INTRODUCTION TO INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION

What is pollution?
When something is added to the environment which is very harmful, poisonous or fatal
to the animal, people surrounding it and other living things is called as pollution. In simple
term pollution is a contamination by a chemical or other pollutant that renders part of the
environment unfit for intended or desired use. It is triggered by industrial and commercial
waste, agriculture practices, day to day human activities and most notably, modes of
transportation and many the other sources. Pollution has many forms; it may be chemical
substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light.
Some most common types of pollution:Pollution is a very voluminous term; here we
present some of the common pollution’s.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
• Industrial waste is process waste associated with manufacturing.
o his waste usually is not classified as either municipal waste or hazardous waste by
federal or state laws.
o Regulatory programs for managing industrial waste vary widely among state, tribal, and
some local governments.

• Developmental activities such as construction, transportation and manufacturing not only

deplete the natural resources but also produce large amount of wastes that leads to pollution
of air, water, soil, and oceans; global warming and acid rains. Untreated or improperly treated
waste is a major cause of pollution of rivers and environmental degradation causing ill health
and loss of crop productivity. In this lesson you will study about the major causes of pollution,
their effects on our environment and the various measures that can be taken to control such
pollutions.
 POLLUTION AND POLLUTANTS

Human activities directly or indirectly affect the environment adversely. A stone crusher
adds a lot of suspended particulate matter and noise into the atmosphere. Automobiles emit
from their tail pipes oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and
a complex mixture of unburnt hydrocarbons and black soot which pollute the atmosphere.
Domestic sewage and run off from agricultural fields, laden with pesticides and fertilizers,
pollute water bodies. Effluents from tanneries contain many harmful chemicals and emit foul
smell. These are only a few examples which show how human activities pollute the
environment.
Pollution may be defined as addition of undesirable material into the environment as a
result of human activities.
The agents which cause environmental pollution are called pollutants. A pollutants may
be defined as a physical, chemical or biological substance unintentionally released into the
environment which is directly or indirectly harmful to humans and other living organisms.
 TYPES OF POLLUTION

Pollution may be of the following types:

o Air pollution
o Noise pollution
o Water pollution
o Soil pollution
o Thermal pollution
o Radiation pollution
 AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is a result of industrial and certain domestic activity. An ever increasing
use of fossil fuels in power plants, industries, transportation, mining, construction of buildings,
stone quarries had led to air pollution. Air pollution may be defined as the presence of any
solid, liquid or gaseous substance including noise and radioactive radiation in the atmosphere
in such concentration that may be directly and indirectly injurious to humans or other living
organisms, plants, property or interferes with the normal environmental processes. Air
pollutants are of two types (1) suspended particulate matter, and (2) gaseous pollutants like
carbon dioxide (CO2), NOx etc. .

Air pollution comes into picture due to the accumulation of hazardous substances
into the atmosphere that danger human life and other living matter. The most dominant
player responsible for pollution is automobiles; apart from that the other causes are
Combustion of coal, Acid rain, Manufacturing buildings, Tobacco smoke, Paint fumes, Aerosol
sprays, Nuclear weapons and wild fires. As far as effect of air pollution is concerned,
respiratory diseases tops the chart of health problems. The second one is heart diseases, it
caused due to increased level of carbon monoxide in the air. In addition to that you can avoid
a risk of Asthma, Eye Irritation and a range of bronchial disease due to air pollution. If statistics
is to be believed, this year air population segment will count for 80% of premature deaths.
 NOISE POLLUTION

Noise is one of the most pervasive pollutant. A musical clock may be nice to listen
during the day, but may be an irritant during sleep at night. Noise by definition is “sound
without value” or “any noise that is unwanted by the recipient”. Noise in industries such as
stone cutting and crushing, steel forgings , loudspeakers, shouting by hawkers selling their
wares, movement of heavy transport vehicles, railways and airports leads to irritation and an
increased blood pressure, loss of temper, decrease in work efficiency, loss of hearing which
may be first temporary but can become permanent in the noise stress continues. It is
therefore of utmost importance that excessive noise is controlled. Noise level is measured in
terms of decibels (dB). W.H.O. (World Health Organization) has prescribed optimum noise
level as 45 dB by day and 35 dB by night. Anything above 80 dB is hazardous.

Noise pollution is the excessive noise that may disrupt the activity or balance of human
or animal life. The main causes of noise pollution are machines, transportation systems, motor
vehicles, aircrafts, and trains. In addition to that the other causes of noise pollution are poor
urban planning, the indoor noise caused by machines, building activities, music performances,
and in some workplaces also.
 WATER POLLUTION
Addition or presence of undesirable substances in water is called water pollution. Water
pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems. Water pollution is caused by a
variety of human activities such as Mndustrial, agricultural and domestic. Agricultural run off
laden with excess fertilizers and pesticides, industrial Offluents with toxic substances and
sewage water with human and animal wastes pollute our water thoroughly. Natural sources of
pollution of water are soil erosion, Heaching of minerals from rocks and decaying of organic
matter. Rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, estuaries and ground water Iources may be polluted by
point or non-point sources. When pollutants are Tischarged from a specific location such as a
drain pipe carrying industrial effluents discharged directly into a water body it represents point
source pollution. In contrast non-point sources include discharge of pollutants from diffused
sources or from a larger area such as run off from agricultural fields, grazing lands,
construction sites, abandoned mines and pits, roads and streets.

Water pollution sort of physical matter into large bodies of water that degrade the quality of
life that lives in it and consumes it. We can blame fertilizers, pesticides, or petroleum
derivatives for water pollution. In addition to that the other contributors towards water
pollution are Waste treatment facilities, mining, Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, oil spills,
refiners, Failing septic systems, factories, Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars, animal waste,
Soap from washing your car, house hold chemicals and many more to count.
 Conclusion

The issue of industrial pollution concerns every nation on the planet. As a result,
many steps have been taken to seek permanent solutions to the problem. Better technology is
being developed for disposal of waste and recycling as much polluted water in the industries
as possible.
 REFERENCE

1) www.google.com
2) www.wikipeadia.com
3) www.envifacts.com
4) encyclopedia , Blair Seitz / Photo Researchers , Inc.
5) Industry & Environment by R.K. Trivedy
6) Industrial Pollution Problems & solutions by Arvind Kumar
7) Understanding the environmental Pollution by Marquita k.Hill Published, By Cambridge
University Press .