Pollution and Impacts

Assessment of
Environmental Aspects
Effects of Pollution
 The history of the earth’s climate is
characterized by frequent and
sometimes, rather sudden temperature
changes. There have been glacial and
interglacial periods. While these
temperature variations have been the
result of natural forces, it now seems
possible that we can change global
climate through our own activities
Climate change
 The phenomenon that is causing the earth to
become warmer which means that our
climate and our weather systems are
changing..
 Today, the earth is hotter than it has been
in two thousand years:
 1990s was the warmest decade
 1998 was the warmest year
 Snow cover is down 10% in the last 40 years
Of the Top 10 Man-made
Disasters, #1 is Global Warming

Most scientists now agree that human activity

is largely responsible for climate change and
that the choices we make today will decide
the future of our climate
Greenhouse Gases
 When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide, the
main greenhouse gas.
 Greenhouse gases cause the earth to heat up by trapping the
sun’s heat in the earth’s atmosphere – acting like a greenhouse
 Burning of fossil fuels is a major source of industrial greenhouse
gas emissions, especially for power, cement, steel, textile, and
fertilizer industries.
 The major greenhouse gases emitted by these industries are
 carbon dioxide,
 methane,
 nitrous oxide,
 hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), etc
Effects of Global Warming
5% Expected rise in global surface temperature by the
end of the century
25 Billion tones of carbon emissions need to be cut to
contain warming
2012 The year when the Kyoto protocol (to cut carbon
emissions) expires
55% Of world carbon emissions is produced by 15% of the
population
$380 Billion is the likely cost in 2030 to return world
emissions to 2007 levels.
 Possible Remedies?
1% of land area for solar power could meet a
country’s electricity need (approx)
605 Million tonne emissions can be reduced if fuel
efficiency is improved
10000 MW of power would be saved by switching
over to CFLs for lighting homes
1.5 Million tonne of steel can be recovered
annually through recycling
Principal forms of Pollution
 Pollution is the release of chemical, physical,
biological or radioactive contaminants to the
environment.
 Principal forms of pollution include:
 Air pollution
 Water pollution
 Soil contamination
 Radioactive contamination
 Noise pollution
 Visual pollution
Hazardous Agents
 Potential for exposure to chemical and
biological agents associated with
different types of hazardous emissions
and waste.
 Examples include wastewater, air
emissions, radioactive active substances
etc.
Air pollution
 the release of chemicals and
particulates into the
atmosphere.
 Common examples include
carbon monoxide, sulfur
dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), and nitrogen oxides
produced by industry and motor
vehicles.
 Ozone and smog are created as
nitrogen oxides and
hydrocarbons react to sunlight.
Mobile sources of Air pollution –
Identify the pollutants
Water pollution

 Affects oceans and inland

bodies of water.
 Waste water components:
Organic and inorganic
chemicals, heavy metals,
petrochemicals, chloroform,
and bacteria.
 Thermal pollution and the
depletion of dissolved
oxygen.
 Yangtze River Dolphin
Extinction

 This rare freshwater mammal is almost certainly extinct —

the first aquatic vertebrate species to disappear from the
Earth in 50 years, and the first large mammal to fall victim
to human impact.
 The multiple pressures: noisy boat collisions and dam
construction that may have imperiled the sonar-driven
animals, and overfishing — not for the dolphins themselves,
but for river fish — with such indiscriminate techniques as
netting, dynamite and powerful electric shocks.
Soil contamination
 often occurs when chemicals are
released by spill or underground
storage tank leakage.
 Contaminants include hydrocarbons,
heavy metals, MTBE, herbicides,
pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons.
 Often leads to water pollution via surface
runoff and leaching to groundwater.
 Radioactive contamination
 Prevailing wind
direction Transport medium
(air)
Exposure Release mechanism
point (volatilization)

Inhalation

Ingestion Release mechanism

(spill)

Exposure medium Waste pile

(soil) (source)
Water table

Release mechanism
Ground water flow (site leaching)
Transport medium
(ground water)

Examples of exposure pathways

 Light Pollution
 Includes light trespass, over-illumination and
astronomical interference.
 Radioactive contamination

It is uncontrolled
distribution
of radioactive material
in a given environment
Visual Pollution

 Visual pollution, the

presence of overhead
power lines, highway
billboards, scarred
landforms (as from strip
mining), open storage of
junk or municipal solid
waste.
Noise pollution
 which encompasses roadway noise, aircraft
noise, industrial noise as well as high-
intensity sonar.
Adverse effects of
Pollution
 Pollutants can cause diseases, including cancer,
lupus, immune diseases, allergies, and asthma.
 Higher levels of background radiation have led
to an increased incidence of cancer and
mortality associated with it worldwide.
 Some illnesses are named for the places where
specific pollutants were first formally implicated. One
example is Minamata disease, which is caused by
mercury compounds.
 Adverse effects of
Pollution
 Bad air quality can kill.
 Ozone pollution can cause sore throats,
inflammation, chest pain and congestion.
 Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes.
 Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high
blood pressure, stress and sleep disturbance.
 Higher levels of background radiation have led
to an increased incidence of cancer and
mortality associated with it worldwide.
 Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA)
 Tool to assess
 human environmental health
impact,
 risk to ecological health, and
 changes to nature's services.
 To ensure that decision-makers
consider environmental impacts
before deciding whether to
proceed with new projects.
.