Environmental Pollution

Pollution is defined as, an undesirable change in the physical, chemical and biological
characteristics of our air, water and land that may or will harmfully, affect human life, the lives
of the desirable species, our industrial processes, living conditions, and cultural assets, or that
may or will waste or deteriorate our raw material resources.
An addition or excessive addition of certain materials to the physical environment (water, air
and land), making it less fit or unfit for life.
Pollution is mostly man-made but also be natural. Natural pollution is caused by volcanic
erruptions, emissions of natural gases, soil erosion, ultraviolet rays, cosmic rays, etc.
Pollutants are the materials or factors, which cause adverse effect on the natural quality of any
component of the environment. These are the waste products or by products of the materials
we make use or throw away. For example- smoke from industries and automobiles, chemicals
from factories, radioactive substances from nuclear plants, sewage from houses, discarded
household articles are the common examples of pollutants.
Types of pollution
A) Air pollution- it is defined as, the presence of materials in the air in such a
concentration, which are harmful to human and the environment. The occurrence of or
addition of foreign particles, gases and other pollutants into the air, which have an
adverse effect on human beings, animals, vegetation, buildings, and other objects is
called air pollution.
Sources of air pollution-
a) Stationary combustion sources-
1. Oxides of carbon- it includes carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide formed by
combustion of carbon of the fuels. CO2 concentration is increased by 15 % in last 100
years due to excessive fuel burning. Nearly 50 % CO emissions originates from
automobiles, it is also present in cigarette smoke
2. Oxides of Sulphur- oxidation of sulphur in the fossil fuels produces sulphur di-oxide or
tri-oxide. These gases react with water and forms sulphuric acid causing acid rain.
3. Oxides of nitrogen- it present in coal and petroleum produce nitrogen oxide and
nitrogen di-oxide on combustion. It causes reddish brown haze called brown air in
traffic.
4. Hydrocarbons or volatile organic carbon- HCs produced naturally during
decomposition of organic matter. Methane is also evolved from flooded rice fields and
swamps. Formaldehyde is carcinogenic (causing cancer) emitted from indoor sources
like newly manufactured carpenting.
b) Mobile combustion sources- these includes locomotives, automobiles, aircrafts, etc. the
major sources of air pollution due to automobiles are as follows.
1. Gaseous pollutants- CO 77.2 %, NO- 7.7 %, HC- 13.7 %
2. Particulate lead- lead products such as tetra methyl lead and tetra ethyl lead which emits
various particulate lead compounds. If it is absorbed in body hampers haemoglobin
formation.
3. Benzopyrine- produced in automobile exhausts and tobacco smoke causing cancer.
4. Aerosols- they are chemicals, which are passed into the air in the form of vapour or
mist. Jet aero planes emits aerosols containing chloroflurocarbon into atmosphere
causing ozone layer depletion.
Classification of particulate pollutants- according to size, mode of formation or
physical state.
Sr. Particulate Description
No. pollutant
1 Aerosols It includes all air borne suspensions of solid or liquid particles
smaller than 1 µm
2 Dust Solid particles between 1 to 200 µm which are formed by
breaking of rocks and soil either by natural disintegration or by
mechanical processes of crushing, grinding, or blasting.
3 Smoke Fine solid particles (0.1 to 1 µm) resulting from the incomplete
combustion of organic particles like coal, wood, tobacco.
4 Fumes Fine solid particles (0.1 to 1 µm) formed by the condensation
of vapours of solid materials. They are usually released by
chemical of metallurgical processes
5 Mist It consists of liquid droplets (smaller than 10 µm) formed by
the condensation of vapours in the atmosphere or are released
from industrial operations
6 Fog If the mist is made of water droplets whose concentration is
high or dense enough to obscure vision, then it is fog.
7 Flyash Finely divided noncombustible particles present in the gases
arising from fuel combustion.
8 Soot Incomplete combustion of carbon containing materials releases
carbon particles impregnated with tar, a collection of such
particles is soot.
9 Natural Pollen grains, bacterial spores, protozoa, fungal spores and
particulates volcanic dust.

c) Industrial processing and other sources-

1. The industrial processing like metallurgical processing, welding, grinding,
synthesis of chemicals etc. these processes emits several gaseous and particulate
pollutants into the air.
