Environmental pollution
Environmental pollution refers to any pollutants in water, soil, or air that harm
the environment's natural quality, pose a risk to human health, or reduce the
usability of natural resources. The environment is negatively impacted by human
activity, either directly or indirectly. Automobile tailpipe emissions that damage
the atmosphere include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, and a complicated mixture of unburned hydrocarbons and black soot.
Pollutants are the substances that harm the environment. A physical,
chemical, or biological substance that is mistakenly discharged into the
environment that is either directly or indirectly hazardous to people or other
living things is referred to as a pollutant.
Urbanization and industrialisation, agricultural practises, mining, the combustion
of fossil fuels, plastic, and particulate matter are the main drivers of
environmental pollution. All of them result in the following:
AIR POLLUTION
Several residential and industrial activities can lead to air pollution. Air
pollution has been caused by an ever-increasing usage of fossil fuels in power
plants, industry, transportation, mining, building construction, and stone
quarries. Any solid, liquid, or gaseous material, including noise and radioactive
radiation, present in the air at a concentration that could endanger people or
other living things, plants, or property, or interfere with regular environmental
processes, is considered an air pollutant. Suspended particulate matter and
gaseous pollutants including carbon dioxide (CO2), NOx, etc. are the two main
categories of air pollutants.
Particulate pollutants
Dust and soot emitted from industrial chimneys are particulate particles
suspended in the air. SPM (suspended particulate matter) is mostly produced by
cars, power plants, construction projects, oil refineries, railroad yards, markets,
and other sectors.
Examples of particulate pollutants are given below:
Fly ash
As a byproduct of coal burning activities, fly ash is mostly discharged by
thermal power plants. Fly ash can contaminate water bodies with heavy metals
and contaminate the air. Fly ash has an impact on vegetation either directly by
depositing on leaf surfaces or indirectly by depositing on soil.
Lead and other metals particles
Particles in the air, lead out of the air, lead out of the air, lead out When
breathed in, it harms the kidneys and liver and prevents the growth of red blood
cells. Lead poisoning can develop over time if it is combined with food and drink.
Children are affected long term because it lowers IQ.
Gaseous pollutants
Power plants, businesses, and various automobiles, both private and commercial,
that run on gasoline or diesel fuel emit gaseous pollutants such carbon dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide as well as particulate matter in the form of
smoke. All of them are bad for both plants and people.
Control measures
1. Utilizing cleaner fuels like biogas, kerosene, or electricity should
take the place of using wood and dung cakes. But supply of
electricity is limited. Kerosene is similarly scarce. Improved stoves
that mimic smokeless chullahs feature low emissions of
contaminants, including smoke, and great heat efficiency. A well-
ventilated kitchen should be incorporated into the house plans. It is
necessary to promote the use of biogas and CNG (compressed
natural gas).
2. The use of cleaner fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), which
is both more affordable and environmentally beneficial, in power
plants, fertiliser plants, etc., can significantly reduce industrial
pollution.
3. Using environmentally friendly industrial techniques to reduce
pollution and hazardous waste emissions.
4. Putting in place equipment that limits the emission of pollutants.
Filters, electrostatic precipitators, inertial collectors, scrubbers,
gravel bed filters, or dry scrubbers are a few examples of such
devices.
5. The pollution will be reduced if the emission limits for cars are
respected. The durability of catalytic converters, which lower
vehicle emissions, has been set to standards.
NOISE POLLUTION
Noise is defined as "sound without value" or "any noise that the recipient does
not want to hear." Stone crushing and grinding, steel forging, loudspeakers,
hawkers shouting their wares, moving heavy transport vehicles, railways, and
airports all produce noise, which irritates people and raises blood pressure. It
also reduces work efficiency and can cause temporary hearing loss that can
become permanent if noise stress is not relieved. Consequently, it is crucial to
limit excessive noise. Decibels are used to measure noise levels (dB). The World
Health Organization (W.H.O.) recommends an ideal noise level of 45 dB during
the day and 35 dB at night. Anything louder than 80 dB is dangerous.
