YEKATIT 12 HOSPITAL MEDICAL COLLEGE

Department of Public Health (GMPH)

Term paper on environmental pollution and control

Prepared by group 4 members

S. N Full Name ID number

1 Endawoke Eyelachew Zewude Y12HMCPE/042/15
2 Daniel Tadesse Y12HMCPE/039/15
3 Tsegaye Alemu Y12HMCPE/054 /15
4 Wasihun Chane Y12HMCPE/055 /15
5 Dr.Alemwosen Kefelegn Y12HMCPE/033 /15
6 Dr.Aragaw Lemma Y12HMCPE/035/15
7 Araya Mossie Y12HMCPE/036 /15

Submitted to: - Nebiyou Tafesse (PhD)

 October 2023GC

Objectives
The main objective of preparing this term paper is to: -

o define the terms pollution, pollutants and environmental pollution

o list various kinds of pollution
o describe types of pollution and sources
o describe harmful effects on human health
o describing control of environmental pollution

Introduction
Pollution can be defined as an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological
characteristics of air, water and land that may or will harmfully affect human life, the lives of the
desirable species, industrial processes, living conditions and cultural assets, or that may or will
deteriorate raw materials (1).

pollution can also explained as the presence in or introduction into the environment of a
substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.(2)

Environmental pollution is an undesirable change in chemical, physical, and biological

characteristics of air, water and soil, which causes the health problem to all the living beings.(3)

It is the event of intense mixing of foreign substances with air, water, and soil that adversely
affects the health of all living things, causing material damage on inanimate environmental assets
and spoils their qualities (4).

pollutant is any substance (e.g., dust, smoke), chemicals (e.g., SO2 or Methyl mercury) or
factor (like heat, noise etc.) that cause harmful effect on organism or potential adverse
effect on human interests.(5)
 As a result of the increase in environmental problem such as ozone layer depletion, the rise of
sea levels, global warming, natural resource exploitation and numerous health hazards from the
activities of man, society is becoming aware and more sensitive to things about the environment
and the pollutants (6).

Types of pollutants (2,7,8)

Pollutants can be classified based on different parameters: -

A. based on materials that cause pollution

 Persistent pollutants- Those pollutants which remain consistent in the
environment for a long period of time without any change in its original form.
For example, pesticides, nuclear wastes, and plastics etc.
 Non persistent pollutants- These pollutants are the opposite of persistent pollutant
and break down in the simple form.
B. Based on the presence or absence of interaction between pollutants
 Primary pollutants- are those which remain in the form in which they were
added to the environment for ex. DDT, Plastic
 Secondary pollutants-are formed due to interaction of primary pollutants amongst
themselves eg. Hydrocarbons.
C. Based on existence in nature
 Quantitative pollutants- These substances are already present in the atmosphere
but they become pollutant when their concentration level reaches to a
particular level which is above a threshold limit.
 Qualitative pollutants- are man-made pollutants eg. Fungicides, herbicides etc.
D. Based on their origin
 Man made pollutants
 Natural pollutants
E. Based on the nature of disposal
 Biodegradable - include domestic sewage which can be easily decomposed by
microbial actions into smaller fragments or elements that can be again recycled.
 Nonbiodegradable -are pollutants that do not undergo microbial degradation or
degrade at extremely slow rates.(9)
Types of environmental pollution (2,3,10,11)

Air pollution
According to WHO, air pollution is defined as “Phenomenon in which substances put into air by
the activity of mankind into concentration which is sufficient to cause harmful effect to health,
vegetables, property or interfere with the enjoyment of property”(3).It is the most prevalent and
dangerous form of pollution especially considered to go hand in hand with urbanization.(2).

An ever-increasing use of fossil fuels in power plants, industries, transportation, mining,

construction of buildings, stone quarries had led to air pollution.(9).