2. The gaseous pollutants include oxides of carbon, Sulphur and nitrogen, fluorides,
and vapors of several compounds.
3. The particulate matter includes metal dust, fly ash (containing many harmful trace
metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel etc.), soot, cotton dust, and radioactive
substances.
4. The number poisonous gases like phosgene and methyl isocyanate (Union carbide-
Bhopal- Dec,2, 1984, killed 2500 people).
5. Burning of plastic and its processing produces polychlorinated biphenyl.
6. Large number of gaseous and particulate pollutants are released in agricultural
burning and pesticide spraying
7. Pollen spores and microbes are the natural pollutants present in the air causing
allergies and diseases.
 8. Tobacco smoke contains a number of hydrocarbons including benzopyrene causes
cancer, it present in closed atmosphere like buses, trains, cinema theaters, and
auditoriums, etc.
Secondary air pollutants:
These are formed from primary pollutants by phytochemical reactions, photochemical
smog and acid rain.
1. Photochemical smog- it is formed in traffic congested metropolitan cities where
warm conditions and intense solar radiation are present. It consists mainly of ozone,
peroxyacetyl nitrate and nitrogen oxide. It is often called brown air. Where solar
radiation is lesser intense, smog formation is incomplete and the air is referred as
grey air.
2. Acid rain- it is deposition of acid from the atmosphere on the earth. The acidic water
received through rain, snow or fog is called wet deposition and wind blown acidic
gases and particles in the atmosphere which settle down on the ground is called dry
deposition. Normally rain water is acidic having pH 5.6 to 6.5 due to reaction of
CO2 with air but pH of acid rain is less than 5.6 and could be as low as 4.
Oxides of nitrogen (also produced by lightening in sky), volatile organic carbon and
SO2 are produced during combustion of coal in industry, petroleum in automobiles,
quickly dissolve in water and are washed out to the ground as acid rain.
Effects of air pollution
Air pollution has became a serous problem in big, congested, industrialized cities with heavy
rush of vehicular traffic. Air pollution affect man, animals, plants, buildings, and climate.
a) Effect on human health-
1. Dust, soot and smog causes respiratory troubles such as bronchitis, asthma,
emphysema and lung cancer. Cotton dust produce lung fibrosis or pneumoconiosis.
It is also affects coal miners and flour mill workers, stone grinding or asbestos
industries.
2. Fly ash and metal dust causes headache, loss of appetite, dizziness, insomnia,
anaemia, weakness and miscarriage.
3. Air borne organic materials such as spores, pollens (amaranthus, Chenopodium,
cynodont, Ricinus, sorghum, prosopis), bacteria, fungi, fur, feathers, causes
allergies and several diseases.
4. Sulphur di-oxide causes drying of mouth, sore throat, and eye irritation.
5. Sulphuric tri-oxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon mono-oxide combine with
haemoglobin of the blood and reduce oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.
Inhalation of CO leads to reduced vision, nervous and cardiovascular disorders and
even death.
6. Ozone in lower atmosphere produces chest pains, coughing and eye irritation
(However ozone in higher atmosphere protects earth from ultraviolet radiations, if
ozone layer depletion continues may result into skin cancer and increases mutation
rate).
7. Many hydrocarbons induce cancer. Tobacco smoke containing benzopyrene
(hydrocarbon) causes lung cancer.
b) Effects on vegetation
1. Dust smoke and other particulate matter reduce sunlight and settle on the leaves of
plants, thereby retard photosynthesis.
2. Sulphur di-oxide causes chlorosis, membrane damage and metabolic inhibition.
Fruit trees and cereal crops are more sensitive to oxides of sulphur.
3. Fluorides destroy tissues in plants causing necrosis of leaf margins and tips.
4. Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) in smog damages chloroplast and thus decreases
photosynthesis efficiency. It also inhibit electron transport system and interferes
with enzyme systems that play important role in cellular metabolism.
5. Hydrocarbons such as ethylene cause premature leaf fall, fruit drop, shedding of
floral buds, curling of petals and discoloration of sepals.
6. Ozone damage chlorenchyma and thus destruct the foliage in large number of
plants.
