ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENCE
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
a) Water Pollution: Introduction – Water Quality Standards, Sources of Water Pollution, Classification
of water pollutants, Effects of water pollutants

b) Air Pollution: Composition of air, Structure of atmosphere, Ambient Air Quality Standards,
Classification of air pollutants, Sources of common air pollutants like PM, SO2, NOX, Auto exhaust,
Effects of common air pollutants
c) Noise Pollution: Introduction, Sound and Noise, Noise measurements, Causes and Effects
d) Solid Waste: Generation and management
e) Bio-medical Waste: Generation and management
f) E-waste: Generation and management

Lecture 5 Dr. Hemanta Medhi

3. Biological Parameters: Different organisms like bacteria, protozoa and viruses are found
in water. Pathogens (organisms which cause diseases) are most important to be
detected/removed

These pathogens may cause:

(i) Bacterial infections : It may cause diseases like cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, jaundice, etc.
(ii) Protozoal infections : It may cause diseases like amebic dysentery and giardiasis, etc.
(iii) Viral infections : may cause disease like poliomyelitis, hepatitis, meningitis, etc.
Bacteria:
Bacteria are minute single cell organisms which are universally found in natural water.
Bacteria 1-4 microns in length
They have protoplasm enclosed by an outer membrane or cell wall
E coli is are the type of bacteria which lives in the intestine of humans and animals

According to shape bacteria may be classified as

1. Cocci: round shape
2. Bacilli: Rod shapes
3. Spirilla: Spiral shaped
4. Trichobacteria: Filamentous

According to the way they live, bacteric can be classified as :

5. Saprophytes: live on dead or decaying matter. These are harmless
6. Parasites: Live on human bodies or animals. They may ne pathogenic or non-
pathogenic

According to the manner of deriving oxygen bacteria can be divided as

7. Aerobic : which live on the free oxygen dissolved in water
8. Anaerobic: which live in the absence of oxygen
9. Facultative: which live either with or without oxygen
Bacteriological Analysis:
Presence of pathogens is detected in water indirectly by indicator organisms. An indicator
organism is one whose presence in water indicates the presence of pathogens and mostly its
presence is detected by E-coli test. This test determines the MPN (Most Probable Number) of
coliform bacteria in 100 ml water sample. Another fast way of detection of pathogens in water is
membrane filter technique
E coli test includes (i) Presumptive test, (ii) Confirmative test and (iii)Completed test
(a) Presumtive test :
In this test, a lactose broth is inoculated with water sample in different decimal fractions (0.1
ml, 1.0 ml, 10 ml etc) in a series of text tubes. These tubes are incubated for an appropriate
time (generally 24 hrs, 48 hr and 72 hrs) at 35o C temperature and inspected for gas
formation. Number of tubes showing gas formations are considered positive tubes and rest of
the tubes are negative.
(b) Confimative test:
In this test, the sample is inoculated from the positive tubes of presumtive test in to another set
of tubes which contains BGB broth (Brilliant Green Broth) which suppresses the growth of
other microbes than E-coli. As in presumptive test, in this also the number of tubes showing
gas formations are considered positive tubes and are counted which indicates confirmation of
the presence of pathogens.
(c) Completed test:
In this test, the ability of cultures grown in confirmed test is again tested with lactose broth like
presumptive test to complete the test
 Number of positive tubes
MPN per100ml 
 ml of sample in negative tubes ×  ml of samplein all tubes 
Membrane filter technique:
It gives direct count of coliform bacteria and is a popular technique.

In this method, water sample is filtered through 0.45 μm size filter and filtered bacteria are
allowed to grow with selective media and inhibitors of other bacteria at appropriate
temperature for 24 hrs. After incubation period, the visible colonies are counted by colony
meter and the results are reported in numbers of bacteria in 100 ml of water.
Sources of water pollution:
The sources of water pollution are basically divided into point source and non point source
(diffused source)
 Sources of water pollution:
The sources of water pollution are basically divided into point source and non point source
(diffused source)
1. Point Sources: These are the sources of pollution from single identified location and this
includes the following:
a. Municipal wastewater outlet
b. Industrial wastes
c. Other point sources

2. Nonpoint or Diffused Sources: These are those sources of pollution whose location can not
be identified or fixed easily. Such sources are as given below
a. Agricultural sources
b. Atmospheric deposition by rain
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.

1. Organic Pollutants
2. Pathogens
3. Inorganic Pollutants
4. Thermal Pollutants
5. Radioactive Pollutants
6. Suspended solids and Sediments
7. Nutrients
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.

1. Organic Pollutants:
a. Natural Organic Compounds:
• Wastes from domestic and municipal sewage, waste water from food processing industry,
slaughter house, paper and pulp mills, tanneries etc
• These wastes undergo degradation and decomposition by bacterial activity
• The dissolved oxygen available in water body will be consumed for aerobic oxidation of
organic matter present in wastewater. The decrease in dissolved oxygen is an index of
pollution
b. Synthetic Organic Compounds:
• Enters the ecosystem through various manmade activities such as production of these
compounds, spillage during transportation and while using.
• These include synthetic pesticides, synthetic detergents, food additives, pharmaceuticals,
insecticides, paints etc
• These compounds are toxic (poisonous) and makes water unfit for use
• The detergent can form foams and volatile substance may cause explosion in sewers
c. Oil:
• Oil is a natural product which results from the plant remains fossilized over millions of
years. It is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and degradable under bacterial action
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.

