types of pollution assignment

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Types of Pollution

Pollution  is defined as introducing harmful substances (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (light, heat, sound, or radioactivity) into the environment. The harmful elements that damage air, water, and land quality and cause pollution are called pollutants.

Pollution is primarily human-made, but nature can have an adverse effect also sometimes acts as a source of pollution.

What are the Different Types of Pollution: Causes and Effects

The three major types of environmental pollution are air, water, and soil. Besides these three main types, there are noise, light, thermal, and radioactive pollutions.

1. Air Pollution

The air in our atmosphere has a roughly stable chemical composition consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases. Any change in the air composition due to the addition of unwanted gases such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, chemicals, particulate matter, and biological molecules is called air pollution.

Among all other types of pollution, air pollution is found to have the most diverse impact on Earth.

Sources/Causes

Air pollution can happen from both human-made (anthropogenic) and natural sources. Some of the significant sources of air pollution are given below:

• Burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas
• Exhaust from automobiles and industries
• Indiscriminate cutting of trees (deforestation)
• Wildfires resulting from burning stubble and farm residues
• Release of methane from microbial decay
• Excessive discharge of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) released from aerosols sprays, refrigerants, and air conditioners
• Release volcanic ash and gases
• Respiratory disorders in humans such as asthma, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and other lung problems
• Formation of smog that reduces visibility
• Formation of acid rain
• Depletion of the ozone layer
• Global warming
• Hazards to wildlife
• Planting of trees (afforestation) purifies the air
• Use of renewable energy such as sunlight and wind energy and reducing dependence on nonrenewable sources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas
• Increasing efficiency in energy usage
• Use of eco-friendly vehicles
• Cleaning of industry emissions before their release into the atmosphere
• Reducing dependence on vehicles

2. Water Pollution

Water pollution occurs when toxic pollutants and particulate matter are introduced into water bodies such as oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, and aquifers, making them impure and toxic. These contaminants are primarily generated by human activities and sometimes by natural disasters.

Among all other types of pollution, water pollution is found to have the maximum adverse consequences on the ecosystem.

• Industrial and domestic sewage discharge
• Oil spills and natural gas leakage into water bodies from underground sites called petroleum seeps
• Social practices such as washing, bathing, and littering in water bodies and religious practices
• Agricultural runoff containing pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, slurry, debris, and manures
• Mining and drilling sometimes make underground water contaminated
• Floods and storm carrying dust and debris to the water bodies
• Algal bloom (eutrophication) caused due to an increase in nutrients of the water bodies
• Reducing dissolved oxygen in the water bodies thus disrupting aquatic life
• Disturbing the pH and salinity of the water bodies leading to loss of aquatic life
• Increasing the risk of water-borne diseases such as hepatitis, cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid in humans
• Increasing the level of toxins and pollutants at each successive level of the food chain (biomagnification)
• Proper disposing of domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastes before releasing them into water bodies
• Using sewage treatment methods such as precipitation, ion exchange, reverse osmosis , and coagulation
• Reducing reusing, and recycling of water
• Using plants such as water hyacinth that absorbs heavy metals in areas contaminated with radioactive pollutants

3. Soil Pollution

Sometimes called land pollution, it refers to the degradation of land quality due to unwanted chemicals and other factors in the soil. Such chemicals change the soil’s chemical and biological properties, thus affecting plant growth. Green plants, being the primary producer, absorb those pollutants, which are then passed through the food chain, affecting the whole ecosystem.

Soil pollution can seep into groundwater or run off to the nearest streams and lakes, creating a vicious pollution cycle.

• Intensive farming leading to the overuse of agrochemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, slurry, debris, and manures
• Improper disposal of wastes from paper mills, sugar factories, petroleum, and chemical industries
• Dust particles such as silica dust
• Urban wastes consisting of garbage and rubbish materials, dried sludge, and sewage from households and commercial bodies
• Accidental oil spills from oil refineries
• Radioactive pollutants such as radium, thorium, and uranium from power plants
• Acid rain, increasing the acidity of the soil
• Deforestation that increases soil erosion causing low soil fertility
• Loss of soil fertility making it unfit for agriculture
• Adverse effect on the growth of flora and fauna in the soil
• Groundwater pollution
• Increasing the salinity of the soil, making it unfit for agriculture
• Causing respiratory problems, neuromuscular blockage, and various forms of cancer, especially lung cancer
• Causing nausea, headache, eye irritation, skin rash, and depression
• Use of organic matures instead of artificial fertilizers in agriculture
• Planting of trees (Afforestation)
• Treating solid wastes such as garbage, domestic refuse, and industrial materials before dumping them in landfills
• Recovering and recycling of materials such as plastics, cloth, and glass before dumping

4. Other Types of Pollution

1. Light Pollution

Light pollution refers to the excessive amount of light in the night sky. It occurs due to excessive, misdirected, and inefficient lighting systems by humans. It is also called photo pollution that disrupts the ecosystem by reducing the distinction between night and day.

Although light pollution seems to have a lesser impact than any other form, it is expected to have consequences similar to air or water pollution.

• Increased energy consumption through over-illumination from artificial light sources such as street lighting, domestic lighting, and garage
• Poor planning by engineers while placing street lights and signage
• Overpopulation increases electricity consumption, which increases glare
• Smog and fog due to air pollution reflect light emitted by cities, making the surrounding look much brighter
• Produce behavioral changes in animals. Nocturnal animals, who are active at night, venture out during the daytime. In contrast, diurnal animals, which are active during the day, remain active at night
• Affecting migration pattern in seasonal birds
• Difficulty for astronomers to see the stars properly
• Affecting newly hatched turtles that rely on starlight to guide them from the beach to the ocean. They often head in the wrong direction.
• Causing flowering and developmental patterns in plants
• Inducing smog by destroying nitrate radicals, helping in the dispersion of smog, and causing air pollution
• Inducing a delay in melatonin secretion in humans, which delays sleep at night
• Reducing the use of decorative lightings that produce more light and consumes more energy
• Use of covered bulbs or light that face downwards
• Switching to an LED light that reduces luminance without compromising visibility
• Proper planning during installation of street lights and signage
• Switching off street lights during daytime
• Using glare-free lighting in the outdoors
• Stopping light-trespass

2. Noise Pollution

It refers to the excessive amount of sound in the surroundings disrupting the natural balance. The acceptable amount of sound is about 60 to 65 decibels, which is the same as our everyday conversation.

Sound levels above 85 decibels are harmful depending on the duration of exposure. Noise above 140 decibels can cause permanent hearing loss. Also, the duration of exposure to the sound is found to have negative health impacts.

• Noise from heavy machines in factories, mills, and industries
• Traffic noise from vehicles (trains and buses) and airplanes
• Construction noises from boring and drilling machines
• Noise from firecrackers and loudspeakers in social events
• Household noises from television, mixer grinders, and music systems
• Loss of hearing and behavioral disorders
• Loss of focus on work leading to low work output
• Stress and Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Lack of sleep and fatigue
• Difficulty in speech and impairment
• Hearing disorders like tinnitus
• Songbirds, such as robins, fail to communicate and find food
• Disrupting sonar, used by marine animals to communicate and locate food
• Honking in public places like hospitals, academic institutions such as schools and colleges should be banned
• Installing adequate soundproof systems in commercial buildings and hospitals
• Afforestation as trees can absorb sound
• Restricting the use of firecrackers during festivities and doing open public rallies

Apart from the types of pollution discussed, there are other forms of pollution called  thermal or heat pollution  and  radioactive pollution .

Thermal pollution is caused due to excessive heat in the environment released from industrial power plants, deforestation, urban sprawl, and air pollution. It increases the Earth’s atmosphere causing drastic climate change and extinction of wildlife. In contrast, radioactive pollution   results from   accidental leakage from nuclear power plants and improper disposal of nuclear wastes. It can cause massive, long-lasting impacts such as cancer, infertility, blindness, and congenital disabilities.

Ans . Air pollution.

Ans . The seven types of pollution are air, water, soil, light, noise, thermal, and radioactive pollution.

Ans . Smog is a type of air pollution. It is a combination of fog and particulate matter that remain suspended in the air.

Ans . Carbon monoxide is a gaseous air pollutant.

Ans . Groundwater pollution can occur due to chemical spills from industries, household runoff during transportation, illegal dumping of wastes, mining operations, and atmospheric depositions.

• Pollution – Nationalgeographic.org
• Pollution: Types, Sources and Characteristics – Open.edu
• Pollution Facts & Types of Pollution – Livescience.com
• Pollution: Sources & Types – Geo.libretexts.org
• How Many Types Of Pollution Are There? – Worldatlas.com

Article was last reviewed on Friday, February 17, 2023

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Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants.

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Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment . These harmful materials are called pollutants . Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash . They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land. Many things that are useful to people produce pollution. Cars spew pollutants from their exhaust pipes. Burning coal to create electricity pollutes the air. Industries and homes generate garbage and sewage that can pollute the land and water. Pesticides —chemical poisons used to kill weeds and insects— seep into waterways and harm wildlife . All living things—from one-celled microbes to blue whales—depend on Earth ’s supply of air and water. When these resources are polluted, all forms of life are threatened. Pollution is a global problem. Although urban areas are usually more polluted than the countryside, pollution can spread to remote places where no people live. For example, pesticides and other chemicals have been found in the Antarctic ice sheet . In the middle of the northern Pacific Ocean, a huge collection of microscopic plastic particles forms what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch . Air and water currents carry pollution. Ocean currents and migrating fish carry marine pollutants far and wide. Winds can pick up radioactive material accidentally released from a nuclear reactor and scatter it around the world. Smoke from a factory in one country drifts into another country. In the past, visitors to Big Bend National Park in the U.S. state of Texas could see 290 kilometers (180 miles) across the vast landscape . Now, coal-burning power plants in Texas and the neighboring state of Chihuahua, Mexico have spewed so much pollution into the air that visitors to Big Bend can sometimes see only 50 kilometers (30 miles). The three major types of pollution are air pollution , water pollution , and land pollution . Air Pollution Sometimes, air pollution is visible . A person can see dark smoke pour from the exhaust pipes of large trucks or factories, for example. More often, however, air pollution is invisible . Polluted air can be dangerous, even if the pollutants are invisible. It can make people’s eyes burn and make them have difficulty breathing. It can also increase the risk of lung cancer . Sometimes, air pollution kills quickly. In 1984, an accident at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, released a deadly gas into the air. At least 8,000 people died within days. Hundreds of thou sands more were permanently injured. Natural disasters can also cause air pollution to increase quickly. When volcanoes erupt , they eject volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere . Volcanic ash can discolor the sky for months. After the eruption of the Indonesian volcano of Krakatoa in 1883, ash darkened the sky around the world. The dimmer sky caused fewer crops to be harvested as far away as Europe and North America. For years, meteorologists tracked what was known as the “equatorial smoke stream .” In fact, this smoke stream was a jet stream , a wind high in Earth’s atmosphere that Krakatoa’s air pollution made visible. Volcanic gases , such as sulfur dioxide , can kill nearby residents and make the soil infertile for years. Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy, famously erupted in 79, killing hundreds of residents of the nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Most victims of Vesuvius were not killed by lava or landslides caused by the eruption. They were choked, or asphyxiated , by deadly volcanic gases. In 1986, a toxic cloud developed over Lake Nyos, Cameroon. Lake Nyos sits in the crater of a volcano. Though the volcano did not erupt, it did eject volcanic gases into the lake. The heated gases passed through the water of the lake and collected as a cloud that descended the slopes of the volcano and into nearby valleys . As the toxic cloud moved across the landscape, it killed birds and other organisms in their natural habitat . This air pollution also killed thousands of cattle and as many as 1,700 people. Most air pollution is not natural, however. It comes from burning fossil fuels —coal, oil , and natural gas . When gasoline is burned to power cars and trucks, it produces carbon monoxide , a colorless, odorless gas. The gas is harmful in high concentrations , or amounts. City traffic produces highly concentrated carbon monoxide. Cars and factories produce other common pollutants, including nitrogen oxide , sulfur dioxide, and hydrocarbons . These chemicals react with sunlight to produce smog , a thick fog or haze of air pollution. The smog is so thick in Linfen, China, that people can seldom see the sun. Smog can be brown or grayish blue, depending on which pollutants are in it. Smog makes breathing difficult, especially for children and older adults. Some cities that suffer from extreme smog issue air pollution warnings. The government of Hong Kong, for example, will warn people not to go outside or engage in strenuous physical activity (such as running or swimming) when smog is very thick.

When air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide mix with moisture, they change into acids . They then fall back to earth as acid rain . Wind often carries acid rain far from the pollution source. Pollutants produced by factories and power plants in Spain can fall as acid rain in Norway. Acid rain can kill all the trees in a forest . It can also devastate lakes, streams, and other waterways. When lakes become acidic, fish can’t survive . In Sweden, acid rain created thousands of “ dead lakes ,” where fish no longer live. Acid rain also wears away marble and other kinds of stone . It has erased the words on gravestones and damaged many historic buildings and monuments . The Taj Mahal , in Agra, India, was once gleaming white. Years of exposure to acid rain has left it pale. Governments have tried to prevent acid rain by limiting the amount of pollutants released into the air. In Europe and North America, they have had some success, but acid rain remains a major problem in the developing world , especially Asia. Greenhouse gases are another source of air pollution. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane occur naturally in the atmosphere. In fact, they are necessary for life on Earth. They absorb sunlight reflected from Earth, preventing it from escaping into space. By trapping heat in the atmosphere, they keep Earth warm enough for people to live. This is called the greenhouse effect . But human activities such as burning fossil fuels and destroying forests have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This has increased the greenhouse effect, and average temperatures across the globe are rising. The decade that began in the year 2000 was the warmest on record. This increase in worldwide average temperatures, caused in part by human activity, is called global warming . Global warming is causing ice sheets and glaciers to melt. The melting ice is causing sea levels to rise at a rate of two millimeters (0.09 inches) per year. The rising seas will eventually flood low-lying coastal regions . Entire nations, such as the islands of Maldives, are threatened by this climate change . Global warming also contributes to the phenomenon of ocean acidification . Ocean acidification is the process of ocean waters absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Fewer organisms can survive in warmer, less salty waters. The ocean food web is threatened as plants and animals such as coral fail to adapt to more acidic oceans. Scientists have predicted that global warming will cause an increase in severe storms . It will also cause more droughts in some regions and more flooding in others. The change in average temperatures is already shrinking some habitats, the regions where plants and animals naturally live. Polar bears hunt seals from sea ice in the Arctic. The melting ice is forcing polar bears to travel farther to find food , and their numbers are shrinking. People and governments can respond quickly and effectively to reduce air pollution. Chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are a dangerous form of air pollution that governments worked to reduce in the 1980s and 1990s. CFCs are found in gases that cool refrigerators, in foam products, and in aerosol cans . CFCs damage the ozone layer , a region in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The ozone layer protects Earth by absorbing much of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation . When people are exposed to more ultraviolet radiation, they are more likely to develop skin cancer, eye diseases, and other illnesses. In the 1980s, scientists noticed that the ozone layer over Antarctica was thinning. This is often called the “ ozone hole .” No one lives permanently in Antarctica. But Australia, the home of more than 22 million people, lies at the edge of the hole. In the 1990s, the Australian government began an effort to warn people of the dangers of too much sun. Many countries, including the United States, now severely limit the production of CFCs. Water Pollution Some polluted water looks muddy, smells bad, and has garbage floating in it. Some polluted water looks clean, but is filled with harmful chemicals you can’t see or smell. Polluted water is unsafe for drinking and swimming. Some people who drink polluted water are exposed to hazardous chemicals that may make them sick years later. Others consume bacteria and other tiny aquatic organisms that cause disease. The United Nations estimates that 4,000 children die every day from drinking dirty water. Sometimes, polluted water harms people indirectly. They get sick because the fish that live in polluted water are unsafe to eat. They have too many pollutants in their flesh. There are some natural sources of water pollution. Oil and natural gas, for example, can leak into oceans and lakes from natural underground sources. These sites are called petroleum seeps . The world’s largest petroleum seep is the Coal Oil Point Seep, off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The Coal Oil Point Seep releases so much oil that tar balls wash up on nearby beaches . Tar balls are small, sticky pieces of pollution that eventually decompose in the ocean.

