CONTENTS:

1. Water Pollution
2. Air Pollution
3. Soil Pollution
4. Noise Pollution
5. Thermal Pollution
6. Nuclear Hazards and pollution
WATER POLLUTION
Definition:
Water pollution is any chemical, biological, or physical change in water quality that has a harmful
effect on living organism or makes water unsuitable for desired uses.

It has been suggested that it is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases, and that it
accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily.

Both surface and groundwater can be exposed to contamination risks from agricultural, industrial,
and domestic activities, which may include many types of pollutants such as heavy metals,
pesticides, fertilizers, hazardous chemicals, and oils

Sources of Water Pollution:

 Sewage
 Industrial effluents and chemicals
 Oil and other wastes
Based on source:
1. Groundwater
2. Surface water e.g. rivers, ponds, lakes, wetlands etc.

Based on origin:
1. Point source: Specific sites near water bodies that directly discharge their effluents into
them. e.g. power plants, treatment plants, industries etc.
2. Non-point source: Non-specific site is not any particular site, rather a scattered source
whose point of origin is difficult to identify. e.g. Surface run-off from agricultural field,
overflowing drains, rain water sweeping roads, atmospheric depositions etc.
Water Quality Parameters/Standards:
They are physical, chemical and biological parameters:
No. Types of water quality parameters
Physical parameters Chemical parameters Biological parameters
1 Turbidity pH Bacteria
2 Temperature Acidity Algae
3 Color Alkalinity Viruses
4 Taste and odor Chloride Protozoa
5 Solids Chlorine residual
6 Electrical conductivity (EC) Sulfate
7 Nitrogen
8 Fluoride
9 Arsenic
10 Iron and manganese
11 Copper and zinc
12 Hardness
13 Dissolved oxygen
14 Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
15 Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
16 Toxic inorganic substances
17 Toxic organic substances
18 Radioactive substances

1. Turbidity: It measures cloudiness of the water i.e. ability of the light to pass through it. It
is measured using device known as Nephelometric Turbidimeter (NT). The unit to
express turbidity is NTU. Water = 5 NTU is visible to average person.. 100 NTU is for
muddy water.
2. Electrical conductivity: The electrical conductivity (EC) of water is a measure of the
ability of a solution to carry or conduct an electrical current. Since the electrical current is
carried by ions in solution, the conductivity increases as the concentration of ions increases.
Its unit is measures as milliSimens/meter (mS/m).

3. pH : Mathematically pH of the water is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen

ion concentration. pH of water is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. Acidic water
contains extra hydrogen ions (H+) and basic water contains extra hydroxyl (OH−) ions.

 pH of less than 7 indicates acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base

solution.
 Pure water is neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 25°C.
 Normal rainfall has a pH of approximately 5.6 (slightly acidic) owing to atmospheric
carbon dioxide gas.
 Safe ranges of pH for drinking water are from 6.5 to 8.5 for domestic use and living
organisms need.

4. DO or Dissolved Oxygen: Amount of oxygen dissolved in mg/L at a given pressure,

temperature, and salinity of the water is termed as DO.
Amount of oxygen depends on the
 Aeration
 Photosynthetic activity in water
 Respiration of the living organisms in water body.
DO is an important parameter for the measurement of the water quality. The
microorganisms needs dissolved oxygen to decompose organic matter. Thus, it indirectly
measures the organic matter of the water. Higher DO implies low organic matter as
microorganisms will consume less oxygen. Lower DO is harmful to other living organisms
in water bodies like fishes.
The saturation value of DO varies from 8-15 mg/L.

5. BOD or Biological Oxygen Demand: The amount of oxygen required by the

microorganisms to decompose/degrade organic compounds present in water is termed as
BOD.
If oxygen is not continuously replaced by natural or artificial means in the water, the DO
concentration will reduce as the microbes decompose the organic materials.

The more organic material is in the water, the higher the BOD used by the microbes will
be. BOD is used as a measure of the power of sewage; strong sewage has a high BOD and
weak sewage has low BOD. Thus, high BOD value of water implies poor quality of water.
In labs, BOD is measured as oxygen consumed by microorganisms to decompose organic
matter for 5days in dark.

