POLLUTION AND

IT’S FACTORS
WHAT IS POLLUTION?
• In the simplest terms pollution means the addition of harmful substances
to our environment /surroundings that make it difficult for us to live in.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF POLLUTION:
• AIR POLLUTION
• WATER POLLUTION
• NOISE POLLUTION
• SOIL POLLUTION
• NUCLEAR POLLUTION
• LIGHT POLLUTION
• THERMAL POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION
WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION?
• Addition of harmful chemical, biological and/or particulate
substances to the atmosphere that creates air pollution.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF
AIR POLLUTION?
1. NATURAL CAUSES

Volcanic activity:
• Active volcanoes release a huge amount of gases like sulphur
dioxide and ash.
Swamps and Marshes:
• Methane is also a key in causing global warming in addition
to carbon dioxide
Forest fires:
Sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide are just
some of the poisonous gases formed during forest fires.
2. FOSSIL FUELS
Coal, petroleum, Natural gas are used extensively for the
production for energy in the form of heat and electricity. This
energy is released when these are burned. Also released are
various gases, particulate matter and ash which are the harmful
end products which add to air pollution
3. INDUSTRIES

• Ever since the Industrial Revolution, demand for factories and

industries have not diminished. Industries run on energy
produced from fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, natural gas.
Even in this modern age we are still using these basic fuels
instead of depending on some more sustainable ones such as
wind, water, or sunlight.
• As by-products of manufacturing or refining, industries release
many gases and noxious chemicals which should be ideally
treated before any form of disposal. They add greatly to the
degree of pollution
4. VEHICLES

Transportation is the backbone of every economy. Cars, trucks,

train, ships airplanes are always in use. These run on fuel and
release the greatest amount of exhaust gases into the atmosphere.
5. AEROSOLS

Aerosols containing chlorofluorocarbons have been banned as

they add to contamination. CFCs are also found in refrigerant
coolers. And leak into the air as they age.
6. AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

Most chemicals like insecticides, ripening agents, pesticides

weedicides and fertilizers are often sprayed on the farms. All the
spray is not used up but carried away by the wind to adjacent
areas polluting the air
7. INCREASED LIVESTOCK

Cattle and other livestock are now said to be causing an increase in

methane in the atmosphere with their natural digestive functions.
But this doesn’t stop their rearing because of the huge economic
factors behind this industry.
8. DEFORESTATION

• By itself deforestation does not cause air pollution but

reduction in green cover on the earth surface is seen in many
areas. Trees clean up the air to an extent. So less trees mean
increased levels of toxic substances in the air.
9. RADIOACTIVE WASTE

• This is a very important factor in causing pollution because of

the sheer increase in the number of nuclear plants. In order to
reduce dependency on fossil fuels, we now turn to nuclear
energy calling it clean. But there is radioactive waste that is
produced which is difficult to dispose of.
• Unnecessary and excessive use of diagnostic X-rays is a form of
pollution
10. PLASTIC WASTE DISPOSAL

• If you thought burning all this plastic waste would be a

solution, this leads to more trouble as by-products settle in the
ground literally eliminating the fertility of the soil and
poisonous fumes are released into the air.
11. AIR POLLUTANTS

• Sulphur dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Ammonia
• Carbon monoxide
• Ozone
• Hydro carbons such as benzene, toluene and xylene
• Air borne particles
• Organic pollutants
EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

The effects of contaminated air is seen in every aspect of life even on non -living
things
• On a microscopic level , there is an increase of anaerobic organisms which tend
to break down complex foods by fermentation adding to the pollutants in the
atmosphere
• Plants are affected in their growth and reproduction, some pollutants interfere
with the process of photosynthesis and cellular mutations have led to loss of
many species.
• As oxygen levels in the air come down the same effect takes place in the water
bodies leading to los of water plants and aquatic life.
• Corrosive nature of many pollutants lead corrode metals and surfaces of
buildings
• Acid rain- a combination of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide with water
vapour occurs. This then falls to the earth as rain causing the ground or water
body it falls on to become acidic in nature . As acid is naturally corrosive in
nature this leads to destruction of the surfaces of metal and concrete
structures.
WATER POLLUTION
WHAT IS WATER POLLUTION?
Water Pollution is the consequence of adding which harmful
substances to water bodies making them unsuitable for aquatic life
to thrive in, thereby upsetting the fragile ecosystem. It also makes
the water source unfit for domestic and industrial purposes.
It is when the quantity of waste products entering into the water
system exceeds its ability to clean itself; this is when water pollution
starts.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF WATER
CONTAMINATION?
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
• organic and inorganic compounds
• nitrogenous and phosphoric salts
• Heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, zinc, lead,
copper and more.
AGRICULTURAL WASTES
• Animal by products
• Farm wastes
• Chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides which run off from
the land into the waters.
SEDIMENTS
• When excess sediments are washed into the water by wind and
other agents, these settle to the bottom. It chokes the ecosystem
by reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the floor of the lake
or river for the plants and animals to utilize. It reduces the
volume of water because of which less oxygen is available for life
cycles. This of course does not support continuation of life.

