Environmental Studies

Unit 4: Environmental Pollution

Outline
• What is pollution?
• What is pollutant?
• Classification of pollutants
• Types of pollution
What is pollution?

• In any ecosystem, we have water, air, soil and so on.

• If in that ecosystem, there is additional attachment with something (for
example water, air or anything) or there is excessive addition of
something.
• Due to that, the life of that ecosystem is becoming unfit or unbalance.
• Then that excessive additional thing is called as pollution.
• Pollution is defined as “An addition or excessive addition of certain
material to the physical environment”.
What is pollutants?

• Those material of ecosystem, whose presence is very important, but,

due to their excessive availability they leads to pollution. Such
materials are called as pollutants.
• Classification of Pollutants:
• According to persist on release:
• Primary pollutant
• Example: DDT powder, Plastic
• Secondary pollutant
• Example: PAN(peroxyacetyl nitrate)
What is pollutants?

• Classification of Pollutants:
• According to existence in nature:
• Quantitative pollutant
• When a material presence is increased excessively (more than what we needed), then that
material acts as a pollutant.
• Example: CO2 , NO (Nitrogen Oxide)
• Qualitative pollutant
• Any material which is not natural instead it is man made, then that material is called as
qualitative.
• Example: Fungicides, Weedicide, DDT powder
What is pollutants?

• Classification of Pollutants:
• According to nature of disposal:
• Bio-degradable:
• Where microbes convert its complex form into simple form.
• Sewage
• Non-biodegradable:
• Where microbes can not convert its complex form into simple form.
• Plastic, Glass, DDT powder, heavy metal, radioactive substances
What is pollutants?

• Classification of Pollutants:
• According to origin:
• Natural
• Anthropogenic (Man-made)
Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Major reasons for air pollution:

• Increasing Traffic
• Growing cities
• Rapid economic development
• Industrialization
• Definition of Air pollution:
• When the different materials get added to our atmosphere (air)
• That changes the quality of the air
• That further injured the human health and welfare
• Also makes the plants and animal life in danger.
Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Effect of air pollution:

• Injures human health
• Damage our environment
• Climate change
Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Air pollutants:
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• It is colourless
• Odourless
• Tasteless
• Emission of CO :
• From the Incomplete combustion of (burning of) fuels like petrol, diesel, coal, wood etc.
• If there is complete combustion of above fuels then it does not release CO.
• Effect of CO:
• Increased levels of carbon monoxide reduce the amount of oxygen carried by haemoglobin
around the body in red blood cells.
• The result is that vital organs, such as the brain, nervous tissues and the heart, do not receive
enough oxygen to work properly.
Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Air pollutants:
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Primary green house gas
• Emission of CO2 :
• From the Incomplete combustion of (burning of) fuels like petrol, diesel, coal, wood etc.
• Chloroflorocarbons (CFCs)
• Responsible for ozone layer depletion
• Emitted from Refrigerator, AC, Shaving cream, sprey, snow sprey
• Lead
• Lead is used in Petrol, Diseal, batteries, paints, hair-dyes
• It effects on eyes, and create disturbance in breathing
• It mostly effect children than adults
• It also affects nervous system
• Digestive problem
• It can also leads to cancer
Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Air pollutants:
• Ozone (O3)
• Earlier, Ozone gas was not a pollutant, It was not disturbing our ecosystem in any manner.
• Instead, it plays a vital role because it shields us from the sun's harmful UV rays. This is called
good Ozone.
• But, gradually, due to human interference, the quantity of Ozone was increased. That leads to the
Ozone depletion.
• Each time there is a reaction of chemicals such as those found in cars, power plants and factory
emissions, in the presence of sunlight (UV light), Bad Ozone is created.
• Bad ozone contaminates (dirties) the air and contributes to what we typically experience as
"smog" or haze.
• SMOG= Smoke+Fog
• It effects mostly on Eyes, like itching, burning, watering in eyes.
• It also leads to cold, Pneumonia.
Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Air pollutants:
• SPM (Suspended Particulate Matter)
• When we burn any matter, then its particles creates either smoke, dust, or vapour.
• Due to that, that area is surrounded by Haze.
• That haze is called as SPM.
• It mostly causes lungs disease.
• Sulphar dioxide (SO2):
• SO2 is mostly emitted from thermal plants.
• Due to the excessive use of coal.
• Other than that, paper factory also emits SO2.
• This is also responsible for SMOG.
• It is also responsible for Acid-Rain.
• Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of
hydrogen ions. It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals and infrastructure.
• Lung disease, skin disorder, cancer
Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Ozone Layer depletion