6. Nitrate: nitrate is a basic nutrient to the growth of plants. If water is contaminated with
sewage, most of the nitrogen is transformed by microbes to form nitrites and nitrates.
 A high concentration of nitrate in surface water can stimulate the rapid growth of the algae,
which degrades the water quality known as Algal Bloom. Nitrates can enter the
groundwater from chemical fertilizers used in the agricultural areas. Excessive nitrate
concentration (more than 25 mg/L) in drinking water causes an immediate and severe
health threat to infants. The nitrate ions react with blood hemoglobin, thereby reducing the
blood’s ability to hold oxygen which leads to a disease called ‘blue baby syndrome’ or
methaemoglobinemia.

EUTROPHICATION:
Excessive Nitrogen and Phosphorus fertilizers in the agricultural fields used in crop fields
when is washed off through run-off and reaches nearby water bodies causes nourishment
or nutrient enrichment of the lakes known as Eutrophication (Eu = more, Trophic =
nutrition). As a result algal bloom happens and hypoxia (deficiency of oxygen) happens
in deeper parts of lakes. These algal species proliferate and grow at very high rate. They
produce toxins and adversely affect the food chain.

Impacts of Eutrophication:
 Abundance of particulate substances (phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, fungi and
debris) that changes the turbidity and color of the water;
 Abundance of inorganic chemicals such ammonia, nitrites, hydrogen sulphide etc.
 Disagreeable odors or tastes (of earth, of rotten fish, of cloves, of watermelon, etc.) due to
the presence of particular algae
 Death of fishes with very negative effects on fishing
 Toxins produced by algae disrupts the food chain;
 Reduction of oxygen concentration, especially in the deeper layers of the lake.

Eutrophication in lake(s)

7. Fluoride: A moderate amount of fluoride ions (F−) in drinking water contributes to good
dental health. About 1.0 mg/L is effective.
Excessive amounts of fluoride (> 2.0 mg/L) causes discolored teeth, a condition known as
dental fluorosis. Stiffening of bones and painful joints.
 CASE STUDY:
In India, fluorosis is a serious national problem. Excessive fluoride found in groundwater
is the chief cause for the same. Villages in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and parts of Delhi are affected from fluorosis.
As high as 48mg/L is found in Rewari dist. Of Rajasthan.
There are several techniques for the defluoridation of fluoride including NALGONDA
technique. It uses aluminium sulfate for the removal of fluoride through precipitate/flocs
formation.

8. Inorganic toxic metals e.g. arsenic, mercury etc.

(a) Mercury:
Natural sources, such as volcanoes, geothermal springs, geologic deposits, and the
ocean.
Human-related sources include coal combustion, waste incineration, industrial uses,
and mining.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can accumulate in fish to levels of concern for
human health and the health of fish-eating wildlife.
Mercury dumped into the water is transformed to methyl mercury. In 1953, people in
Japan suffered from the disease by consuming contaminated fishes. This is Minimata
disease.
Effects:
 Highly toxic to the nervous system
 Persistent in the environment
 Bio accumulates
 Biomagnifies
 Numerous chemical forms in air, water, sediment, and biota
(b) Cadmium:
Sources
Nickel-cadmium batteries, corrosion of some galvanized plumbing, industrial
discharges; waste disposal and spills; and leaching from hazardous waste sites or
certain fertilizers, mining-smelting activities.
It causes a disease known as Itai-Itai (Ouch-ouch). It was also first reported from
Japan when people had rice contaminated by cadmium.
(c) Arsenic:
It is highly toxic in its inorganic form. People are exposed to elevated levels of
inorganic arsenic through drinking contaminated water, using contaminated water in
food preparation and irrigation of food crops, industrial processes, eating contaminated
food and smoking tobacco.
It causes Arsenicosis.
Effects:
 Melanosis, skin lesions/ulcers, skin cancers
 Carcinogenic
 Long term exposure is fatal
 
CASE STUDY:
Arsenic in drinking water is a sever problem faced by India and the states in the
gangetic plain. In 1978, first case was reported in West Bengal.
WHO, has prescribed 10 ug/L (ppb) as the permissible limit for arsenic. Greater than
this limit resulted in arsenicosis. 90 million people are exposed to drinking water
contaminated from arsenic in groundwater. West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, parts of
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand lie in high arsenic risk zone.