Human activity also contributes to water pollution. Chemicals and oils from factories are sometimes dumped or seep into waterways. These chemicals are called runoff. Chemicals in runoff can create a toxic environment for aquatic life. Runoff can also help create a fertile environment for cyanobacteria , also called blue-green algae . Cyanobacteria reproduce rapidly, creating a harmful algal bloom (HAB) . Harmful algal blooms prevent organisms such as plants and fish from living in the ocean. They are associated with “ dead zones ” in the world’s lakes and rivers, places where little life exists below surface water. Mining and drilling can also contribute to water pollution. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a major contributor to pollution of rivers and streams near coal mines . Acid helps miners remove coal from the surrounding rocks . The acid is washed into streams and rivers, where it reacts with rocks and sand. It releases chemical sulfur from the rocks and sand, creating a river rich in sulfuric acid . Sulfuric acid is toxic to plants, fish, and other aquatic organisms. Sulfuric acid is also toxic to people, making rivers polluted by AMD dangerous sources of water for drinking and hygiene . Oil spills are another source of water pollution. In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing oil to gush from the ocean floor. In the following months, hundreds of millions of gallons of oil spewed into the gulf waters. The spill produced large plumes of oil under the sea and an oil slick on the surface as large as 24,000 square kilometers (9,100 square miles). The oil slick coated wetlands in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi, killing marsh plants and aquatic organisms such as crabs and fish. Birds, such as pelicans , became coated in oil and were unable to fly or access food. More than two million animals died as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Buried chemical waste can also pollute water supplies. For many years, people disposed of chemical wastes carelessly, not realizing its dangers. In the 1970s, people living in the Love Canal area in Niagara Falls, New York, suffered from extremely high rates of cancer and birth defects . It was discovered that a chemical waste dump had poisoned the area’s water. In 1978, 800 families living in Love Canal had to a bandon their homes. If not disposed of properly, radioactive waste from nuclear power plants can escape into the environment. Radioactive waste can harm living things and pollute the water. Sewage that has not been properly treated is a common source of water pollution. Many cities around the world have poor sewage systems and sewage treatment plants. Delhi, the capital of India, is home to more than 21 million people. More than half the sewage and other waste produced in the city are dumped into the Yamuna River. This pollution makes the river dangerous to use as a source of water for drinking or hygiene. It also reduces the river’s fishery , resulting in less food for the local community. A major source of water pollution is fertilizer used in agriculture . Fertilizer is material added to soil to make plants grow larger and faster. Fertilizers usually contain large amounts of the elements nitrogen and phosphorus , which help plants grow. Rainwater washes fertilizer into streams and lakes. There, the nitrogen and phosphorus cause cyanobacteria to form harmful algal blooms. Rain washes other pollutants into streams and lakes. It picks up animal waste from cattle ranches. Cars drip oil onto the street, and rain carries it into storm drains , which lead to waterways such as rivers and seas. Rain sometimes washes chemical pesticides off of plants and into streams. Pesticides can also seep into groundwater , the water beneath the surface of the Earth. Heat can pollute water. Power plants, for example, produce a huge amount of heat. Power plants are often located on rivers so they can use the water as a coolant . Cool water circulates through the plant, absorbing heat. The heated water is then returned to the river. Aquatic creatures are sensitive to changes in temperature. Some fish, for example, can only live in cold water. Warmer river temperatures prevent fish eggs from hatching. Warmer river water also contributes to harmful algal blooms. Another type of water pollution is simple garbage. The Citarum River in Indonesia, for example, has so much garbage floating in it that you cannot see the water. Floating trash makes the river difficult to fish in. Aquatic animals such as fish and turtles mistake trash, such as plastic bags, for food. Plastic bags and twine can kill many ocean creatures. Chemical pollutants in trash can also pollute the water, making it toxic for fish and people who use the river as a source of drinking water. The fish that are caught in a polluted river often have high levels of chemical toxins in their flesh. People absorb these toxins as they eat the fish. Garbage also fouls the ocean. Many plastic bottles and other pieces of trash are thrown overboard from boats. The wind blows trash out to sea. Ocean currents carry plastics and other floating trash to certain places on the globe, where it cannot escape. The largest of these areas, called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. According to some estimates, this garbage patch is the size of Texas. The trash is a threat to fish and seabirds, which mistake the plastic for food. Many of the plastics are covered with chemical pollutants. Land Pollution Many of the same pollutants that foul the water also harm the land. Mining sometimes leaves the soil contaminated with dangerous chemicals. Pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural fields are blown by the wind. They can harm plants, animals, and sometimes people. Some fruits and vegetables absorb the pesticides that help them grow. When people consume the fruits and vegetables, the pesticides enter their bodies. Some pesticides can cause cancer and other diseases. A pesticide called DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was once commonly used to kill insects, especially mosquitoes. In many parts of the world, mosquitoes carry a disease called malaria , which kills a million people every year. Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Muller was awarded the Nobel Prize for his understanding of how DDT can control insects and other pests. DDT is responsible for reducing malaria in places such as Taiwan and Sri Lanka. In 1962, American biologist Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring , which discussed the dangers of DDT. She argued that it could contribute to cancer in humans. She also explained how it was destroying bird eggs, which caused the number of bald eagles, brown pelicans, and ospreys to drop. In 1972, the United States banned the use of DDT. Many other countries also banned it. But DDT didn’t disappear entirely. Today, many governments support the use of DDT because it remains the most effective way to combat malaria. Trash is another form of land pollution. Around the world, paper, cans, glass jars, plastic products, and junked cars and appliances mar the landscape. Litter makes it difficult for plants and other producers in the food web to create nutrients . Animals can die if they mistakenly eat plastic. Garbage often contains dangerous pollutants such as oils, chemicals, and ink. These pollutants can leech into the soil and harm plants, animals, and people. Inefficient garbage collection systems contribute to land pollution. Often, the garbage is picked up and brought to a dump, or landfill . Garbage is buried in landfills. Sometimes, communities produce so much garbage that their landfills are filling up. They are running out of places to dump their trash. A massive landfill near Quezon City, Philippines, was the site of a land pollution tragedy in 2000. Hundreds of people lived on the slopes of the Quezon City landfill. These people made their living from recycling and selling items found in the landfill. However, the landfill was not secure. Heavy rains caused a trash landslide, killing 218 people. Sometimes, landfills are not completely sealed off from the land around them. Pollutants from the landfill leak into the earth in which they are buried. Plants that grow in the earth may be contaminated, and the herbivores that eat the plants also become contaminated. So do the predators that consume the herbivores. This process, where a chemical builds up in each level of the food web, is called bioaccumulation . Pollutants leaked from landfills also leak into local groundwater supplies. There, the aquatic food web (from microscopic algae to fish to predators such as sharks or eagles) can suffer from bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals. Some communities do not have adequate garbage collection systems, and trash lines the side of roads. In other places, garbage washes up on beaches. Kamilo Beach, in the U.S. state of Hawai'i, is littered with plastic bags and bottles carried in by the tide . The trash is dangerous to ocean life and reduces economic activity in the area. Tourism is Hawai'i’s largest industry . Polluted beaches discourage tourists from investing in the area’s hotels, restaurants, and recreational activities. Some cities incinerate , or burn, their garbage. Incinerating trash gets rid of it, but it can release dangerous heavy metals and chemicals into the air. So while trash incinerators can help with the problem of land pollution, they sometimes add to the problem of air pollution. Reducing Pollution Around the world, people and governments are making efforts to combat pollution. Recycling, for instance, is becoming more common. In recycling, trash is processed so its useful materials can be used again. Glass, aluminum cans, and many types of plastic can be melted and reused . Paper can be broken down and turned into new paper. Recycling reduces the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills, incinerators, and waterways. Austria and Switzerland have the highest recycling rates. These nations recycle between 50 and 60 percent of their garbage. The United States recycles about 30 percent of its garbage. Governments can combat pollution by passing laws that limit the amount and types of chemicals factories and agribusinesses are allowed to use. The smoke from coal-burning power plants can be filtered. People and businesses that illegally dump pollutants into the land, water, and air can be fined for millions of dollars. Some government programs, such as the Superfund program in the United States, can force polluters to clean up the sites they polluted. International agreements can also reduce pollution. The Kyoto Protocol , a United Nations agreement to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, has been signed by 191 countries. The United States, the world’s second-largest producer of greenhouse gases, did not sign the agreement. Other countries, such as China, the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, have not met their goals. Still, many gains have been made. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River, in the U.S. state of Ohio, was so clogged with oil and trash that it caught on fire. The fire helped spur the Clean Water Act of 1972. This law limited what pollutants could be released into water and set standards for how clean water should be. Today, the Cuyahoga River is much cleaner. Fish have returned to regions of the river where they once could not survive. But even as some rivers are becoming cleaner, others are becoming more polluted. As countries around the world become wealthier, some forms of pollution increase. Countries with growing economies usually need more power plants, which produce more pollutants. Reducing pollution requires environmental, political, and economic leadership. Developed nations must work to reduce and recycle their materials, while developing nations must work to strengthen their economies without destroying the environment. Developed and developing countries must work together toward the common goal of protecting the environment for future use.

How Long Does It Last? Different materials decompose at different rates. How long does it take for these common types of trash to break down?

• Paper: 2-4 weeks
• Orange peel: 6 months
• Milk carton: 5 years
• Plastic bag: 15 years
• Tin can: 100 years
• Plastic bottle: 450 years
• Glass bottle: 500 years
• Styrofoam: Never

Indoor Air Pollution The air inside your house can be polluted. Air and carpet cleaners, insect sprays, and cigarettes are all sources of indoor air pollution.

Light Pollution Light pollution is the excess amount of light in the night sky. Light pollution, also called photopollution, is almost always found in urban areas. Light pollution can disrupt ecosystems by confusing the distinction between night and day. Nocturnal animals, those that are active at night, may venture out during the day, while diurnal animals, which are active during daylight hours, may remain active well into the night. Feeding and sleep patterns may be confused. Light pollution also indicates an excess use of energy. The dark-sky movement is a campaign by people to reduce light pollution. This would reduce energy use, allow ecosystems to function more normally, and allow scientists and stargazers to observe the atmosphere.

Noise Pollution Noise pollution is the constant presence of loud, disruptive noises in an area. Usually, noise pollution is caused by construction or nearby transportation facilities, such as airports. Noise pollution is unpleasant, and can be dangerous. Some songbirds, such as robins, are unable to communicate or find food in the presence of heavy noise pollution. The sound waves produced by some noise pollutants can disrupt the sonar used by marine animals to communicate or locate food.

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Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides and Online Environmental Resources for Educators

Find an array of environmental and science based lesson plans, activities and ideas below from EPA, other federal agencies and external organizations.  ​ Encontrar recursos para estudiantes y maestros.

Topics: Air | Climate Change | Ecosystems | Energy | Health | Waste | Water

Acid Rain: A Teacher's Guide   (PDF 56 pp, 4.6 MB) Lesson plan and activities from EPA for teachers on acid rain. Grades: 6-8 Type of Resource: Lesson plan

Acid Rain Student Pages Find the acid rain student pages, as well as general information for older students or adults. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Lesson plans and experiments

AIRNOW Get up-to-the-minute information about air pollution in your community, through a joint project from EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service and other partners. The AIRNOW website includes maps, forecasts, and information about the health effects of air pollution. Grades: 9-12 Type of Resource: Website

AIRNOW Air Quality Resources  Find air quality curriculum materials and activities from AIRNOW, including a toolkit and workshop opportunities for teachers. Grades: K-8 Type of Resource: Curriculum guide

Measuring Air Quality Improvements from Vegetative Barriers This unit has been designed by EPA as a teaching aid on the topic of air quality; particularly, investigating the role vegetative barriers play in improving air quality for surrounding areas. Grades: K-5 Type of Resource: Lesson Plan

Carl Gets Some Rest (PDF 12 pp, 765 KB) This EPA coloring and story book, for children in pre-school through 2nd grade, teaches a simple lesson: there are many transportation alternatives to using a car. Grades: K-2 Type of Resource: Coloring Book

Creating Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Schools This EPA page provides information on indoor air quality in school buildings and how to order the Tools for Schools Action Kit. The kit shows how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air quality at little or no cost using common-sense activities and in-house staff. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Toolkit

EnviroAtlas Educational Materials These ready-made lesson plans can be used in formal and informal education settings and are aligned with Next Generation and State Science Standards. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Lesson Plans

Noise Pollution for Kids   (PDF 15 pp, 6.54 MB) This EPA booklet for your students will teach you how to identify which sounds are loud and ways to protect your hearing and health. Grades: K-5 Type of Resource: Activity book

Particulate Matter (PM) Air Sensor Kits Particle pollution known as particulate matter (PM) is one of the major air pollutants regulated by EPA to protect public health and the environment. A PM air sensor kit has been developed by EPA researchers as an educational tool to teach children about air quality and air science. Grades: 5-12 Type of Resource: Hands-on activity guide

Basic Ozone Layer Science Find a straightforward explanation of the ozone layer and ozone depletion. Grades: 9-12 Type of Resource: Website

AIRNOW's Ozone: Good Up High, Bad Nearby (PDF 4 pp) Ozone acts as a protective layer high above the Earth, but it can be harmful to breathe. This publication provides basic information about ground-level and high-altitude ozone. Grades:6-12 Type of Resource: Booklet/Brochure

Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act A brief introduction to the 1990 version of the Clean Air Act, to help you understand what is in the law and how it may affect you. Grades: 9-12 Type of Resource: Booklet

RadTown USA EPA's RadTown USA is a virtual community that aims to educate students about the sources of radiation in our daily lives. Grades: 9-12 Type of Resource: Virtual activity

Teaching Kids to Conserve Energy at Home: Resources for K-12 teachers and parents This 11-minute presentation focuses on an introduction to energy and the environment, energy saving tips, how to use the Energy Star home energy yardstick, and homework ideas. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Video

Village Green Project These lessons provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about air quality as it relates to various topics of science appropriate to their grade level. The purpose of these lessons is to engage students of varying ability levels through hands-on and minds-on thinking. Each lesson is designed to focus around the topic of air quality; from issues of human health to career and 21st century skills. Grades: K-8 Type of Resource: Lesson Plan (PDF)  (52 pp)

Lea en español:  ¿Por qué Coco es de color naranja?