Types of pollution: Air pollution

• Control measure of air pollution:

• Plantation
• Nuclear explosions and war should be stopped
• Modification of process or equipment alteration
• Renewable resources as an alternative
• Sustainable mobility
• Public transport
• Car pooling
• Walking
• cycling
Types of pollution: Water pollution

• Presence of foreign substance or impurity

• Degrading its quality
• And thus making it toxic for humans
• Causes of Water Pollution
• Agricultural Runoff
• Industrial Waste
• Solid Waste
• Sewage and domestic waste
• Oil spills
Types of pollution: Water pollution

• Effects of Water pollution

• Death of aquatic animals.
• Reduce amount of light penetration
• Waterborn diseases: By consuming contaminate water
• Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentry
• Eutrophication:
• If a water body is enriched by nutrients or if the nutrients have grown excessively due to sewage
water, that is called Eutrophication.
• Due to this, the number of plants on water body suddenly increases which causes oxygen
depletion. It will have directly impacts on aquatic plants and animals.
• Biomagnification:
• Biological magnification: Increase in a particular component concentration that is harmful for
us with successive trophic levels.
Types of pollution: Water pollution

• Control measure of Water pollution

• Sewage treatment plants
• Industries should behave more responsibly
• Preventing soil erosion by planting trees
• Adapting organic farming
• Educating people and media involvement
Types of pollution: Soil pollution

• Contamination of soil (Uppermost layer of earth’s layer (outermost layer of

planet))
• Reducing soil quality
• And thus making it inhabitable for organism
• Soil pollution refers to an undesirable decrease in the quality of soil, either by
man-induced sources or natural sources or by both.
• Causes of soil pollution
• Industrial activities
• Modern agricultural practices
• Mining activities
• Biological agents
• Accidental oil spills
Types of pollution: Soil pollution

• Effects of soil pollution

• Decrease in soil fertility
• On growth of plants
• On human health
• Effect on landscape (natural beauty) around
• air and odour (smell) pollution
• Effect on ecosystem and biodiversity
• Soil-> Plants -> Animal (Presence of plants and animal is called as Biodiversity)
Types of pollution: Soil pollution

• Control measure of soil pollution

• Prevention of soil erosion (tree plantation)
• Production and use of natural fertilizers
• Public awareness
• Recycling and reuse of waste
Types of pollution: Noise pollution

• To communicate with other we need sound.

• But, a loud unpleasant or unwanted sound is called noise.
• Music could be sound and noise both.
• How to measure whether any sound is “Sound” or “Noise”?
• Sound is measured in decibels (db).
• A decibel value of sound above 80 is considered to be noise pollution.
Types of pollution: Noise pollution

• Causes of Noise pollution:

• Industrialization
• Transportation: Train, Bus, Aeroplane
• Social events like DJ, Disco, Marriage, place of worship etc.
• Fire works : crackers
• Defence equipment and launching of satellites.
Types of pollution: Noise pollution

• Effects of Noise pollution:

• Auditory effect:
• Deafness or impaired hearing: complete deafness
• Auditory fatigue: Temporary loss of hearing after exposure to sound
• Non-auditory effect:
• Work efficiency
• Irritating and annoyance
• Trouble in communication
Types of pollution: Noise pollution

• Control measures of Noise pollution:

• Planting of trees: Trees can absorb sounds.
• Acoustic Zoning: Increase the distance between destination and source, by
making silence zone near hospital, school and residential area.
• Legislative measures: strict law like can not play DJ after 10pm.
• Control at receiver end: Ear protection aid, head phone, or other sound proof
doors.
• Sound Insulation at construction stage.