BIOACCUMULATION: Some of the substances that are not easily biodegradable or are non-
biodegradable is accumulated into the bodies of organisms. e.g. substances like DDT are water
insoluble/non-biodegradable that is accumulated in the tissues of e.g. fishes known
as bio accumulation.
When these organisms e.g. fishes are ingested by organisms that are next in tropic levels in a
food chain, the toxic compounds gets magnified and causes toxic effects at every tropic level.
The concentration of these toxic substances builds up every levels of food chain. This process
is known as bio magnification.
Components DDT concentration in ppm (parts
per million)

Birds 100.0

Carps 10.0

Needle fish 1.0

Minnows 0.1

Zooplanktons 0.01

Water 0.000001

9. Radioactive substance
e.g. Radioactive isotopes of Iodine, Radon, Uranium, Cesium, Thorium.
Human resources: Nuclear power plants, mining and processing of uranium, nuclear
weapon production nd natural resources.

Control Measures for water pollution:

1. Administration of water pollution control should be in the hands of state or central
government
2. Scientific techniques should be adopted for environmental control of catchment areas
of rivers, ponds or streams
3. Industrial plants should be based on recycling operations as it helps prevent disposal
of wastes into natural waters but also extraction of products from waste.
4. Plants, trees, and forests control pollution.
5. Zero discharge policy. Industries should develop closed loop water supply schemes
and domestic sewage must be used for irrigation.
6. Public awareness
7. Regular monitoring by experts from pollution control boards.
8. Laws, standards, acts, and practices should be established from time to time based on
current requirements and technological advancements.
9. Basic and applied research in public health engineering be encouraged.

Waste Water Treatment

There are three main stages of the wastewater treatment process:

1. Primary treatment, or physical treatment

2. Secondary treatment, or biological treatment
3. Tertiary water treatment, or chemical treatment

In some applications, more advanced treatment is required, known as quaternary water

treatment. This stage deals with part per million to part per billion levels of contamination and
often involves oxidation or fine filtration processes.
1. Primary Treatment:
 Wastewater is temporarily held in a settling tank.
 Heavier solids sink to the bottom while lighter solids float to the surface.
 Remaining liquid is discharged or moved through to the more rigorous secondary phase
of wastewater treatment.
 These large tanks are also often equipped with mechanical scrapers
 These scrapers continually drive collected sludge in the base of the tank to a hopper
which pumps it to sludge treatment facilities.
2. Secondary Treatment: It is designed to substantially degrade the biological content of the
waste through aerobic biological processes. It is done in one of three ways:
(a) Biofiltration: It uses sand filters, contact filters or trickling filters to ensure that any
additional sediment is removed from the wastewater
(b) Aeration: It increases oxygen saturation by introducing air to wastewater. Typically,
the aeration process can last for up to 30 hours, but it is very effective.
(c) Oxidation ponds: This method utilizes natural bodies of water such as lagoons,
allowing wastewater to pass through for a set period before being retained for two to
three weeks.
3. Tertiary Treatment: It is done to enhance the quality of water for drinking purpose and
involves removal of pathogens.
 The process involves chemical additives for further precipitation, strong oxidizing agents
like peroxides, chlorination or Ultraviolet treatment or ozonification.

AIR POLLUTION

Any chemical, biological, or physical change in air quality that has a harmful effect on living
organism or makes water unsuitable to live in.

Thus, atmospheric condition in which certain substances (including normal constituents in excess)
are present in concentrations, which can cause undesirable effects on man and its environment.

Causes:
1. Rapid Industrialization
2. Fast Urbanization
3. Rapid growing population
4. Growth of vehicles on roads
5. Human activities e.g. mining, construction, deforestation etc.

Air pollutants:
1. Gases:
- Oxides of Sulphur (SOx)
- Oxides of Nitrogen (NO, NO2, NOx )
- Oxides of carbon (CO)
- VOCs or volatile organic compounds
2. Particulate matter:
- Smoke
- Dust
- Soot
- Fumes
- Aersols
- Liquid droplets
 - Pollens
3. Radioactive substances:
- Radon-222
- Iodine-131
- Strontium-90
- Plutonium-239

AQI, Air Quality Index measures the ambient quality of air.

CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board-monitors air pollutants through the national ambient air
quality monitoring stations. Its headquarter is situated in New Delhi.
NAAQS, National Ambient Air Quality Standards- for industrial, residential, rural, and other areas
and for ecologically sensitive areas.

