozone layer.
EFFECTS….

 Worldwide, many countries have taken steps

to reduce or limit greenhouse gas emissions
to combat global warming. The Kyoto Protocol,
first adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, is an
agreement between 183 countries that they will
work to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.
The United States has not signed that treaty.
CONTROL

• Industrial estates should be established at a

distance from residential areas.
• Use of tall chimneys shall reduce the air
pollution in the surroundings and compulsory
use of filters and electrostatic precipitators in
the chimneys.
• Removal of poisonous gases by passing the
fumes through water tower scrubber or spray
collector.
• Use of high temperature incinerators for
reduction in particulate ash production.
CONTROL

• Development and employment of non-

combustive sources of energy, e.g., nuclear
power, geothermal power, solar power, tidal
power, wind power, etc.
• Use of non-lead antiknock agents in gasoline.
• Attempt should be made to develop pollution
free fuels for automobiles, e.g., alcohol,
hydrogen, battery power. Automobiles should
be fitted with exhaust emission controls.
• Industrial plants and refineries should be fitted
with equipment for removal and recycling of
wastes.
CONTROL

• Growing plants capable of fixing carbon

monoxide, e.g. Phaseolus vulgaris, Coleus
blumei, Daucus carota, Ficus variegata (Bidwell
and Bebee, 1974).
• Growing plants capable of metabolising
nitrogen oxides and other gaseous pollutants,
e.g., Vitis, Pimis, Jttniperus, Quercus, Pyrus,
Robinia pseudo-acacia, Viburnum, Crataegus,
Ribes, Rhamnus.
• Afforestation of the mining area on priority
basis.
 Water pollution