There are different sources of air pollution

 Automobiles (cars, scooters, motor cycle etc.) have been regarded as the greatest
sources of air pollution. They produce nearly two-thirds of the carbon monoxide and
one half of the hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides.
 Industrial pollutants- CO, CO2, SO2, H2S and hydrocarbons are most common air
pollutants which are discharged into air from industries and power houses. These gases
are produced due to burning of fossil fuels and by combustion of lignite at thermal
power stations which has direct effect on human health and living organisms.
 Burning of Fuels: - Fossil fuels are the sources of energy for cooking, heating,
lightening our houses, washing clothes through washing machine, or for running TV
etc. Combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum in industries are the main
contributors of air pollution.
 Aircraft Emissions: - Aircrafts are responsible for about 2.5% of the CO emissions and
about 1% of the hydrocarbon emissions. The smoke emitted from jet aircraft is
composed largely of fine particles approximately 0.5µm in diameter, which are
completely burnt.
 Agricultural Activities: - Burning of forest areas, grasslands etc. for pastures and
croplands produces about 60 to 65% of CO2. About 40% of methane is produced from
paddy fields, guts of livestock and also from burning of biomass.
 Ionizing Radiation: - Testing of atomic weapons, atomic explosions release Alpha,
Beta,Gama - particles into the air.
  Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM): - SPM is a major air pollutant. Dust is generated
from sources such as coal dust (from oil refineries, power plants etc.,) cement dust,
silica dust (from stone crushing).

Effects of air pollution

Death due to respiratory problems, greenhouse effect, global warming, ozone depletion
and cancer are some of the major effects of air pollution.

Table 2. Gaseous air pollutants: their sources and effects(3)

Control measures of air pollution

Use only unleaded petrol.
Use petroleum products and other fuels that have low Sulphur & ash content.
Plant trees along busy streets because they remove particulates and carbon
monoxide and absorb noise.
Industries and waste disposal sites should be situated outside the country.
Ensure that houses, schools, restaurants& places, where children play are not located
on busy street.
 Use catalytic converters to help control the emissions of carbon monoxide & hydro
carbons.
The emission rates should be restricted to permissible level by each & every
industry.
Continuous monitoring of the atmosphere for the pollutants should be carried out to
know the emission levels.
Incorporation of air pollution control equipment in the design of the plant layout
must be made mandatory

Noise pollution
The term noise may be defined as ‘sound without value’ and is an unpleasant sound that is
detrimental to health. It is caused when a noise which is of higher intensity than 85 db
reaches our bare ears. It may lead to psychological problems like stress & hypertension. It
can also lead to permanent hearing impairment, which is worse.
Noise pollution is caused by high pitched sounds released from
 Aircrafts
 Loud speakers used for different occasions
 Electric horns used in vehicles
 Noises from construction sites
 Piling of civil engineering operations

Effects of noise pollution

Noise pollution is highly annoying and irritating. Noise reduces the power of hearing and
gives pain to the ear.
Noise disturbs sleep, causes hypertension (high blood pressure), emotional problems such as
aggression, mental depression and annoyance.(11)

Control measures
 Road traffic noise can be reduced by better designing and proper maintenance of
vehicles
 Air traffic noise can be reduced by appropriate insulation and introduction of noise
 regulations for takeoff and landing of aircrafts at the airport.
 Industrial noises can be reduced by sound proofing equipment like generators and
areas producing lot of noise.
 Power tools, very loud music and land movers, public functions using loudspeakers,
etc should not be permitted at night. Use of horns, alarms, refrigeration units, etc. is to
be restricted.
 Use of fire crackers which are noisy and cause air pollution should be restricted
 Residential houses should be constructed for away from industries, factories &
airports.

Water pollution
The term water pollution may be defined as the addition of substances or heat to such a level,
which is harmful to humans, animals or any desirable aquatic life. It can be attributed to
many factors such as domestic wastes, industrial wastes, agricultural wastes, shipping wastes,
radioactive wastes, aquaculture wastes, and heat wastes.

Insecticides, pesticides which are sprayed on the plants, pollutes the ground water system and
oil spills in the oceans have caused irreparable damage to the water bodies.