• Construction wastes and urban land erosion also add to the

sediments
HUMAN AND DOMESTIC SEWAGE
• In metropolitans, large cities and towns where population
densities are high , the quantity of human and domestic wastes is
large. Sewage treatment plants can use technology to
decontaminate the waste and then release the treated water is
into nearby seas, rivers or streams. In many cities, insufficient
treatment plants or inefficient technology lead to water
contamination.
• This form of contamination leads to Parasite and bacterial
contamination especially of fecal coliform bacteria, viruses and
protozoa leading to many diseases.
• Increased use of plastics which do not decompose but leach out
toxic chemicals, and clog all water bodies from drains to lakes to
seas.
FALL OUT OF AIR POLLUTION
Rain water combines with these salts and form droplets of acids
which fall to the ground .This is called Acid Rain. When this rain
falls or runs off from the land into the water it causes the lake or
pond to become acidic. This is an unfavourable habitat for life.
OIL SPILLING

Causing great danger to aquatic and marine life forms these are
isolated but large scale polluting factors. In addition to being vast, it is
very expensive to clean and take a long time to do so.
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
As the name suggests various countries find ways and means to dump
their nuclear wastes where it may cause no harm to humans.
THERMAL POLLUTION
• Global warming causes the waters to get heated up changing the
ecological balance in them.
• Warm water which was used as coolants in the industries being
dumped as such in to the nearby water source causes damage to its
aquatic residents.
EUTROPHICATION
• When material such as fertilizers especially those containing
nitrogen and phosphorus are flushed into water from farms, they
create a nutrient rich environment in the water. This is
called nutrient enrichment. This promotes the growth of plants.
• Algae also benefit greatly from this nutrient rich atmosphere.
When they flourish and bloom they use up most of the Oxygen in
the water body leaving very little for the remaining life forms. This
leads to death of fish and other organisms which cannot swim away
to safety.
• Algae blooms prevent the penetration of sunlight into the water
which affects the photosynthesis of plants further deplete the
oxygen levels.
• Ultimately the water becomes unfit to support any form of life.
• There are certain toxins also released from some algae which travel
up the food chain and affect higher life forms adversely.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTION
• Point source pollution
• When contamination occurs from one source such as an oil spill or
local farms, this is called point source contamination.
• Non-Point Source Pollution
• Contamination occurs from many different sources or sources far
away from where the pollution is occurring, this is non-point
source pollution. For eg the rivers and seas besides which cities and
towns grow, radioactive wastes polluting water bodies faraway
from themselves.
• Ground water pollution
• Mainly occurring due to percolation or sinking of chemicals deep
into the ground. For example fertilizers, plastic residue, radioactive
wastes etc.
EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION
• First and foremost the damage to the ecosystem and the ecological
balance. Because all systems are interdependent, all forms of life
not just aquatic are affected.
• The heavy metal pollutants entering into the food chain causing
birth defects, growth defects, reproductive problems and early
death.
• Various kinds of cancers occur with no apparent cause in the
communities affected
• Bacterial contamination leads to dysentery, cholera, food poisoning
and typhoid.
SOIL POLLUTION
WHAT IS SOIL POLLUTION?
Soil pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals
(pollutants or contaminants) in soil, in high enough concentrations to
pose a risk to human health and/or the ecosystem. In the case of
contaminants which occur naturally in soil, even when their levels are
not high enough to pose a risk, soil pollution is still said to occur if the
levels of the contaminants in soil exceed the levels that should
naturally be present.
CAUSES:
• Commercially driven agricultural practices- These include overuse
of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides. Continuous use
of the land season after season without allowing it to replenish
itself is also an unhealthy practise.
• Overgrazing by herds
• Dumping solid waste in untended grounds, indiscriminate burning