• The presence in groundwater of toxic chemicals and

biological agents that exceed what is naturally found
in the water and may pose a threat to human health
and/or the environment.
• May consist of chemicals introduced into the water
bodies as a result of various human activities. Any
amount of those chemicals pollutes the water,
regardless of the harm they may pose to human
health and the environment.
 Water pollution
• Many causes of pollution including sewage and
fertilizers contain nutrients such as nitrates and
phosphates.
• In excess levels, nutrients over stimulate the growth
of aquatic plants and algae. Excessive growth of
these types of organisms consequently clogs our
waterways, use up dissolved oxygen as they
decompose, and block light to deeper waters.
This, in turn, proves very harmful to aquatic
organisms as it affects the respiration ability or fish
and other invertebrates that reside in water.
 Water pollution
• Pollution is also caused when silt and other
suspended solids, such as soil, wash off plowed
fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas,
and eroded river banks when it rains. Under
natural conditions, lakes, rivers, and other water
bodies undergo Eutrophication, an aging process
that slowly fills in the water body with sediment
and organic matter. When these sediments enter
various bodies of water, fish respiration becomes
impaired, plant productivity and water depth
become reduced, and aquatic organisms and
their environments become suffocated. .
 Water pollution
• Pollution in the form of organic material enters
waterways in many different forms as sewage, as
leaves and grass clippings, or as runoff from
livestock feedlots and pastures.
• When natural bacteria and protozoan in the
water break down this organic material, they
begin to use up the oxygen dissolved in the
water.
• Many types of fish and bottom-dwelling animals
cannot survive when levels of dissolved oxygen
drop below two to five parts per million. When this
occurs, it kills aquatic organisms in large numbers
which leads to disruptions in the food chain.
Water pollution
 Causes
• Marine Dumping
• Industrial Waste
• Sewage, mainly from
households
• Nuclear waste
• Oil pollution
• Underground storage leaks
• Toxic water
• Thermal heating
• Our sources of water
Water pollution
• Sources of pollutants
POINT SOURCES
These are localized sources like an industrial
process, a mining activity, etc. These sources are
usually regulated so that the effect may be
predicted and the impact minimized. However,
accidental leaks and spills are an exception to
that.
NON-POINT SOURCES
These are unidentified sources from which
pollutants are carried away by water discharges
and runoffs. Non-point pollution may involve a
broad range of pollutants, but in lower amounts
than the point sources.
 The major sources of water pollution can be classified as
municipal, industrial, and agricultural.
• Municipal water pollution
o consists of waste water from homes and commercial
establishments.
For many years, the main goal of treating municipal
wastewater was simply to reduce its content of suspended
solids, oxygen-demanding materials, dissolved inorganic
compounds, and harmful bacteria.
In recent years, however, more stress has been placed on
improving means of disposal of the solid residues from the
municipal treatment processes
The basic methods of treating municipal wastewater fall
into three stages:
• primary treatment, including grit removal,
screening,
grinding, and
sedimentation;
• secondary treatment, which entails oxidation of
dissolved organic matter by means of using biologically
active sludge, which is then filtered off; and
• tertiary treatment, in which advanced biological
methods of nitrogen removal and chemical and physical
methods such as granular filtration and activated carbon
absorption are employed.
• The handling and disposal of solid residues can account
for 25 to 50 percent of the capital and operational costs
of a treatment plant.
• The characteristics of industrial waste waters can differ
considerably both within and among industries.
• The impact of industrial discharges depends not only on
their collective characteristics, such as biochemical
oxygen demand and the amount of suspended solids,
but also on their content of specific inorganic and
organic substances.
• Three options are available in controlling industrial
wastewater.
• Control can take place at the point of generation in the
plant; wastewater can be pretreated for discharge to
municipal treatment sources;. or wastewater can be
treated completely at the plant and either reused or
discharged directly into receiving waters
 Wastewater Treatment
Raw sewage includes waste from sinks, toilets, and industrial
processes. Treatment of the sewage is required before it
can be safely buried, used, or released back into local
water systems. In a treatment plant, the waste is passed
through a series of screens, chambers,
and chemical processes to reduce its bulk and toxicity. The
three general phases of treatment are primary, secondary,
and tertiary.
During primary treatment, a large percentage of the
suspended solids and inorganic material is removed from
the sewage . The focus of secondary treatment is reducing
organic material by accelerating natural biological
processes.
Tertiary treatment is necessary when the water will be
reused; 99 percent of solids are removed and various
chemical processes are used to ensure the water is as free
from impurity as possible.
Agriculture, including commercial livestock and poultry
farming, is the source of many organic and inorganic
pollutants in surface waters and groundwater. These
contaminants include both sediment from
erosion cropland and compounds of phosphorus and
nitrogen that partly originate in animal wastes and
commercial fertilizers. Animal wastes are high in oxygen
demanding material, nitrogen and
phosphorus, and they often harbor pathogenic organisms .
Wastes from commercial feeders are contained
and disposed of on land; their main threat to
natural waters, therefore, is from runoff and
leaching.
Control may involve settling basins for liquids,
limited biological treatment in aerobic or
anaerobic lagoons, and a variety of other
methods.
Soil pollution
• Soil pollution is defined as the presence of
toxic chemicals (pollutants or contaminants)
in soil, in high enough concentrations to pose
a risk to human health and/or the ecosystem.
• In the case of contaminants which occur
naturally in soil, even when their levels are not
high enough to pose a risk, soil pollution is still
said to occur if the levels of the contaminants
in soil exceed the levels that should naturally
be present.
Soil pollution
• There are two main causes through which soil
pollution is generated:
o anthropogenic (man-made) causes and
o natural causes.