Why is Coco Orange? Coco has a problem. He is a chameleon, but he cannot change colors, and his asthma is acting up. Read how Coco and his friends at Lizard Lick Elementary solve this mystery as they learn about air quality and how to stay healthy when the air quality is bad. Grades: Pre K-2 Type of Resource: Book

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NOAA's Education Resources Website Explore this site to find the information you need to teach students about weather, climate change, and oceans. You'll find activities, background information, and much more! Grades: 6-12

National Park Service Education Resources Classroom materials, field trip opportunities and professional development programs for educators from the National Park Service. Grades: All

Climate and Health Lesson Plan and Toolkit by The American Public Health Association This lesson adopts materials developed by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIH) to make it easy for public health professionals to guest teach at local high schools. For more resources aimed directly at teachers, see Climate Change and Human Health Lesson Plans by NIH. Grades: 9-12

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What is water pollution?

What are the causes of water pollution, categories of water pollution, what are the effects of water pollution, what can you do to prevent water pollution.

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.

This widespread problem of water pollution is jeopardizing our health. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Meanwhile, our drinkable water sources are finite: Less than 1 percent of the earth’s freshwater is actually accessible to us. Without action, the challenges will only increase by 2050, when global demand for freshwater is expected to be one-third greater than it is now.

Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a “universal solvent,” water is able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on earth. It’s the reason we have Kool-Aid and brilliant blue waterfalls. It’s also why water is so easily polluted. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, causing water pollution.

Here are some of the major sources of water pollution worldwide:

Agricultural

Toxic green algae in Copco Reservoir, northern California

Aurora Photos/Alamy

Not only is the agricultural sector the biggest consumer of global freshwater resources, with farming and livestock production using about 70 percent of the earth’s surface water supplies , but it’s also a serious water polluter. Around the world, agriculture is the leading cause of water degradation. In the United States, agricultural pollution is the top source of contamination in rivers and streams, the second-biggest source in wetlands, and the third main source in lakes. It’s also a major contributor of contamination to estuaries and groundwater. Every time it rains, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms and livestock operations wash nutrients and pathogens—such bacteria and viruses—into our waterways. Nutrient pollution , caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water or air, is the number-one threat to water quality worldwide and can cause algal blooms , a toxic soup of blue-green algae that can be harmful to people and wildlife.

Sewage and wastewater

Used water is wastewater. It comes from our sinks, showers, and toilets (think sewage) and from commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities (think metals, solvents, and toxic sludge). The term also includes stormwater runoff , which occurs when rainfall carries road salts, oil, grease, chemicals, and debris from impermeable surfaces into our waterways

More than 80 percent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations; in some least-developed countries, the figure tops 95 percent. In the United States, wastewater treatment facilities process about 34 billion gallons of wastewater per day . These facilities reduce the amount of pollutants such as pathogens, phosphorus, and nitrogen in sewage, as well as heavy metals and toxic chemicals in industrial waste, before discharging the treated waters back into waterways. That’s when all goes well. But according to EPA estimates, our nation’s aging and easily overwhelmed sewage treatment systems also release more than 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater each year.

Oil pollution

Big spills may dominate headlines, but consumers account for the vast majority of oil pollution in our seas, including oil and gasoline that drips from millions of cars and trucks every day. Moreover, nearly half of the estimated 1 million tons of oil that makes its way into marine environments each year comes not from tanker spills but from land-based sources such as factories, farms, and cities. At sea, tanker spills account for about 10 percent of the oil in waters around the world, while regular operations of the shipping industry—through both legal and illegal discharges—contribute about one-third. Oil is also naturally released from under the ocean floor through fractures known as seeps.

Radioactive substances

Radioactive waste is any pollution that emits radiation beyond what is naturally released by the environment. It’s generated by uranium mining, nuclear power plants, and the production and testing of military weapons, as well as by universities and hospitals that use radioactive materials for research and medicine. Radioactive waste can persist in the environment for thousands of years, making disposal a major challenge. Consider the decommissioned Hanford nuclear weapons production site in Washington, where the cleanup of 56 million gallons of radioactive waste is expected to cost more than $100 billion and last through 2060. Accidentally released or improperly disposed of contaminants threaten groundwater, surface water, and marine resources.

To address pollution and protect water we need to understand where the pollution is coming from (point source or nonpoint source) and the type of water body its impacting (groundwater, surface water, or ocean water).

Where is the pollution coming from?

Point source pollution.

When contamination originates from a single source, it’s called point source pollution. Examples include wastewater (also called effluent) discharged legally or illegally by a manufacturer, oil refinery, or wastewater treatment facility, as well as contamination from leaking septic systems, chemical and oil spills, and illegal dumping. The EPA regulates point source pollution by establishing limits on what can be discharged by a facility directly into a body of water. While point source pollution originates from a specific place, it can affect miles of waterways and ocean.

Nonpoint source

Nonpoint source pollution is contamination derived from diffuse sources. These may include agricultural or stormwater runoff or debris blown into waterways from land. Nonpoint source pollution is the leading cause of water pollution in U.S. waters, but it’s difficult to regulate, since there’s no single, identifiable culprit.

Transboundary

It goes without saying that water pollution can’t be contained by a line on a map. Transboundary pollution is the result of contaminated water from one country spilling into the waters of another. Contamination can result from a disaster—like an oil spill—or the slow, downriver creep of industrial, agricultural, or municipal discharge.

What type of water is being impacted?

Groundwater pollution.

When rain falls and seeps deep into the earth, filling the cracks, crevices, and porous spaces of an aquifer (basically an underground storehouse of water), it becomes groundwater—one of our least visible but most important natural resources. Nearly 40 percent of Americans rely on groundwater, pumped to the earth’s surface, for drinking water. For some folks in rural areas, it’s their only freshwater source. Groundwater gets polluted when contaminants—from pesticides and fertilizers to waste leached from landfills and septic systems—make their way into an aquifer, rendering it unsafe for human use. Ridding groundwater of contaminants can be difficult to impossible, as well as costly. Once polluted, an aquifer may be unusable for decades, or even thousands of years. Groundwater can also spread contamination far from the original polluting source as it seeps into streams, lakes, and oceans.

Surface water pollution

Covering about 70 percent of the earth, surface water is what fills our oceans, lakes, rivers, and all those other blue bits on the world map. Surface water from freshwater sources (that is, from sources other than the ocean) accounts for more than 60 percent of the water delivered to American homes. But a significant pool of that water is in peril. According to the most recent surveys on national water quality from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nearly half of our rivers and streams and more than one-third of our lakes are polluted and unfit for swimming, fishing, and drinking. Nutrient pollution, which includes nitrates and phosphates, is the leading type of contamination in these freshwater sources. While plants and animals need these nutrients to grow, they have become a major pollutant due to farm waste and fertilizer runoff. Municipal and industrial waste discharges contribute their fair share of toxins as well. There’s also all the random junk that industry and individuals dump directly into waterways.

Ocean water pollution

Eighty percent of ocean pollution (also called marine pollution) originates on land—whether along the coast or far inland. Contaminants such as chemicals, nutrients, and heavy metals are carried from farms, factories, and cities by streams and rivers into our bays and estuaries; from there they travel out to sea. Meanwhile, marine debris— particularly plastic —is blown in by the wind or washed in via storm drains and sewers. Our seas are also sometimes spoiled by oil spills and leaks—big and small—and are consistently soaking up carbon pollution from the air. The ocean absorbs as much as a quarter of man-made carbon emissions .

On human health

To put it bluntly: Water pollution kills. In fact, it caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015, according to a study published in The Lancet . Contaminated water can also make you ill. Every year, unsafe water sickens about 1 billion people. And low-income communities are disproportionately at risk because their homes are often closest to the most polluting industries.

Waterborne pathogens, in the form of disease-causing bacteria and viruses from human and animal waste, are a major cause of illness from contaminated drinking water . Diseases spread by unsafe water include cholera, giardia, and typhoid. Even in wealthy nations, accidental or illegal releases from sewage treatment facilities, as well as runoff from farms and urban areas, contribute harmful pathogens to waterways. Thousands of people across the United States are sickened every year by Legionnaires’ disease (a severe form of pneumonia contracted from water sources like cooling towers and piped water), with cases cropping up from California’s Disneyland to Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

A woman using bottled water to wash her three-week-old son at their home in Flint, Michigan

Todd McInturf/The Detroit News/AP

Meanwhile, the plight of residents in Flint, Michigan —where cost-cutting measures and aging water infrastructure created a lead contamination crisis—offers a stark look at how dangerous chemical and other industrial pollutants in our water can be. The problem goes far beyond Flint and involves much more than lead, as a wide range of chemical pollutants—from heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury to pesticides and nitrate fertilizers —are getting into our water supplies. Once they’re ingested, these toxins can cause a host of health issues, from cancer to hormone disruption to altered brain function. Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk.

Even swimming can pose a risk. Every year, 3.5 million Americans contract health issues such as skin rashes, pinkeye, respiratory infections, and hepatitis from sewage-laden coastal waters, according to EPA estimates.

On the environment

In order to thrive, healthy ecosystems rely on a complex web of animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi—all of which interact, directly or indirectly, with each other. Harm to any of these organisms can create a chain effect, imperiling entire aquatic environments.

When water pollution causes an algal bloom in a lake or marine environment, the proliferation of newly introduced nutrients stimulates plant and algae growth, which in turn reduces oxygen levels in the water. This dearth of oxygen, known as eutrophication , suffocates plants and animals and can create “dead zones,” where waters are essentially devoid of life. In certain cases, these harmful algal blooms can also produce neurotoxins that affect wildlife, from whales to sea turtles.

Chemicals and heavy metals from industrial and municipal wastewater contaminate waterways as well. These contaminants are toxic to aquatic life—most often reducing an organism’s life span and ability to reproduce—and make their way up the food chain as predator eats prey. That’s how tuna and other big fish accumulate high quantities of toxins, such as mercury.

Marine ecosystems are also threatened by marine debris , which can strangle, suffocate, and starve animals. Much of this solid debris, such as plastic bags and soda cans, gets swept into sewers and storm drains and eventually out to sea, turning our oceans into trash soup and sometimes consolidating to form floating garbage patches. Discarded fishing gear and other types of debris are responsible for harming more than 200 different species of marine life.

Meanwhile, ocean acidification is making it tougher for shellfish and coral to survive. Though they absorb about a quarter of the carbon pollution created each year by burning fossil fuels, oceans are becoming more acidic. This process makes it harder for shellfish and other species to build shells and may impact the nervous systems of sharks, clownfish, and other marine life.

With your actions

We’re all accountable to some degree for today’s water pollution problem. Fortunately, there are some simple ways you can prevent water contamination or at least limit your contribution to it:

• Learn about the unique qualities of water where you live . Where does your water come from? Is the wastewater from your home treated? Where does stormwater flow to? Is your area in a drought? Start building a picture of the situation so you can discover where your actions will have the most impact—and see if your neighbors would be interested in joining in!
• Reduce your plastic consumption and reuse or recycle plastic when you can.
• Properly dispose of chemical cleaners, oils, and nonbiodegradable items to keep them from going down the drain.
• Maintain your car so it doesn’t leak oil, antifreeze, or coolant.
• If you have a yard, consider landscaping that reduces runoff and avoid applying pesticides and herbicides .
• Don’t flush your old medications! Dispose of them in the trash to prevent them from entering local waterways.
• Be mindful of anything you pour into storm sewers, since that waste often won’t be treated before being released into local waterways. If you notice a storm sewer blocked by litter, clean it up to keep that trash out of the water. (You’ll also help prevent troublesome street floods in a heavy storm.)
• If you have a pup, be sure to pick up its poop .

With your voice

One of the most effective ways to stand up for our waters is to speak out in support of the Clean Water Act, which has helped hold polluters accountable for five decades—despite attempts by destructive industries to gut its authority. But we also need regulations that keep pace with modern-day challenges, including microplastics, PFAS , pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants our wastewater treatment plants weren’t built to handle, not to mention polluted water that’s dumped untreated.

Tell the federal government, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and your local elected officials that you support water protections and investments in infrastructure, like wastewater treatment, lead-pipe removal programs, and stormwater-abating green infrastructure. Also, learn how you and those around you can get involved in the policymaking process . Our public waterways serve every one of us. We should all have a say in how they’re protected.

This story was originally published on May 14, 2018, and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can’t resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can’t republish our material wholesale or automatically—you need to select stories individually; you can’t republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when you’ve used one of our stories.

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Air Pollution STEM

This engaging Air Pollution STEM lesson plan will teach your students all about this critical issue. They’ll learn about the different types of air pollution and their causes, as well as the serious health effects that can result from exposure to polluted air. They’ll also discover ways to reduce air pollution and protect themselves from its harmful effects.

With this lesson plan, your students will gain a better understanding of this complex issue and be equipped with the knowledge they need to help make a difference.

Description

Additional information, what our air pollution stem lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Air Pollution STEM teaches students about the things that can make the air quality worse. Students will learn about the term pollution and discuss the causes and effects of pollutants in the air. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The supplies you need for this lesson are vinegar, distilled water, eggshell pieces, green leaves, paperclips, masking tape, markers, pH strips, and two clean jars per student.

Options for Lesson

You may choose to incorporate some of the suggestions in the “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page. One suggestion is to assign students different cities for which they can check the air quality index. The class can then discuss each city and its air quality. Another option is for students to present their air quality calendars to the class. You could also display them on the walls for students to observe.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson and remind you what to focus on. It explains that the focus of this lesson is on the causes of air pollution. The blank lines on this page are available for you to write out thoughts and ideas you have as you prepare the lesson.

AIR POLLUTION STEM LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

The Air Pollution STEM lesson plan contains a total of three content pages. To start off, the lesson explains that pollution in the air occurs when pollutants get stuck in the atmosphere. These pollutants can be solid, liquid, or gas particles that hang around in the air. They can come from either natural or manmade sources.

