ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION

Pollution
• Pollution may be defined as the addition of undesirable material into
the environment as a result of human activities. The agents which
cause environmental pollution are called pollutants.
• A pollutant may be defined as a physical, chemical or biological
substance released into the environment which is directly or indirectly
harmful to humans and other living organisms.

Figure 1 : Types of Pollution

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Air Pollution
Air pollution may be defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or
gaseous substances including noise or radioactive radiation in the
atmosphere in such concentration that may be directly or
indirectly injurious to humans or other living organisms, property
or interferes with normal environmental processes.

Classification of Pollutants
According to the form in which they persist after release into the
environment:

• Primary pollutants: These are persistent in the form in which

they are added to the environment,

Example: DDT, plastic, CO, CO2, oxides of nitrogen and

sulphur, methane, lead, etc.

• Secondary Pollutants: These are formed by interaction among

the primary pollutants.

Example: peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN- formed by the interaction

of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons), ozone, smog, fly ash,
formaldehyde etc.

Air Quality Index(AQI)

• The AQI will show variations in air pollution levels in the

atmosphere.
• The AQI monitors eight primary air contaminants in the
atmosphere, including Particulate Matter (PM10),
Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone
(O3), Ammonia (NH3) and Lead (Pb).

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 • In 2014, the National Air Quality Index was established to
assess air quality in six categories,
• This Air Quality Index was created in collaboration with
IIT-Kanpur and air quality professionals and experts by the
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As per their existence in nature, pollutants are categorized as:

• Quantitative Pollutants: These occur in nature and become

pollutants when their concentration reaches beyond a threshold
level. E.g. carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide.
• Qualitative Pollutants: These do not occur in nature and are
man-made. E.g. fungicides, herbicides, DDT etc.

Based on the Degree of Degradability

• Non-degradable Pollutants

Pollutants that are non-degradable or decay slowly in the natural

environment are known as non-degradable pollutants.

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 • Biodegradable Pollutants

Pollutants that degrade quickly through natural processes are

known as biodegradable pollutants.

Based on source of Pollutants

• Point Source

A point source of water pollution occurs when pollutants are

discharged from a specific location, such as a drain pipe carrying
industrial effluents discharged directly into a body of water. It is easy
to regulate.

• Non-Point Source

Non-point source of water pollution is the accumulation of pollutants

from a wide area. It’s regulation is more challenging.
Example: Storm water run off, Agricultural run off, Vehicle
exhaust etc.
Based on frequency of release:

• Chronic Pollutant
A persistent release of a pollutant at low concentration resulting in
adverse effects on the body with symptoms that develop slowly.
Example: Exposure to cigarette smoke, Air pollution etc.

• Acute Pollutant
Pollution which occurs suddenly and considers worst case of
discharge.

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 Example: Large oil spill, Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Major Air Pollutants

Carbon Monoxide
It is a colorless, odorless gas created by incomplete combustion of
carbon-based fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and wood, as well as
the combustion of natural and manmade items like cigarettes.
Sources
• Carbon monoxide is created by the incomplete combustion of
various fuels and the exhaust of internal combustion engines.
• As a by-product of iron smelting, carbon monoxide is produced.
• When there isn't enough oxygen to make carbon dioxide, it
forms (CO2).
• Carbon monoxide produces carbon dioxide when it burns with a
blue flame in the presence of oxygen.
• Natural photochemical processes in the troposphere are the main
producer of carbon monoxide on the planet.
• Volcanoes, forest fires, and other forms of combustion are
allnatural sources of CO.
Effects
• It reduces the amount of oxygen in our bloodstream.
• It can make us confused and tired by slowing our reflexes and
making us disoriented.
• It interacts with haemoglobin to form carboxyhaemoglobin,
which takes up the oxygen-carrying space in haemoglobin.

Smog

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 Figure 2 : Smog

• Smog = smoke + fog (smoky fog) caused by the burning of large

amounts of coal, vehicular emission and industrial fumes
(Primary pollutants).
• Smog contains soot particulates like smoke, sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide and other components.
• At least two distinct types of smog are recognized: sulfurous
smog and photochemical smog.

Sulphurous smog

• Sulphurous smog is also called “London smog,” (first formed in

London).
• Sulphurous smog results from a high concentration of sulphur
oxide in the air and is caused by the use of sulphur-bearing
fossil fuels, particularly coal (Coal was the mains source of

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 power in London during nineteenth century. The effects of coal
burning were observed in early twentieth century).

