Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution ?
Any undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological
characteristics of any component of the environment (air, water,
soil), which can cause deleterious effects on living organisms or
property
Air pollution
Noise pollution
Water pollution
Thermal Pollution
Marine Pollution
Soil Pollution
Nuclear Hazards

AIR POLLUTION
Definition: Presence of any substance in air which can cause
harmful effects on living things or property
Ex: gases, particulate matter, radioactive substances
Gaseous pollutants: oxides of sulphur (SOx)-- SO2, SO3
oxides of nitrogen (NOx)-- NO and NO2
oxides of carbon (COx) CO, CO2
volatile organic compounds: mainly hydrocarbons
Particulate pollutants: smoke, dust, soot, fumes, aerosols, liquid
droplets, pollen grains etc

Radioactive pollutants: radon-222, iodine-131, strontium-90

and plutonium-239 etc.

Sources of Air Pollution

Source: could be natural and man-made

Natural Sources:

Volcanoes: Volcanic activity produces smoke, ash, carbon dioxide,

sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants
Geysers: The air pollutants emitted by geysers include hydrogen
sulfide,arsenic and other heavy metals
Forest fires: release of smoke, ash, dust, carbon dioxide, nitrogen
oxides and other air pollutants.
Biological decay, photochemical oxidation of terpenes and
Radioactive minerals

Man-made:
thermal power plants
industrial units
vehicular emissions
fossil fuel burning
agricultural activities etc
Fertilizer plants, smelters, textile mills, tanneries, refineries
chemical industries, paper and pulp mills
Automobiles release:
CO (about 77%), NOx (about 8%) and
hydrocarbons (about 14%)
Heavy duty diesel vehicles: more NOx and suspended particulate
matter (SPM) than petrol vehicles
petrol vehicles: more carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons

Indoor Air Pollution

most important indoor air pollutant is radon gas
Radon gas and its radioactive daughters: lung cancer deaths
Source of Radon:
Can be emitted from building materials like bricks, concrete, tiles etc.
which are derived from soil containing radium
Groundwater and natural gas
use of fuels like coal, dung-cakes, wood and kerosene
CO, SO2, soot and many others like formaldehyde, benzo- (a) pyrene
(BAP) are toxic and harmful for health.
BAP is also found in cigarette smoke and is considered to cause cancer.
A house wife using wood as fuel for cooking inhales BAP equivalent to 20
packets of cigarette a day

Primary pollutants: Pollutants that are emitted directly from

identifiable sources
There are five primary pollutants that together contribute about 90
percent of the global air pollution
These are carbon oxides (CO and CO2), nitrogen oxides, sulfur
oxides, volatile organic compounds (mostly hydrocarbons) and
suspended particulate matter
Secondary Pollutants: Pollutants that are produced in the
atmosphere when certain chemical reactions take place among the
primary pollutants
Eg: sulfuric acid, nitric acid, carbonic acid, etc.

Effects of air pollution

Effects on Human Health
Human respiratory system has its self defence mechanisms for protection
Bigger particles (> 10 m) can be trapped by sticky mucus and hair in nose
But smaller particles can enter the get trapped in mucus
Prolonged exposure to air pollutants can overload or breakdown these natural
defenses
Can cause diseases such as lung cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis and
emphysema
Nitrogen oxides: especially NO2 can irritate the lungs, aggravate asthma
or chronic bronchitis and also increase susceptibility to respiratory
infections such as influenza or common colds
Sulfur dioxide: irritates respiratory tissues, Chronic exposure causes a
condition similar to bronchitis

Carbon monoxide (CO) combines with haemoglobin of blood to form

carboxyhaemoglobin
Carbon monoxide binding to haemoglobin reduces the oxygen carrying
capacity of blood
CO has 200 times more affinity than oxygen for haemoglobin
Long exposure to CO may cause dizziness, unconsciousness and even
death
Other air pollutants like benzene (from unleaded petrol), formaldehyde
and particulates like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic metals and
dioxins (from burning of polythene) can cause mutations, reproductive
problems or even cancer

