Chemical Pollution

Lec: (9-10) ♥♥♥ 2019-2020 ♥♥♥ Dr. Mahmoud S. Muter

introduction
The environment has been taken care of in general, and the issue of
pollution in particular, and at various levels, whether on the public
formal education institutions or the non-formal education institutions. In
spite of the great interest in environmental education programs, the
reality of this situation is still that environmental care and importance
are modest and insufficient to effect the desired effect in developing
environmental awareness.

The world has known since the beginning of the twentieth

century a set of developments in the relationship of man to the
environment, as this century was marked by a set of transformations
that caused severe impacts on the environment. The most notable of
these transformations are the massive industrialization that the whole
world and the developed countries in particular have known, in addition
to the massive demographic explosion. These transformations have
caused serious environmental problems, perhaps the most important of
which is pollution that has affected all aspects of life. This is what
imposed on those concerned with the environment, health, education
and information in society, shedding light on the environment, providing
environmental education that develops awareness of community
members, alerting them to the dangers of environmental pollution, and
most importantly, directing their behavior to caring for and preserving
the environment. The topic of pollution and environmental studies has
received the attention of specialists and international public opinion, so
there are numerous seminars and conferences dealing with
environmental issues and problems. Everyone has been warned that the
fundamental solution to the current environmental crisis requires a
major change in human attitudes towards their environment, and
educational institutions must achieve this through environmental
education curricula that provide an environmental culture that results in
changes in behavior (Park, 1988). As the curriculum contains

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environmental educational experiences helps to broaden learners'
perceptions, and increases their knowledge of how to deal with the
environment . The issue of pollution is one of the most important study
topics included or that must include environmental educational
concepts, which one must acquire and adhere to.
DEFINITION
Chemical pollution is defined as the presence or increase in our
environment of chemical pollutants that are not naturally present there
or are found in amounts higher than their natural background values.
Most of the chemicals that pollute the environment are man-made,
resulted from the various activities in which toxic chemicals are used for
various purposes.

healthy Environment

The chemicals in their gaseous, liquid, and solid states that are
characterized by their efficacy, toxicity, or explosive potential, or to
corrosive events, or that have other characteristics that could result in a
risk to the environment and public health, whether alone or when
related to other materials. There is no doubt that the industry is one of
the most important sources that produce chemical pollutants in our
world today due to the multiplicity of industries and the tremendous
progress in the industrial application of modern science, which is known
as technology and is considered the most chemical pollutants resulting

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from industry have the ability to accumulate in the body of living things
It reaches toxic degree.

Sources of pollution
pollution is divided into two types:
natural pollution and industrial pollution.
Natural pollution : pollution is the source whose source is due to natural
phenomena that occur from time to time, such as volcanoes,
thunderbolts, and storms that may carry huge amounts of sand and
dust, and damage crops, so natural pollution is therefore sources of
natural origin, and there is no income for man in it.

Industrial pollution: -Industrial pollution results from human action and

activity, and finds its source in man’s industrial, service, and
entertainment activities, etc., and in his increasing uses of modern
technology manifestations and its various innovations. It responsible for
the emergence of the pollution problem in our time, and reaching this
degree The serious threat to life and the survival of man on the surface
of the earth, and among the most important sources of industrial
pollution: industrial and commercial waste and what is emitted by car
exhaust, and factory chimneys that leave toxic (chlorine, fluorine and
carbon) compounds, and others.

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Chemical substances effects of human healthy

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 The severity of industrial pollution depends on several factors,
including:

1. The area from which industrial pollutants are emitted

2. Time period for pollution.
3. The degree of concentration of pollutants.
4. Physical, chemical and biological properties of pollutants.
5. The ability to decompose and assimilate in the environmental
environment in which it is placed.
6. Toxicity relative to humans and other organisms.

The general pollutants classified according to the property of harmful

substances or products into environment to:
(Water pollution, Air pollution, Soil pollution, Nuclear pollution and
Biological pollution)

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MAIN TYPES OF CHEMICAL POLLUTION: These chemicals can react with
tissues in the body and change the structure and function of the organ,
cause abnormal growth and development of the individual, or bind with
the genetic material of cells and cause cancer. One of the central tenets
of the study of such effects (toxicology) is that the dose of a chemical
determines its overall effects and that most chemicals can be dangerous
at high exposure
1. Inorganic pollutants: Inorganic pollutants are released into
the environment due to activities of mining, industry,
transportation and urban activities. Environmental risks
associated with inorganic pollutants vary widely due to
several complex interactions at both intracellular and
extracellular levels. Toxic heavy metals and metalloids interact
quite strongly with soil constituents as compared to salts of
alkali metals, rate of which however, depend on the element and
their speciation.
2. Organic pollutants: More of organic compounds used in industry
and medical field there are we exposure in daily life, They’re used
for drugs and cleaning applications and as solvents in a wide range
of products such as fuels, paints, inks, preservatives and pesticides
, therefore causes more pollutions, So can have serious impacts of
human health. and many can be absorbed through intact skin and
absorbed into the bloodstream; and may be have more major
route of entry into the body.
3. Nuclear (Radiation) pollutants:
Radiation warning symbol
(nuclear power plants)

