POLLUTION

Pollution is a word that we are all aware of these days. What does
it mean exactly? If you look up "pollution" in the dictionary you will
find something like - "to destroy purity of; to contaminate,
especially with man-made waste". The environment, i.e. our
surroundings, the place we live, is being made unclean by human
activities. The pollutants we produce not only affect our own lives
but also those of other living things, the plants and animals that
we share our environment with. All living things depend upon the
non-living parts of the environment to survive - the land, the air
and the water, and it is these 3 parts which are affected by
pollution...

DEFINITION
Pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or
biological characteristics of air, water and soil that may harmfully
affect the life or create potential health hazard of any living
organism. Pollution is thus direct or indirect change in any
component of the biosphere that is harmful to the living
components and in particular undesirable for man, affecting
adversely the industrial progress.

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the

environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants.
Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be
created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by
factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land.
Many things that are useful to people produce pollution.
Cars spew pollutants from their exhaust pipes. Burning coal to
create electricity pollutes the air. Industries and
homes generate garbage and sewage that can pollute the land
and water. Pesticides—chemical poisons used to kill weeds and
insects—seep into waterways and harm wildlife.

All living things—from one-celled microbes to blue whales—

depend on Earth’s supply of air and water. When
these resources are polluted, all forms of life are threatened.

Pollution is a global problem. Although urban areas are usually

more polluted than the countryside, pollution can spread
to remote places where no people live. For
example, pesticides and other chemicals have been found in
the Antarctic ice sheet. In the middle of the northern Pacific
Ocean, a huge collection of microscopic plastic particles forms
what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Air and water currents carry pollution. Ocean currents and

migrating fish carry marine pollutants far and wide. Winds can
pick up radioactive material accidentally released from a nuclear
reactor and scatter it around the world. Smoke from a factory in
one country drifts into another country.

In the past, visitors to Big Bend National Park in the U.S. state of
Texas could see 290 kilometers (180 miles) across
the vast landscape. Now, coal-burning power plants in Texas and
the neighboring state of Chihuahua, Mexico have spewed so
much pollution into the air that visitors to Big Bend can sometimes
see only 50 kilometers (30 miles).
Causes of pollution
When it comes to pollution, there isn’t just one cause. There are
lots of them. However, before we can break down what causes
pollution and the types of pollution, it’s important to look at what
pollution is. In simple terms, pollution is the introduction of harmful
chemicals into some areas of the environment. This could be the
toxic gases released from the burning of fossil fuels, or it could be
the ash created by a natural volcano eruption. As you can see,
pollution can have natural causes or be caused by humans. Let’s
explore the different types of pollution.

Different Types of Pollution

When we think of environmental pollution, it typically comes in
seven different types. These include air, water, land, radioactive,
thermal, light, and sound pollution.

HERE I WANT TO DISCUSS AIR

POLLUTION IN BROAD SENSE

Air pollution is a gas(or a liquid or solid dispersed through

ordinary air) released in a big enough quanlity to harm the health
of people or other animals, kill plants or stop them growing
properly, damage or disrupt some other aspect of the
environment (such as making buildings crumble ), or cause some
other kind of nuisance( reduced visibility, perhaps, or an
unpleasant odor).
Air Pollutants
There are two main types of air pollutants: primary and
secondary. Most air pollutants come from burning fossil fuels.
Some come from burning forests. Some are due to
the evaporation of chemicals.

Types of Air Pollutants

There are two basic types of pollutants in the air. They are known
as primary pollutants and secondary pollutants.

 Primary pollutants enter the air directly. Some are released

by natural processes, like ash from volcanoes. Most are
released by human activities.

o Carbon oxides are released when fossil fuels burn.

o Nitrogen oxides form when nitrogen and oxygen combine at
high temperatures. This occurs in hot exhausts from vehicles,
factories, and power plants.
o Sulfur oxides are produced when sulfur and oxygen combine.
This happens when coal that contains sulfur burns.
o Toxic heavy metals include mercury and lead. Mercury
comes from smokestacks. Both metals have industrial uses.
o Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carbon compounds,
such as methane. VOCs are released by many human
activities. Raising livestock, for example, produces a lot of
methane.
o Particulates are solid particles. These particles may be ash,
dust, or even animal wastes. Many are released when fossil
fuels burn.
 Secondary pollutants form from primary pollutants. Many
occur as part of photochemical smog. This type of smog is
seen as a brown haze in the air. Photochemical smog forms
when certain pollutants have a chemical reaction in the
presence of sunlight. Photochemical smog consists mainly
of ozone (O3). Ozone near the ground is a pollutant. This
ozone is harmful to humans and other living things. However,
ozone in the stratosphere protects Earth from the Sun's
harmful ultraviolet radiation.

CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION

The rising number of air pollutants has made breathing fresh,
clean air next to impossible. The causes of air pollution have left
everyone worried about their health.
As pollutants in the air cannot be seen with our naked eyes, we
don’t realize the sources of the increasing pollution level. In order
to understand the sources of air pollution, we need to first go
through the basic causes of air pollution.

We have listed 10 common air pollution causes

along with the effects that have serious
implications for our health on a daily basis.

1. The Burning of Fossil Fuels

Most of the air pollution takes place due to the burning of fossil
fuels such as coal, oil, and gasoline to produce energy for
electricity or transportation. The release of carbon monoxide at a
high level indicates how much fossil fuel is burned. This also
emits other toxic pollutants into the air. Inhaling air induced with
pollutants due to the burning of natural gas and fossil fuel reduces
heart’s ability to pump enough oxygen causing one to suffer from
respiratory illness.

2. Industrial Emission
Industrial activities emit several pollutants in the air that affects
the air quality more than we can even imagine. Particulate matter
2.5 and 10, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulfur dioxide, and carbon
monoxide are key pollutants that are emitted from industries that
use coal and wood as their primary energy source for the
production of their goods. Industrial pollution effects associated
with your health can range from irritation in your eyes and throat
to breathing issues, which at times can even lead to chronic
illness.

3. Indoor Air Pollution

Use of toxic products also called Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs), inadequate ventilation, uneven temperature, and
humidity level can cause indoor air pollution, whether you are in
an office, school, or at your comfortable home. House air pollution
can take place due to ignorant factors, for instance, smoking
tobacco inside a room or leaving mold-infected walls untreated.
The use of wood stoves or space heaters is capable to increase
the humidity level which can directly affect the health of a person
in no time.

4. Wildfires

Climate change is not just increasing wildfire but also spiking air
pollution. Burning stubble and farm residue is also a major
contribution to wildfire. It causes increased PM2.5 in the air which
collides with other harmful substances like chemical gas and
pollen creating smog. Smog makes the air hazy and people find it
difficult to breathe
 5. Microbial Decaying Process
Manufacturing, chemical, and textiles industries release a large
number of carbon monoxides, hydrocarbons, chemicals, and
organic compounds which contaminate our environment. Bacteria
and fungi play a fundamental role in the biogeochemical cycles in
nature. They are the key indicators of abnormal environmental
conditions. Decaying of these microorganisms present in the
surroundings releases methane gas which is highly
toxic. Breathing toxic gas like methane may lead to death.

6. Transportation
There is no denying that vehicle pollution is the major contributor
to air pollution, especially in urban cities. When the car burns
gasoline, it emits pollutants in the air which is as harmful as
smoking 10 cigarettes a day. Your vehicle emits carbon
monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter.
When vehicle pollution is high in the atmosphere, it creates a hole
in the ozone layer contributing to smog and causing various
health issues.

7. Open Burning of Garbage Waste

Open burning of garbage is much more harmful to your health
and the environment than one may think. As per Engage EPW,
Delhi Air Pollution is choking public health. Delhi generates a
whopping 9500 tons of waste every day, which makes it India’s
second waste dumping city. Exposure to open burning of garbage
waste can pose serious health risks including cancer, liver issues,
impairment of the immune system, and reproductive functions;
can also affect the developing nervous system.
 8. Construction and Demolition
During the clean air act movement, the Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) registered the highest number of air pollution
complaints in the Delhi NCR due to construction pollution and
demolition activities. With the rise of population in the city,
construction and demolition is a part of the ever-going
development phase of the national capital. Several construction
sites and raw materials such as bricks and concrete cause haze
and foul air which is hazardous for people especially, children and
elderly citizens.

