AIR POLLUTION

Definition:
Contamination of the atmosphere by gaseous, liquid, or solid wastes or by-products that can
endanger human health and the health and welfare of plants and animals, or can attack materials,
reduce visibility, or produce undesirable odours is called as Air Pollution.
Causes:
Emissions from industries and manufacturing activities:
T here are long tubes (called chimneys) erected high into the air, with lots of smoke and
fumes coming out of it. Waste incinerators, manufacturing industries and power plants emit
high levels of carbon monoxide, organic compounds, and chemicals into the air. Petroleum
refineries also release lots of hydrocarbons into the air.
Burning Fossil Fuels :
This is because humans rely heavily on vehicles and engines for transporting people, good
and services. Fumes from car exhaust contain dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide,
oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons and particulates. On their own, they cause great harm to
people who breathe them.
Household and Farming Chemicals:
Crop dusting, fumigating homes, household cleaning products or painting supplies, over the
counter insect/pest killers, fertilizer dust emit harmful chemicals into the air and cause
pollution
Most Common Pollutants: (Print table and stick on plain side)
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Ground-level Ozone (O3)
Lead (Pb)
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
Particulate Matter (PM)
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

Effects:
Eutrophication:
Rain can carry and deposit the Nitrogen in some pollutants on rivers and soils. This will
adversely affect the nutrients in the soil and water bodies. This can result in algae growth in
lakes and water bodies, and make conditions for other living organism harmful.
Ground-level ozone:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants create a poisonous gas ozone (O3). Gas Ozone
can affect peoples health and can damage vegetation types and some animal life too.
Acidification:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds which can cause
harm to vegetation and buildings. Sometimes, when an air pollutant, such as sulfuric acid
combines with the water droplets that make up clouds, the water droplets become acidic,
forming acid rain. When acid rain falls over an area, it can kill trees and harm animals, fish,
and other wildlife.
Acid rain destroys the leaves of plants.
When acid rain infiltrates into soils, it changes the chemistry of the soil making it unfit for
many living things that rely on soil as a habitat or for nutrition. Acid rain also changes the
chemistry of the lakes and streams that the rainwater flows into, harming fish and other
aquatic life.
Prevention:
Governments throughout the world have already taken action against air pollution by
introducing green energy. Some governments are investing in wind energy and solar energy,
as well as other renewable energy, to minimize burning of fossil fuels, which cause heavy air
pollution.
Encourage your family to use the bus, train or bike when commuting. If we all do this, there
will be less cars on road and less fumes.
Companies are also building more energy efficient cars, which pollute less than before.
WATER POLLUTION
Definition:
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies
(e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). Water pollution occurs when pollutants are
directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful
compounds.
Causes:
Oil Pollution by Oil Industires
Oil spills cause major problems, and can be extremely harmful to local marine wildlife such
as fish, birds and sea otters and other aquatic life. Because oil does not dissolve, it stays on
the water surface and suffocates fish. Oil also gets caught in the feathers of sea birds
stopping them from flying. Some animals die as a result.
Ocean and marine dumping
Again, think of the rubbish we all make each day. Paper waste, food waste, plastic, rubber,
metallic and aluminum waste. In some countries, there are deposited into the sea. All these
waste types take time to decompose. Example, it is know that paper takes about 6 weeks,
aluminum takes about 200 years and glass takes even more. When these end up in the sea,
they harm sea animals and cause a lot of deaths.
Underground storage and tube leakages
Many liquid products (petroleum products) are stored in metal and steel tubes
underground. Other sewage systems run in underground tubes. Overtime, they rust and
begin to leak. If that happens, they contaminate the soils and the liquids in them end up in
many nearby water bodies.
Effects:
Death of aquatic (water) animals
The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that depends on these water
bodies. Dead fish, crabs, birds and sea gulls, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up
on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat (living environment).
Disruption of food-chains
Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are
eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food
chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels.
Diseases
Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as
hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. In many poor nations, there is always
outbreak of cholera and diseases as a result of poor drinking water treatment from
contaminated waters.
Prevention:
Use water wisely. Do not keep the tap running when not in use. Also, you can reduce the
amount of water you use in washing and bathing. If we all do this, we can significantly
prevent water shortages and reduces the amount of dirty water that needs treatment.
Do not throw chemicals, oils, paints and medicines down the sink drain, or the toilet. In
many cities, your local environment office can help with the disposal of medicines and
chemicals. Check with your local authorities if there is a chemical disposal plan for local
residents.
Buy more environmentally safe cleaning liquids for the use at home and other public places.
They are less dangerous to the environment.