Classification of Air pollutants:

They are classified as:

1. Primary pollutants – emitted directly from the identifiable source e.g. CO, NOx, Sox,
Hydrocarbons, radioactive substances.
2. Secondary Pollutants – formed as secondary by products by interaction or reactions
between primary pollutants and natural constituent of atmosphere. E.g. Ozone,
photochemical smog, nitric acid etc.
Classification given by NAAQS: 1) Criteria Air Pollutants 2) Non-Criteria Air Pollutants
3. of air pollution:
Sources

1. Natural:
- Volcanic eruptions
- Forest fires
- Sea salt sprays
- Biological decay
- Photochemical oxidation of terpenes
- Marshes
- Extra terrestrial dust
- Pollen grains and spore etc.

2. Anthropogenic/Man-made:
- Thermal power plants- coal burning, fly ash, SO2
- Industrial units
- Vehicular emissions by fossil fuels like coal and petrol burning- contains 77% CO,
8% NOx, 14% hydrocarbons etc.
- Fossil fuel burning
- Agriculture activities like stubble burning

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION:

- Radon – emitted from building materials like bricks, concrete, tiles etc.; derived from
soil containing radium.
 - In India, dung cakes, wood fuel, and kerosene is used in kitchens.
- It produces CO, SO2, soot, along with benzopyrene (BAP), formaldehyde (HCHO) etc.

Standards/Parameters for air quality:

SO2, NO2, Particulate matter (PM 10- size less than 10 um; PM 2.5- size less than 2.5 um), Ozone,
Lead, CO, Ammonia, Benzene, Arsenic and Nickel.

1. Sulphur Oxide, SOx:

- Colorless, irritating gas.
- Formed by combustion of Sulphur containing fossil fuels
- Responsible for acid depositions by formation of sulphuric acid
- Causes breathing problems
- Reduces visibility, acid deposition on trees, lakes, soils and monuments leading to their
deterioration.
2. Nitrogen Oxide, NOx:
- Reddish brown irritating gas
- Causes photochemical smog
- It gets converted to HNO3, nitric acid
- Formed by combustion of nitrogen containing fossil fuels
- Lung irritation
- Damages trees, soil, lakes and ancient monuments
- NO2 damages fabrics
3. Particulate Matter:
- They remain suspended in air for long time.
- It includes burning coal in power and industrial units, burning diesel and other fuels in
vehicles, agriculture, unpaved roads, construction etc.
- Causes asthma, bronchitis, nose and throat irritation, lung damage
- Reduces visibility, depositions on trees, lakes, soils and monuments leading to their
deterioration.
4. Ozone:
- Highly reactive gas
- Unpleasant odor
- It protects against UV-C in stratosphere but toxic at ground levels
- It is generated as a result of reaction between VOCs and Nitrogen oxides.
- It moderates climate
5. Carbon monoxide, CO:
- Colorless, odorless gas
- Poisonous to animals
- Formed due to incomplete combustion of carbon dioxide
- Cigarette smoking and incomplete combustion of fossil fuel are sources
- It dissolves 1000 times in blood as compared to oxygen. Carboxyhaemglobin.
- It causes anemia, headache, coma, irreversible brain damage.
6. Lead, Pb:
- Solid highly toxic metal
- Compounds are emitted in form of particulate matter.
 - Paint, smelting/mining, storage batteries, leaded petrol etc.
- Causes nervous system damage, mental retardation, digestive health problems.
- Carcinogenic.
- It harms wildlife
7. Hydrocarbons:
- Accumulate due to decay of vegetable matter.
- Carcinogenic.
8. Chromium:
- Solid toxic metal emitted into the atmosphere as particulate matter.
- Paint, smelters, chromium plating, tanneries.
- Causes perforations of nasal septum, chrome holes etc.

Photochemical Smog:
 It is brownish smoke that frequently forms on clear sunny days over large cities with
significant amount of automobile traffics.
 It is due to the chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons in
presence of sunlight.