Particulate matter: complex mixture

contains for instance dust, pollen, soot,
smoke, and liquid droplets

Effects on plants
Destroy chlorophyll and affect photosynthesis
Erode waxy coating of the leaves called cuticle
Damage to leaf structure:
Necrosis: dead part of leaf structure
Chlorosis: loss of chlorophyll causing yellowing of leaf
Epinasty: downward curling of leaf
Abscission: dropping of leaves
Function of Cuticle: prevents excessive water loss and damage from
diseases, pests, drought and frost

Effects of air pollution on materials

Damage to exposed surfaces
Affects monuments, historic buildings, marble statues, etc.
SO2 and moisture can accelerate corrosion of metallic surfaces
SO2 can affect fabric, leather, paint, paper, marble and limestone
Ozone in the atmosphere can cause cracking of rubber

Effects on aquatic life

Mixing of air pollutants with rain can cause acidity (lower pH) in fresh
water bodies
Affects aquatic life

Control of Air Pollution

Can be minimized by the following methods
Siting of industries after proper Environmental Impact Assessment
studies
Using low sulphur coal in industries
Removing sulphur from coal (by washing or with the help of bacteria)
Vehicular pollution can be checked by regular tune-up of engines
Using mass transport system, bicycles
Shifting to less polluting fuels (hydrogen gas)
Using non-conventional sources of energy and Planting more trees
Removing particulate from stack exhaust gases by employing
electrostatic precipitators, bag-house filters, cyclone separators,
scrubbers

Cyclones are used to control PM,

and primarily PM greater than 10
micrometers

Power
plants,
steel
mills,
pharmaceutical producers, food
manufacturers,
chemical
producers and other industrial
companies often use baghouses
to control emission of air
pollutants

Baghouse Dust Collector for Asphalt Plants

NOISE POLLUTION
Sound is mechanical energy from a vibrating source
unpleasant and unwanted sound is called noise

Sources of Noise Pollution

modes of transportation: air, road, rail-transportation

Industrial operations

construction activities

celebrations: social/religious functions

electric home appliances

Effects of Noise
Interferes with communication

Hearing damage: can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss depending

on intensity and duration of sound level

Physiological and Psychological changes: may result in hypertension,

insomnia (sleeplessness), gastro-intestinal and digestive disorders, blood
pressure changes, behavioural changes, emotional changes etc

Control of Noise Pollution

There are four fundamental ways to control noise pollution
(1)Reduce noise at the source
(2) block the path of noise
(3) increase the path length
(4) protect the recipient.

heavy vehicles and old vehicles may not be allowed in populated areas
Noise making machines should be kept in containers with sound absorbing media
The noise path will be in interrupted and will not reach the workers
Proper oiling will reduce the noise from the machinery
Use of sound absorbing silencers: various types of fibrous material could be used
Planting more trees having broad leaves
Through Law:

WATER POLLUTION
Unsolicited change in physical, chemical or biological characteristics of water
making it unsuitable for use

Sources of water pollution

point sources or non-point sources
Point sources: specific sites which discharge effluents directly into the nearby
water bodies
Examples: industries, power plants, underground coal mines, oil wells

Non-point sources: No specific site of pollutants, rather it is scattered

Examples: Surface run-off from agricultural fields, overflowing small drains,
rain water sweeping roads and fields

Ground water pollution

6.2% of the total water available on planet earth
About 30 times more than surface water (streams, lakes and estuaries)
sources of ground water pollution: Septic tanks, industry (textile, chemical,
tanneries), mining
Pollution with arsenic, fluoride and nitrate pose serious health hazards

Surface water pollution

Industrial effluents: toxic chemicals, acids, alkalis, metallic salts, radioactive
substances
Sewage: Mixing of sewage water (drains) with fresh water causes pollution
Agrochemicals: fertilizers (containing nitrates and phosphates) and pesticides
(insecticides, fungicides, herbicides etc.)
Oil: Oil spillage into sea-water during drilling and shipment
Synthetic detergents: Used in washing pollutes water bodies