of plastics leave chemical residue in the soil sometimes damaging it
beyond repair.
• Heavy industry activity such as oil drilling and mining contribute
to land contamination
• Nuclear waste, construction and road debris waste
NOISE POLLUTION
WHAT IS NOISE POLLUTION?
Noise pollution or sound pollution refers to the presence of
excessive and disturbing noise (from machines, transportation
systems, aircrafts, trains, etc) in the environment that is very harmful
to the physical and mental health of the living beings on earth
But this ability does not stop our nerves from receiving the
continuous signals anyway.
SOURCES ( CAUSES ) OF NOISE
POLLUTION
• Sound of traffic with the roaring engines of trucks, buses,
motorcycles and constant humming of cars.
• Living in areas near the railways stations or airports
• Working near loud machinery in industries, factories and
construction sites
• Working with loud tools such as at wood cutting, welding,
generators, lawnmowers and other gardening and cleaning
machinery,
• Listening to music with head phones, playing in a band, music
concerts
• Loud speakers and amplifiers used at Large gatherings of
celebrations or protests
• War zones with sudden intense sounds or constant loud ones
• Fire crackers depending on the proximity to them.
EFFECTS OF NOISE POLLUTION
• Noise induced hearing loss – The loss of hearing is not noticeable
at first if one is exposed to continuous and medium to loud sounds.
One becomes aware of it only after a while. But exposure to a
sudden very loud sound even for a short moment such as an
explosion can cause a temporary or permanent damage. One or
both ears can be affected. Noise pollution can affect all age groups.
• Hearing loss as an occupational hazard.
• Headaches and fatigue due to disturbed sleep patterns
• Hypertension and cardiovascular disease such as myocardial
infarction.
• Increases stress leading to psychological disturbance- One may
have noticed the degree of annoyance is higher and tolerance is
lower in places having loud sounds. This leads to quick altercations
for apparently no reason. Dementia is also associated with noise
pollution
NUCLEAR ENERGY
POLLUTION
WHAT IS NUCLEAR ENERGY
POLLUTION?
Nuclear energy contributes a very small amount of emissions
into the atmosphere which can cause many environmental
problems such as global warming. Uranium is not burned in
a nuclear power plant as coal is so there are no emissions from
it.
CAUSES OF NUCLEAR POLLUTION
Most activities that involve radioactive substances have potential to
contaminate the environment .these include

• Nuclear weapons testing-

Testing the weapons involves explosions is the atmospheric layer called
stratosphere. The exploded debris emitting radiation then falls back to the
earth. Some of the radiation is absorbed by our atmosphere. But some of it
reaches the earth falling on areas that are far away from the site where the
weapon was released initially. This is called Fallout. When these particles
settle on the vegetation and are consumed by animals they enter into the
food chain. When fallout settles over the sea, the ecosystem of the sea gets
affected and again entering the food chain.
• Nuclear Power Plants
• Intense Nuclear energy from radioactive fuel is used to heat water to
steam. The steam is then used to turn the turbines that in turn work the
generators to produce electricity. Small amounts of radiation are released
during this process into the water which may then dispose off
indiscriminately causing nuclear pollution.
• Improper disposal of spent nuclear fuel.
• Spent nuclear fuel contains very active radioactive atoms that remain so
sometimes almost for 600yrs or more. These must be disposed of in a
very careful manner, with strict regulations in well designated spaces. But
the fact is many governments tend to approve of dumping nuclear fuel as
far from their country as possible. The favourite dumping ground of many
countries was the Pacific Ocean.
LIGHT POLLUTION
Again a lesser known type of pollution caused by excessive light at
night. These affect the body rhythms and sleep cycles of humans and even
other beings.
Migratory birds are distracted from their usual routes by city lights.
Excessive lights have been known to affect even children’s sleep cycles.

THERMAL POLLUTION
Can something too hot be harmful? Of course it can .
Excessive heat generated by engines, machines and industries heating up the
atmosphere and changing weather patterns
Excessively hot effluents released into water bodies raising their temperature
of these and destroying their delicate habitat.