NATURAL POLLUTANTS
Natural processes can lead to an
accumulation of toxic chemicals in the soil.
This type of contamination has only been
recorded in a few cases, such as the
accumulation of higher levels of perchlorate in
soil from the Atacama Desert in Chile, a type
of accumulation which is purely due to natural
processes in arid environments.
Soil pollution
MAN-MADE POLLUTANTS
Man-made contaminants are the main causes
of soil pollution and consist of a large variety of
contaminants or chemicals, both organic and
inorganic. They can pollute the soil either alone
or combined with several natural soil
contaminants. Man-made soil pollution is usually
caused by the improper disposal of waste
coming from industrial or urban sources,
industrial activities, and agricultural pesticides.
 Soil pollution
Types of Soil Pollutants
Soil pollution consists of pollutants and
contaminants. The main pollutants of the soil are
the biological agents and some of the human
activities. Soil contaminants are all products of soil
pollutants that contaminate the soil. Human
activities that pollute the soil range from agricultural
practices that infest the crops with pesticide
chemicals to urban or industrial wastes or
radioactive emissions that contaminate the soil with
various toxic substances.
 Soil pollution
Types of Soil Pollutants
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
Biological agents work inside the soil to introduce
manures and digested sludge (coming from the
human, bird and animal excreta) into the soil.
AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
The soil of the crops is polluted to a large extent
with pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, slurry, debris,
and manure.
RADIOACTIVE POLLUTANTS
Radioactive substances such as Radium, Thorium,
Uranium, Nitrogen, etc. can infiltrate the soil and
create toxic effects.
 Soil pollution
Types of Soil Pollutants
URBAN WASTE
Urban waste consists of garbage and rubbish
materials, dried sludge and sewage from domestic
and commercial waste.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
Steel, pesticides, textiles, drugs, glass, cement,
petroleum, etc. are produced by paper mills, oil
refineries, sugar factories, petroleum industries and
others as such.
 Marine pollution
The marine environment becomes polluted and
contaminated through various sources and forms.
Major sources of marine pollution are the inflow of
chemicals, solid waste, discharge of radioactive
elements, industrial and agricultural effluents, man-
made sedimentation, oil spills, and many such
factors. The majority portion of the marine pollution
comes from the land that contributes to 80 percent
of the marine pollution, air pollution also carries
pesticides from farms and dust into the marine
waters.
 Marine pollution
Air and land pollution is a major contributor to the
growing marine pollution that is not only hampering
the aquatic ecology but also affecting the life on
land. The non-point sources like wind-blown debris,
agricultural runoff, and dust become the major
source of pollution. Apart from these, factors like
land runoff, direct discharge, atmospheric
pollution, pollution caused by ships, and deep sea
mining of natural resources contribute heavily.
 Marine pollution- Types
Eutrophication
When there is an excess of chemical nutrients
mainly nitrates and phosphates in the water, it
leads to eutrophication or nutrient pollution.
Eutrophication decreases the level of oxygen,
reduces the quality of water, makes the water
inhabitable for fish, affects the breeding process
within the marine life and increases the primary
productivity of the marine ecosystem.
 Marine pollution- Types
Acidification
Oceans act as a natural reservoir for absorbing the
carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. But,
due to rising level of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, the oceans across the world are
becoming acidic in nature, as a consequence, it
leads to acidification of oceans. Researches and
scientists have not been able to uncover the
potential damage ocean acidification may have
on the Earth’s atmosphere. But, there is a strong
concern that acidification might lead to dissolution
of calcium carbonate structures, that can affect
the shell formation in shellfish and also the corals.
 Marine pollution- Types
Toxins
There are persistent toxins that do not get dissolved
or disintegrate with the marine ecosystem rapidly.
Toxins such as pesticides, DDT, PCBs, furans, TBT,
radioactive waste, phenols, and dioxins get
accumulated in the tissue cells of the marine
lifeforms and lead to bioaccumulation hampering
the life underwater and sometimes leads to a
mutation in aquatic life forms.
 Marine pollution- Types
Plastics
The ever-growing dependence of human
population on plastic has filled the oceans and the
land, it consists of 80 percent of the debris found in
the oceans. Plastic dumped and found in the
oceans are dangerous for the marine life forms and
wildlife, as sometimes it strangles and chokes them
to death. The rising levels of plastic dumps found in
the oceans are suffocating, ingesting, and
entangling the life underwater as well as above it.
 Thermal pollution
Plastics
The ever-growing dependence of human
population on plastic has filled the oceans and the
land, it consists of 80 percent of the debris found in
the oceans. Plastic dumped and found in the
oceans are dangerous for the marine life forms and
wildlife, as sometimes it strangles and chokes them
to death. The rising levels of plastic dumps found in
the oceans are suffocating, ingesting, and
entangling the life underwater as well as above it.