Effects of Water Pollution

Oxygen demanding wastes:
Organic matter in water is decomposed by micro-organisms by using dissolved
oxygen in water
Dissolved oxygen (DO) is the amount of oxygen dissolved in a given quantity of
water at a particular temperature and atmospheric pressure
DO varies from 8-15 mg/L
Lower DO may be harmful to animals especially fish population
Oxygen depletion (deoxygenation) helps in release of phosphates from bottom
sediments and causes eutrophication

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Compounds (Nutrients):

nitrogen and phosphorus helps in the growth of algae and other plants which
when die and decay consume oxygen of water
foul smelling gases are produced under anaerobic conditions
growth or decomposition of plant material will change the concentration of CO2
which will further change pH of water
Changes in pH, oxygen and temperature will change many physico-chemical
characteristics of water
Pathogens
Many wastewaters especially sewage contain many pathogenic (disease causing)
and non-pathogenic micro-organisms and many viruses. Water borne diseases
like cholera, dysentery, typhoid, jaundice etc. are spread by water contaminated
with sewage

Nitrate when present in excess in drinking water causes blue baby syndrome or
methaemoglobinemia. The disease develops when a part of haemoglobin is
converted into non-functional oxidized form
Excess of fluoride in drinking water causes defects in teeth and bones called
fluorosis
Pesticides in drinking water ultimately reach humans and are known to cause
various health problems
The concentration of these toxic substances builds up at successive levels of
food chain. This process is called biomagnification

The demand of DO increases with addition of biodegradable organic

matter which is expressed as biological oxygen demand (BOD)

BOD is defined as the amount of DO required to aerobically decompose

biodegradable organic matter of a given volume of water over a period of
5 days at 20C

More BOD values of any water sample are associated with poor water
quality
The non-biodegradable toxic compounds biomagnify in the food chain
and cause toxic effects at various levels of food chain

Control of Water Pollution

From point sources by legislation
Difficult to prevent from non-point sources due to not having defined strategies but can
help to reduce by the following options:
Proper use of agrochemicals like pesticides and fertilizers
Use of nitrogen fixing plants
Following integrated pest management instead of pesticides
Prevent run-off of manure and store in a basin for later use in agricultural fields
prevent overflow of sewage with rainwater

controlling water pollution from point sources

treatment is essential before discharge
Parameters to reduce in such water are: Total solids, biological oxygen
demand

(BOD),

chemical

oxygen

demand

(COD),

nitrates

and

phosphates, oil and grease, toxic metals

Wastewaters should be properly treated by primary and secondary
treatments to reduce the BOD, COD levels upto the permissible levels
Advanced treatment for removal of nitrates and phosphates will prevent
eutrophication

trickling filter: is a fixed-bed, biological reactor that operates under (mostly) aerobic
conditions.

The activated sludge process is a process for treating sewage and industrial
wastewaters using air and a biological floc composed of bacteria and protozoa

RBC-Rotating-Biological-Contactor

The rotating biological contactor (RBC) is

a fixed film biological secondary treatment
device. The basic process is similar to that
occurring in the trickling filter. In operation, a
media, consisting of a series of circular disks
mounted side by side on a common shaft is
rotated through the wastewater flow.

Root Zone Process

It involves running contaminated water through the root zones of
specially designed reed beds
The reeds are essentially wetland plants having the capacity to absorb
oxygen from the surrounding air through stomata
The oxygen reaches the roots through the porous stem of the reeds
At the root zone, creates conditions for growth of microorganisms--bacteria and fungi
These micro-organisms oxidize impurities in the wastewaters

Proper chlorination should be done to prevent the formation of

chlorinated hydrocarbons or disinfection should be done by ozone or
ultraviolet radiations

THERMAL POLLUTION
presence of waste heat in the water that can cause undesirable changes in the
natural environment.