The lesson lists three types of natural sources from which pollutants can originate, which are volcanoes, wildfires, and mold spores. There are also three human-made pollutants on the chart: factories, car or vehicle exhaust, and the burning of coal or oil. There are many more examples, and you could ask the class if they can think of other sources, either natural or manmade.

Many different things can cause air pollution. They fall into the same categories as the types of pollutants: natural or human. Natural causes include dust storms, volcanoes, and forest fires. Human causes include airplanes, spray cans, and landfills. Burning fossil fuels releases gases into the air that cause pollution. The most familiar type of pollution from this source is smog.

Unsurprisingly, there are many detrimental effects of pollution on the environment. As the levels of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere, we experience global warming. The carbon cycle becomes imbalanced, and Earth’s global temperature increases. This causes the ice to melt at the polar icecaps. That water flows into the ocean, which causes the water levels to rise.

Another problem with air pollution involves the ozone layer that protects us from the sun’s harmful rays. When something called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) enter the air from spray cans and methane gas, they deplete the ozone layer. Acid rain is another harmful effect. This occurs when gas pollutants like sulfur dioxide mix with the rain. The resulting chemical reaction creates acid rain. When rain washes the contaminants out of the air, it can cause significant damage to both plant and animal life, sometimes even killing fish.

Students will discover that smog results from pollutants combining with the ozone layer. It looks like smoky fog and is often a brownish color. The Earth itself is affected by air pollution because the dark-colored pollutants absorb the sun’s heat. Extra heat also causes the Earth’s average temperature to increase.

AIR POLLUTION STEM LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Air Pollution STEM lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each one will reinforce students’ comprehension of lesson material in different ways and help them demonstrate when they learned. Use the guidelines on the classroom procedure page to determine when to distribute each worksheet to the class.

OBSERVATION CHART ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

For the activity, students will predict the effects of acid on various materials. First, they will record their predictions about how objects will change in water and how they will change in vinegar. They will then predict what they think will happen over the course of a week. The second worksheet page is an observation chart on which to record their observations every day. After a week, students will answer the four questions on the first worksheet page.

AIR POLLUTION STEM PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet includes a table and eight photos. The table has two columns, one for items that cause air pollution and one for items that do not. Students will cut out the eight photo squares and paste them in the correct column of the table.

AIR QUALITY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

If you like, you can complete this assignment as a class. Students will record the air quality of their city every day for two weeks. They will use different colors to represent the air quality index, from green for good to brown for hazardous.

Worksheet Answer Keys

There are answer keys for the practice and homework worksheets. The correct answers are in red to make it easy to compare them with students’ responses. Given the nature of the homework assignment, however, answers will vary based on a number of variables. You will have to ensure you record the air quality index for the two required weeks to which you can compare students’ work. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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Study Session 7  Pollution: Types, Sources and Characteristics

Introduction.

You were introduced to wastes and pollutants in Study Session 1, where we discussed the interactions between humans and our environment. Pollution was defined as the introduction into the environment of substances liable to cause harm to humans and other living organisms. Many human activities pollute our environment, adversely affecting the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the soil in which we grow food.

In this and the next study session we will look more closely at pollution. In this session you will learn about the different types and sources of pollution and the various human activities that can cause pollution. We will also describe the ways pollution can affect different sectors of the environment: water, air and soil. Study Session 8 describes some of the significant effects of pollution on the environment and on human health. It also discusses options for preventing and controlling pollution.

Learning Outcomes for Study Session 7

When you have studied this session, you should be able to:

7.1  Define and use correctly all of the key words printed in bold . (SAQs 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4)

7.2  Describe the main types of pollution. (SAQ 7.3)

7.3  Describe the sources of pollution and the way pollutants reach the environment. (SAQ 7.4)

7.4  Describe the main characteristics of water, air and soil pollution. (SAQ 7.5)

7.1  What is pollution?

If you hold up a glass of water in front of you, how can you tell if it’s polluted? You would expect drinking water to be colourless, odourless and transparent (not turbid with suspended particulates). If it was not all of these things, then it could be polluted. If you were looking at water in a river, it is unlikely to be as clear as drinking water in a glass, but you could deduce it was probably not polluted if you observed that the water did not look dirty or smell bad. You might also observe that animals were drinking the water without ill effects and fish were swimming in it. However, if the water was discoloured or had an unpleasant odour, or you could see dead fish floating on the surface you could conclude that pollution was the problem.

Let us consider the human activity that could have caused the pollution. Imagine a river that flows through an area of land on the edges of a town. The water is used by the community for drinking and other domestic uses and also for vegetable farming. Several residents use this water to irrigate small areas of land where they cultivate vegetables and many of the farmers use fertiliser and pesticide to improve productivity (Figure 7.1). Fertilisers are made of chemicals such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, which are essential plant nutrients. Pesticides are chemicals that destroy pests but can be harmful to other forms of life – including humans.

Imagine that one farmer has finished spreading the chemicals on his crop and decides to wash the empty pesticide sack he has been using in the river. Later that day, it rains heavily and rainwater is seen running off the field into the river. What do you think happens? The river is receiving run-off containing fertiliser and pesticide chemicals that had been applied to the crops, which is made worse by the farmer washing his sack that had contained the pesticide. This could harm fish and other organisms living in the water – possibly killing them. The river is also used by the community so the chemicals could get into drinking water that is consumed by humans. The river has been polluted by the careless action of the farmer washing his sack and by the action of rainwater washing the chemicals into the river.

Pollution always has a source and a recipient. The source is where the pollution comes from, that is, where the pollution is released into the environment. The recipient is where the pollution ends up, which may be a part of the environment or people or animals that become contaminated or damaged.

In the above example about the farmer washing the pesticide sack in the river, what is the source and what is the recipient of the pollution?

The pollution source is the activity of urban farming with pesticides and fertilisers and washing sacks so that pollutants get into the river. In this example, the primary recipient is the water body that receives the pollutants. Other recipients are the people who drink the contaminated water and animals such as fish that also are affected.

There are a number of ways of identifying pollution. These include finding symptoms of damage to aquatic plants and animals (such as dead fish), finding chemicals in the water, comparing the previous history of the quality of water with the present quality, and getting complaints from water users. Even when a problem has been found, investigations to identify the source may take time. For example, water samples from several different points upstream and downstream will need to be analysed to locate precisely where the problem originated.

There are several different ways of classifying pollutants. They can be categorised by their physical nature, by their source, by the recipient or by the sector of the environment affected. In the following sections we will look at each of these classification groups

7.2  Physical nature of the pollutant

Pollutants may be in the form of gas, liquid, solid or energy.

What polluting gases can you think of?

Greenhouse gases are pollutants that contribute to human-induced climate change (mentioned in Study Session 1). The main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen oxides.

Liquid pollutants usually come from liquid waste. Liquid waste includes human excreta (both faeces and urine), industrial wastewaters and other forms of waste from water-using activities (Figure 7.2). Factories generate liquid waste from activities related to washing in the manufacturing process, cleaning objects and chemical mixing. Sewage is a mixture of human excreta from water-flushed toilets and other wastewater from houses and businesses. Sewage and human waste from overflowing septic tanks and latrines are frequent sources of pollution.

Urban run-off is another type of liquid waste that can cause pollution. Rainwater washes many different types of waste from the land surface into lakes and rivers. Urban run-off can contain a lot of organic matter. This may come from open defecation or inappropriate handling of organic wastes produced from households and businesses. Organic matter includes anything that is derived from living organisms, such as human and animal wastes, decaying plants and food wastes.

Pollutants also come in solid form. Plastic bags are one of the most common solid wastes. Solid waste is any solid material that is assumed not to be useful and is therefore thrown away. Factories, businesses and households produce different kinds of solid waste such as paper, plastics, metals, chemicals in solid form, pieces of cloth or food and animal remains (Figure 7.3). Sometimes you may have observed faecal matter discarded with solid waste, which adds to the problems.

There is a fourth type of pollution that is common in urban communities. This is energy in the form of noise pollution. Noise pollution means unacceptable levels of noise in work, residential and recreational places. Noise makes it difficult to have a conversation and also irritates and disturbs us and in the long term can damage our hearing. Loud music from music shops and clubs in an urban community is a known source of noise disturbance. Such noise may please some, but it disturbs many other people because it interferes with communication in the daytime and sleeping at night.

7.3  Sources of pollution

Another way of classifying pollution is by the sector of human activity that produces it. Before we look at the various sectors, there is an important distinction to be made about pollution sources. Sources of pollution can be categorised as point or non-point sources. Point sources are identifiable points or places that you can easily locate. An example is a diesel truck that produces visible black exhaust fumes from its tailpipe. Liquid waste released from a pipe into a river is another example (Figure 7.4). A non-point source (also known as ‘diffuse pollution’) is one where it is difficult to identify the exact origin of the pollution. A good example is floodwater that washes all types of waste from the land (possibly including faecal matter) into a river. In this situation you cannot identify the individual or household or establishment that has caused the water pollution (Figure 7.5).

Can you think of examples of point and non-point source pollution from earlier in this study session?

The farmer washing his sack is an example of a point source because you could identify where he washed his sack. However, the pesticide washing from the field is an example of a non-point source. The pollutant would wash into the river at several places, and could possibly also have come from other fields. This is an example of how difficult it can sometimes be to accurately identify the source.

7.3.1  Domestic sources

Domestic sources of pollution include toilets, latrines and wastewater from kitchens and bathrooms. If these wastes are properly contained and prevented from getting into the environment, they will not cause pollution. However, frequently this is not the case. Open defecation obviously releases human waste into the environment, which can then be washed into rivers and other surface waters.

What types of organic waste are produced by a typical household?

The organic wastes from domestic sources include human excreta and also food waste and other kitchen waste such as cooking oil residues.

Solid wastes from households and also from shops, markets and businesses include food waste, packaging materials and other forms of rubbish. Domestic sources are also responsible for gaseous pollutants in the form of smoke and carbon dioxide from domestic fires.

7.3.2  Industry

Pollution from the industrial sector in Ethiopia has been on the rise, posing a serious problem to the environment. Many industrial processes produce polluting waste substances that are discharged to the environment, frequently through chimneys (to the air) or through pipes (to surface water) (Figure 7.6). Among the most polluting industries are food processing, tanneries and textiles with processing plants and factories that produce liquid effluents which are discharged into rivers, often without treatment (Ademe and Alemayehu, 2014; Wosnie and Wondie, 2014). In practice, rivers frequently receive polluting discharges from many different sources all at the same time. The Little Akaki River in Addis Ababa, for example, is polluted by several different industrial sources as well as by domestic wastes (Tegegn, 2012).

7.3.3  Agriculture

Like industry, agricultural activities are also increasing in Ethiopia, and changing too. Nowadays, agricultural activities in Ethiopia use more pesticides and fertilisers. Ethiopia imports over 3000 tons of various types of pesticides annually (Federal Environment Protection Authority, 2004). Fertiliser use in Ethiopia has increased from 140,000 metric tons in the early 1990s to around 650,000 metric tons in 2012 (Rashid et al., 2013). Fertiliser contains phosphate and nitrate and if these reach water bodies they can cause excessive plant growth (Figure 7.7).

Agriculture is also responsible for gaseous pollutants in the form of methane produced by livestock and solid pollutants from crop residues, packaging materials and other wastes similar to those produced domestically. Animals also contribute to waste products and potential pollutants with their excrement.

7.3.4  Transport

Do you live in a city or have you visited a city close to where you live? If so you will no doubt be familiar with the variety of vehicles on our roads (Figure 7.8). Some are small cars, others are heavy motor trucks. These vehicles differ not only in their size, but also by using different types of fuel such as petrol, diesel, and blended fuel (10% ethanol and petrol). If you observe the tailpipe of diesel engine vehicles, you will have seen the black exhaust gas produced. The intensity of the black colour is greater for poorly maintained vehicles, to the extent sometimes that it makes the air hazy or smoky and causes coughs and eye irritation. The lack of a policy to remove old vehicles from the roads adds to the problem. Tiwari (2012) found that nearly a third of vehicles in Addis Ababa were over 30 years old, resulting in high levels of tailpipe emissions. Traffic jams, common in all big cities, make the problems worse.

7.4  Pathways of pollution

We said earlier that pollution always has a source and a recipient. The pathway of pollution is the way the pollutant moves from the source, enters into the environment, and finally how it reaches the human body or other recipient. The pathway between source and recipient can take several different forms depending on the type of pollutant. Primary recipients for pollution are water, air, and soil. Pollutants usually reach humans through the consumption of contaminated and polluted water and food, and breathing polluted air.

Once released into the environment, the worst effects of many pollutants are reduced by one or more of the following processes:

• Dispersion – smoke disperses into the air and is no longer noticeable away from the source.
• Dilution – soluble pollutants are diluted in the water of a river or lake.
• Deposition – some suspended solids carried in a river settle (are deposited) on the river bed.
• Degradation – some substances break down (degrade) by natural processes into different, simpler substances that are not polluting.

In each case the effect is to reduce the concentration of the pollutant. Concentration is a measure of the amount of the substance in a known volume of water or air. The units used for water pollutants are usually milligrams per litre (mg/l, also written as mg l -1 ), although sometimes you may see ppm which stands for ‘parts per million’.

These processes do not apply to all pollutants. There are some persistent pollutants which remain intact when released into the environment because they do not break down by natural processes. These are described in Study Session 8.

7.5  Sector of the environment affected by pollution

Classifying pollution by the sector of the environment affected – water, air, soil and land – is probably the most commonly used method.

7.5.1  Water pollution

Water pollution can affect surface water such as rivers and lakes, soil moisture and groundwater in aquifers, and the oceans. As you know from Study Session 4, the actions of the water cycle connect all these different reservoirs of water. For example, a polluted river will discharge into the ocean and could damage the marine environment. However, the volume of water in the ocean can disperse and dilute the pollutant so that its worst effects are only felt near the mouth of the river.

Water pollution is characterised by the presence of excess physical, chemical or biological substances that change the qualities of the water and are capable of causing harm to living organisms. We mentioned earlier that natural or unpolluted water is colourless, odourless and transparent. Water that tastes or smells bad or is cloudy can be said to have the symptoms of water pollution. However, some water pollutants cannot be seen or tasted, for example some chemicals, such as pesticides, and most of the micro-organisms that cause waterborne diseases. So, water pollution involves more than just the appearance of the water. Polluted water should not be used for drinking, washing, bathing or agriculture. If polluted water is used by humans, then it can adversely affect the body in different ways, depending on the type and concentration of pollutant.