Radiation pollution means the leakage of radioactive materials

into one of the components of the environment, such as water,
air, and soil. It is considered one of the most dangerous types of
environmental pollution in our time, as it is not seen, smelled,
does not feel. Without any resistance, and without any indication
of its presence, and without first having an effect, and when
radioactive materials reach the cells of the body, they cause
visible and hidden damage that often leads to human life, and

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 radioactive contamination may occur from natural sources such as
radiation from outer space and gases Radioactive mounting from
the cortex Z, or from industrial sources of nuclear power stations
of atomic reactors and radioactive isotopes used in industry,
agriculture, medicine or other.
Radioactivity is toxic because it forms ions when it reacts with
biological molecules. These ions can form free radicals, which
damage proteins, membranes, and nucleic acids. Radioactivity can
damage DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) by destroying individual
bases (particularly thymine), by breaking single strands, by
breaking double strands, by cross-linking different DNA strands,
and by cross-linking DNA and proteins. Damage to DNA can lead
to cancers, birth defects, and even death.
4. Biological pollutants: Biological or biological pollution is
considered one of the oldest forms of pollution known to man,
and this pollution arises as a result of the presence of visible or
invisible living organisms such as bacteria, fungi and others in the
environmental medium such as water, air or soil, so the mixing of
disease-causing organisms with food that The person eats it, the
water he drinks, or the air that he inhales causes biological
pollution, which leads to disease.
 The effect of chemical pollutants on human health There is no doubt
that the human body is poisoned by chemical pollutants if exposed to it,
and poisoning is the occurrence of a demolition in the biological
composition of some parts of the body and acute poisoning occurs as a
result of exposure to toxic gases for twenty-four hours, while chronic
poisoning occurs as a result of exposure to pollutants for a long period of
time intermittent. Man can control solid or liquid chemical pollutants for
easy identification, collection and disposal in remote places. As for gas
chemical pollutants, they are rapidly spreading and some cannot be
seen, which is difficult to collect if they are spread. There are three ways
by which gas pollutants enter the human body and are:

- Through the respiratory system when breathing.

- Through the digestive system when eating foods and drinks.
- Through the skin, especially in the injured areas.
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Industrial pollutants are divided into three types:

1. Solid pollutants, which are those pollutants resulting from many

industries, such as dust resulting from the cement industry, for
example.
2. Liquid pollutants such as the solutions of the chemical materials that
the factories throw into the waterways.
3. Gas pollutants such as gases and harmful smoke from industrial
chimneys and oil refineries.

Most important organs of the body affected by toxic pollutants are the
kidneys and liver, where pollutants accumulate, as the skin and eye
sensitivity are a sign of the presence of substances with an unhealthy
effect in the atmosphere, and the fear of the effect of chemical
pollutants on human health is not limited to the surrounding pollutants
but rather leads to fear of using Chemicals in the various products that a
person uses daily and that are included in food and drink items such as
preservatives and flavors added to food. The World Health Organization
issues lists of these materials to stop use in the food industry in the
countries of the world.

hazards of environment Pollution

1. Poisoned marine organisms, which may cause their death, thus

affecting the food chain in the ecosystem.
2. Damage to living organisms that live on Earth, whether they are
microorganisms, plants or animals, as it loses soil fertility, and may
lead to desertification.
3. Global warming occurs, which may cause environmental disasters,
such as: global warming, as well as melting ice in the Arctic and
which causes the percentage of water on the earth to rise, and thus
drown.

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4. It leads to a hole in the ozone layer, which leads to an increase in the
harmful UV rays reaching the earth, which affects human life.
Gases pollutants such oxides of salver, carbon, and nitrogen as well
as the chloroflurocarbon compounds are broken by UV radiation
releasing chlorine and fluorine free radical those react woth ozone of
stratosphere cause decomposed it:
SO2 + O3 → SO3 + O2 , NO + O3 → NO2 + O2
CF2Cl2 → Cl• + C•F2Cl , Cl• + O3 → ClO• + O2

5. Acid rain causes corrosion various impacts and buildings due to the
rise in the proportions of some gases.
SO2 +H2O2 → H2SO4
4NO2 + O2 + 2H2O → 4HNO3
CO2 + H2O → H2CO3

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The Effects of Chemical Pollution

Chemical pollution can be caused by a variety of chemicals from a

variety of sources and can involve a variety of health effects from simple
digestive problems to chemical intoxication and sudden death by
poisoning. The effects are usually related to the exposure to high
amounts and accumulate of chemicals in body. Chemical pollution leads
to various serious diseases, generally by consuming poisonous food,
drinking highly contaminated water, or breathing contaminated air.
Chemical intoxication can have severe health effects that may trigger
immediate symptoms and diseases or delayed effects which may appear
after weeks or months since the exposure occurred. This is based on the
type of pollutants and on the amounts to which you are
exposed. CAUTION, never assume that all is OK if no health effects
appear immediately!
Chemical compounds intoxication are organic or inorganic chemicals
that are the main causes of chemical pollution. The most common
chemical pollutants are those compounds used across large areas and
which are persistent, meaning they do not easily degrade in nature.
Examples are most pesticides, herbicides, insecticides used in agriculture
and gardening, as well as chlorinated solvents used in many industrial
processes and dry-cleaning activities.