 Chemical rxn:

Morning: N2 + O2 = 2NO
After few hours: 2NO + O2 = 2NO2
During day: NO2 + Sunlight = NO + O
In sunlight: O + O2 = O3
O3 + NO = NO2 + O2
NO/NO2 + VOCs (Hydrocarbons) = PAN (Peroxyacetyl nitrate) (Secondary pollutant)

Control Measures:
1. Using unleaded petrol
2. Using fuels with low Sulphur and ash content.
3. Removing Sulphur from coal (washing or with help of bacteria)
4. Removing particulate from stack by employing electrostatic precipitators, bag-house
filters, cyclone separators, scrubbers etc.
5. Encouraging people to use public transport, car pooling
6. Ensuring residential areas, hospitals, educational areas away from busy streets
7. Ensuring residential areas, hospitals, educational areas with good tree cover, parks.
8. Tree plantation.
9. Waste disposal sites should be located on countryside
10. Catalytic converters, wet scrubbers etc to be used in the chimneys in industrial areas
11. Using green-clean fuels and non-conventional sources of energy like CNGs.
Industrial Areas:
12. In industrial areas emission rates should be restricted to permissible levels
13. Insure proper tree cover.
14. Incorporation of air pollution control equipment in design of plant layout.
15. Continuous time to time monitoring of air pollutants released by industries.
 SOIL POLLUTION

Introduction:

A thin covering over land that consists of a mixture of minerals, organic minerals, living
organisms, air, water that support life.

Factors promoting soil formation:

1. Mechanical weathering of rocks; temperature, abrasions etc.
2. Moving wind, water, glacial activities etc.
3. Chemical weathering e.g. acid breakdown
4. Climate and time of exposure e.g. rate of soil formation is slow in extremely cold and dry
climate.

Soil Zones or Soil Horizons:

Cross sectional view of horizons in soil is known as SOIL PROFILE.
1. Top Layer; O Horizon:
- Litter surface.
- Contains twigs, fallen leaves, animal waste, fungi, organic matter.
- Brown or black in color.
2. Upper layer; A Horizon:
- Partially decomposed organic matter i.e. Humus.
- Some inorganic minerals.
- Darker and looser than deeper layers.

 Roots of plants are found in above two layers.

 As the roots anchors the soil of these two layers, soil retains water, and releases water
to deeper layers by trickling.
 These layers contains large amount of bacteria, fungi, earthworms and other small
insects.
 These layers are very fertile layers.
3. Subsoil; B Horizon:
- Contains less and fewer organisms.
4. C Horizon:
- It is made up of weathered parent material
- No organic matter.
- Determines pH of the soil.
- It affects the soil’s rate of water absorption and retention

Soil varies in its content in slay, silt, sand and gravel. Soils with approximately
equal mixtures of clay, silt, sand and humus is known as LOAMY SOIL.

CAUSES OF SOIL DEGRADATION AND SOIL POLLUTION

1. Erosion: It is the movement of surface litter and top soil from one place to another.
- It is natural process caused by wind and flowing water.
 - It is accelerated by human activities like farming, construction and over grazing, burning
of grasses, and deforestation
- It reduces fertility of the soil and water holding capacity.
- Contributes to water pollution.
- Clogs lakes and water bodies, which invites flooding.
- Increases turbidity of water.
- Top soil erodes faster, losses fertility of soil.
2. Excessive use of Fertilizers:
- They are used to replace and provide in excess the nutrients required by plants/crops to
grow.
- These nutrients are N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus) and K (Potassium). These are
macronutrients to plants.
- Boron, Zinc and Manganese are needed in small amounts known as micronutrients.
- Excessive supply of nutrients increases plant’s dependency on the external supply.
- This also turns other nutrients/minerals as limiting factors.
3. Excessive use of synthetic chemicals to improve productivity:
- Along with fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, weedicides and fungicides are used to kill
unwanted insects, plants and fungi.
- These are highly persistent in nature.
- They may kill helpful bacteria.
- They increase nitrate content in soil. Alter pH levels. Kill soil organisms.
- From soil they also lead to biomagnification and bioaccumulation.
- Earthworms and other beneficial organisms are destroyed by the synthetic chemical
fertilizers and fungicides, pesticides, etc.
- Exposure to small quantities of pesticides over several years can cause mutations,
cancers etc.

SILENT SPRING:

 Rachel Carson is famous for a book known as Silent Spring.