Causes
Heat producing industries:

thermal power plants, nuclear power plants,

refineries, steel mills

Cold water, generally, is drawn from nearby water-body, passed through the
plant and returned to the same water body with temperature 10-16C higher than
the initial temperature

Effects of Thermal Pollution

dissolved oxygen content of water is decreased as the solubility of oxygen in
water is decreased at high temperature
Toxicity of pesticides, detergents and chemicals in the effluents increases with
increase in temperature
composition of flora and fauna changes because the species sensitive to
increased temperature due to thermal shock will be replaced by temperature
tolerant species
Metabolic activities of aquatic organisms increase at high temperature and
require more oxygen, whereas oxygen level falls under thermal pollution
Fish migration is affected due to formation of various thermal zones

Control of Thermal Pollution

(i) Cooling ponds, (ii) Spray Ponds, (iii) Cooling towers

Cooling Ponds
Water from condensers is stored
in ponds where natural
evaporation cools the water
which can then be
recirculated or discharged in
nearby water body

Spray Ponds
The water from condensers is
received in spray ponds. Here
the water is sprayed through
nozzles where fine droplets are
formed. Heat from these fine
droplets is dissipated to the
atmosphere

Cooling Towers
Wet cooling tower
Hot water is sprayed over baffles.
Cool air entering from sides takes
away the heat and cools the water.
This cool water can be recycled or
discharged.
Large amount of water is lost
through evaporation and in the
vicinity of wet cooling tower
extensive fog is formed which is
not good for environment and
causes damage to vegetation.

Dry cooling tower

The heated water flows in a
system of pipes.

Air is passed over these hot

pipes with fans

There is no water loss in this

method but installation and
operation cost of dry cooling
tower is many times higher than
wet cooling tower

SOIL POLLUTION
Soil is the upper layer of the earth crust which is formed by weathering of rocks
Matured soil: soil horizonsHorizon O, A, B, C (from top to down)
Causes/sources: Dumping of various types of materials especially domestic
and industrial wastes
Domestic wastes: garbage, materials like glass, plastics, metallic cans, paper,
fibres, containers, paints, varnishes etc.
Industrial wastes: The effluents from chemical industries, paper and pulp mills,,
steel industries, pesticide and fertilizer industries, pharmaceutical industries,
textile mills, food processing industries, thermal and nuclear power plants,
mining industries, cement industries etc
Radioactive substances: Isotopes of radium, uranium, thorium, strontium, iodine
and many other elements reach the soil and persist there for a long time and keep
on emitting radiations

Effects of Soil Pollution

Water holding capacity affected

Affect soil fertility by causing changes in physical, chemical and biological
properties
Affect human health
Decomposing of organic matter in soil produces toxic vapours
Radioisotopes which attach with the clay become a source of radiations in
the environment
Strontium-90 instead of calcium gets deposited in the bones and tissues
Fertilizers in soil reach nearby water bodies with agricultural run-off and cause
eutrophication
Chemicals or their degradation products from soil may percolate and contaminate ground-water resources.

Control of Soil Pollution

Effluents should be properly treated before discharging them on the soil

Solid wastes should be properly collected and disposed off by appropriate
method
Integrated pest management using bio-pesticides
Sustainable agriculturecrop production in a viable manner with no harm to the
environment/ecosystem
Organic farmingusing organic manure instead of inorganic fertilizers

Introducing

MARINE POLLUTION

the waste materials to the marine environment directly/indirectly

resulting an adverse effect to human health, obstruction to marine activities and

the quality of sea water
Causes/Sources: The main sources of marine pollution:
(i) rivers that bring pollutants from their drainage basins
(ii) Catchment area--- coastline where human settlements in the form of hotels,
industry, agricultural practices have been established
(iii) oil drilling and shipment
Most of the rivers carry sewage

sludge,

industrial

effluents,

synthetic

detergents, agrochemicals, solid wastes, plastics, metals and waste heat released
by industries and finally join the ocean

Effects
Oil in sea water can spread over a large area of the sea, remain dispersed or get
adsorbed on sediments
Spillage of oil on water surface make a thin film called as oil slick that damage the
marine life to a large extent
Oil in the sea affects sensitive flora and fauna------phytoplankton,
zooplankton, algal species, various invertebrate species, coral reefs, fish, birds
and mammals etc
Oil disrupts the insulating capacity of feathers in birds causing the loss of
buoyancy and subsequent drowning of birds leading to death
Leakage from oil tanker near Alaska in 1989 caused damage to coral reefs and
resulted in death of about 390 thousand birds
20 thousand birds died due to more than 220 tonnes of oil spillage in 1978
at Brittany, France
500 thousand birds died in 1955 at Elbe, Germany