There are numerous sources of noise pollution, which can be found both
indoors and outside. Radio, television, generators, electric fans, air coolers, air
conditioners, various home appliances, and family disputes are among the indoor
sources of noise. Due to a higher concentration of people, industries, and
activities like transportation, noise pollution is more prevalent in cities.
Industrialization, urbanisation, and modern civilisation all produce noise as
byproducts.
The indiscriminate use of loudspeakers, industrial processes, vehicles, rail
traffic, aeroplanes, and activities like those at market events, religious, social,
and cultural gatherings, sporting events, and political rallies are all examples of
outdoor noise pollution sources. Farm equipment and pump sets are the main
causes of noise pollution in rural areas. Use of firecrackers during festivals,
weddings, and numerous other events contributes to noise pollution.
Following steps can be taken to control or minimize noise pollution:
1. By improving vehicle design and upkeep, road traffic noise can be
minimised.
2. Measures for reducing noise include building noise mounds, barriers
that muffle sound, and smooth-surfaced, well-maintained roads.
3. Train noise can be reduced by retrofitting locomotives, continually
welding rail track, using electric locomotives, or deploying quieter
rolling stock.
4. Appropriate insulation and the implementation of noise rules for
aeroplane takeoff and landing at the airport can reduce air traffic
noise.
5. Soundproofing machinery, such as generators, and noisy places can
help minimise industrial noise.
WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution is the presence or addition of harmful substances to water. One
of the most important environmental issues is water contamination. Various
human activities, including industrial, agricultural, and residential ones, lead to
water contamination. Our water is severely polluted by industrial effluents that
include harmful compounds, sewage water that contains human and animal
waste, and agricultural runoff that is too fertilised and pesticided. Natural
sources of water contamination include soil erosion, mineral leaching from rocks,
and organic matter decay. Both point and non-point sources can contaminate
rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, estuaries, and groundwater supplies. Point source
contamination occurs when contaminants are released from a particular area,
such as a drain pipe transporting industrial effluents that are then dumped
directly into a body of water. Non-point sources, on the other hand, are those
that release pollutants over a wider region or from diffused sources, such as
runoff from agricultural fields, grazing grounds, construction sites, abandoned
mines and pits, roads, and streets.
Sources of water pollution
DDT and other pesticides used in agriculture have the potential to
contaminate water sources. Aquatic species absorb pesticides from the water,
enter the aquatic food chain, and migrate up the aquatic food chain. They
become more concentrated and might even make it to the top of the food chain
at higher trophic levels.
Humans and other creatures are negatively impacted by metals including
lead, zinc, arsenic, copper, mercury, and cadmium in industrial waste waterways.
West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, and the western U.P. have all reported arsenic
contamination of their groundwater. Consuming such arsenic-contaminated
water causes arsenic to build up in body tissues including blood, nails, and hair,
which in turn causes skin sores, rough skin, dry skin, thickening of the skin, and
ultimately skin cancer.
Mercury pollution of water sources causes dropsy in fish and Minamata
sickness in humans. Displexia is caused by lead, Itai-Itai illness is caused by
cadmium exposure, etc.
Leaks from pipelines, oil rigs, ships, and oil tankers cause marine oil
pollution. Large amounts of oil are spilled during oil tanker accidents, which kills
marine birds and harms other marine life and beaches.
Leaks from pipelines, oil rigs, ships, and oil tankers cause marine oil
pollution. Large amounts of oil are spilled during oil tanker accidents, which kills
marine birds and harms other marine life and beaches.
Ground water pollution
Ground water is being contaminated by human activities such inappropriate
sewage disposal, dumping of farmyard manures and agricultural pesticides, and
industrial effluents.