9. Agricultural Activities
Agricultural activities have had a serious impact on the
decreasing air quality. To begin with, pesticides and fertilizers are
the main sources that contaminate the surrounding air.
Nowadays, pesticides and fertilizers are mixed with new invasive
species which are not found in nature, for quick growth of the
crops and vegetation. Once they are sprayed over, the smell and
the effect of the pesticides are left in the air. Some mix with water
and some seeps into the ground which not only destroys the
crops but also causes numerous health-related issues.

10. Use of chemical and synthetic products

Talking about air pollution, we always consider outdoor air
pollution dangerous for our lives but never talk about indoor air
pollution. Household products cause indoor air pollution which is
10 times more harmful than outdoor air pollution. Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) found in paints, cleaners and personal care
products such as perfume and deodorants are a reason for
common heath issues. Risks like asthma or other respiratory
issues and lung disease are other issues caused by inhaling poor
house air quality.
 SURVEY WORK
Objective and Aim of Work The primary objective of this project is
to create a system when the industry does lot of pollution which is
to be monitored by IoT system over web. It also informs industries
about the pollution caused and give warning to the owner of the
industry. If still the pollution is not reduced, power of industry will
be cut through the relay.

LITERATURE SURVEY
The difficulty of the conventional monitoring instruments is their
large size, heavy weight and extraordinary costlier. These lead to
inadequate deployment of the monitoring stations. In order to be
effective, the locations of the monitoring stations need careful
placement because the air pollution situation in urban areas is
highly related to human activities (e.g. construction activities) and
location-dependent (e.g., the traffic choke-points have much
worse air quality than average). IOT Based Air Pollution
Monitoring System monitors the Air Quality over a webserver
using internet and will activate an alarm when the air quality goes
down beyond a certain level, means when there is amount of
harmful gases present in the air like CO2, smoke, alcohol,
benzene, NH3, NOx and LPG. The system will show the air
quality in PPM on the LCD and as well as on webpage so that it
can be monitored very easily. Temperature and Humidity is
detected and supervised in the system. An Air Pollution
Monitoring System for monitoring the combination of major air
pollutant gases has been designed, developed, and observed
with the wireless standard. This system measures combination of
gases such as CO, NO2 and SO2, and using semiconductor
sensors. The hardware unit integrates a single-chip
microcontroller, air pollution sensors array, a GSM-Module and a
GPS-Module. The Central-Server is a high-end personal
computer application server with internet connectivity. The
hardware unit gathers air pollutants levels (CO, NO2, and SO2),
and packs them in a frame with the GPS physical location, time,
and date. The frame is finally uploaded to the GSM-Modem and
transmitted to the Central-Server via wireless network. The
Environmental air pollution has significant influence on the
combination of constituents in the atmosphere leading to effects
like global warming and acid rains. To avoid such harmful
imbalances in the nature, an air pollution measuring system is
utmost important. The traditional air quality monitoring system,
controlled by the Pollution Control Department, is extremely
costlier. Wireless Sensor Networks are a new and very
challenging research field for embedded system design
automation, as their design must enforce stringent constraints in
terms of power and cost. This attempts to develop an effective
solution for pollution measuring using wireless sensor networks
(WSN). It focuses on development of a prototype for a Wireless
Sensor Network (WSN) that supervises various environmental
guidelines of interest in urban areas based on ZigBee protocol.
This is observed through a small device that can be placed
anywhere in a city. First, it is studied the operation of ZigBee
protocol. Second, it was chosen and tested a ZigBee module and
sensors from the market. Then, it was developed a module that
supervises: humidity, temperature, light, carbon monoxide, carbon
dioxide and oxygen. These data are measured and sent regularly
to a base station connected to a computer. These data are stored
and processed for presentation on the Internet in this
Environment Observation and Forecasting System (EOFS) is an
application for supervising and providing a forecasting about
environmental circumstances. The air pollution Monitoring system
which involves a context model and a flexible data acquisition
policy. The context model is used for understanding the status of
air pollution on the remote Place. It can provide an alarm and
safety guideline depending on the condition of the context model.
It also supports the flexible sampling interval change for effective
the tradeoff between sampling rates and battery lifetimes. In this
Pollution Map is a new automated system that monitors the air
quality of urban cities and displays the information using a web