 The book was published on 27th September, 1962.
 The book was an inspiration on the missing species of birds due to the bio magnification
caused by eating moths that contained DDT by excessive spraying of DDT.
 The book described the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment,
 It is widely credited with helping launch the environmental movement.
 Carson was not the first, or the only person to raise concerns about DDT, but her
combination of "scientific knowledge and poetic writing" reached a broad audience and
helped to focus opposition to DDT use.
  In 2012 Silent Spring was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark by
the American Chemical Society for its role in the development of the modern
environmental movement
4. Excess salts and water:
Irrigation water contains salts and when they stand stagnant over fields for longer times, or
in regions with dry climates, the water evaporates and leaves behind salts pan (NaCl,
MgCl2, Na2CO3 etc.) above the soil.
The accumulation of salts in soil is known as salinization.
Impacts:
 Salinity becomes a problem when enough salts accumulate in the root zone.
 It negatively affects plant growth.
 Decreases plant growth and water quality.
 Lower crop yields and degraded stock water supplies.
 Excess salt affects overall soil health, reducing productivity.
 It kills plants, leaving bare soil that is prone to erosion.
Thus, salinization makes land useless for agriculture.
Solution:
 Salts can be flushed out of soil by using more water.
 Breaking slat pans by ploughing etc.

Definition of soil pollution:

Introduction of substances, biological organisms or energy into the soil resulting in a

change in the quality of soil affecting the normal use of soil or endangering public health and
the living environment.

Causes:
- Erosion
- Accidents involving vehicles while transporting waste/fuel etc.
- Waste dumps
- Leaching of toxic pollutants to deeper layers of soil
- Excessive chemical, fertilizer, insecticides usage
- Industrialization
- Mining activities
A soil pollutant is any factor that deteriorates the quality, texture and mineral content of the soil
or which disturbs the biological balance of the organisms in the soil.

When the soil is contaminated with heavy metals/non-biodegradable pollutants, they leach down
to deeper soil layers and becomes irreversible damage to be repaired.

Percent contribution of various activities involved in soil contamination

Effects:
- Reduced soil fertility
- Reduction in agricultural productivity in long run
- Desertification: Continuous exposure of eroded soil to run for longer periods
transforms land into sandy and rocky land. This makes soil unfit for cultivation.
- Decrease in cultivable land.
- Top soil that is washed away contributes to water pollution by clogging lakes and
increasing tubidity.
- Fertilizer run off causes eutrophication.

Control Measures:
- Proper conservation strategies and measures.
- Using Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM),
bio pesticides and integrated environment friendly agriculture to reduce dependence on
synthetic/chemical fertilizers.
- Appropriate soil management practices in agriculture.
- Keeping soil covered with crop residue or crop cover or grass or tree cover.
- Afforestation.
- Using trees as wind breakers or shelter belts
- Undertaking clean-up operations.
 NOISE POLLUTION

Any unwanted, unpleasing, or offensive sound that unreasonably intrudes into daily activities is
noise pollution.
Noise pollution adversely affects human health and contributes to deterioration of environmental
quality.
- It is measured in decibels (dB)
- Permitted noise levels is 125 dB

Sources:
1. Indoor Sources :
 Industries
 Vehicular movement
 Construction work
 Defense Equipment
 Explosion
 Loud Speakers during festivals, religious activities,
 High speed aircraft
 Crackers during festival, marriage etc.
 Launching of Satellite using rockets
2. Outdoor Sources :
 Playing radio or loud music

Effects:
 Emotional or psychological effects such as irritability, anxiety, stress, lack of
concentration and mental fatigue.
 Affects the performance of school children. Poor adaptability in comprehension tasks
when schools are situated in busy areas of a city due to high background noise.
 Noise interferes with normal auditory communication and may mask auditory warning
signals increasing the rate of accidents especially in industries.
 Severe noise pollution may be extremely annoying or painful and hazardous.
 It lowers the efficiency of workers leading to the low productivity. It also sometimes
diverts their minds, or distract their minds leading to attention deficit.
 Severe noise is annoying and painful.
 Temporarily or permanent loss of hearing called as Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS).
 High pitched ringing sound in the ears and head.
 Noise Induces Permanent Threshold Shift (NIPTS) may lead to permanent or
irreversible hearing loss.
 It raises blood pressure and BP.