Prevention and control measures
Eutrophication
Eutrophication is the term used to describe the process of a water body
becoming nutrient rich. "Eu" stands for well-being or health, while "trophy" for
food. Water bodies get entrophicated when they are enriched with nutrients. A
water body quickly becomes nutrient-rich when household garbage, agricultural
surface runoff, land drainage, and industrial effluents are discharged into it. A
water body's excessive nutrient enrichment promotes the growth of aquatic
plants including duckweed, water hyacinth, and phytoplankton.
With an increase in aquatic creatures, there is an increase in the biological
demand for oxygen (BOD). The amount of dissolved oxygen in the water
decreases as more plants grow and die because heterotrophic protozoans and
bacteria feed on the dead, decaying plants and organic waste (DO). A decrease
in DO causes a huge population of fish and other aquatic species, including
plants, to die suddenly. This releases an unpleasant odour and renders the water
unfit for human consumption. Algal blooms, also referred to as "water blooms,"
are the sudden, explosive development of phytoplankton and algae that gives
the water its green colour. These phytoplankton discharge toxins into the water,
which abruptly kill enormous populations of fish.
Water recycling
It is crucial to make the most efficient use of the water that is available. This
entails the treatment or untreated recycling of waste water for specific use.
Reusing waste water means putting it to another use before releasing it into a
treatment system or a receiving water body. As a result, the same user
repeatedly recycles the waste water, either with or without treatment.
The actions listed below can be taken to reduce water pollution:
(a) By changing the methods used, the water requirement should be reduced.
(b) Water should be recycled, whether or not it has been treated.
(c) Water recycling after treatment needs to be done as much as feasible.
(d) Waste water discharge shall be kept to a minimum.
THERMAL POLLUTION
About 30% of all water abstracted is used by chemical, nuclear, and other
sectors, including power plants, for cooling, and the used hot water is dumped
into rivers, streams, or oceans. The temperature of the cooling water rises as a
result of waste heat produced by the boilers and heating systems. The
temperature of the receiving water may rise by 10 to 15 °C as a result of the hot
water discharge. Thermal pollution exists here. Aquatic life is negatively
impacted by a decrease in dissolved oxygen caused by an increase in water
temperature. Water bodies' temperatures are stable and rarely shift, in contrast
to terrestrial ecosystems.
As a result, aquatic creatures have adapted to an environment with a
constant, uniform temperature, and any variation in the temperature of the
water has a negative impact for aquatic plants and animals. Therefore, the
discharge of hot water from power plants has a negative impact on aquatic life.
Particularly during the hot summer months, aquatic plants and animals in warm
tropical water exist perilously close to their maximum temperature. It just takes
a tiny departure from this limit for these species to experience thermal stress.
The release of hot water into a body of water alters fish eating, speeds up
their metabolism, and has an impact on their growth. Their swimming ability
deteriorates. It becomes challenging to flee from predators or chase after prey.
They become less resistant to illnesses and parasites. Thermal pollution reduces
biotic diversity. Storing hot water in cooling ponds and letting it cool before
releasing it into any receiving water body is one of the best ways to reduce
thermal pollution.
SOIL POLLUTION
Soil pollution is the addition of pollutants that have a negative impact on the
fertility or quality of the soil. Water pollution typically affects soil as well. Solid
waste is a mix of organic material, sewage, sewage sludge, and building debris
that is produced by households, businesses, and industrial organisations and
contributes to soil contamination. Important sources of soil pollution include fly
ash, iron and steel slag, medical and industrial wastes dumped on land.
Additionally, a growing source of soil contamination is the use of fertilisers and
pesticides in agriculture, which enter the soil through runoff and land filling from
municipal garbage. Soil contamination is also a result of acid rain and the dry
deposition of contaminants on the surface of the ground.