Control of Marine Pollution

Surface run off from non-point sources should be checked not to reach coastal
areas
Dumping of toxic,
stopped/banned

hazardous

wastes

and

sewage

sludge

should

Developmental activities on coastal areas should be minimized

Toxic substances from industries should not be discharged into coastal waters

be

NUCLEAR HAZARDS
Radioactive substances are present in nature
Undergo natural radioactive decay in which unstable isotopes spontaneously
give out fast moving particles, high energy radiations or both until a new stable
isotope is formed
The isotopes release energy either in the form of gamma rays (high energy
electromagnetic radiation) or ionization particles i.e. alpha particles and beta
particles.

Sources of Radioactivity
Natural Sources: cosmic rays from outer space, radioactive radon-222, soil,
rocks, air, water and food, which contain one or more radioactive substances
Anthropogenic sources: nuclear power plants, nuclear accidents, X-rays,
diagnostic kits, test laboratories etc. where radioactive substances are used

Effects of Radiations
Ionisation radiations affect living organisms and causes harmful changes in the cells
Genetic damage: mutations in the DNA---affect genes and chromosomes. The damage
is often seen in the offsprings and may be transmitted up to several generations
Somatic damage: eye cataract and cancer of bone, thyroid, breast, lungs and skin
Radioactive iodine (I131) accumulates in thyroid gland and causes cancer. Similarly,
strontium-90 accumulates in the bones and causes leukaemia or cancer of bone
marrow

Control of Nuclear Pollution

Siting of nuclear power plants should be done after looking into its effects--- long
term and short term
Disposal of
properly

radioactive wastes from laboratory (which use )should be done

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Higher standards of living has resulted an increase in the quantity and variety of
waste generated
If waste generation continues indiscriminately then very soon it would be beyond
rectification
Therefore management of solid waste has become very important to minimize
the adverse effects of solid wastes
Solid waste (waste other than liquid or gaseous): classified as municipal,
industrial, agricultural, medical, mining waste and sewage sludge

Sources of Urban and Industrial Wastes

Urban waste: medical waste from hospitals, municipal solid wastes from homes,
offices, markets and horticulture waste from parks, gardens etc
Waste from homes (Domestic waste) :like polyethylene bags, empty metal and
aluminium cans, scrap metals, glass bottles, waste paper, cloth/rags, food waste
Waste from shops: waste paper, packaging material, cans, bottles, polyethylene
bags, eggshells, tea leaves
Biomedical waste : anatomical wastes, pathological wastes, infectious wastes
Construction/demolition waste: debris, wood, concrete
Horticulture waste and waste from slaughter houses: vegetable parts, residues and
remains of slaughtered animals
Biodegradable wastes: Urban solid waste materials degraded by micro-organisms--vegetable wastes, food remains, tea leaves, peanut shells, dry leaves
Non-biodegradable wastes: Wastes cannot be degraded by micro-organisms
----polyethylene bags, scrap metal, glass bottles

Industrial waste
Industrial waste: factory rubbish, packaging material, organic wastes, acids,
alkalis and metals etc.
Main sources --- chemical industries, metal and mineral processing Industries
Thermal power plants produce fly ash in large quantities
Radioactive wastes are generated by nuclear power plants
Solid wastes from industries: scrap metal, rubber, plastic, paper, glass, wood,
oils, paints, asphalt, tars, dyes, scrap leather, ceramics, abrasives, slag, heavy
metals, asbestos, batteries

Effects of Solid Wastes

MSW heap up on the roads due to improper disposal system
Biodegradable

materials

decompose

under

uncontrolled

and

unhygienic

conditions
Produces foul smell and breeds various types of

insects and infectious

organisms besides spoiling the aesthetics of the site

Industrial solid wastes containing toxic metals and hazardous substances affect
the productivity of soils
Toxic substances may percolate to contaminate the ground water
Burning of some of these materials produce dioxins, furans and polychlorinated
biphenyls which are having high potential to cause various types of ailments
including cancer

