Unit-5

Pollution
Meaning:-The process of making air, water, soil, etc., dirty or impure so that it becomes harmful
for our health is called pollution. The word 'pollution' has been derived from Latin word
pollutionem which means to make dirty.
Pollutants: - Pollutants are the substances that pollute air, water, soil, etc. There are natural and
manmade pollutants.
Natural pollutants: - Emissions from volcanic eruptions, forest fires, pollen scattering and fine
sand blown by strong wind.
Manmade pollutants: - Emissions from factories and thermal power stations, substances emitted
due to the burning of fossil fuels in automobiles, gases and suspended particulate matter (SPM)
etc.
Types of Pollutants
 Primary pollutants:- Pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon
dioxide, dust and soot, etc.
 Secondary pollutants:- Nitrous oxide, ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate, aerosols, etc. which
are created by atmospheric reactions of primary emissions and undergo a chemical
change
 Biodegradable pollutants:- These include sewage, domestic and agricultural waste, etc.
 Non-biodegradable pollutants:- pollutants such as plastics, polythenes, chemical
fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, glass, radioactive substances, etc.
 Natural pollutants:- These are pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide,
methane, ammonia, etc., released by natural disasters and phenomenon, e.g., volcanic
eruptions
 Anthropogenic pollutants:- The pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, non-
methane volatile organic compounds, etc., released as a result of human activities.
Types of Pollution
1. Air Pollution
Generally any substance that people introduce into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on
living things and the environment is called air pollution.
Types of Air Pollutants
 Natural contaminants such as pollen grains and bacteria, products of volcanic eruptions,
etc.
 Aerosols such as dust, smoke, mist, fog, fumes, etc.
 Vapour and noxious gases such as carbon monoxide, ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen
oxides, etc.
2. Water Pollution
Water pollution is defined, in part, as contamination or other alteration of the physical, chemical
or biological properties of water which renders such waters harmful, detrimental or injurious to
public health, safety or welfare, or to the plant, animal or aquatic life.
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Types of Water Pollutants
 Biological agents Virus, bacteria, protozos. algae, fungus
 Organic chemical agents Oil, gasoline. pesticides
 Inorganic chemical agents: Salts, acids, nitrates, phosphates
 Physical agents: Suspended solids and heat.
3. Marine Water Pollution
About 80 per cent of the marine pollution enters the seas from land Pollutants comprise of land-
based sources, oil spills, untreated sewage, heavy siltation, invasive species, organic pollutants,
heavy metals from mine tailings and other sources, radioactive substances, marine litter, and so
on.

4. Soil Pollution
Soil pollution is caused by the penetration of harmful pesticides and insecticides into the soil
which bring about deterioration in its quality and make it unfit for use.

Types of Soil Pollutants

 Organic substances:-Wastes from food processing industries, human and animal
excretions, waste food items, organic hospital wastes, farm and poultry wastes, etc.
 2 Inorganic substances: Metals and their compounds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides,
oils and tars, PCBs, asbestos, detergents, heavy metals, etc.
 Radioactive substances: Nuclear power plants, nuclear weapons. Improper disposal of
nuclear waste and uranium mining.

5. Noise Pollution
Noise pollution may be defined as "any unwanted sound that causes annoyance, disturbance and
prohibits concentration is called noise pollution.
Types of Noise Pollution
 Noise produced by transportation.
 Industrial noise.

Sources of Pollution
The major sources of pollution are:
 Natural sources: Volcanic eruptions, forest fires, volatile organic compounds emitted by
animals like cattle, etc., and trees like pine trees, etc.
 Man-made sources: Thermal power plants, vehicles, domestic combustion sources such
as stoves, incinerators and chimneys, open burning of coal and farm waste, mining etc.

1. Sources of Noise Pollution

 Traffic: Indiscriminate blowing of horns and sounds of engines of vehicles
 Factories: Machines, power generators, mechanical equipment, drilling, machinery used
for blasting purposes, heavy earth-moving machinery, etc.
 Construction sites: Machines, power generators, etc.
 Loudspeakers. Excessive use of loudspeakers in events, weddings, festive celebrations,
etc.
 Airports: Motor vehicles, aircraft, supersonic planes, machinery on airports, etc.

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Noise pollution can be injurious for the physiological and psychological health of living beings.
It causes more problems for people living in urban areas since they live in a constantly noisy
environment. Too much noise can lead to hypertension, high stress levels, sleep disturbances
and can also damage the hearing ability. Moreover, it is not ecologically desirable.