7. Lichens are indicators of air pollution as they are very sensitive to air pollution.
8. Acid rain also cause low pH and damage soil microbial communities.
c) Effects on animals
1. Air pollution cause large scale damage to livestock similar to human being.
2. Ingestion of flurorine compounds deposited on fodder causes fluorosis i.e.
excessive calcification of bones and teeth. It also results in lameness, frequent
diarrhoea and loss of weight.
d) Deterioration of materials
1. Oxides of sulphur and nitrogen and products of photochemical smog have
deteriorating effect on buildings, metals, textiles and marble.
2. Acid rain have also corrosive effect on buildings and other material.
3. Hydrogen sulphide discolour silver and lead paints.
4. Ozone has deteriorating effect on rubber goods
e) Effect on climate
1. Heat produced by the industrial plants increases temperature
2. CO2 content of atmosphere is increasing due to deforestatipon, excessive burning
of fossil fuels, likely to be doubled, lead to rise global temp. by more than 2-3 degree
due to green house effect.
3. Aerosols and nitrogen oxide deplete ozone layer in the stratosphere, which permits
harmful ultraviolet radiations to reach earth.
Control of air pollution
a) Preventive measures
1. Selection of suitable fuel- fuel with low sulphur content and its efficient
utilization to reduce level of pollution.
2. Modification in industrial processes and /or equipments
3. Selection of suitable manufacturing sites and zoning for industrial set up to
disperse pollution sources. Eg. Setting industries longer from residential areas,
Installation of tall chimanies.
b) Control measures: elimination of pollutants by following methods
1. Control of particulate matter- use of devices like arrestors and scrubbers. Arrestors
are used to separate particulate matters from contaminated air. these separators
work on the principle of dust separation by centrifugal force and are efficient for
 coarse dust particles whereas filters are used for fine particles. Electrostatic
precipitator (ESP) is most efficient device to remove dust. Scrubbers are used to
clean air for both dusts and gases by passing it through a dry or wet packing
material.
2. Control of gaseous pollutants- techniques like combustion, absorption and
adsorption. In combustion process, oxidizable gaseous pollutants are completely
burnt at a high temp. it is used to control gaseous pollutants used in petrochemicals,
fertilizers, paints and varnish industries. In absorption, gaseous pollutants are
absorbed in suitable absorbent material. Adsorption technique is applied to control
toxic gases, vapors and inflammable compounds. Such pollutants are absorbed on
large solid surfaces.
3. Control of automobile exhaust- the unburnt hydrocarbons can be reduced by the use
of efficient engines- multi point fuel injection engine. Catalytic converter filers in
the vehicles can convert poisonous emissions into non-poisonous compound. By
using good quality fuels, the toxic contaminants can be reduced. Use of lead free
petrol. Use of engines operated with CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). These are
some possible control measures.
 B) Water pollution
It is defined as the addition of some substance (organic, inorganic, biological or
radiological) or factor, which degrade the quality of water so that it either becomes
health hazard or unfit for use.
Sources of water pollution:
Point sources- the flow of pollutants through regular channels such as sewerage systems.
Non-point/ diffuse sources- passage of scattered pollutants such as fertilizers and pesticides
from ground into water.
a) Community waste water- it includes discharges from houses, commercial and
industrial establishments connected to public sewerage system. The sewage contains
human and animal excreta, food residues, cleaning agents, detergents, and other wastes.
Water pollution by organic wastes is measured in terms of Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD). It is amount of dissolved oxygen needed by bacteria in decomposing
the organic wastes present in water. It is expressed in milligrams of oxygen per liter of
water. The waste water from industries becomes the source of large quantities of
suspended solids and several chemical pollutants such as heavy metals, cyanides,
nitrates, etc.
b) Industrial wastes- the chemical and metallurgical industries, textile and paper
industries, food processing plants, sugar and oil mills, rubber and plastic industries
discharges several pollutants which are highly toxic to living beings. Inorganic
pollutants are fine particles of metals, chlorides, sulphates, cyanides, acids and alkalies.