Photochemical smog

Figure 3 : Photochemical Smog

• Photochemical smog is also known as “Los Angeles smog”.

• Photochemical smog occurs most prominently in urban areas
that have large numbers of automobiles (Nitrogen oxides are the
primary emissions).
• Photochemical (summer smog) forms when pollutants such as
nitrogen oxides (primary pollutant) and volatile organic
compounds (primary pollutants) react together in the presence of
sunlight. A gas called ozone (Secondary pollutant) is formed.

Nitrogen Dioxide + Sunlight + Volatile organic compounds =

Ozone (Ozone in stratosphere it is beneficial, but near the earth’s
surface it results in global warming as it is a greenhouse gas)

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 • The resulting smog causes a light brownish coloration of the
atmosphere, reduced visibility, plant damage, irritation of the
eyes, and respiratory distress.

Equation 1: Photochemical Smog

Fly ash

Figure 4 : Fly Ash

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 • Fly ash is ejected mostly by thermal power plants as by-products
of coal burning operations.
• Fly ash pollutes air and water and may cause heavy metal
pollution in water bodies.
• Fly ash affects crops and vegetation as a result of its direct
deposition on leaf surfaces.

Composition

• Fly ash particles are oxide rich and consist of silica, alumina,
oxides of iron, calcium, and magnesium and toxic heavy metals
like lead, arsenic, cobalt, and copper.
• Major oxides are present are aluminium silicate (in large
amounts), silicon dioxide (SiO2) and calcium oxide (CaO).

Uses

• Cement can be replaced by fly ash up to 35%, thus reducing the

cost of construction, making roads, etc.
• Fly ash bricks are light in weight and offer high strength and
durability.
• Fly ash is a better fill material for road embankments and in
concrete roads.
• Fly ash can be used in the reclamation of wastelands.
• Abandoned mines can be filled up with fly ash.
• Fly ash can increase crop yield when added to the soil. But if it
gets deposited on the leaf, it will reduce photosynthesis.
• It also enhances the water holding capacity of the land.

Ozone (O 3)
• It occurs naturally in the stratosphere and absorbs harmful
ultraviolet rays of the sun.

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 • However, at the ground level (troposphere), it is a pollutant
(Greenhouse gas) with highly toxic effects.
• Vehicles and industries are the major sources of ground-level
ozone emissions.
• It causes smog, acid rain etc.
• Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen dioxide play a major role in
converting O2 to O3.
• Ozone makes our eyes itchy, and watery. It lowers our
resistance to cold and pneumonia.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

It is the primary greenhouse gas emitted as a result of human

activities such as coal, oil, and natural gas combustion.

Sources

• Carbon dioxide emissions come from both natural and

anthropogenic sources.
• Decomposition, ocean release, and respiration are all-natural
sources.
• Human causes include cement manufacturing, deforestation, and
the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas.
• Human sources of carbon dioxide emissions have been increasing
since the Industrial Revolution.
• The primary cause of increased carbon dioxide concentrations in
the atmosphere is human activities such as the burning of oil, coal,
and gas, as well as deforestation.
• Coal, natural gas, and oil combustion account for 87 percent of all
human-produced carbon dioxide emissions.
• The remaining comes from forest clearing and other land use
changes (9%), as well as some industrial operations like cement
production (4 percent )

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 Effects

• Headaches, dizziness, restlessness, tingling or pins-and-needles

sensations, difficulty breathing, sweating, weariness, increased
heart rate, high blood pressure, coma, suffocation, and convulsions
are some of the symptoms that might occur.

Chlorofluorocarbons

These are gasses that are primarily released by air-conditioning

systems and refrigeration. When released into the air, CFCs rise to the
stratosphere, where they interact with a few other gasses, reducing the
ozone layer that protects the earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet
rays.

Sources

• Air conditioners and refrigerators- Refrigerants, particularly those

used after the 1930s, are the most common source of CFCs.
• Coolant from outdated refrigerators, vehicles, air conditioners, and
other machinery spills CFCs into the atmosphere as liquids
evaporate or make their way into the earth.
• Halon in aircraft- Some countries' aviation regulations still
mandate fire suppression systems to use Halon, a CFC-containing
coolant. There is no safe and effective substitute as of 2011.
• Sprays with aerosols- For a long time, CFC-containing gasses were
employed in aerosol cans and propellant liquids.
• In 1999, they were taken out of the aerosol manufacturing process
in favour of less toxic hydrocarbon substitutes. However, because
CFC molecules have a lifetime in the stratosphere of 20 to 100
years, the damage done in prior decades is still being felt.

