Pollution Notes
Pollution Notes
Pollution refers to the very bad condition of environment in terms of quantity and quality
Degradable or non-persistent pollutant,
Slowly degradable or persistent pollutants,
Non degradable pollutants
There are five types of Pollution
Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Noise Pollution
Land Pollution
Radio Active Pollution
Air pollution is the release of toxic substances in the atmosphere. It is majorly caused by industries,
vehicles and high proportion of undesirable gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. London
smog 1952.
Effects of air pollution
Human health
Global Warming
Animals
Plants
The Contamination of water with undesirable substances for eg. (Industrial waste) which makes it unfit
for usage is termed water Pollution.
Point source of pollution,
Non point source of pollution
Effects:
Death of aquatic (water) animals
The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills organisms that depend on these water
bodies. Dead fish, crabs and many other animals often wind up on beaches,
Diseases
Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as hepatitis by
eating seafood that has been poisoned. There is always an outbreak of cholera and diseases as a result
of poor drinking water treatment from contaminated waters
BOD
Eutrophication
Biomagnifications
Action plans, Root Zone process
A form and level of environmental sound that is generally considered likely to annoy, distract or even
harm other people
Natural cause
The natural environment is filled with various sounds – thunderstorms, lightning, tornado, cyclone,
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, sounds produced by animals, and rapidly falling water.
Human cause
Rapid industrialization, urbanization, use of modern means of transport, population growth, and
increasing scale of human activities are some of the human factors responsible for noise pollution. Both
types of noise pollution, affect sleep, listening ability, physical and mental health.
Vehicular Noise
The modern means of traffic including vehicles such as buses, trucks, scooters, cars, motorcycles, trains,
aircraft, firecrackers, explosives etc, pollute the atmosphere. Sound of other automated vehicles and
horn, excessive use of loudspeakers for
Land pollution refers to the presence of at least one contaminant within or upon an area of land. A
contaminant is a poisonous or polluting substance. Land pollution is the deposition of liquid or solid
waste materials on or under the ground. The material subsequently contaminates the soil or
groundwater. It also threatens public health.
◻ The effects of land pollution are very hazardous and can lead to the loss of ecosystems. When land is
polluted, it directly or indirectly affects the climate patterns
◻ The land when contaminated with toxic chemicals and pesticides lead to the problem of skin cancer and
the human respiratory system. The toxic chemicals can reach our body through foods and vegetables
that we eat as they are grown in polluted soil
◻
The radioactive pollution is defined as the physical pollution of living organisms and their environment
as a result of release of radioactive substances into the environment during nuclear explosions and
testing of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon production and decommissioning, mining of radioactive
ores, handling and disposal of radioactive waste, and accidents at nuclear power plants
Natural sources
Cosmic rays from outer space
Emissions from radioactive materials in the earth’s crust (rocks, marine sediments etc)
Waste Management:
SWM, Hazardous waste, E waste
Integrated waste management, sanitary landfill, Incineration, Vermicomposting