Eutrophication is another big source which occurs due to daily activities like washing
clothes, utensils near lakes, ponds or rivers and this forces detergents to go into water which
blocks sunlight from penetrating, thus reducing oxygen and making it inhabitable.
Causes of water pollution figure 1.(12)

Effects of water pollution

o Water-borne Diseases like jaundice, cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, are transmitted
through contaminated water.
o Poor oxygenation Oil present on the surface of water prevent water oxygenation
which reduces respiration & metabolism in aquatic organisms.
o Poor photosynthesis -Oil pollution prevent photosynthesis in Phyto plankton.
o Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of oxygen required by the
microorganisms in H2O. BOD is higher in polluted H2O and lesser in drinking H2O.
Increased BOD reduces the dissolved oxygen in H2O, causing death of aquatic flora.
o Reduction in productivity-- Intensive agriculture increases the amount of silt in lakes
& river. Silt prevents the penetration of light to depths and thus reduces primary
production.
 o Eutrophication-- The increased productivity of lakes & ponds brought about by
nutrient enrichment is known as eutrophication. Because, domestic sewage &
fertilizers contain large quantities of nutrients, which induces the growth of algae.
The rapid growth also consumes all nutrients & oxygen in H2O.
o Diseases. The chemical contaminants in H2O make the fresh water is unfit for
drinking purpose. Causes skin cancer, neck damage, damage the nervous system,
liver & kidney.

Control of water pollution

The main control measures of water pollutions are
 The water requirement should be minimized by altering the techniques involved.
 Water should be reused with or without treatment.
 Recycling of water after treatment should be practiced to the maximum extent possible.
 The quantity of waste water discharge should be minimized.
 Rain water should not be allowed to enter sewage drainage.
 Surface run off of manure and fertilizers are allowed in the fields.
 Water should be properly chlorinated.

Soil pollution
Also known as Land Pollution occurs when incorporation of unwanted chemicals in the soil due
to human activities. Generally polluted water also pollute soil. Solid waste is a mixture of
plastics, cloth, glass, metal and organic matter, sewage, sewage sludge, building debris,
generated from households, commercial and industries establishments add to soil pollution.

Effects of soil pollution

o Bad smell: - The waste from hotels, houses, dead animals, garbage, floating materials
release unbearable bad smell.
o Dirty surroundings: The dumping of wastes on the streets and road sides spoils the
aesthetics of the site.
o Insecticides: It induces gene mutation in human being
o Cancer: Chromium & DDT cause cancer in human tissues
Control measures of soil pollution
Soil erosion: Soil erosion is controlled by planting more trees, strip cropping, contour
cultivation, constructing diversion channels
It is essential to stop the use of plastic bags and instead use bags of degradable
materials like paper and cloth.
Sewage should be treated properly before using as fertilizer and as landfills.
The organic matter from domestic, agricultural and other waste should be segregated
and subjected to vermicomposting which generates useful manure as a byproduct.
The industrial wastes prior to disposal should be properly treated for removing
hazardous materials.
Biomedical waste should be separately collected and incinerated in proper
incinerators.

Thermal pollution
It refers to the release of warm H2O into the water body which causes undesirable change in the
temperature of the water body.

There are different causes of thermal pollution.

 Nuclear power plants Industries, nuclear & thermal power plants use water to cool
machinery and then discharge the warmed into a stream.
 Research institutes, nuclear experiments and explosions discharged a lot of unutilized
heat into nearby H2O stream
 Emissions from nuclear reactor & processing installation are also responsible for
increasing the temp of water bodies.
 Coal-fired power plants: -Coal – fired power plants are the major source of thermal
Pollutants
 The heated effluents decrease the dissolved oxygen content of water.
 It results into killing of fish and other aquatic flora & fauna.
 Industrial effluents: -Due to disposal of heat water into the sea, it increases the Steam
temp to a level, at which natural dissipation of heat will be in efficient.
 Domestic Sewage: -Discharge of domestic sewage into the water body decreases the
 dissolved oxygen content.

Effects of thermal pollution

 Dissolved oxygen content decreases in warm water.
 Warm water prevents the penetration of oxygen into deep cold waters.
 The toxicity of pesticides and detergents increases with increase in temp.

 Metabolic activities of organisms increase in warm H2 O but warm water contain

less oxygen. Hence organisms are affected.
 Warm H2O disturbs spawning of animals.

 Fish migration is affected by warm H2O.

 Blue green algae dominate in H2O bodies due to thermal pollution.

Control measures of thermal pollution

1.Cooling ponds: -
The hot water obtained from industries is stored in ponds. Here natural evaporation cools the
water. After cooling, the water is drained into natural water bodies.