The chemical industry is another example in this sense, mainly because it

is usually linked to polluted waste streams. In fact, the waste streams
from chemical industry are now strictly controlled and treated before
being released into the environment. But this was not always the case in
the past and many rivers and surface water bodies were contaminated
by the numerous waste streams coming from various chemical plants, as
well as other industrial sources. Even though measures were taken to
reduce this type of pollution, its effects are still visible.

Chemical intoxication is caused by exposure to chemical pollutants and

can have immediate effects or delayed effects, which may appear after
weeks or even months after the exposure occurred. Severe chemical
intoxication may cause the death of the person that inhales an increased
quantity of such substances.
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 HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS involve a variety of chemical products and
mixtures that can easily become chemical pollutants when released into
the environment. Even the everyday detergents are chemical
compounds that may pollute our environment! Read the labels of
detergent products to confirm that they contain a variety of potentially
hazardous chemicals. Such : (Pesticides, Fertilizers, Preservatives,
Colorants and Flavor of Food and Cleaning substance and Drugs).

Containers labelled with chemical hazard warning signs

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Pesticide risk of the health and environmental

pesticides have been commonly used to control pests causing release the
pesticides component into the environment.

The intensive use of pesticide leads to an increased risk of contamination

of the environment and harmful effects on varity biological, food
security, and water sources.

The released pesticides into the environment and their impacts of the
ecosystem and human health, such DDT, dieldrin, and other toxic
have more affected of the healthy, because transfer to the humans by the
foods of animals and plants.

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Methods of prevention of environmental pollution

Take preventive precautions.

1. Maintaining hygiene in its various forms, including: personal

hygiene, clean working environment, water, and soil.
2. Ensure the correct use of pesticides.
3. Waste disposal and disposal in the right way.
4. Getting rid of rodents and insects and eliminating them
permanently.
5. Noise reduction.
6. Continuation in afforestation and erection of retaining walls in
order to reduce the capacity of air pollutants.

Control of pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR) Substances

PRTR system: This system is for the control of chemical substances that
are harmful to human health or the ecosystem. Under this system,
businesses ascertain the amounts of harmful chemical substances they
have released into the atmosphere, water, or soil, or transferred to
locations outside of their business facilities, and report this data to the
national government. The national government then uses this data and
estimates to summarize and disclose volumes of chemical substances
released or transferred.

Report of Amounts of PRTR Substances Released or Transferred

(Contain manganese, chromium, nickel, and lead as alloy substances)

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Symbols of Handling, Releases, and Transfers of PRTR Substances

Amount Amount Amount

No. Substance
Used (kg) Released (kg) Transferred (kg)

Manganese and its

412 2,535,608 0 21,200
inorganic compounds

300 Toluene 771,721 190,919 47,785

80 Xylene 203,756 18,742 1,899

Chromium and
87 178,801 0 28,294
chromium(III) compounds

273 1-dodecanol 165,089 84,320 52,808

296 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene 159,894 66,436 23,955

53 Ethyl benzene 67,158 2,541 191

Hydrogen fluoride and its

374 61,335 1,557 14,029
water-soluble salts

71 Ferric chlorides 49,985 0 0

297 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene 30,531 19,596 1,331

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 Amount Amount Amount
No. Substance
Used (kg) Released (kg) Transferred (kg)

Hexavalent chromium and

88 29,814 0 124
its compounds

308 Nickel 29,168 0 0

302 Naphthalin 7,948 195 52

Polyoxyethylene =
407 5,882 5,746 80
alkylether

392 n-hexane 4,676 1,859 661

438 Methylnaphthalene 4,604 23 0

321 Vanadium compounds 3,618 0 0

304 Lead 3,297 0 0

Ethylene glycol monoethyl

133 3,245 26 0
ether acetate

207 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-cresol 2,598 833 1,765

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 Amount Amount Amount
No. Substance
Used (kg) Released (kg) Transferred (kg)

245 Thiourea 2,125 0 2,125

411 Formaldehyde 1,118 26 5

277 Triethylamine 1,101 62 16

Total 4,323,070 392,882 196,320

Common Substances

 Formaldehyde

 Mercury

 Lead

 Asbestos

 Hazardous/Toxic Air Pollutants

 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

 Pesticide Chemicals

 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

References:

- Environmental chemistry
- Emerging pollutants
- Chemical pollutants
- Environmental health

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