Noise levels of various sources:

<80 dB – No hearing loss
80– 130 dB – temporary effects
>95 dB – approximately 50 % people develop NIPTS
>105 dB- permanent damage to hearing
>150 dB – rupture ear drum

CONTROL MEASURES:
1. Reducing noise at source level:
 Using silencers and proper muffling devices in vehicles
 Using sealed enclosures lined with acoustic absorbing material around machine
 Isolating machines and their enclosures from the floor by using special spring
mounts and pads
 Regular and thorough maintenance of operating machines
 Regular lubrication and oiling of machines
 Proper highway planning for reducing noise
2. Blocking path of noise:
 Tree plantation
 Highly absorptive interior finishing material for walls, ceilings and floors in
homes, offices, hospitals and educational areas.
3. Increasing path length:
 Municipal land use ordinances pertaining to the location of airports make use of
the attenuating effect of distance on sound levels
4. Protect the recipient:
 Specially designed ear plugs and ear muffins reduces the sound levels that reaches
the ear drum.
 Awareness among people, legislation should be widely published
 Ban on loud speakers.
CASE STUDY:
Crackers in Diwali are menace for both air pollution and noise pollution.
National Physical Laboratory, NPL, New Delhi found most crackers beyond 125 dB.
Regulations for crackers:
1. Manufacturer will sell crackers >125 dB or 145 dB shall be permitted at distance of 4ft.
2. Use of fireworks not to be permitted before 6PM and after 10PM.
3. Firecrackers not to be used in silence zone e.g. hospitals, courts, educational areas,
residential areas etc.

THERMAL POLLUTION

Excessive heat released as waste in the water or air that causes undesirable changes in the natural
environment.

Causes:
1. Water cooling electric power plants e.g. thermal plants, nuclear power plants.
2. Industrial plants e.g. refineries, steel mills.
When a cold water from nearby water source is used for cooling the systems, the water when
coming out shows elevated temperature i.e. 10-160 C higher than usual.

Effects:
1. Low dissolved oxygen levels. Killing aquatic flora and fauna.
2. Interrupts penetration of oxygen to deeper water layers.
3. Toxicity of pesticides, detergents, etc. increases with the rising temperatures.
4. Composition of flora and fauna will changed.
5. Can disrupt spawning of fishes.
6. Affects migration of fishes.
7. Thermal Shock, a state where aquatic life fails to acclimatize with the sudden variations
in water temperatures.
Control:
Through treatment and precooling of water before it is released to water bodies.
This could be done using
(i) Cooling ponds
(ii) Spray ponds
(iii) Cooling towers
 NUCLEAR HAZARDS AND POLLUTION

Radioactive substances natural releases radiations because of decay. This decay enables unstable
isotope to change themselves into stable isotopes. During this process, they release energy and
radiations that are very dangerous for living system.

These radiations are high-energy electromagnetic radiations e.g. gamma radiations. On the other
hand, they can be ionization particles e.g. alpha and beta particles.

These radiations have very high penetration power. In living systems they can easily penetrate skin
and affects cells thereby mutating at genetic levels or by inducing carcinogenic growth.

Radioactive substances are:

- Radon-222
- Iodine-131
- Strontium-90
- Plutonium-239
-
Sources:
(i) Natural sources:
 Cosmic rays
 Radon-222 in soil, rocks, air, water and food.
(ii) Anthropogenic sources:
 Nuclear power plants
 X-rays
 Some diagnostic kits
 Test laboratories

Effects:
1. Genetic damage- gene mutation, DNA mutation etc.
2. Somatic damage- burns, miscarriages, cataract, bone cancer, thyroid, breast, lungs and
kidney cancer

Control measures:
1. Insuring strict and proper disposal of nuclear wastes from laboratories.
2. Nuclear power plants should be carefully monitored and be studies for long and short term
impacts on surrounding environment.

CASE STUDIES:

Fukushima Disaster:
 Happened in Fukushima Nuclear Reactor on 11th March, 2011.
 Occurred due to earthquake and tsunami on 11th March 2011 that resulted in generating a
wave as high as 15mts.
 The waves caused damage to the reactor.
 Equipment failure, melting of core and hence release of radioactive substance happened.
• Large scale flooding of generators, switch gears, and pumps that used to cool the system
disrupted.
• Reactors no. 1, 2, 3, and 4 were badly damaged.
• People suffered due to radioactive emission in radii of 20kms.

CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was
operated with inadequately trained personnel.
• The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor
core into the environment, with the deposition of radioactive materials in many parts of
Europe.
• Two Chernobyl plant workers died due to the explosion on the night of the accident, and
a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation syndrome.
• The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation has
concluded that, apart from some 6500 thyroid cancers (resulting in 15 fatalities), "there
is no evidence of a major public health impact attributable to radiation exposure 20 years
after the accident."
• Some 350,000 people were evacuated as a result of the accident, but resettlement of
areas from which people were relocated is ongoing.