Industrial Pollution
Industrial Pollution
Industrial Pollution
1 Cover Page 1
2 Acknowledgement 2
3 Index 3
4 What is a disaster? 4
What is Industrial
5 5
pollution?
Cause of Industrial
6 6-7
Pollution
Effect of Industrial
7 8-9
Pollution
Prevention of
8 10-11
Industrial Pollution
10 Glossary 14
11 Bibliography 15
What is a Disaster?
Disasters are serious disruptions to the functioning of
the community that exceeds its capacity to cope using
its own resources. Disasters can be caused by natural,
human-caused, and technological hazards, as well as
various factors that influence the exposure and
vulnerability of a community.
There are various kinds of hazards which are caused by
different methods. The complexity and severity of their
impacts are more likely to increase in future due to the
climate change and rapid unplanned urbanization.
Here we are going to discuss about Industrial Pollution
which is extremely harmful to the environment and
even harms human life. When something is added to
the environment which is very harmful, poisonous, or
fatal to the animal, people surrounding it and other
living things is called pollution.
Industrial Pollution
With the coming of Industrial revolution, humans advanced
furthermore into the 21st century. Technology developed, science
became more advanced, and the age of manufacturing came into
view. With all of these came one more effect: Industrial Pollution.
Factories have become full-scale industries always operating around
the world. This has caused industrial pollution to gain traction and
become a global concern.
Industrial Pollution is pollution whose source originated from the
industry.
The industrial revolution brought more factories and technologies,
which now stand to be blamed for the effect they have caused. It
effects the air, land, and water on our planet. This pollution is one of
the worst because the smoke and other chemicals emitted by the
industries into the air contributes a lot of ozone depletion, global
warming and health problems for animals and humans.
Industrial Pollution on Earth is a wreaking havoc. Every nation is
affected, and some people are working tirelessly to increase
awareness and advocate for change.
Causes of Industrial
Pollution
Industries contribute to environmental pollution by dispensing toxic
waste into the air, water, and land. In the coal and petroleum
industry, burning of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, natural gas
cause industrial pollution. In the textile industry, two hundred tonnes
of water are used per tonne of fabric. Most of this water is returned
to nature as toxic waste, containing residual dyes and hazardous
chemicals. Improper disposal of radioactive material can lead to soil
pollution and make the soil infertile. Some other causes of Industrial
Pollutions are:
1. Lack of Policies to control Pollution: The lack of effective
policies has enabled the industries to bypass laws made by the
pollution control board, resulting in a mass scale pollution.
2. Usage of outdated technology: In most industries, old
technologies are still used in the production of goods to
avoid the high initial capital costs associated with new
developments. This old production technologies and
techniques produce a great deal of pollution.
3. Inefficient waste disposal: The mismanagement of waste
within industrial settings is a major contributor to the
environmental pollution. Failure to properly handle waste leads
to the release of toxic substances into the air, water, and land.
Insufficient waste treatment facilities, improper handling of
hazardous materials, and the absence of recycling programs
compound the issue.
4. Leaching of resources from the natural world: For
industries to generate completed goods, a lot of raw materials
are needed. This necessitates the removal of minerals from
deep inside the earth, a task frequently carries out by the
machinery powered by fossil fuels. It is hazardous for marine
life when oils leak into the ground and eventually into the sea.
5. Unplanned Industrial Growth: Unplanned industrial growth
is the hasty explanation of industrial activities that neglects
environmental sustainability. This results in heightened
pollution caused by improper waste management, emission
control, and resource consumption.
6. Presence of Large Number of Small-Scale Industries:
Many small-scale industries and factories that do not have
enough capital often rely on government grants to run their
day-to-day businesses. This often escapes environmental
regulations and release many toxic gases into the atmosphere.
Effects of Industrial
Pollution
The effects of industrial pollution are far-reaching and liable to affect
the ecosystem for many years to come. Some of the effects of
Industrial Pollution are:
1. Water Pollution: Most industries require enormous amounts
of water for their work. When involved in a series of processes,
the water meets the heavy metals, harmful chemicals,
radioactive waste, and even organic sludge. These are either
dumped into the oceans or rivers. As a result, many of our
water sources have a high amount of industrial waste, which
seriously impacts the health of our ecosystem. The same water
is used by the farmers for irrigation purposes, affecting the
quality of food produced.
2. Soil Pollution: Soil Pollution is creating problems in
agriculture and destroying the local vegetation. It also causes
chronic health problems for the people that encounter such soil
on daily basis. It causes infertility of the soil as well as affects
the growth of plants.
3. Air Pollution: Air pollution has led to a steep increase in
various illnesses, and it continues to affect us every day. With so
many small, mid-sized, and large-scaled industries coming up,
air pollution has taken a toll on our health and that of the
environment.
4. Wildlife Extinction: In general, the problem of industrial
pollution results in the failure of natural cycles and patterns,
which has a serious impact on wildlife. It is becoming more
difficult for the environment to recover from each natural
disaster as habitats are destroyed, species are going extinct,
and these trends are continuing.
5. Global Warming: With the rise in industrial pollution, global
warming has been increasing at a steady pace. Emissions of
smoke and greenhouse gases from industrial practices have
contributed to the issue. The devastating effects of global
warming are seen in the form of melting glaciers, the
endangerment of polar bears, natural disasters such as floods,
tsunamis, and hurricanes.