SOIL POLLUTION
Definition:
Land pollution is the deterioration (destruction) of the earths land surfaces, often directly or
indirectly as a result of mans activities and their misuse of land resources.
It occurs when waste is not disposed off properly, or can occur when humans throw chemicals unto
the soil in the form of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers during agricultural practices. Exploitation
of minerals (mining activities) has also contributed to the destruction of the earths surface.
Sources:
Industrial sources: These include paints, chemicals, metals and aluminum, plastics and so on
that are produces in the process of manufacturing goods.
Sewage Treatment: Wastes that are left over after sewage has been treated, biomass
sludge, and settled solids. Some of these are sent directly to landfills whiles other treatment
plants burn them to generate electricity. Both end up polluting the environment.
Garbage or waste: These include household or municipal waste such as glass, metal, cloth,
plastic, wood, paper, and so on. Some of these can decay and others cannot. They are
usually collected and sent to landfills where the pollution action begins.
Effects:
Contaminated lands and environments can:
Cause problems in the human respiratory system.
Cause problems on the skin.
Cause various kinds of cancers.
The toxic materials that pollute the soil can get
into the human body directly by:
Coming into contact with the skin.
Being washed into water sources like reservoirs and rivers.
Eating fruits and vegetables that have been grown in polluted soil.
Breathing in polluted dust or particles.
Prevention:
Dont use pesticides if you can.
Use a drip tray to collect engine oil.
Buy products that have little packaging.
Dont dump motor oil on the ground.


NOISE POLLUTION
Definition:
Noise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human
or animal life. The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused
by machines and transportation systems, motor vehicles, aircraft, and trains.
Sources:
Household sources:
Gadgets like food mixer, grinder, vacuum cleaner, washing machine and dryer, cooler, air
conditioners, can be very noisy and injurious to health. Others include loud speakers of
sound systems and TVs, ipods and ear phones. Another example may be your neighbors dog
barking all night everyday at every shadow it sees, disturbing everyone else in the
apartment.
Commercial and industrial activities:
Printing presses, manufacturing industries, construction sites, contribute to noise pollutions
in large cities. In many industries, it is a requirement that people always wear earplugs to
minimize their exposure to heavy noise. People who work with lawn mowers, tractors and
noisy equipment are also required to wear noise-proof gadgets.

Effects:
Hearing
The immediate and acute effect of noise pollution to a person, over a period of time, is
impairment of hearing. Prolonged exposure to impulsive noise to a person will damage their
eardrum, which may
result in a permanent hearing.
Effects on general health
Health effects of noise include anxiety and stress reaction and in extreme cases fright. The
physiological manifestations are headaches, irritability and nervousness, feeling of fatigue
and decreases work efficiency. For example, being pounded by the siren of fire fighters,
police or ambulance in your city all night everyday leave people (especially elderly people)
stresses and tired in the morning.
Prevention:
Construction of soundproof rooms for noisy machines in industrial and manufacturing
installations must be encouraged. This is also important for residential buildingnoisy
machines should be installed far from sleeping and living rooms, like in a basement or
garage.
Use of horns with jarring sounds, motorbikes with damaged exhaust pipes, noisy trucks to be
banned.
Noise producing industries, airports, bus and transport terminals and railway stations to
sighted far from where living places.
Community law enforcers should check the misuse of loudspeakers, worshipers, outdoor
parties and discos, as well as public announcements systems.
RADIOCATIVE WASTE POLLUTION
Definition:
Radioactive pollution refers to the contamination and degradation of the environment through
nuclear waste. It is the physical pollution of air, water and land through nuclear materials.
Radioactive materials that cause pollution may be materials from commercial or laboratory
processes.
Sources:
Nuclear power plants:
Nuclear power plant accidents, if radioactive core is exposed and meltdown is occurring and
releasing high amount of radioactivity will endanger the life and surrounding environment.
Uranium mining:
Uranium, substance that is used in nuclear power plants, is harvested from uranium mining.
Uranium mining results in radioactive waste that pollutes the surrounding environment.
Transportation:
Transportation of nuclear wastes from one place to another, by any forms of transportation
(air, land, water, sea) will possibly bring serious hazards to the environment if they are not
maintained carefully and/or facing accidents.
Effects:
The people who were working in the uranium mines suffer from skin burn and cancer.
These occur due to the radiations from the radioactive material.
The cells which divide rapidly are also damaged easily. It includes the skin cells,
intestinal cells, bone marrow and gonads. The cells which do not divide rapidly are also
not damaged easily. It includes the bone, muscle and nervous cells.
It includes the loss of hair, nails, subcutaneous bleeding, and change in the number of
cells and metabolism, change in the proportion of cells.
They cause genetic changes, mutations, decrease the life span and form tumors. The
human race possesses mutations. The radiation affects all the organisms. In some
animals the radioactive materials aggregate and are transferred via food chain. It
includes the zinc, iron and strontium.
Prevention:
Vitrification is a proven technique in the disposal and long-term storage of nuclear waste or
other hazardous wastes. Waste is mixed with glass-forming chemicals in a melter to form
molten glass that then solidifies in canisters, immobilizing the waste. The final waste form
resembles obsidian and is a non-leaching, durable material that effectively traps the waste
inside. The waste can be stored for relatively long periods in this form without concern for
air or groundwater contamination.
The radioactive pollution can be controlled by number of ways. It includes the stoppage of
leakage from the radioactive materialsincluding the nuclear reactors, industries and laboratories.
The disposal of radioactivematerial must be safe and secure. They must be stored in the safe
places and must be changed into harmless form. The wastes with a very low radiation must be
put into the sewage. The nuclear power plants must follow all the safe instructions. The
protective garments must be worn by the workers who work in the nuclear plants. The natural
radiation must be at the permissible limits and they must not cross it.