MSW heap up on the roads

Management of Solid Waste

An integrated waste management strategy includes- three Rs---reduce, reuse and
recycle
(a) Reduction in use of raw materials: will decrease the production of waste---reduced demand for any product will decrease production of waste
(b) Reuse of waste materials: refillable containers which are discarded after use can
be reused
(c) Recycling of materials: It is the reprocessing of discarded materials into new
useful products:
Old aluminium cans and glass bottles are melted and recast into new cans and bottles
Making automobiles and construction materials from steel cans
Recycling of paper will reduce cutting of trees for making fresh paper
The 3-Rs process saves money, energy, raw materials and also reduces pollution

For discarding wastes

the following methods can be adopted
Sanitary landfill: garbage is spread out in thin layers, compacted and covered with
clay

Composting: Due to shortage of space for landfill in bigger cities, the

biodegradable yard waste (kept separate from the municipal waste) is
allowed to degrade or decompose in an oxygen rich medium
A good quality nutrient rich and environmental friendly manure is
formed which improves the soil conditions and fertility

Incineration: Process of burning the waste in a properly designed furnace

(incinerator) under suitable temperature and operating conditions
Better to remove batteries containing heavy

metals

and

plastic

containing chlorine before burning the material (removal of plastics

reduce emissions of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls)

ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN PREVENTION OF POLLUTION

It is the responsibility of the human race to protect the earth and provide a
conducive environment for itself and all other species which evolved on earth
A small effort made by each individual at his own place will have significant effect
at the global level--- Think globally act locally
Each individual should change his or her life style to reduce environmental
pollution and can be done by following few measures like:
More in pollution prevention than pollution control
Use eco-friendly products
Reduce the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Use CFC free refrigerators

Reduce the use of fossil fuel especially coal or oil

Save electricity: electricity saved is electricity generated without polluting the
Environment
Advocate and popularize renewable energy sources
Follow the process of 3 Rs to reduce waste
Use mass transport system
Decrease the use of automobiles
Use rechargeable batteries-- will reduce metal pollution
Use organic manure instead of commercial inorganic fertilizers
Do not put pesticides, paints, solvents, oils or other harmful chemicals into the
drain or ground water
Use minimum required amount of water for various activities-- prevent fresh water
from pollution
Plant more trees, as trees can absorb many toxic gases and can purify the air by

POLLUTION CASE STUDIES

1.The Bhopal Gas Tragedy: The worlds worst industrial accident in Bhopal
(M.P), India on the night of 2nd and morning of 3rd December, 1984.
At Union Carbide Company that manufacture Carbamate pesticide using Methyl
isocyanate (MIC)
Due to accidental entry of water in the tank, the reaction mixture got overheated
and exploded since its cooling system had failed
Forty tons of MIC leaked into the atmosphere with 40 kg of phosgene as an impurity
MIC at lower concentrations affects lungs and eyes and causes irritation in the skin
but higher amounts remove oxygen from the lungs and can cause death
The gas spread over 40 Km2 area and about 5100 persons were killed
About 2,50,000 persons got exposed to MIC
An estimated 65,000 people suffered from severe eye, respiratory, neuromuscular,
gastrointestinal and gynaecological disorders
About 1000 persons became blind
Cost about $ 570 million in clean up and damage settlement (excluding damage to
human lives)

Arsenic pollution in groundwater

West Bengal and Bangladesh are severely contaminated by the toxic heavy metal
Arsenic
The first report of arsenic pollution in West Bengal came in 1978 and that in
Bangladesh in 1993, where it was more widespread
The local people found some white or black spots called melanosis on the skin
Later the spots were found to get converted into leprosy like skin lesions
Long exposures often led to bladder and lung cancer
Children are more badly affected by arsenicosis
The WHO has prescribed the maximum permissible limits of arsenic as 10 mg/L
Excessive use of lead arsenate and copper arsenite as pesticides seems to be the
major cause of arsenic pollution
Tubewells: marked red (contaminated) and green (for use) in WB