2. Cooling towers
The hot water is passed through a system of coiled pipes kept in a tower. The hot water is
allowed to flow down under from the top of the tower. Cool air is allowed to flow over the
pipes upward from the bottom of the tower.
3. Spray ponds
The hot water from the industries are sprays through nozzles (sprayers) into fine water
droplets. Heat is dissipated from these droplets and the water is collected in spray ponds.

Radiation(nuclear) pollution
This is considered one of the most dangerous types of pollution because of its permanent effects.
An unarrested upset in a nuclear plant, careless nuclear waste disposal can cause cancer like skin,
blood, infertility due to exposure, birth defects and blindness.

It has the ability to permanently change soil, air and water which are the major sources of life. It
can even cause mutation in species which can propagate for ages.
Causes of radiation pollution
Nuclear Hazards which are either natural sources or man-made sources.
Natural sources
 The very important natural source is space, which emit cosmic rays.
 soil, rocks, air, water, food, radioactive radon-222 also contain one or more
radioactive substances.
Man made sources are nuclear power plants. X-rays, nuclear accident, nuclear bombs,
diagnostic kits, etc., where radioactive substances are used.

Effects of radiation pollution

 Radiation cause gene mutation. It leads to genetical defects in future generation.
 Internal bleeding and blood vessel damage may show up as red spots on the skin.
 It causes birth of dead babies, defects in new born babies, destruction of cities,
animal& plants, loss of hair, anemia, reduction in fertility.
 It causes carcinoma (cancer), Leukemia (Blood cancer), Thyroid cancer, Bone
cancer, mental retardation.
 It inhibits the mitosis (cell division) process.
 Pine tree forests are destroyed by gamma radiations of cobalt.
 Population & ecosystem are destroyed.
 It inhibits the enzyme secretion.
 Continuous exposure of a person with radiation may lead to cumulative radiation
damage and death.

Control measures of radiation pollution

 Radioactive wastes must be stored in underground tanks where they gradually decay
in a harmless manner.
 The workers should wear radiation indicators to know the total amount of radiation to
which they have been exposed.
 Reactors must be insulated in broad concrete walls to prevent the penetration of
radiations.
 Use of glass spectacles will protect the eyes from UV light because UVL Cannot
 penetrate into the glass.
 production of isotopes should be minimized.
 Nuclear medicines & radiation therapy should be applied when absolutely necessary
with minimum doses.
 Use of high chimneys & ventilation at the working place where radioactive
contamination is high. It is a effective way for dispersing radio-pollutants

Method of search engine

 Journals used - Google scholar, journal of international environmental application and
science, Sc imago Journal and Country Rank (SJR)
 Key words-pollution, pollutant, environment, environmental pollution

Conclusion and recommendation

conclusion
Environmental pollution is a significant environmental problem affecting organisms, and it is not
a new phenomenon, yet it remains the world’s greatest problem facing humanity, and the leading
environmental causes of morbidity and mortality. Man’s activities through urbanization,
industrialization, mining, and exploration are at the forefront of global environmental
pollution.(2,4). It is increasing gradually and causing a serious impact on living organisms
including humans. It can be reduced by microorganisms or plants that have biosynthetic
pathways for the degradation or accumulation of environmental pollutants from soil and water.
Pollution in effect is an undesirable byproduct of industrialization and urbanization. Nature’s
components such as air, water, soil, forest and fisheries are resources exploited by humans and
their pollution are by-product of urbanization and industrialization, so human beings are
responsible to safeguard the environment (3).

Recommendation
Environmental pollution is a global issue for both developed and developing economies as those
manmade activities influence all the components of the environment in the globe.so activities
related to the wellness of environmental care should be practiced at all levels.
Our recommendations are
 Planting trees and discourage deforestation activities
 Use of automobiles which has less air pollution effect and lifestyle modification
(walking, use of bicycle,)
 Use ecofriendly products and encourage reuse of items
 Proper waste disposal and cleaning campaign at all levels
 Proper national policy encouraging urbanization which goes with ecosystem friendly
 Promote green innovations
 Conserve water and electricity as per national policy
 Proper radioactive waste management

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