service. The system collects pollution data using mobile hardware
modules, transmits the data regularly using GPRS to a back-end
server, and integrates the data to generate a pollution map of the
city using its geographical information system. The pollution map
is available at any time from an easy-to-view website. The
proposed system consists of a Mobile DataAcquisition Unit
(Mobile DAQ) and a fixed Internet-Enabled Pollution Monitoring
Server (Pollution-Server). The Mobile-DAQ unit combines a
single-chip microcontroller, air pollution sensors array, a General
Packet Radio Service Modem (GPRS-Modem), and a Global
Positioning System Module (GPS-Module). The Pollution-Server
is a high-end personal computer application server with Internet
connectivity. The Mobile-DAQ unit gathers air pollutants levels
(CO, NO2, and SO2), and packs them in a frame with the GPS
physical location, time, and date. The frame is finally uploaded to
the GPRS Modem and transmitted to the Pollution-Server via the
public mobile network. Some of the current technique for the air
pollution monitoring are described as below, in plug and sense
device method, it uses multiple sensors with location co-ordinate,
and AQI LED indicator is induced as per pollution level and the
Real time pollution level visualized using line graph. In distributed
sensor data computing, it uses distributed intelligence for the
sensor nodes and uses spatial database for locations. In Arduino
based method it uses sensor devices for data, Uses ESP8266 Wi-
Fi module for connection to server, Uses Node.js and Node RED
for displaying data on the server side. In personal assessment
methods, Biochemical dose assessment methods are used ex.
Biomarkers. In ZigBee technology, ZigBee transmitters and
receivers are used, GPS module is used for locations for pollution
level on map.
 CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION
The control of air pollution is one of the principal areas of pollution
control, along with wastewater treatment, solid-waste
management, and hazardous-waste management.
Air is considered to be polluted when it contains certain
substances in concentrations high enough and for durations long
enough to cause harm or undesirable effects. These include
adverse effects on human health, property, and atmospheric
visibility. The atmosphere is susceptible to pollution from natural
sources as well as from human activities. Some natural
phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires, may
have not only local and regional effects but also long-lasting
global ones. Nevertheless, only pollution caused by human
activities, such as industry and transportation, is subject to
mitigation and control. The best way to protect air quality is to
reduce the emission of pollutants by changing to cleaner fuels
and processes. Pollutants not eliminated in this way must be
collected or trapped by appropriate air-cleaning devices as they
are generated and before they can escape into the atmosphere.
These devices are described below. The emphasis of this article
is air pollution control technology as it is designed to remove
particulate and gaseous pollutants from the emissions of
stationary sources, including power plants and industrial facilities.
(The control of air pollution from mobile sources is described in
emission-control system.) Reduce the number of trips you take in
your car.Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use. Avoid
burning leaves, trash, and other materials.Avoid using gas-
powered lawn and garden equipment.
 CONCLUSION
The main objective is to make people aware, spread awareness
in the industries that cause various pollution like water, air, soil,
noise and affect the environment and obviously health. All type of
pollution has their kind of negative impact on our environment.
The lives of humans and animals get impacted due to this. It is
our responsibility to take various initiatives to protect nature. We
need to fight against pollution to take steps towards a better
tomorrow.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-
need-
know#:~:text=Air%20pollution%20refers%20to%20the,millio
n%20deaths%20around%20the%20globe.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution

 https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/pollution
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks and gratitude to our

subject teachers who gave us a golden opportunity and a fruitful
guidance to work on this project. I’d also like to express my
gratitude to my principal wholeheartedly. By doing this project we
get enriched with informations which can help us in our future.
I must also thank my parents and friends for the immense support
and help during this project. Without their help, completing this
project would have been very difficult within the limited time
frame.
 INDEX

1. Acknowledgement
2. Introduction
3. Definition
4. Causes of pollution
5. Different types of pollution
6. Definition of air pollution
7. Types of air pollutant
8. Causes along with effects of air pollution
9. Survey work
10. Control of air pollution
11. Conclusion
12. Bibliography
NAME : SNEHA GHOSH
DEPARTMENT : GEOGRAPHY
REGISTRATION NUMBER : 026-1211-
0098-21
DEPARTMENT ROLL NUMBER :
21S083
UNIVERSITY ROLL NUMBER: 213026-
11-0037

TOPIC OF THE PROJECT : POLLUTION