You also read in Study Session 4 that most rivers and streams in Ethiopia contain significant quantities of suspended solids that are carried along in the flow and make the water look brown in colour, especially in the rainy season (Figure 7.9). Most of the solids are fine particles of soil that have been washed into the river from surrounding land by rain, often following cultivation or construction work. Large quantities of solids in the water can reduce light penetration into the water which can affect the growth of plants.

Biological water pollutants are micro-organisms that are harmful to humans and other forms of life. They are responsible for many different waterborne diseases. The original source of these pollutants is people or animals already infected with the micro-organisms concerned. If faeces from infected people are not correctly contained and treated, the pollutants can get into surface and groundwater. The main groups of biological pollutants are bacteria, viruses, protozoa and helminths (worms).

Chemical water pollutants take many different forms depending on their source. They include plant nutrients (compounds of phosphorus and nitrogen) used as fertilisers which, as you read earlier, can be washed from fields into rivers. These nutrients are also produced by the breakdown of human and animal wastes and are common pollutants of surface waters.

Chemical pollutants also include heavy metals , pesticides and other persistent pollutants. Heavy metals are a group of toxic chemical pollutants that contain compounds of persistent metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead and chromium. The presence of heavy metals in water in excess of acceptable levels can cause illness and death among animals and humans if consumed through drinking and food (Zinabu and Pearce, 2003).

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are also toxic to humans and wildlife. They include many different synthetic organic chemicals manufactured for use as pesticides and in industrial processes, e.g. DDT, aldrin and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Many of these persistent chemicals have been banned in some countries. Their persistence in the environment creates specific problems that are described in Study Session 8.

7.5.2  Air pollution

Air pollution can exist at all scales, from local to global, and can include gases and solid particles. It can affect you in your own home, or in your town or city, and can contribute to global atmospheric changes. The most common sources of air pollution in the urban centres of Ethiopia include the burning of wood, charcoal and other biomass fuel by households, small businesses such as bakeries, manufacturing industries, and vehicles.

Air pollution is defined as the presence in the air of abnormal amounts of chemical constituents capable of causing harm to living organisms. Clean air consists of nitrogen (78% by volume), oxygen (21%) and trace gases (

The emission of black smoke is an indication of intense pollution. However, not all air pollution is visible or can be smelled. Gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are invisible and odourless. Carbon monoxide is very dangerous to humans. It can be produced by inefficient burning of fuel (for example a charcoal stove in a home with inadequate air supply) and if breathed in large quantities it can be deadly. Carbon dioxide is an important pollutant that is involved in climate change. (You will learn about in climate change in Study Sessions 9, 10 and 11.)

7.5.3  Soil and land pollution

Soil pollution, also called land pollution, is linked to water pollution. Liquid wastes containing toxic chemicals or pathogenic micro-organisms on the surface of the land can seep slowly into the soil and may percolate down to contaminate groundwater, which can affect people using springs or wells in the area. Possible sources include open defecation, pit latrines or leaking storage containers for industrial chemicals and wastes.

Solid waste can cause soil pollution. A collection of solid wastes in one place or scattered around is unsightly and might smell bad to you as you pass by (Figure 7.10). Household waste typically consists mostly of food waste that will gradually decompose. This produces a bad odour and attracts insects and rats, both of which contribute to the transmission of disease. As the waste decomposes it produces a liquid called leachate which trickles down into the soil. Leachate is a highly concentrated liquid pollutant that may contain toxic chemicals and pathogenic micro-organisms as well as high levels of organic compounds. Rainwater falling on, and washing through, solid waste adds to the problem.

Summary of Session 7

In Study Session 7, you have learned that:

• Environmental pollution is the result of human activity and development that occurs when physical, biological and chemical agents are released to the environment in such quantities that the pollution adversely affects human health and damages the environment.
• Pollution can be classified by its physical nature, by its source, by its recipient, by the sector affected or by its effects.
• Pollution may be in the form of a gas, liquid, solid or energy.
• Sources of pollution may be point sources, which are easily identified, or non-point sources, where the pollution comes from diffuse sources that are not easy to pinpoint.
• There are different types of pollution: water pollution, air pollution, solid waste pollution and noise pollution. All of these can be found in urban areas.
• The main sources of pollution are household activities, factories, agriculture and transport.
• Once they have been released into the environment, the concentration of some pollutants is reduced by dispersion, dilution, deposition or degradation.
• Water can be contaminated by physical pollutants (solid material), biological pollutants (such as bacteria that cause waterborne diseases), and many different chemical pollutants.
• Air pollution can be caused by gases or solid particulates.
• Soil pollution is linked to groundwater pollution. Solid waste can produce highly polluting leachate which contaminates soil groundwater.

Self-Assessment Questions (SAQs) for Study Session 7

Now that you have completed this study session, you can assess how well you have achieved its Learning Outcomes by answering these questions.

SAQ 7.1 (tests Learning Outcome 7.1)

Why is a point source of pollution easier to identify than a non-point source of pollution?

Point sources of pollution are easier to identify because they come from points or places that you can easily locate, such as a pipe discharging waste into a river. A non-point source is more difficult to identify because it does not come from just one place, but can come from a wide area, for example fertiliser washing off a number of fields or floodwater that washes waste from latrines.

SAQ 7.2 (tests Learning Outcome 7.1)

Rewrite the sentences below using terms from the list provided to fill the gaps:

concentration, heavy metals, organic matter, persistent pollutant, sewage.

……………… consists of human excreta and wastewater. It has a high ……………… of ………………

Some pollutants, called ………………, do not break down naturally in the environment. Examples are mercury, cadmium and other ………………

Sewage consists of human excreta and wastewater. It has a high concentration of organic matter .

Some pollutants, called persistent pollutants , do not break down naturally in the environment. Examples are mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals .

SAQ 7.3 (tests Learning Outcomes 7.1 and 7.2)

Describe what is meant by the terms liquid waste and solid waste, using examples from your own experience to illustrate your answer.

Liquid waste is liquid material that is thrown away, or discharged into the environment. From the household you might include human excreta (both faeces and urine) and other wastewaters. In your area you might also see urban run-off when rain washes waste from the land surface. You might also see liquid waste discharged from factories through a pipe into a river.

Solid waste is any solid material that is assumed not to be useful and is therefore thrown away; examples that you might use include food waste, cloth, paper and plastic that are thrown out from your own household or that you see in the area where you live.

SAQ 7.4 (tests Learning Outcomes 7.1 and 7.3)

For the scenarios (a) to (d), fill in the table below to show the pollutant, the source of pollution, the possible pathways and the recipients:

• a. A farmer washes an empty pesticide sack in a river; the river flows into a lake which is used for drinking water by people from a local town.
• b. Rain falls on a waste dump used to collect household waste; the waste dump isn’t properly sealed and liquid percolates down into the soil and into groundwater that is extracted from a nearby well for domestic use.
• c. A tannery based in a town produces liquid waste that contains organic matter and chemicals used in the tanning process; this effluent is discharged into the local river which flows out of the town and through a nature park.
• d. A bus driving through a busy town emits black smoke from its tailpipe.

SAQ 7.5 (tests Learning Outcome 7.4)

Describe how water pollution can change the characteristics of water.

Natural or unpolluted water is colourless, odourless and transparent. Water pollution changes the characteristics of water by the presence of excess physical, chemical or biological substances that change the qualities of the water and are capable of causing harm to living organisms.

Polluted water can taste or smell bad or be cloudy. Polluted water can contain suspended solids that make the water look brown in colour; most of the solids are fine particles of soil that have been washed into the river by rain from surrounding land. Large quantities of solids in the water can reduce light penetration into the water which can affect the growth of plants.

Water pollution changes more than just the appearance of the water. Polluted water can also contain chemicals, such as pesticides, fertilisers and heavy metals that are toxic. Polluted water also can contain biological substances such as organic matter and micro-organisms that cause waterborne diseases.

Copyright © 2016 The Open University

Pollution and Its Types, Effects, Causes, Controlling Measures

Pollution is the accumulation of contaminants in the environment that is harmful to humans, the environment, and natural resources. Check the detailed article on Pollution and Its Types.

Table of Contents

Pollution is the accumulation of contaminants in the environment that is harmful to humans, the environment, and natural resources. The environment is what surrounds an organism and is made up of various elements that support life, such as air, water, land, soil, etc. For the organism to thrive, these basic components must exist in a certain proportion and keep the environment in a rhythmic balance. There are several different categories of pollution, including air, water, soil, noise, land, thermal, and light pollution. Check the detailed article on Pollution and Its Types.

Any unfavorable modification or alteration in this ratio of the biological components constitutes pollution. Physical, economic, and social emergencies are caused by numerous types of pollution that result from rising pollution levels. The essential characteristics of pollution, including its types, causes, effects, and control measures will be highlighted in this article.

What is Pollution?

The biological elements of the planet are contaminated by pollution, which has a negative effect on typical ecological processes. Pollution is defined as any unnatural and harmful changes in any dimension (such as the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of any ecosystem component) that have the potential to have dangerous repercussions on a variety of life forms and property.

One of the main problems facing civilization is pollution, which affects both people and other living things and is getting worse every day. Human activities harm the environment because they contaminate the soil we use to grow plants, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.

Types of Environmental Pollution

There are primarily 7 types of pollution that can arise on Earth. The sources, impacts, and preventative actions for each of the pollution categories mentioned in this article are detailed below.

Air Pollution

Air pollution is brought on by several pollutants, including carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), dust, mold spores, nitrogen oxides, pollen, and sulfur dioxide. Gases and solid particles in the atmosphere contribute to air pollution. In communities, hazardous gases are also produced through the use of coal, dry grass, dry farm waste, and leaves as home fuels. Some additional sources of Air Pollution are:

• Automobile pollution
• Burning of garbage
• Decayed plants and animals
• Indoor air pollution
• Industrial air pollution
• Radioactive elements.

The main impacts of air pollution are disorders of the lungs and respiratory systems and an increase in the risk of heart disease in people. Additionally, it might cause bronchitis and asthma. The environment may also be impacted since it produces more greenhouse emissions. To reduce air pollution, households and businesses should run on better-designed machinery and smokeless fuels.

• To keep the ecosystem in balance and control the impact of the rising greenhouse gases, afforestation—the planting of additional trees—should be promoted.
• The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and the National Air Quality Monitoring Program (NAMP) are two more actions the government took to reduce air pollution.

Water Pollution

When hazardous substances, such as chemical contaminants, untreated waste discharges, and sewage, are dumped into rivers, lakes, and seas, water pollution results. Farming practices that use excessive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, which can harm water bodies, are among the origins of water pollution. Environmental Pollution of water has the following causes:

• Agricultural pollutants are dumped into the water bodies.
• Disposal of radioactive substances into seawater.
• Industrial effluents enter oceans.
• Trading of marine.
• Offshore oil rigs.
• Recreational sports.
• Sewage is disposed of into the sea by rivers.

When the amount of mercury in the water grows, water pollution has the potential to lead to both dropsy illness in fish and Minamata disease in people. Additionally, it causes eutrophication (an oversupply of nutrients) and biological amplification (an increase in the concentration of harmful substances).

By changing the methods used to prevent water pollution from the environment, water usage must be controlled or decreased. For reuse, wastewater needs to undergo thorough treatment.

Soil Pollution

When levels of pollutants or harmful compounds rise and build up on the soil surface, it results in environmental pollution of the soil. Salinity and decreased soil fertility are two impacts of soil contamination. Drains become blocked as a result, which causes the release of unpleasant scents and gases. The contaminants that cause soil pollution are:

• Inorganic ions and metals
• Salts (e.g., carbonates, nitrates, phosphates, sulfates)
• Organic compounds (such as alcohols, DNA, fatty acids, hydrocarbons, lipids, proteins, PAHs, etc.).

We need to cease using plastic if we want to reduce soil pollution. To prevent soil pollution, plastic use should be decreased, and sewage should be properly treated before being used as fertilizer on planted areas.

Thermal Pollution

Thermal pollution is the loss of water quality caused by any procedure that raises the temperature of the water around it. Thermal pollution is the loss of water quality caused by any procedure that raises the temperature of the water around it.

When industrial enterprises and power plants use water as a coolant, environmental contamination results. Some of the sources of thermal pollution are industrial boilers, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, nuclear and electric power plants, and steel-melting companies.

The repercussions of thermal pollution include a reduction in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, the extinction of numerous fish and invertebrate species, and the destruction of their eggs that have been laid in the water bodies.

There are certain scientific methods for preventing thermal environmental pollution, such as building cooling ponds or buildings and creating artificial lakes. These lakes are created by humans and offer a potential substitute for natural water supplies for cooling power plants.

Noise Pollution

Unwanted sound, or noise pollution, causes excruciating ear agony. Decibels (dB) are used to measure sound levels; noise levels about 90 dB produce auricular weakening, while sound levels beyond 100 dB might result in permanent hearing loss. The sound of the ship’s water contributes to noise pollution by interfering with whales’ ability to navigate and even destroying aquatic animals.

• The machinery in the industries makes noises like grinding and thunder.
• This kind of pollution is brought on by exploding rocks and soil, drilling tube wells, large earth-moving equipment, and ventilation fans at construction sites.
• The loud sound of loudspeakers and the horns on cars are other sources of this environmental pollution.

Noise pollution can lead to high blood pressure, stress-related illnesses, speech impediment, hearing loss, unbalanced sleep patterns, and decreased productivity.

By keeping roadside cars in good condition and employing soundproof technology in busy areas, noise pollution can be reduced. Horn usage on roads should be kept to a minimum. Silencers must be installed on industrial machinery and automobiles to prevent excessive noise.

Light Pollution

Light pollution, also known as photo pollution and frequently seen in urban areas, is caused by the additional light in the night sky. Because it ruins the ecology, this kind of environmental pollution makes it difficult to discern between day and night.

Artificial indoor or outdoor light, street lighting, display and advertisement lighting, security lights, luminous athletic arenas, etc. are the culprits. The effects of light pollution on ecosystems, the night sky, astronomical research, astronomical observations, energy waste, and the health of living things are all negative.

Light pollution has an adverse effect on wildlife rhythms, increases carbon dioxide levels, disrupts sleep cycles, and distorts the appearance of stars in the night sky. Control Measures for light pollution are:

• Lights should be turned off whenever unused, especially at night.
• The overutilization of indoor lights should be minimized.
• Lights should be pointed towards the ground whenever you are going outside your home.

Radioactive Pollution

The deposition or introduction of radioactive materials into an environment when their presence is unplanned or the levels of radioactivity are unwanted is known as radioactive contamination. Due to the ionizing radiation it emits, this kind of pollution is dangerous to human health. Radiation of this kind has enough power to harm DNA in genes and cells. Radioactivity can occur in one of two ways:

• Naturally occurring radioactivity
• Man-made radioactivity

One of the most infamous cases that resulted in radioactive pollution was the Chernobyl disaster. Other examples include:

• Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster
• Nuclear fallout (after atmospheric nuclear explosions)
• Criticality accidents

Effects of Environmental Pollution

All living things are susceptible to the dangers of environmental contamination. Wheezing, coughing, respiratory problems, and other conditions can all be brought on by air pollution. It can also irritate the skin, nose, and throat.