groundwater pollution----fluoride contamination

Fluorosis is not a localized problem
Spread across 19 states and across a variety of ecological regions ranging from
the Thar desert, the Gangetic plains and the Deccan plateau
High fluoride concentration in groundwater is a natural phenomenon in several
countries such as China, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Spain, Holland, Italy and Mexico
Fluoride mainly enters the human body through drinking water where 96 to 99
percent of it combines with the bones as it has an affinity for calcium phosphate
in the bones
Excess intake of fluoride can lead to dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis or nonskeletal fluorosis
Dental fluorosis ---discoloured, blackened, mottled or chalky white teeth
Skeletal fluorosis------ severe and permanent bone and joint deformities
Non-skeletal fluorosis---- gastro-intestinal and neurological disorders
Fluoride can damage the foetus and adversely affect the IQ of children

Minamata-An important lesson about mercury poisoning

A case of human mercury poisoning that occurred in the Minamata bay in Japan
An important lesson to the world about the dangers of mercury poisoning
A plastics plant near the Minamata bay used a mercury containing compound to
produce vinyl chloride----- a common plastic material
The left over mercury was dumped into the Bay along with other wastes from the plant
Though the mercury was in its less toxic inorganic state when dumped
microorganisms
at the bottom of the bay converted the mercury into its organic form that is highly toxic
Organic mercury entered into the tissues of fish which were in turn used by the people
living nearby
The contaminated fish caused an outbreak of poisoning killing and affecting several
people
Mothers who had eaten the contaminated fish gave birth to infants who showed signs
of mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is thus called Minamata Disease

A case study of pesticide pollution in India

The effects of pesticide contamination of ground water came to the lime light
when pesticide residues were found in bottled water
Between July and December 2002,The Pollution Monitoring Laboratory of Centre
for Science and Environment (CSE) at New Delhi analysed 17 brands of bottled
water commonly sold around Delhi
Pesticide residues of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides which are
most commonly used in India were found in all the samples
Among organochlorines, gammahexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) and DDT were
prevalent while among organophosphorus pesticides, Malathion and Chlorpyrifos
were most common
All these were present above permissible limits specified by the European
Economic Community, which is the norm, used all over Europe

Oil Spillage

Exxon valdez: Worst oil spill disaster occurred on 24th march, 1989 in Alaska
Exxon valdez-- a very large tanker
Oil slick covered more than 1600 km of the shoreline
36.45 lakhs water birds and a large number of fishes, sea animals dies

A case study of river pollution in India

Almost all the rivers in India are polluted
This is a case study of the river Damodar as reported in Down to Earth
The 563 km long Damodar river originates in Chhotanagpur hills in Bihar and
flows through one of the richest mineral belts in the world before draining into the
Hooghly
Indian industry depends heavily on this region since 60 percent of the coal
consumed in our country comes from the Chhotanagpur belt
In addition, various industries such as the steel, cement, fertilizer and explosive
plants are also located here
The river Damodar is polluted with minerals, mine rejects and toxic effluents
Both its water and its sand are infested by coal dust and waste from these
industries
There are seven thermal power plants in the Damodar valley
These power plants not only consume a lot of water but also dump ash in the
valley

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and landslides are normal natural events
They are disastrous in their impacts when they affect human settlements
Human societies have witnessed a large number of such natural hazards in
different parts of the world

Earthquakes
Occur due to sudden movements of earths crust
Earths crust has several tectonic plates (of solid rock) which slowly move along
their boundaries
When friction prevents these plates from slipping, stress builds up and results in
sudden fractures. This causes earthquakes--- violent short-term vibrations in the
earth
Severity of an earthquake is generally measured by its magnitude on Richter
Scale

Largest earthquake : Occurred on May 22, 1960 in Chile with a magnitude of 9.5
on Richter Scale, 90,000 square miles affected with killing 6,000 people
Earthquake that hit Bhuj Town in Gujarat killed 20,000-30,000 people
Tsunamis can severely affect coastal areas
Tsunamis: Earthquake-generated water waves
Anthropogenic activities can also cause or enhance the frequency of earthquakes,
like:
(a)Impoundment of huge quantities of water in the lake behind a big dam
(b)Under ground nuclear testing
(c)Deep well disposal of liquid waste