Sources
Plastic bags - Low density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags are nearly
unbreakable yet pose a serious environmental risk. The abandoned bags clog
sewage systems and sewers. Cows and dogs fed on leftover food, vegetable
trash, etc., may suffocate to death from plastic bags strangling them. The
burning of plastic in landfills releases highly hazardous and dangerous gases like
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, phosgene, dioxine, and other harmful
chlorinated compounds since plastic is not biodegradable.
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags are almost indestructible yet
provide a significant environmental danger. The left-over bags block drains and
sewage systems. Plastic bags may strangle animals, such as cows and dogs fed
on leftover food, vegetable waste, etc., causing them to suffocate to death. Since
plastic is not biodegradable, burning it in landfills releases extremely hazardous
and lethal chemicals like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, phosgene, dioxine,
and other harmful chlorinated compounds.
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags are virtually unbreakable but pose
a serious threat to the environment. The discarded bags clog sewage and
drainage systems. Animals that are fed on leftover food, vegetable waste, etc.,
such as cows and dogs, can become strangled by plastic bags and suffocate to
death. Plastic cannot decompose, therefore when it is burned in landfills, deadly
pollutants like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, phosgene, dioxine, and other
dangerous chlorinated compounds are released.
Control
It is crucial to cease using plastic bags and switch to bags made of
biodegradable materials like paper and cotton in order to reduce soil
contamination. Prior to being used as landfills or as fertiliser, sewage needs to be
adequately processed. Separated organic waste from homes, farms, and other
sources should go through a process called vermicomposting, which produces
beneficial manure as a byproduct. Prior to disposal, industrial wastes should be
thoroughly processed to remove any dangerous components. Biomedical waste
needs to be collected separately and properly disposed of in incinerators.
Nuclear Hazards
To lessen soil pollution, plastic bag use must end, and bags made of paper and
cotton or other biodegradable materials should take its place. Sewage must be
properly processed before being dumped or utilised as fertiliser. Organic waste
that has been separated from other materials should be composted via
vermicomposting, which also yields useful manure as a byproduct. Industrial
wastes should be carefully treated to remove any hazardous components before
disposal. It is necessary to collect biomedical waste separately and properly
dispose of it in incinerators.
An energy form that travels through space is radiation. One of the main
sources of radiation pollution is the radiation produced by the decay of
radioactive nuclides. Non-ionizing and ionising radiations are the two types of
radiation that can be classed.
An energy form that travels through space is radiation. One of the main
sources of radiation pollution is the radiation produced by the decay of
radioactive nuclides. Non-ionizing and ionising radiations are the two types of
radiation that can be classed.
Somatic damage, often known as radiation sickness, and genetic damage
are the two categories into which radiation harm can be categorised. Somatic
damage describes harm to cells not involved in reproduction. Somatic radiation
damage can cause skin reddening, hair loss, ulcers, fibrosis of the lungs, holes in
tissue, a decrease in white blood cells, and the development of cataracts in the
eyes. Additionally, cancer and death may ensue from this damage. Genetic
damage is defined as harm to cells involved in reproduction. As a result of gene
mutation brought on by this damage, problems may arise. The following
generation is affected by genetic defects.
Radiation effects and radiation doses
The rem, or radiation equivalent in man, is a commonly used measure of human-
equivalent dosage. The cells quickly heal the damage at modest doses, such as
the 1 m rem of background radiation we are exposed to every day. Higher doses
(up to 100 rem) may cause the cells to the rem, or radiation equivalent in man,
is a commonly used measure of human-equivalent dosage.
Even larger doses result in tissues failing to function because the cells
cannot be replaced quickly enough. Radiation sickness would be one illustration
of this. When huge doses (more than 100 rem) are administered to the entire
body, this syndrome develops. A significant source of radiation risk is nuclear
explosions and accidents in nuclear reactors. The consequences of the atomic
bombings in Nagasaki and Hiroshima are still fresh in people's minds. Many
members of the reactor staff perished in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor
disaster, and a significant amount of radionuclides were released into the
environment, harming nearby populations for decades with radiation.