• Asthma, heart attacks, and other respiratory issues can all be brought on by air pollution.
• Acid rain, ozone layer degradation, and global warming are further effects of air pollution.
• When consumed by people, environmental pollution of water can kill aquatic life and possibly result in diseases like typhoid and jaundice.
• Water that has been contaminated has very little dissolved oxygen (DO), making it unsafe to consume.
• The quality of plants cultivated can be impacted by soil or land contamination, which might interfere with the subsurface life of microorganisms.

Environmental Pollution Control Measures

Different types of environmental contamination can be controlled by implementing some appropriate actions. For the protection of people and other living things, pollution management is necessary.

• Given that plastic takes years to disintegrate in the ecosystem, its usage should be outlawed.
• Both interior and outdoor lighting should not be used needlessly. Crackers ought to be prohibited since they significantly harm the environment.
• Reusable materials can help reduce environmental pollution, and they should be vigorously promoted and recycled for use in the future.
• More people should choose public transportation because it consumes less energy and gas.
• Since fans consume less electricity and energy to run, they should be used more frequently than air conditioners.

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Pollution and Its Types FAQs

What are the causes of pollution.

The primary cause of pollution is a pollutant. It is a substance that causes various types of pollution.

What are the effects of pollution?

Different environmental pollutants impose different effects on human health. For instance, air pollution increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease etc.

Why is environmental pollution a global concern?

Pollution is among the most severe challenge worldwide. Various types of pollution occur due to increased pollutant levels on the Earth’s atmosphere, water, land, soil, etc.

How can environmental pollution be controlled?

Some measures individuals and communities can adopt to manage environmental pollution are:

1. Families and industrial enterprises should function with better-design machines and smokeless fuels to lessen air pollution. 2. Adequately maintaining roadside vehicles and using soundproof instruments in loud places can help to bring down noise pollution. 3. The usage of plastic should be reduced to control soil pollution.

What are the types of environmental pollution?

Seven types of environmental pollution are known. These include air, water, soil, thermal, noise, light, and Radioactive pollution.

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FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

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Lesson Pollution Solutions

Grade Level: 5 (4-6)

Time Required: 45 minutes

Lesson Dependency: None

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• Print lesson and its associated curriculum

Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• Cleaning Air with Balloons
• Cleaning Air Like a Vacuum Cleaner: Let's Bag It
• A Merry-Go-Round for Dirty Air
• Washing Air: Wet Scrubber Pollutant Recovery Method
• What's a Kid to Do? Environmental Letter Campaign
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Engineering connection, learning objectives, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, associated activities, lesson closure, vocabulary/definitions, user comments & tips.

One of the biggest challenges environmental and chemical engineers face is devising new techniques to prevent the creation of additional air pollution from manufacturing and industry. Their challenge is compounded by industry owners who do not want the added clean-up steps than can slow down and/or add cost to their manufacturing processes. So, engineers must be creative in designing new pollutant recovery methods and industrial technologies that clean and prevent air pollution.

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Describe and explain how a scrubber, an electrostatic precipitator, a cyclone and a baghouse work as pollutant recovery methods.
• Give examples of when the use of a scrubber, an electrostatic precipitator, a cyclone or a baghouse is appropriate.
• Describe how engineers create technology to help industry clean up their air pollution.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science, international technology and engineering educators association - technology.

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State Standards

Colorado - science.

Ask students to suggest ideas to the following questions: How would you clean up air that is dirty with dust, particulate matter and gases? Would you establish any laws? Who would the laws impact: industries, small businesses, citizens? Write their ideas on the chalkboard.

Hopefully, the student suggestions include "washing the air" and, perhaps, using a filter. If not, prompt them by asking how nature cleans the air, and what happens to all the dirt and dust that is suctioned up by a vacuum. Discuss what they think should happen if somebody releases a large amount of pollution into the air.

The Clean Air Act of 1970 regulates how much of any pollutant can be released into the air. Two kinds of pollutants are regulated under the Clean Air Act. One type, called "criteria" pollutants, includes these six pollutants: carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, lead and particulate matter. Criteria air pollutants are discharged in relatively large quantities by a variety of sources, and they threaten human health and welfare across broad regions of the country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets national standards for each of the criteria pollutants, and the states must take action to ensure the standards are met. Failure to meet the standards is called "nonattainment." Many urban areas are classified as "non-attainment areas" for at least one criteria air pollutant. The Clean Air Act establishes "enforcement" methods that can be used to make polluters obey the laws and regulations. Enforcement methods include citations (like traffic tickets), fines and jail terms for violators of the law. As the goals of the law are met, we breathe cleaner air every year.

The most common methods of eliminating or reducing pollutants to an acceptable level are: destroying the pollutant by thermal or catalytic combustion (burning the air), changing the pollutant to a less toxic form or collecting the pollution with equipment to prevent its escape into the atmosphere. Explain to the students that in this lesson they will investigate four air pollution cleaning methods developed by environmental engineers and used in industry: scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, cyclones and baghouses.

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

One of the biggest challenges environmental and chemical engineers face is devising new techniques to prevent the creation of additional air pollution. Manufacturing and industry are large contributors to air pollution. In this lesson, students take on the role of engineers and experiment with four different methods for cleaning up industrially-polluted air. To do this, conduct four of the activities listed in the Associated Activities section in sequence to model the four technologies used to reduce industrial air pollution: Washing Air: Wet Scrubber Pollutant Recovery Method (wet scrubber) , Cleaning Air with Balloons (electrostatic precipitator) , A Merry-Go-Round for Dirty Air (cyclone) and Cleaning Air Like a Vacuum Cleaner: Let's Bag It (baghouse) .

Industrial Cleaning Methods

Natural Cleaning Methods

There are also a number of natural ways to clean the air, including:

• Hurricanes (violent tropical storms of rain, lightning, thunder and high winds)
• Tornadoes (violent, funnel-shaped windstorms that are very destructive)
• Raindrops, snowflakes and other precipitation events remove air pollution through the natural water cycle (although this can lead to water and land pollution)
• Plants (especially spider plants)
• Mucus inside our noses traps the dirt and germs from the air before they reach our lungs. If the air is really dirty it cannot stop all the pollution, so some of it may reach and damage our lungs (i.e., smoking effects).

Clean Air Act

To help reduce air pollution, over the years, our government has passed many laws, called the Clean Air Act. The first Clean Air Act was passed in 1963. The Clean Air Act tells people everything they must do to reduce air pollution. Several Clean Air Acts have been passed since 1963. The most recent one was passed in 1990. (For more information, see the attached Clean Air Act Reading .)

• Cleaning Air with Balloons - Students observe and discuss a simple balloon model of an electrostatic precipitator to better understand how this pollution recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.
• Cleaning Air Like a Vacuum Cleaner: Let's Bag It - Students observe and discuss a vacuum cleaner model of a baghouse to better understand how this pollution recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.
• A Merry-Go-Round for Dirty Air - Students observe and discuss a cup and pencil model of a cyclone to better understand how this pollution recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.
• Washing Air: Wet Scrubber Pollutant Recovery Method - Students observe and discuss a simple model of a wet scrubber to better understand how this pollution recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.
• What's a Kid to Do? Environmental Letter Campaign - In this literacy activity, students write letters as part of an environmental action campaign. They become more aware of global environmental problems and play a part in their solution.

Write on the chalkboard the following information on the four air pollutant removal methods explored in the four activities in the Associated Activities section:

Baghouses: 99.9% efficiency

Cyclones: 95% efficiency

Electrostatic precipitators: 99.9% efficiency

Wet scrubbers: 95% efficiency

Ask the students the following questions to help clarify their understanding of the industrial air pollutant recovery methods in use today, and discuss as a class:

• Does a wet scrubber clean up all of the pollutants? (Answer: No, it removes 95% of them.)
• Do any of these cleaning methods remove all pollutants from the air? (Answer: No. They range from 95-99.9% efficient.)
• Which type of air cleaning process would be the best for removing particles? Which method is most efficient? (Answer: The baghouses and precipitators are the most efficient.)
• Which method is least efficient? (Answer: Cyclones.)
• Which type of air cleaner would be the best for removing waste gases? (Answer: Wet scrubbers work better on acidic, basic or corrosive gasses. Cyclones work better on other gases.)
• When might one type of pollutant recovery method be better than another? (Answer: It would depend on the type of pollutant(s), cost, location, etc.)
• If the baghouses and precipitators are the most efficient, why would you ever want to use a wet scrubber or cyclone? (Answer: It depends on the type of pollutant(s) and the industrial conditions. Wet scrubbers work better on acidic, basic or corrosive gases with high water solubility. Cyclones are best at removing solid pollutants from dust-laden gases.)
• What problems arise by having too many pollutants in the air we breathe? (Answer: The most important problems are adverse health effects.)

Have the students complete the attached Cleaning Up Worksheet – Four Methods to summarize their understanding of the various pollutant recovery methods explored in the activities.

Read the attached Clean Air Act Reading .

Explain to students that during this lesson they have only considered industrial changes and technologies for controlling air pollution. Ask for suggestions about what we can personally do to control and/or prevent the amount of air pollution that we cause? Conduct the literacy activity, What's a Kid to Do? Environmental Letter Campaign , for this lesson and/or assign the attached Clean Air Act Worksheet and Letter as homework.

baghouse: A pollutant recovery method that works very much like a giant vacuum cleaner. Heavy dirt particles fall out and are removed, and smaller particles are trapped by filters (bags) made of cloth, paper or similar materials. Particles are shaken or blown from the filters into a collection hopper.

cyclone: A pollutant recovery method in which dust-laden gas is whirled very rapidly inside a cylinder-shaped collector. Flying dust particles (as well as all matter) like to travel in straight lines unless an external force acts upon them. Because of this, pollutant particles with inertia in a cyclone tend to leave the circular path of the cyclone, collect on the wall, and then slide down the wall into a collection chamber.

electrostatic precipitator: A pollutant recovery method in which a static charge makes dirt particles stick to electrified plates (much the same way that static electricity in clothing attracts small bits of dust and lint). The dirt is knocked loose, collected and removed.

hopper: A funnel-shaped chamber in which materials are collected temporarily and later discharged through the bottom.

scrubber: A pollutant recovery method that traps solid particles and gases as they pass through a fine water mist inside the scrubber. Sometimes the mist is injected with limestone powder to help extract the dirt particles.

Pre-Lesson Assessment

Brainstorming : As a class or in small groups, have the students engage in open discussion. Remind students that in brainstorming, no idea or suggestion is "silly." All ideas should be respectfully heard. Take an uncritical position, encourage wild ideas and discourage criticism of ideas. Have them raise their hands to respond. Write their ideas on the board. Ask the students:

• How would you clean up air that is dirty with dust, particulate matter and gases?

Post-Introduction Assessment

Class Discussion : Ask the students and discuss as a class:

• Can you think of any ways that nature helps clean up the air? (Answer: Hurricanes, violent tropical storms with rain and high winds, tornadoes, raindrops/snowflakes/other precipitation remove air pollution through the water cycle, plants [especially spider plants], and mucus inside our noses traps some of the dirt and germs from the air before they reach our lungs.)
• Do you think engineers use nature as a model for the air cleaning technologies they design? (Answer: We will find out as we learn about industrial air cleaning methods.)

Lesson Summary Assessment

Drawing/Journaling : If your class conducted all four pollutant recovery method activities, have students complete the attached Cleaning Up Worksheet – Four Methods to capture their observations and summarize their understanding of the various methods. Otherwise, depending on the students' age, have them draw a picture or write in their own words a description of how the studied industrial air cleaner methods clean air. Ask for volunteers to share their descriptions with the class.

It's a problem all over the world! Imagine that you are an engineer at a meeting of great leaders from around the world. They are waiting to hear you speak about what is happening to our fresh air. You want to convince more of them to begin using the new technologies that you have just studied. What will you tell them? How will you get them to work together? Write down your ideas.

Now What? Have the students brainstorm about what to do with the pollutants that are removed from the air with the pollution recovery methods investigated in the activities of this lesson.

Clean Air Act : Have students complete the Clean Air Act Worksheet and Letter , which asks them to describe what they would include in their own "clean air act" and write a letter to the National Clean Air Coalition about what they have learned.

Lesson Extension Activities

If you have the time and ability to let the students build the models described in the Associated Activities section, consider having one group build a different model and present it to the class. Have students research the Clean Air Act. What is it? What is the goal? When was it started? Have students compare the U.S. to other countries in its air quality and regulations for controlling air quality.

Assign students some of the lesson concepts to research on the Internet. Lead a small discussion of the findings during the next class period.

Students are introduced to the concepts of air pollution and technologies that engineers have developed to reduce air pollution. They develop an understanding of visible air pollutants with an incomplete combustion demonstration, a "smog in a jar" demonstration, construction of simple particulate ma...

Students learn what causes air pollution and how to investigate the different pollutants that exist, such as toxic gases and particulate matter. They investigate the technologies developed by engineers to reduce air pollution.

Students observe and discuss a simple model of a wet scrubber to understand how this pollutant recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.

Students observe and discuss a simple balloon model of an electrostatic precipitator to better understand how this pollutant recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.

Air Pollution Control. The Chemical Engineer's Resource Page, Midlothian, VA. Accessed November 27, 2004. (Description of cyclone, scrubber and electrostatic precipitator air pollution control methods.) http://www.cheresources.com/pollcontrolzz.shtml

Markle, Sandra. The Kids' Earth Handbook. Atheneum, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1991.

Mock, Lyn. Air Pollution Control. Last updated August 2, 2004. Lesson Plans for Teachers, TCEQ, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. Accessed September 18, 2006. Originally found at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/assistance/education/air/air_pollution_control.pdf

Section 6 Particulate Matter Controls, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last accessed August 22, 2020. https://www3.epa.gov/ttn/catc/dir1/cs6ch1.pdf

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. 0338326. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: December 11, 2020

Essay on Pollution for Students and Children

500+ words essay on pollution.

Pollution is a term which even kids are aware of these days. It has become so common that almost everyone acknowledges the fact that pollution is rising continuously. The term ‘pollution’ means the manifestation of any unsolicited foreign substance in something. When we talk about pollution on earth, we refer to the contamination that is happening of the natural resources by various pollutants . All this is mainly caused by human activities which harm the environment in ways more than one. Therefore, an urgent need has arisen to tackle this issue straightaway. That is to say, pollution is damaging our earth severely and we need to realize its effects and prevent this damage. In this essay on pollution, we will see what are the effects of pollution and how to reduce it.