2. Pathogens:
• Pathogenic micro-organisms enter in to water body through sewage discharge as
a major source. Also from wastewater from industries like slaughterhouses
• Virus and bacteria can cause water borne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid,
dysentery etc
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.

3. Inorganic pollutants
• Sewage and industrial wastes contains high concentration of heavy metals and
other inorganic pollutants and contaminate water
• These compounds are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment
• These pollutant include cyanides, sulphates, mineral acids, inorganic salts, metal
etc
• The accumulation of heavy metal may have adverse effect on aquatic flora and
fauna and may constitute a public health problem where contaminated organisms
are used for food
• Algal growth due to nitrogen and phosphorous compounds can be observed
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.
4. Thermal pollutants
• Considerable thermal pollution results due to discharge of hot water from thermal
power plants, nuclear power plants and industries where water is used as coolant
• As a result of hot water discharge, the temperature of water body increases which
reduces the dissolved oxygen content of the water
• This alters the spectrum of organisms, which can adopt to live at that temperature and
dissolved oxygen level
• When organic matter is also present, the bacterial action increases due to rise in
temperature, hence resulting in rapid decrease of dissolved oxygen
• The discharge of hot water leads to thermal stratification on the water body, where hot
water will remain on the top.
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.
5. Radioactive pollutants

Radioactive material originates from following:

• Mining and processing of ores
• Radioactive discharge from nuclear power plants and nuclear reactor
• Uses and testing of nuclear weapons
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.
6. Suspended solids and Sediments

• These comprise of silt, sand and minerals eroded from land

• These appear in the water through the surface runoff during rainy season and through
municipal sewers
• This can lead to siltation, reduce storage capacities of reservoirs
• Presence of suspended solids can block the sunlight penetration in water, which may
cause problem in photosynthesis of bottom vegetation
• Deposition of solids in streams or ocean bottom can impair the normal aquatic life
and affect the diversity of the aquatic ecosystem
• Finer suspended solids such as silt and coal dust may injure the gills of fishes
Water pollutant can be classified in to the following categories.
7. Nutrients
• Wastewater from fertilizer industry and sewage, agriculture runoff contains
substantial concentration of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous
• These wastewater supply nutrients to the plants may stimulate the growth of algae
and other aquatic weeds in receiving waters
• In long run the dissolved oxygen decreases
• People swimming is water bodies containing blue-green algae may have skin and eye
irritation, gastroenteritis and vomiting
• High nitrogen levels in the water supply cause a potential risk especially to infants
under six months. Results in decrease in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood
Water pollutants can also be classified in general on the basis of physical nature as:

Suspended particles
These particles have diameter of more than 1 micrometre and are the largest in polluted water.
They may be retained on the filter. Examples of suspended particles are leaves, soil particles,
oil and grease etc.

Colloidal particles
These particles are so small that their settling rate is insignificant. They cannot be removed by
plain sedimentation.

Dissolved matter
This pollutants gets dissolved in the water and does make water turbid, such matter does not
settled out or nor can be removed by filter. It can be organic or inorganic.
Effects of water pollutants
• Effect on human beings: (Cholera, jaundice, typhoid, dysentery etc)
• Effect on Aquatic system:
House wastes mostly contain biodegradable organic matter. It may impart high oxygen
demand as BOD may be high.BOD: Biological oxygen demand is defined as the
oxygen demand created by the aerobic bacteria to decompose the biodegradable
organic matter aerobically.
Industrial waste may contain both biodegradable and non-biodegradable organic
matter. Thus in this case strength is measured using COD. COD is the chemical
oxygen demand defined as requirement of equivalent oxygen to degrade
biodegradable and non-biodegradable organic matter by oxidising agents like
potassium dichromate under controlled condition.
The value of COD is more than BOD
• Biological magnification: Pollutants gets accumulated in organisms
Concentration of toxic materialin organism
BFC=
Concentration of toxic materialin environment

• Effects on ground water: Seepage from waste

• Eutrophication: Enrichment of water bodies by nutrients
(Oligotrophic aquatic system, Mesotrophic aquatic system, Eutrophic aquatic system)
Different steps required to be taken for control of Eutrophication:
1. Restriction on discharges of nutrients to reduce the growth of algae
2. Reduction of discharge of agricultural runoff and intrusion of domestic wastewater
3. Restriction of direct discharge of the detergents in water bodies and limiting phosphorous
in the detergents
4. Removal of algal blooms by dredging the excessive algal bloom
5. Application of algaecides (copper sulphate) on water surface
6. Using lime treatment for precipitation of phosphorous