Organic pollutants are cellulose fibres, carbohydrates, proteins, oils, phenols, naptha,
aromatic compounds.
c) Agricultural wastes- excess fertilizers may reach the ground water by leaching or may
be mixed with surface water of rivers, lakes by runoff and drainage. Pesticides,
containing wide range of chemicals such as chlorinated hydrocarbon,
organophosphates, metallic salts, carbonates, thiocarbonates, etc, are non-degradable
and their residues have long life. They are absorbed by lower organisms and passed to
higher organisms through food chain. At each stage, the concentration of these
pesticides goes on increasing (Biological magnification).
d) Thermal pollution- the thermal power plants use water as coolant and release hot water
to the original source. Sudden rise in temp kills fishes and other aquatic animals.
e) Underground water pollution- contamination due to seepage from industrial and
municipal wastes and effluents, sewage channels and agricultural runoff.
f) Marine pollution- oceans are the ultimate sink for all natural and man made pollutants.
An accidental discharge of petroleum in oceans and estuaries is called oil spills which
results from tanker accidents and blowouts at offshore drilling rigs. Oil spills destroys
marine ecosystems.
Effects of water pollution
1. Effects on aquatic ecosystems- presence of organic and inorganic wastes present in
water decrease dissolved oxygen content of the water. Water having DO content below
8 mg/l may be considered as contaminated. (Below 4 mg/l- highly polluted).water with
 reduced DO eliminates sensitive organisms like plankton, molluscs and fish. Hot water
discharged from industries also reduce DO content.
2. Biological magnification- the phenomenon through which certain pollutants get
accumulated in tissues in increasing concentration along the food chain is called
biological magnification. Eg. Accumulation of DDT (used to check mosquitoes) in the
tissues of organisms of aquatic food chain. Continuous use of DDT resulted in decline
in fish eating birds.
3. Eutrophication- the process of nutrient enrichment of water which often leads to loss of
species diversity. The addition of inorganic compounds and decomposition of organic
wastes in water increases nutrient content causing profuse growth of blue green algae.
BGA release toxins in water and inhibits growth of other algae as well as fishes due to
lack of oxygen.
4. Effect on human health- water polluted with sewage usually contains pathogens likem
virus, bacteria, parasitic protozoa and worms which acts as source of water born
diseases like jaundice, cholera, typhoid, amoebiasis etc. water contaminated with heavy
metals causes health hazards like numbness of limbs, lips, tongue, deafness, blurring of
vision and mental derangement.
5. Hazards of ground water pollution- presence of excess nitrate in drinking water is fatal
for infants. It impairs oxygen transport (methaemoglobinemia/ blue baby syndrome-
reaction with haemoglobin to form non functional methaemoglobin). The excess
fluorides in drinking water causes teeth deformity, hardening of bones, pains in joints-
skeletal fluorosis. Arsenic causes black foot disease, lung and skin cancer, etc.
Control of water pollution
Water pollution can be checked by …
1. Sewage should be suitably treated before releasing into water.
2. The industrial effluents should be suitably treated before releasing them into water. Eg.
The acids and alkalies can be neutralized, the colloidal material can be coagulated while
the metallic salts can be precipitated.
3. Hot water should be cooled before it released from the power plants.
4. Washing cloths and bathing directly in tanks, streams and rivers should be prohibited.
5. Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides should be avoided or less stable pesticides
should be used.
6. Water hyacinth can purify water by taking some toxic materials and heavy metals.
7. Oil spills in water can be cleaned with the help of Bregoli- a byproduct of paper industry
resembling saw dust.
Methods of water purification
1. RO method- Reverse osmosis- water is forced through a semi permeable membrane
which filters unwanted substances. It can also be used to desalinate seawater.
2. UV method- ultraviolet radiations is directed through clear, prefiltered water. UV light
is extremely effective in killing bacteria, viruses, fungi, and certain harmful organisms.
This method must be used in conjunction with sediment and carbon filters.
3. Distillation method- water is boiled to create steam and when this steam cools, it
condenses to form water droplets, which in turn are deposited in a container.
4. Planted filter method- the waste water first goes through a septic tank and a baffle
reactor, in which all the particulate and organic matter are removed. Then water is sent
through an open horizontal planted gravel filter containing pebbles with plants like
reeds, which absorbs many of the impurities. Finally, water moves through an open
polishing pond. The output is good enough for gardening and irrigation. This method
can be used to purify sewage water.