2. Major Air Pollutants and their Sources

 Vehicular pollution: Carbon monoxide is a product of combustion of natural gases, coal
and wood. A major source of the gas is vehicular exhaust. Gasoline-powered vehicles are
the principal source of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and lead. Diesel-fuelled engines
emit significant quantities of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
 Industrial pollution: Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs), Nitrogen oxide produced from diesel-
fuelled engines, brick kilns in rural areas.
 Burning of garbage: In urban areas, damping and the subsequent burning of garbage by
residential households
 Volcanic eruptions: Sulphur dioxide is released during volcanic eruptions
 Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM).
3. Water Pollution and its Sources
Water pollution is defined as the contamination of rivers, lakes, oceans and other water bodies.
It is the release of waste products and contaminants into surface run off leading to river drainage
systems, leaching in the groundwater, liquid spills, and waste water discharges, eutrophication
and littering.
Disease-causing pathogens, microorganisms and chemicals are also responsible for water
pollution.

Eutrophication is defined as the process of addition of substances in a water body through

fertilizers or sewage. It causes depletion of oxygen and reduces the quality of water.

Domestic Waste
Households generates huge quantities of detergents that ultimately find their way into water
bodies like rivers, lakes and oceans through the sewage and drainage systems of settlements.
Many detergents contain phosphates and other toxic chemicals that are harmful to aquatic life.

Industrial Waste
• Fertilizer industries discharge ammonia, urea, phosphate and sulphide as waste which are
injurious to different forms of life.
Wastes from oil refineries and steel industries contain phenol which is toxic in water.
• High biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values are present in organic loads which causes
depletion of fish in the rivers.
• Different metals such as mercury, lead, zinc, copper, etc., are found in the effluents of non-
ferrous industries.
Fertilizer waste contains arsenic and chromium which is harmful for the aquatic flora and fauna.
• The mining of coal and mica produces acidic waste.

Agricultural Wastes
Pollutants such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides and fungicides which lead to
health hazards due to bio-accumulation and biomagnifications.
Bioaccumulation is the increase in concentration of a substance in bodies of organisms as a
result of absorption of food from the environment.

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Bio magnification is a rise in the concentration of a substance like a pesticide in a food chain.
These substances find their way into water bodies and are consumed by aquatic organisms which
in turn are consumed by other living beings.

The organic water pollutants

 By-products of disinfection such as chloroform
 Food processing wastes
 Insecticides and herbicides
 Petroleum hydrocarbons including fuels, lubricants and fuel combustion by-products
 Debris of trees and bushes

The inorganic water pollutants

 Acidity caused by industrial discharges
 Ammonia from food processing wastes
 Chemical wastes such as industrial by-products such as Fertilizers containing nutrients
such as nitrates and phosphates
 Heavy metals from motor vehicles
 Silt in run off from construction sites etc.

Types of Soil Pollutants

 Organic substances:-Food scraps, wastes from food processing industries, human and
animal bodily excretions, farm and poultry wastes, etc.
 Inorganic substances: Chemical fertilizers and pesticides which are slow in degradation;
effluents from industries which contain toxic chemicals, detergents, heavy metals, etc.;
mining and quarrying activities leave dumps that release toxic elements.

 Chemical Fertilizers -Intensive agriculture has led to soil becoming poor in nutrients in
agricultural fields.
 Biomedical Waste- It consists of hospital waste in the form of solids, liquids and
laboratory waste. It is considered unsafe and infectious.

Pesticides
DDT, Aldrin and Dieldrin can be highly toxic to humans and other organisms. Modern intensive
agriculture depends heavily on the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Standing crops may
be damaged or destroyed by pests thereby affecting yield of particular crops.

Radiation Pollution
It is caused by radioactive substances which emit invisible radiation known as radioactivity.
Exposure to heavy doses of radiation through nuclear plants or exposure to x-rays causes skin
burns and suppresses bone marrow functioning whereas increased exposure could result in
cancer.

Types of Radioactive Pollutants

 Natural radioactive pollutants- These are emitted from the cosmic and ultraviolet tay
present in the atmosphere.
 2 Man-made radioactive pollutants. These are emitted from the nuclear reactors, atomic
tests, nuclear bombs and weapons, diagnostic and therapeutic applications of
radioactivity etc.
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X-ray is a high energy radiation that can have a destructive effect on living tissues and can cause
DNA damage and mutations.

Major Air Pollutants and Their Effects on Human Health