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Effects

• Inhaling CFCs causes light headedness, headaches, tremors, and

convulsions in the central nervous system.
• Inhaling CFCs can potentially cause heart rhythm problems, which
can lead to death. According to the Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention, exposure to excessive amounts of CFCs can result in
asphyxiation.
• CFCs can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and other digestive
problems if consumed.
• CFCs have been related to difficulties with the central nervous
system and can affect the human immune system in general. These
issues could include breathing difficulties or injuries to the heart,
kidneys, or liver.
• CFCs contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects
us from the sun's UV rays.

Lead
• Lead can be found in gasoline, diesel, lead batteries, paints, and
hair dyes, among other things.
• The element is found in trace amounts in a variety of minerals,
with the exception of sulphide and lead glance (PBS), which are
used to make the metal all over the world.
• Usage of Lead - It's a common component in automobile batteries
and a key component of lead-acid batteries, used in soldering
electrical equipment parts, and in electrolysis procedures, as
electrodes.

Sources

• Lead-based paint, which was most commonly used in homes built

before 1978, is hazardous if it peels, chips, cracks, or chalks.

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 • Lead Dust - When lead-based paint on windows, doors, stairwell
edges, railings, or other surfaces wears away from repeated
friction, such as opening and closing windows or doors, lead dust
is produced.
• Soil- Chipped or flaking exterior lead-based paint can pollute the
soil around dwellings.
• Drinking Water - Lead pipes installed prior to 1930 are likely to
contain lead, which is discharged into drinking water when it flows
through the ancient pipes. Drinking water accounts for 10 to 20%
of a non-lead poisoned child's overall lead exposure.
• Food- When food or drinks are stored in imported ceramic plates
or pottery, lead can leach into them.
• Cosmetics and personal care products like kajal also have very less
quantity of Lead.

Effects

• Children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.

• The most common way for children to become poisoned is through
inhaling lead dust during typical hand-to-mouth activity.
• Pregnant women who inhale high quantities of lead dust can pass
the contaminant on to their unborn offspring, causing catastrophic
harm.
• It can harm the nervous system, create digestive problems, and
even cause cancer in some situations.
• Lead poisoning, also known as chronic intoxication, is caused by
lead absorption in the body.
• Lead poisoning is particularly dangerous for children under the age
of six, and it can have major consequences for their mental and
physical development.
• At high concentrations, it can be lethal.

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 Acid Rain

• Acid rain refers to any precipitation (rain, fog, mist, snow)

that is more acidic than normal (pH of less than 5.6. pH
below 7 is acidic).
• Acid rain is caused by atmospheric pollution from acidic
gases such as sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emitted
from the burning of fossil fuels.
• It is also recognized that acidic smog, fog, mist, move out of
the atmosphere and settle on dust particles which in turn
accumulate on vegetation as acid deposition.

Five basic steps are involved in the formation of acid rain:

1. The atmosphere receives oxides of sulphur and nitrogen from

natural and human-made sources.
2. Some of these oxides fall back directly to the ground as dry
deposition, either close to the place of origin or some distance
away.

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 3. Sunlight stimulates the formation of photo-oxidants (such as
ozone) in the atmosphere.
4. These photo-oxidants interact with the oxides of sulphur and
nitrogen and other gases (like NH3) to produce H2SO4 (sulphuric
acid) and HNO3 (nitric acid) by oxidation.
5. Acid rain containing ions of sulphate, nitrate, ammonium and
hydrogen falls as wet deposition.

Types of Acid Deposition

“Acid rain” is a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry

deposition (a form of deposition material) from the atmosphere

Wet Deposition
• If the acid chemicals in the air are blown into areas where the
weather is wet, the acids can fall to the ground in the form of rain,
snow, fog, or mist.
• As this acidic water flows over and through the ground, it affects a
variety of plants and animals.