Effects of Pollution

Pollution affects the quality of life more than one can imagine. It works in mysterious ways, sometimes which cannot be seen by the naked eye. However, it is very much present in the environment. For instance, you might not be able to see the natural gases present in the air, but they are still there. Similarly, the pollutants which are messing up the air and increasing the levels of carbon dioxide is very dangerous for humans. Increased level of carbon dioxide will lead to global warming .

Further, the water is polluted in the name of industrial development, religious practices and more will cause a shortage of drinking water. Without water, human life is not possible. Moreover, the way waste is dumped on the land eventually ends up in the soil and turns toxic. If land pollution keeps on happening at this rate, we won’t have fertile soil to grow our crops on. Therefore, serious measures must be taken to reduce pollution to the core.

Get English Important Questions here

Types of Pollution

• Air Pollution
• Water Pollution
• Soil Pollution

How to Reduce Pollution?

After learning the harmful effects of pollution, one must get on the task of preventing or reducing pollution as soon as possible. To reduce air pollution, people should take public transport or carpool to reduce vehicular smoke. While it may be hard, avoiding firecrackers at festivals and celebrations can also cut down on air and noise pollution. Above all, we must adopt the habit of recycling. All the used plastic ends up in the oceans and land, which pollutes them.

So, remember to not dispose of them off after use, rather reuse them as long as you can. We must also encourage everyone to plant more trees which will absorb the harmful gases and make the air cleaner. When talking on a bigger level, the government must limit the usage of fertilizers to maintain the soil’s fertility. In addition, industries must be banned from dumping their waste into oceans and rivers, causing water pollution.

To sum it up, all types of pollution is hazardous and comes with grave consequences. Everyone must take a step towards change ranging from individuals to the industries. As tackling this problem calls for a joint effort, so we must join hands now. Moreover, the innocent lives of animals are being lost because of such human activities. So, all of us must take a stand and become a voice for the unheard in order to make this earth pollution-free.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

FAQs on Pollution

Q.1 What are the effects of pollution?

A.1 Pollution essentially affects the quality of human life. It degrades almost everything from the water we drink to the air we breathe. It damages the natural resources needed for a healthy life.

Q.2 How can one reduce pollution?

A.2 We must take individual steps to reduce pollution. People should decompose their waster mindfully, they should plant more trees. Further, one must always recycle what they can and make the earth greener.

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Environmental Pollution [Environmental Studies Notes BCOM/BA/BSC 2nd SEM CBCS Pattern]

Unit 5: environmental pollution (8 lectures), environmental studies notes for ba, b.com and bsc cbcs pattern.

• Environmental pollution: types, causes, effects and controls; Air, water, soil and noise pollution

• Nuclear hazards and human health risks

• Solid waste management: Control measures of urban and industrial waste.

• Pollution case studies – Bharalu river, Deepor Beel, Kolong river

**************

Table of Contents

Soil Pollution

Land is an important component of environment because soil is vital for the substances of life on earth. An inch of soil takes about 500 to 1000 years to be build. It is estimated that the total surface area of earth is 3,15,14,640 square km out of which only about one third is land surface. It is a resource for which there is no substitute. So, it becomes necessary to protect soil from pollutants.

Soil pollution can be more dangerous than other types of pollution. Soil pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals (pollutants or contaminants) in soil, in high enough concentrations to pose risk to human health and ecosystem. Soil pollution is the adverse alternation in the properties of the soil due to dumping of solid and semi-solid waste from agriculture, industry and urban areas. It also results because of washing down of pollutants by rain and faulty sanitation in the soil.

Sources of Soil Pollution

a) Agrochemicals: The application of inorganic fertilisers to crop lands and the use of toxic insecticides, pesticides, fungicides etc. for controlling diseases have an adverse impact of soil.

b) Industrial waste: The rapid growth of industries has resulted in the release of a lot of industrial waste on the land surface. The quality of those wastes depends on the types of raw materials and chemicals used in the industries. The toxic chemicals are absorbed by the green plants along with the nutrients and enter into the food chain and finally reaching the human being causing health hazards.

c) Domestic Garbage: Plastics are mainly used as packing materials which are normally thrown away as garbage. This garbage is pile up at public places which creates disposal problem.

d) Petroleum wastes: Contamination of soil by petroleum products is a major cause of soil pollution in several countries in the world.

e) Electric Waste: Electronic waste like cell phones, computers, gadgets, printers, radio, camera, video games, scanners, DVDs, Land phones etc. are non-biodegradable waste which is generally dumped in soil.

Measures to Control Soil Pollution

Since soil is vital for life, these should be protected from pollution. Some important measures to control soil pollution are:

a) Agro-chemicals should be used with caution in the field. Organic manure should be used instead of agro-chemicals.

b) Use of bio-fertilizers should be encouraged instead of chemical fertilizers.

c) Industrial effluents should be properly treated before discharging them on the soil. The effluents released should be subjected to proper treatment before their release into land mass.

d) The garbage produced should be dumped in closed chamber.

e) Adequate latrine facility should be provided in rural and urban areas.

f) Public awareness programmes should be implemented to educate people on health hazards due to soil pollution. Prevention of erosion and silting.

g) People should be trained regarding proper sanitary practices.

h) Application of pesticides should be controlled.

i) Bioremediation can be adopted for degradation of toxic chemicals present in soil.

Effects of Soil Pollution

a) Industrial wastes consist of a variety of chemicals which are extremely toxic. Chemical like acids, alkalis, pesticides, heavy metals etc. affect soil fertility and ultimately affect human health.

b) Nitrogen and phosphorus from the fertilizers in soil reach nearby water bodies with agricultural run-off and cause eutrophication.

c) Excess use of chemical fertilizers may result in reducing the ability of plants to fix nitrogen.

d) Pollutants in soil cause alteration in soil structure, causing death of many soil organisms which can affect the food chain.

e) Decline in the microorganisms found in the soil creating additional problems of soil erosion.

f) Contamination of underground and surface drinking water.

Water Pollution

Water is undoubtedly the most precious natural resource that exists on our planet. It is essential for the survival of any form of life. Lakes, rivers, seas and groundwater are the main source of water. Water pollution  is the  pollution  of bodies of  water , such as lakes, rivers, seas, the oceans, as well as groundwater. It occurs when  pollutants reach these bodies of  water , without treatment. Waste from homes, factories and other buildings are main pollutant of the  water  bodies.

Sources of Water Pollution:  

a) Domestic wastes if they are not properly treated and released into water bodies cause serious water pollution.

b) Industrial wastes such as Toxic chemicals, acids, alkalis, metallic salts, phenols, cyanides are released into water bodies causes thermal pollution of water.

c) Agricultural pollutants such as excessive nutrients, ammonia and nitrates, pathogens, antibiotics and hormones.

d) Run off from urban areas such as rainfall and snowmelt can wash natural and man-made pollutants into rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters.

e) Oil pollution

f) Radioactive waste produced during industrial, medical and scientific processes.

Effects of Water Pollution

Domestic and hospital sewage contain many undesirable pathogenic microorganisms, and its disposal into a water without proper treatment may cause outbreak of serious diseases, such as, amoebiasis dysentery, typhoid, jaundice, cholera, etc. Metals like  lead, zinc, arsenic, copper, mercury  and  cadmium in industrial waste waters adversely affect humans and other animals. Some of the serious effects of water pollution are listed below:

a) Drinking contaminated water causes health problems like cancer, reproductive problems, typhoid fever, stomach sickness and skin rashes in humans.

b) Excess fluoride in water causes defects in teeth and bones called fluorosis, while arsenic can cause significant damage to the liver and nervous system.

c) Oil spills in the water cause animals to die when they ingest or encounter it.

d) Excess radioactive materials in water cause genetic mutations, birth defects and cancer.

e) Excess sediments in water cause cloudiness reducing photosynthetic ability, which disrupts the aquatic food chain.

Control of water pollution

a) The first and most important step in controlling water pollution is to Increase public education and awareness around the world concerning the causes and impacts of water pollution.

b) Government initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission helps in reducing domestic wastes.

c) Setting up effluent treatment plants to treat waste water.

d) Laws, standards and practices should be established to prevent water pollution and these laws should be modified from time to time based on current requirements and technological advancements.

e) Planting more trees will reduce the amount of sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide.

f) Industrial plants should be based on recycling operations as it helps prevent disposal of wastes into natural waters but also extraction of products from waste.

g) Thermal pollution can be reduced by employing techniques like cooling ponds, wet/dry cooling towers etc.

Air Pollution

We all breathe in air, we can feel, and even smell the air and say whether it is fresh or stale. The pollution in air may not be noticed until we see smoke coming out from some source. All human activities from cooking at home to activities in highly mechanized industries contribute to air pollution.

The World Health Organization defines air pollution as “the presence of materials in the air in such concentration which are harmful to man and his environment.”

In Simple words, it is the occurrence or addition of foreign particles, gases and other pollutants into the air which have an adverse effect on human beings, animals, vegetation, buildings, etc.

Air Pollutants

Pollutants are classified into primary and secondary pollutants.

Primary pollutants: they are emitted into the atmosphere directly from the source and retains the same chemical form. Examples are carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, suspended particulate matter(SPM).

Secondary pollutants: they are formed by the inter mingling and reactions of primary pollutants. Examples are photochemical smog, acid rain, PAN etc.

Sources and causes of Air Pollution

The sources of air pollution are classified into two groups: Natural and Man- made sources.

(a) Natural sources:

1)     Volcanic eruption: releasing poisonous gases like SO2, H2S, CO etc.

2)    Forest fires: Very large quantities of smoke and particulate matter are liberated during their breakout.

3)     Decomposition of organic and inorganic substances: Methane gas, carbon dioxide is released into the air.

4)     Dust: Dust is always present in the atmosphere in varying amount.

(b) Manmade sources:

1)    Deforestation.

2)     Burning of fossil fuels.

3)     Emission from vehicles.

4)     Rapid industrialization.

5)     Modern agricultural practices.

Effects of Air Pollution

Air pollution is very dangerous for health. Some of the adverse effects of air pollution are given below:

1. Air pollution affects our respiratory system and causes breathing difficulties.

2. Diseases such as bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer, tuberculosis and pneumonia caused due to air pollution.

3. Increased concentration of carbon dioxide in atmosphere causes global warming.

4. Air pollution causes acid rain which damages crop plants, trees and buildings. It also makes the soil acidic.

5. Ozone layer depletion due to air pollution which allows ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth. Such radiation causes various skin and eye diseases.

6. Excess nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere results in respiratory problems and bronchitis.

Measures to Control Air Pollution

Air pollution can control from the following points:

1. A raw material for feedstock should be renewable rather than depleting.

2. Better designed equipment and smokeless fuels should be used in houses and industries. Less polluting fuels should be used.

3. Growing plants capable of fixing carbon monoxide. Example: Phaseolus vulgaris, Daucus carota.

4. Growing plants capable of metabolizing nitrogen oxides and other gaseous pollutants. Example: Vitis, Pimis, Pyrus etc.

5. Use of non-conventional sources of energy should be encouraged.

6. Use of public transport to control fuel consumption.

7. Automobiles should be properly maintained and adhere to emission control standards.

8. Proper Environmental Impact Assessment for any developmental work must be done.

Environmental Studies  MCQs  Multiple Choice Questions and Answers

➡ Top 100 Environmental Studies MCQs

Environmental Studies  Chapterwise  Notes

➡ Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Studies

➡ Unit 2: Ecosystems

➡ Unit 3: Natural Resources: Types, Renewable and Non-renewable Resources

➡ Unit 4: Biodiversity and Conservation (Available in DTS App – Only for Members)

➡ Unit 5: Environmental Pollution

➡ Unit 6: Social Issues and the Environment

➡ Unit 7: Environmental Policies & Practices

➡ Unit 8: Human Communities and the Environment

➡ Unit 9: Field work

Environmental Studies  Question Papers 

➡ Dibrugarh University 2022

➡ Gauhati University 2022

➡ Assam University 2019   2021

➡ Kolkata University (Coming Soon)

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Noise pollution.

Noise is one of the most pervasive pollutant. A musical clock may be nice to listen during the day, but may be an irritant during sleep at night. Noise by definition is “sound without value” or “any noise that is unwanted by the recipient”.

Noise in industries such as stone cutting and crushing, steel forgings, loudspeakers, shouting by hawkers selling their wares, movement of heavy transport vehicles, railways and airports leads to irritation and an increased blood pressure, loss of temper, decrease in work efficiency, loss of hearing which may be first temporary but can become permanent in the noise stress continues. It is therefore of utmost importance that excessive noise is controlled.

Noise level is measured in terms of decibels (dB). W.H.O. (World Health Organization) has prescribed optimum noise level as 45 dB by day and 35 dB by night. Anything above 80 dB is hazardous.

Causes and Sources of Noise Pollution

There are several sources of noise that contribute to both indoor and outdoor noise pollution which are listed below:

a) Cutting and Crushing in Industries/ Factories.

b) M ovement of heavy transport vehicles, railways and airports etc.

c) Sound generated during Construction activities.

d) Household chores such as washing and cleaning.

e) Playing of loud speakers during festivals/ social events and also hearing loud music in home.

f) Fire crackers burning during festivals and celebrations.

g) Microphones, Television and radio run in loud voice.

h) Loudspeakers in religious places.

h) Some noises are also caused by nature which are called a tmospheric noise which arises due to spurious radio frequency waves due to lightning and other natural disturbances occurring in the atmosphere. Natural phenomena like lightning, thunder, volcanic eruption, earthquake, sound of the ocean waves, etc.

Effects of Noise Pollution

a) Hearing Problems: Exposure to noise can damage one of the most vital organs of the body, the ear.

b) Poor Cognitive Function: With regular exposure to loud noise, the ability to read, learn and understand decreases significantly over time.

c) Serious diseases: High noise pollution can cause high blood pressure and loss of temperament.

d) Sleep disorders – exposure to noise reduces duration of sleep, diminish quality of sleep, Psychic disorders.

e) Wild life issues – noise bring about changes in the behavioural aptitude of birds and animals. They become inefficient in hunting and hence disturb the balance of ecosystem.

Thermal Pollution

The excessive heat dissipated into air or water from the industries increases the temperatures of the entire ecosystem and hence causes thermal pollution. Industrial waste and heat not only causes widespread climatological changes but also it can cause the damage of aquatic and terrestrial life. The effect of thermal pollution is more prominently marked in aquatic system.

The industries like iron and steel plants, petroleum refineries, nuclear reactor, electronic power plants etc. use large amount of water for cooling purposes. The water carries a lot of heat which when released into nearby bodies leads to thermal power pollution. Such an increase in temperature of the aquatic bodies by 8 to 10 degree celcius becomes injuries to the aquatic life.

When an increase in temperature of the aquatic body affects and disrupts the normal activities of the aquatic living organisms, the process is known as thermal pollution.