6. Biodiversity Loss: Industrial pollution continues to cause
considerable damage to the earth and its inhabitants due to
chemical wastes, pesticides, radioactive materials, etc. It affects
wildlife and ecosystems and disrupts natural habitats. Animals
are becoming extinct, and habitats are being destroyed. The
growing amount of liquid, solid, and hazardous wastes
endanger ecosystem’s health and jeopardizes food, water,
and health security. Industrial pollution disasters, including
oil spills and radioactive leakage, take years to decades to
clean up.
7. Atmospheric Deposition: Several studies have found that
mines can contribute to the increasing of cadmium content in
the soil, resulting in topsoil that show Varying levels of
cadmium concentrations. Industrial effluents are commonly
discharged to surface water drainage systems after clarifications
in tailing ponds. Recent investigations have disclosed
exceedingly high concentration of cadmium in the overbank
and bottom sediments of the rivers.
Ways to control
Industrial Pollution
The problem of industrial pollution persists, and long-term, focused
work is required to address it successfully. But despite the efforts,
industrial pollution remains rampant and may take years of collective
commitment to control and regulate properly. Here are some of the
steps that can be taken to seek permanent solutions to the problem.
1. Source Control: Adopting innovative technology, effectively
training staff for safe use, developing better waste disposal
technologies, and being more mindful about the use of raw
materials can all assist to limit industrial pollution at its source.
2. Recycling: Recycling as much as polluted water in the
industries as possible by increased recycling efforts to reduce
industrial pollution.
3. Cleaning Resources: Organic methods should be adopted to
clean the water and soil, such as using microbes that use heavy
metals and waste as feed naturally. Cooling rooms or bins need
to also be developed to allow industries recycle the water they
use instead of pushing it back into the natural water source it
came from.
4. Industry Site Selection: Industries should be built and set up
at places far away from civilization and forests. This helps
reduce the harmful consequences caused by disposed water
and smoke from the industrial equipment.
5. Proper Treatment of Industrial Waste: This can be
attained by developing and implementing adequate treatment
facilities for handling industrial waste and adopting proper
habits that can help reduce pollution.
6. Rebuilding habitats and Afforestation: Rebuilding habitats
by planting more trees and plants can help give wildlife back
their homes, and the trees can help purify the air with enough
oxygen and act as a buffer against the environment.
7. Stricter Laws and Enforcement: The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) should produce even more stringent
regulations on environmental conservation and impose harsher
penalties on individuals and companies that violate these
measures while at the same time recognizing those that
operate ethically.
8. Regular environmental Impact Assessments: To foster
environmental consciousness in industries, it is imperative to
conduct periodic environmental impact assessments and report
the findings for evaluation. If any adverse effects on the
environment are detected, appropriate mitigation measures
must be implemented and enforced.
Case Study 1: The Bhopal Gas
Tragedy
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy is one of the most well-known examples of
Industrial Pollutions over the last century. The Bhopal Disaster was a
chemical leak that occurred on December 3, 1984, in the Indian city
of Bhopal. It killed an estimated of 15,000 to 20,000 people. At that
time, it was the worst industrial accident in history.
The Bhopal Disaster occurred when 45-tons of gas methyl isocyanate
escaped from a plant owned by a subsidiary of the U.S-based Carbide
Corporation. Investigations later established that substandard
operating and safety procedures at the understaffed plant had led to
the catastrophe. The gas drifted over the densely populated
neighbourhoods around the plant, killing thousands of people
immediately and creating a panic as tens of thousands of others
attempted to flee Bhopal. The final death toll was estimated to be
between 15,000 to 20,000 people. Over 500,000 survivors suffered
respiratory problems, eye irritation or blindness, and other maladies
resulting from exposure to the toxic gas. Many were awarded
compensation of a few hundred dollars. In 1998 the former factory
site was turned over to the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Case Study 2: Italy’s Seveso
Dioxin Cloud
On July 10, 1976, a valve broke at the Industrie Chimiche Meda
Societa Azionaria (ICMESA) chemical plant in Meda, just north of
Milan, Italy. This accident resulted in the release of chemical cloud
containing the highly toxic dioxin TCDD. Winds carried the cloud
south-east, where it contaminated land and vegetation in the
municipality of Seveso and other communities in that area.
Hoffmann-La Roche, the company that ran the ICMESA plant to
produce pesticides, only admitted the accident almost one week
after it had happened. By that time, the first cases of sever dioxin
poisoning had already been reported, a lot of the vegetation around
the plant had wilted, and thousands of animals died. Over 80,000
animals were slaughtered to keep the poison from entering the food
chain. As a consequence more than 600 people had to be evacuated
from their homes and as many as 2000 were treated for dioxin
poisoning.
Seveso became one of the worst industrial accidents worldwide and
triggered immediate protest against the chemical industry for better
safety regulations.
Glossary
Hazard: Something Dangerous
Pollution: The presence of harmful substances in the environment
which can have adverse effects of humans, animals and plants
Industrial Pollution: A pollution whose source originated from the
industry.
Radioactive: The release of energy from the decay of the nuclei of
certain kinds of atoms and isotopes
Toxic: Able to poison or harm the body
Water Pollution: Contamination of water bodies by adding harmful
substances.
Land Pollution: Contamination of soil and land by adding harmful
chemicals and substances.
Air Pollution: Contamination of air by addition of harmful
substances like smoke.
Recycling: The process of converting waste and non-useful
materials into new and useful products for human consumption
Catastrophe: An event causing great and usually sudden damage or
suffering.
Industrial accident: A serious event that involves hazardous
materials and can have consequences for the surround population
and environment.
Bibliography
What is a disaster? - IFRC.org
www.google.com