Environmental Pollution:
“Destabilization of the balance of the atmospheric composition.
OR
“It is an unstable change in the composition of the environment due to its physical, chemical and biological changes, which is harmful for human life and other animals living on the earth.”
Types Of Pollution:
i) Air pollution
ii) Water pollution
iii) Land pollution
iv) Noise pollution
v) Industrial pollution
vi) Commercial or domestic sector pollution
vii) Chemical pollution
viii) Radioactive pollution (contamination)
Causes of Pollution
The ultimate cause of pollution is human activity itself. Pollution is a human contribution to nature. Science has evolved technologies and technologies have helped the human welfare. In the process, the pollution has been a part of technology and therefore a part of human miseries.
Human activities mainly include:
• Industries for various human needs - directly and indirectly
• Agriculture for food production and industrial needs
• Health care for health of human beings and animals
• Transport for mobility of human beings
• Dwelling for settlement in city or villages
• Energy for various direct human needs and industrial needs.
Pollutants:
Pollutants are those substances which alter the natural composition of the atmosphere or destroy it to harmful level.
Types Of Pollutants:
1. Primary Pollutants
Primary pollutants are those substances which are directly produced by a process. These are:
ix) Sulphur oxides
x) Nitrogen oxides
xi) Carbon monoxide (CO)
xii) Carbon dioxide
xiii) Volatile organic compounds (VOC), such as hydrocarbon fuel vapours and solvents
xiv) Particulate matter (PM), such as smoke and dust.
xv) Metal oxides, especially those of lead.
xvi) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
xvii) Ammonia (NH3)
xviii) Garbage, sewage and industrial wastes.
2. Secondary Pollutants
Secondary pollutants are those pollutants which are not emitted. Rather, they form in the air when primary pollutants react or interact.
These are:
i) Ground level ozone (O3)
ii) Nitrogen dioxide
iii) Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN)
Effects Of Pollution:
1) Air Pollution: Irritation of eyes, nose, mouth and throat, Increased respiratory disease, Cancer, Reduced lung functioning, Premature death. Acid rain, Ozone,
2) Water Pollution: Waterborne diseases such as; Typhoid, Hepatitis, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach aches, death of aquatic animals, May disrupt photosynthesis in aquatic plants
3) Soil Pollution: Causes cancers including leukaemia, developmental damage to the brain, kidney damage; depression of the central nervous system, Also causes headaches, nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash, Contamination of crops, reduce crop yields.