Sources of Thermal Pollution

a) Nuclear reactor

b) Industrial Wastes

c) Hydro-electric Power Plant

d) Thermal Power

e) Domestic Sewage

Effects of thermal pollution

Thermal pollution affects the living organism in the following ways:

a) It reduces the dissolved oxygen content of water.

b) It changes the characteristics properties of water.

c) It influences reproductive cycle, digestion rate, respiration rate and many enzymatic activities of living organism.

d) It favours the growth of certain bacteria and pathogens.

e) The egg of fish may hatch early or fail to hatch at all.

f) Thermal pollution results in low dissolved oxygen levels thereby perishing aquatic organisms.

Measures to Control Thermal Pollution

1. Colling of Pond’s water is the simplest and cheapest method to control thermal pollution.

2. Plantation of trees upon the banks of rivers, seas and other water bodies. Trees not only help in controlling thermal pollution but also aid in a better environment.

3. Creating artificial lakes for cooling of ponds.

4. Recycling of used water of factories.

5. Co-generation of heat from hot water and used in different tasks of industries.

Solid Waste Management

Industrialization across the world has brought a lot of good as well as bad things as well. One of the negative effects of industrialization is the creation of solid waste and consequent environmental degradation.

According to Britannica, “Solid-waste management is the collecting, treating and disposing of solid material that is discarded because it has served its purpose or is no longer useful. Improper disposal of municipal solid waste can create unsanitary conditions, and these conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and to the outbreaks of vector-borne disease”

Human and animal activities generate different kinds of wastes. These wastes are generally in solid form, and may cause pollution of land, water and air unless treated and disposed off. The process of collection, transportation, treatment and disposal can be grouped under solid waste management. The increase in the quantity of solid waste is due to overpopulation, affluence and technological advancement.

Bad effects of solid wastes

a) Open dumps are malodorous places in which disease carrying vermins such as rats and files proliferate.

b) Methane gas is released into the surrounding air due to decomposition of solid wastes by the micro-organisms.

c) Hazardous materials dissolved in this liquid contaminate underground water and solid strata.

d) The leachate consisting of a variety of chemical constituents’ seeps and pollute the ground water.

e) Absence of landfill lingers aggravate the problem furthermore.

Types of Solid Waste

Solid wastes (waste which are neither liquid nor gaseous) can be classified into:

a) Urban or municipal wastes

b) Industrial wastes

Sources of Urban Waste

– Domestic wastes: It includes a variety of materials thrown out from homes.

– Food waste, Cloth, Waste paper, Glass bottles, Polythene bags, Waste metals, plastic containers, scrap, paints etc.

– Commercial wastes: It includes wastes coming out from shops, markets, hotels, offices, institutions, etc.

– Waste paper, packaging material, cans, bottle, polythene bags, etc.

– Construction wastes: It includes wastes of construction materials. • Wood, Concrete, Debris, etc.

– Horticulture waste and waste from slaughter houses include vegetable parts, residues and remains of slaughtered animals, respectively.

– Biomedical wastes: It includes mostly waste organic materials

– Anatomical wastes, Infectious wastes, glass bottles, plastic, metal syringe, etc.

– Mining waste: A large amount of solid waste is released from the mining activities. The increase in solid waste is due to overpopulation, affluence and technological advancement.

Sources of Industrial Waste

The main source of industrial wastes are chemical industries, metal and mineral processing industries.

– Nuclear plants: Generate radioactive wastes

– Thermal power plants: Produce solid waste in the form of fly ash 3

– Chemical Industries: Produce large quantities of hazardous and toxic materials.

– Other industries: Other industries produce packing materials, rubbish, organic wastes, acid, alkali, scrap metals, rubber, plastic, paper, glass, wood, oils, paints, dyes, etc.

Measures to Control Solid Waste

i) Sanitary Landfill: This is the most popular solid waste disposal method used today. Disposing of waste in a landfill involves burying the waste, in abandoned or unused places. In this method garbage is spread out in thin layers, compacted and covered with clay, sand or plastic liner. The liners protect the ground water from being contaminated. When the landfill is full, it is covered with layers of sand, clay, top soil and gravel to prevent seepage of water.

ii) Incineration : It is the hygienic way of disposing solid waste. It is a thermal process (controlled combustion) in which the waste material is converted to heat, gas, steam and ash, which can be used for electrical generation and domestic heating. It is suitable for hazardous, organic and medical wastes. Combustible substance should be separated and removed before incineration process. Wet municipal waste should be preheated before incineration process. It reduces the volume of waste up to 20 or 30% of the original volume.

iii) Composting: It is a popular method by which bulk organic matter is converted into fertilizer by biological action. Microorganisms like fungi, bacteria convert degradable organic waste into broken, odourless mass called humus, which is a good fertilizer. Separated compostable waste is dumped in underground trenches in layers of 1.5m and finally covered with soil of 20 cm and left for decomposition.

Sometimes, actinomycetes are introduced for active decomposition. Biological action will start within two to three days. Good quality environmental friendly manure is formed from the compost and can be used for agricultural purpose.

iv) Vermi Composting: It has become very popular in the last few years. In vermi composting, earthworms are added to the compost. These help to break the waste and the added excreta of the worms makes the compost rich in nutrients. It is very useful biofertilizer and soil conditioner.

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• Introduction to Environmental Studies [Environmental Studies Notes BCOM/BA/BSC 2nd SEM CBCS Pattern]
• Natural Resources Types, Renewable and Non-renewable Resources

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• Biology Article

Air Pollution Control

Air pollution & its control, air pollution definition.

“Air Pollution is the release of pollutants such as gases, particles, biological molecules, etc. into the air that is harmful to human health and the environment.”

Air Pollution Diagram

Table of Contents

What is Air Pollution?

Types of air pollutants, primary pollutants, secondary pollutants, causes of air pollution.

Air pollution refers to any physical, chemical or biological change in the air. It is the contamination of air by harmful gases, dust and smoke which affects plants, animals and humans drastically.

There is a certain percentage of gases present in the atmosphere. An increase or decrease in the composition of these gases is harmful to survival. This imbalance in the gaseous composition has resulted in an increase in earth’s temperature, which is known as global warming.

There are two types of air pollutants:

The pollutants that directly cause air pollution are known as primary pollutants. Sulphur-dioxide emitted from factories is a primary pollutant.

The pollutants formed by the intermingling and reaction of primary pollutants are known as secondary pollutants. Smog, formed by the intermingling of smoke and fog, is a secondary pollutant.

Also Read:  Water Pollution

Following are the important causes of air pollution:

Burning of Fossil Fuels

The combustion of fossil fuels emits a large amount of sulphur dioxide. Carbon monoxide released by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels also results in air pollution.

Automobiles

The gases emitted from vehicles such as jeeps, trucks, cars, buses, etc. pollute the environment. These are the major sources of greenhouse gases and also result in diseases among individuals.

Agricultural Activities

Ammonia is one of the most hazardous gases emitted during agricultural activities. The insecticides, pesticides and fertilisers emit harmful chemicals in the atmosphere and contaminate it.

Factories and Industries

Factories and industries are the main source of carbon monoxide, organic compounds, hydrocarbons and chemicals. These are released into the air, degrading its quality.

Mining Activities

In the mining process, the minerals below the earth are extracted using large pieces of equipment. The dust and chemicals released during the process not only pollute the air, but also deteriorate the health of the workers and people living in the nearby areas.

Domestic Sources

The household cleaning products and paints contain toxic chemicals that are released in the air. The smell from the newly painted walls is the smell of the chemicals present in the paints. It not only pollutes the air but also affects breathing.

Effects of Air Pollution

The hazardous effects of air pollution on the environment include:

Air pollution has resulted in several respiratory disorders and heart diseases among humans. The cases of lung cancer have increased in the last few decades. Children living near polluted areas are more prone to pneumonia and asthma. Many people die every year due to the direct or indirect effects of air pollution.

Global Warming

Due to the emission of greenhouse gases, there is an imbalance in the gaseous composition of the air. This has led to an increase in the temperature of the earth. This increase in earth’s temperature is known as global warming . This has resulted in the melting of glaciers and an increase in sea levels. Many areas are submerged underwater.

The burning of fossil fuels releases harmful gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides in the air. The water droplets combine with these pollutants, become acidic and fall as acid rain which damages human, animal and plant life.

Ozone Layer Depletion

The release of chlorofluorocarbons, halons, and hydrochlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere is the major cause of depletion of the ozone layer. The depleting ozone layer does not prevent the harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the sun and causes skin diseases and eye problems among individuals. Also Read:  Ozone Layer Depletion

Effect on Animals

The air pollutants suspend in the water bodies and affect aquatic life. Pollution also compels the animals to leave their habitat and shift to a new place. This renders them stray and has also led to the extinction of a large number of animal species.

Following are the measures one should adopt, to control air pollution:

Avoid Using Vehicles

People should avoid using vehicles for shorter distances. Rather, they should prefer public modes of transport to travel from one place to another. This not only prevents pollution, but also conserves energy.

Energy Conservation

A large number of fossil fuels are burnt to generate electricity. Therefore, do not forget to switch off the electrical appliances when not in use. Thus, you can save the environment at the individual level. Use of energy-efficient devices such as CFLs also controls pollution to a greater level.

Use of Clean Energy Resources

The use of solar, wind and geothermal energies reduce air pollution at a larger level. Various countries, including India, have implemented the use of these resources as a step towards a cleaner environment.

Other air pollution control measures include:

• By minimising and reducing the use of fire and fire products.
• Since industrial emissions are one of the major causes of air pollution, the pollutants can be controlled or treated at the source itself to reduce its effects. For example, if the reactions of a certain raw material yield a pollutant, then the raw materials can be substituted with other less polluting materials.
• Fuel substitution is another way of controlling air pollution. In many parts of India, petrol and diesel are being replaced by CNG – Compressed Natural Gas fueled vehicles. These are mostly adopted by vehicles that aren’t fully operating with ideal emission engines.
• Although there are many practices in India, which focus on repairing the quality of air, most of them are either forgotten or not being enforced properly. There are still a lot of vehicles on roads which haven’t been tested for vehicle emissions.
• Another way of controlling air pollution caused by industries is to modify and maintain existing pieces of equipment so that the emission of pollutants is minimised.
• Sometimes controlling pollutants at the source is not possible. In that case, we can have process control equipment to control the pollution.
• A very effective way of controlling air pollution is by diluting the air pollutants.
• The last and the best way of reducing the ill effects of air pollution is tree plantation. Plants and trees reduce a large number of pollutants in the air. Ideally, planting trees in areas of high pollution levels will be extremely effective.

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• Civil Engineering
• NOC:Air pollution and Control (Video) 
• Co-ordinated by : IIT Roorkee
• Available from : 2021-10-28
• Intro Video
• Lecture 01: Introduction to Air Pollution - I
• Lecture 02: Introduction to Air Pollution - II
• Lecture 03: Impact of Air Pollution on Human Health
• Lecture 04: Impact of Air Pollution on Vegetation and Animals
• Lecture 05: Impact of Air Pollution on Building Materials and Structures
• Lecture 06: Impact of Air Pollution on Atmosphere, Soil and Water Bodies
• Lecture 07: Sources and Classification of Air Pollutants
• Lecture 08: Atmospheric Formation and Fate of Air Pollutants
• Lecture 09: Meteorological Parameters & Air Pollution
• Lecture 10: Atmospheric Stability and Lapse Rates
• Lecture 11: Atmospheric Stability and Plume Behaviour
• Lecture 12: Boundary Layer, Mixing Height, Stack Height and Plume Rise
• Lecture 13: Status of Air Quality Monitoring in India
• Lecture 14: Air Quality Index (AQI)
• Lecture 15: Introduction to Air Quality Modelling
• Lecture 16: Gaussian Dispersion Model for Point Source
• Lecture 17: Gaussian Dispersion Model for Line Source and Area Source
• Lecture 18: Determination of Concentration of Pollutants using Gaussian Dispersion Model
• Lecture 19: Assimilative Capacity of an Airshed
• Lecture 20: Emission Inventory
• Lecture 21: Transport Emission Inventory
• Lecture 22: Emission Inventory for Industrial Sector
• Lecture 23 : Emission Inventory for Agriculture Sector
• Lecture 24: Emission Inventory for Residential and Commercial Sectors
• Lecture 25: Application of Remote Sensing/Satellite-Based Data in Air Quality Management
• Lecture 26: Emission Inventory: Case Study
• Lecture 27: Methods of Source Apportionment
• Lecture 28: Source apportionment using Receptor Modeling
• Lecture 29: Indoor Air Quality: An Introduction
• Lecture 30: Specific Sources and Types of Indoor Air Pollutants
• Lecture 31: Health Impacts Due to Indoor Air Pollution
• Lecture 32: Assessment of Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution
• Lecture 33: Indoor Air Quality Modelling
• Lecture 34: Technologies to Mitigate Indoor Air Pollution
• Lecture 35: Personal Exposure to Fine Particles: A Case Study
• Lecture 36: Indoor Air Quality in Nursery Buildings, UAE – Case Study
• Lecture 37: Global and Regional Environmental Issues - Ozone Depletion
• Lecture 38: Global and Regional Environmental Issues - Global Warming
• Lecture 39: Global and Regional Environmental Issues - Climate Change
• Lecture 40: Global and Regional Environmental Issues - Acid Rain
• Lecture 41: Introduction to Air Pollution Control
• Lecture 42: Air Pollution Control Devices: Part - 1
• Lecture 43: Air Pollution Control Devices: Part - 2
• Lecture 44: Air Pollution Control Devices: Part - 3
• Lecture 45: Air Pollution Control Devices: Part - 4
• Lecture 46: Tutorial - II - Practice Examples on Particulate Emission Control Devices
• Lecture 47: Tutorial - III - Practice Examples on Gaseous Emission Control Devices
• Lecture 48: Air Quality Standards
• Lecture 49: Air Pollution Legislations and Regulations
• Lecture 50: National Policies for Managing the Ambient Air Quality (AAQ)
• Lecture 51: International Environmental Treaties to Reduce Air Pollution and GHG Emissions
• Lecture 52: Impact of Lockdown on Air Quality
• Lecture 53: Sector Wise Mitigation Measures to Control Air Pollution
• Lecture 54: Challenges and the Way Forward
• Lecture 55: Sampling and Analysis of PM10 in Ambient Air
• Lecture 56: Sampling and Analysis of PM2.5 in Ambient Air
• Lecture 57: Sampling and Analysis of SO2 and NO2 in Ambient Air
• Lecture 58: Stack Emission Monitoring using Isokinetic Sampling
• Lecture 59: Indoor Air Quality Assessment using Multi Gas Monitor
• Lecture 60: Sampling and Analysis of PM10 & PM2.5 using Spectrometer
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• Transcripts