Dry Deposition
• In areas where the weather is dry, the acid chemicals may become
incorporated into dust or smoke and fall to the ground through dry
deposition, sticking to the ground, buildings, vegetation, cars, etc.
• Dry deposited gases and particles can be washed from these surfaces
by rainstorms, through runoff. This runoff water makes the resulting
mixture more acidic.
• About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through
dry deposition.

Impacts of Acid Rain

➢ Impact on Aquatic Life:

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 o Acid rain can make water bodies, such as rivers and lakes,
inhospitable to certain species of aquatic life such as trout
and fish.
.
➢ Impacts on Physical Infrastructure:
o Acid rain poses substantial threats to physical structures and
monuments, causing deterioration and discoloration.
➢ Health Problems in People
o Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause respiratory
diseases, or can make these diseases worse.
o Respiratory diseases like asthma or chronic bronchitis make
it hard for people to breathe.
➢ Soil,trees and plants
o Acid rain can be extremely harmful to forests. Acid rain that
seeps into the ground can dissolve nutrients, such as
magnesium and calcium, that trees need to be healthy.
o Acid rain also causes aluminum to be released into the soil,
which makes it difficult for trees to take up water. Trees that
are located in mountainous regions at higher elevations, such
as spruce or fir trees, are at greater risk because they are
exposed to acidic clouds and fog, which contain greater
amounts of acid than rain or snow.
o The acidic clouds and fog strip important nutrients from their
leaves and needles. This loss of nutrients makes it easier for
infections, insects, and cold weather to damage trees and
forests.

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Acid Rain Mitigation Measures

➢ Flue-Gas Desulphurisation:
• Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) is a set of technologies that
remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the exhaust of fossil fuel-
burning power plants and other sources

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➢ Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP):
o GRAP is a set of emergency measures that kick in to
prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a
certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region.
o The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in
NCR and adjoining areas oversees the implementation of
GRAP.

➢ BS-VI vehicles
➢ The BS emission standards are based on the European Emission
Standards (Euro norms) and are set by the Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB).

➢ National Air Quality Index (AQI)

➢ Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

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Ozone Depletion
• Ozone is a natural gas that is an allotrope of oxygen
composed of three oxygen atoms bound together in a
nonlinear fashion.
• O3 is the chemical symbol for ozone.
• It can be found in two layers of the atmosphere.
• Ozone in the troposphere is "bad" because it pollutes the
air and contributes to the formation of smog, which is
unhealthy to breathe.
• Ozone in the stratosphere is "good" because it shields
Earth's life from the sun's harmful Ultra Violet (UV) rays.
• The ozone layer is critical because the ozone molecule's
configuration and chemical properties allow it to absorb
ultraviolet light efficiently, acting as a sun-screen.
• As a result, ozone protects lower-altitude oxygen from
being broken up by the action of ultraviolet light, while
also preventing the majority of ultraviolet radiation from
reaching the earth's surface.
• It contributes to lowering the risks of mutation and harm
to plant and animal life.
• Too much UV ray exposure can cause skin cancer and
harm all plants and animals. The ozone layer serves as a
protective shield for life on Earth.

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What is Ozone Depletion?

• The term “ozone hole” refers to a localised and severe

depletion of ozone concentrations within the
stratosphere, often occurring in polar regions, such as
Antarctica.
• Ozone holes are primarily associated with releasing
synthetic ozone-depleting (ODS) compounds, including
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons.
• These ODS are transported to the stratosphere, broken
down by UV- C radiation, releasing chlorine and
bromine atoms. These atoms catalytically destroy ozone
molecules.
• As a result, the ozone layer becomes thinner in these
areas, allowing higher levels of harmful UV radiation to
penetrate the Earth’s surface, leading to detrimental
environmental and health effects.

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 • Depletion of stratospheric ozone occurs over both
hemispheres of the Earth. However, this phenomenon is
more pronounced in the Southern Hemisphere
(Antarctica) than in the Northern Hemisphere (Arctic).
• This is the case because the formation of the ozone hole
is directly linked to the stratosphere's temperature. Once
temperatures drop below -78°C, polar stratospheric
clouds tend to form, which exacerbate ozone depletion.
• In the Antarctic, long presence of low temperatures in the
stratosphere is stimulating their formation, whereas the
Arctic is characterised by larger year-to-year
meteorological variability.
• Dobson Units (DU) measure how much ozone is in the
air above us.
• On a global scale, the average total ozone concentration
is typically around 300 DU.
• Ozone levels tend to be higher near the poles and lower
at the equator.

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