Pollution

2. Deforestation causes
 Agriculture
 Shifting cultivation
 Demand for firewood
 Demand of wood for industry and commercial purposes
 Urbanization and developmental projects

3. Deforestation

4. Desertification
 Deforestation
 Overgrazing
 Fuel wood consumption
 Agricultural mismanagement
 Industrialization and urbanization

5. Pollution : Pollution may be defined as an addition of
undesirable material into the environment as a result of human
activities.
Classification of pollutants :
A According to the form which they persist
I) Primary pollutants : persist in the form in which they
are added to the environment e.g. DDT , Plastic
II) Secondary Pollutants : formed by interaction among
the primary pollutants e.g. peroxyacetyl nitrate
(Nitrogen oxides + Hydrocarbons)

6. B According to their existence in nature
I) Quantitative pollutants : Increased concentration
beyond threshold level e.g. Carbon dioxide ,
nitrogen oxide
II) Qualitative pollutants : Man made e.g. fungicides ,
DDT
C According to their nature of disposal
I) Biodegradable pollutants : e.g. sewage ,
II) Non Biodegradable pollutants : e.g. plastic , DDT, glass
D According to origin
I) Natural
II) Anthropogenic

8. Types of pollution
 Air pollution
 Noise pollution
 Water pollution
 Soil pollution
 Thermal pollution
 Radiation pollution

9. Air Pollution
 Causes : Smoke from domestic, industrial and vehicular soot ,
smoke released from chimneys , combustion by power plants ,
volcanic eruptions
 Types
1) SPM : smoke ,dust & vapour , Lead & other metal particles
2) Fly Ash : silicon dioxide , calcium oxide , Aluminium silicate
3) Gaseous pollutants : carbon dioxide, CO , oxides of
nitrogen ,sulphur dioxide ,CFC
4) VOC :perfumes, Hair sprays , furniture
5) Biological pollutants : pollen , fungi, mite , bacteria

10. Prevention & control of Air pollution
 Indoor air pollution
1) Use of cleaner fuel
2) Good ventilation
3) Segregation of waste
4) Sterilisation of rooms
 Industrial pollution
1) Use of LNG
2) Environment friendly processes
3) Installing devices like filters , ESP , Inertial collectors , Scrubbers
4) increasing the height of chimneys.
5) closing industries which pollute the environment.
6) shifting of polluting industries away from cities
7) development and maintenance of green belt of adequate width.

12. Vehicular pollution
1) Standards to be followed
2) PUC
3) Promotion of diesel usage
4) banning the usage of tetraethyl lead
5) alternate fuels like CNG , Ethanol

13. Government Initiatives : NAAQS
 National Ambient Air Quality Standards
 Notified in 1982 : 12 pollutants
 National Air Quality Monitoring Programme
(NAMP)
 National Air Quality Index that will put real time
data about the level of pollutant in the air & inform
people about the possible impacts on health.

15. Noise pollution
 Road traffic noise better designing and proper maintenance of
vehicles.
 noise attenuation walls and well maintained roads and smooth
surfacing of roads.
 use of electric locomotives
 appropriate insulation and introduction of noise regulations for
take off and landing of aircrafts at the airport.
 Industrial noises can be reduced by sound proofing equipment
like generators and areas producing lot of noise.
 Power tools, very loud music and land movers, public functions
using loudspeakers etc should not be permitted at night
 A green belt of trees is an efficient noise absorber.

16. Water pollution
Pesticides Metals Euthroficaition
Mercury Oil spills
Thermal pollution The waste heat from the
boilers and heating processes increases the temperature
of the cooling water
Ground water pollution (nitrate,
fluroide, arsenic) sewage disposal, dumping of farm
yard manures and agricultural chemicals, industrial
effluents

17. Methods to
control water
pollution
1. Sedimentation,
2. Coagulation/flocculation
3.Filtration
4.Disinfection
5.Softening
6.Aeration

18. Soil pollution
Sources
 Plastic bags : low density polyethylene (LDPE), non
biodegradable , chocking hazard
 Industrial sources :fly ash, chemical residues, metallic and
nuclear wastes
 Agricultural sources : fertilizers and pesticides
Prevention measures
 Sewage should be treated properly before using as fertilizer
and as landfills
 Biomedical waste should be separately collected and incinerated
in proper incinerators.
 Four R’s (Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, Reduce)
 Stop the use of plastic bags

19. Radiation Pollution
The biological damage resulting from ionizing
radiations is generally termed as radiation damage
(a) somatic damage
(b) genetic damage

20. Acid Rain
 Formed when oxides of sulphur & Nitrogen reacts with
the moisture
 PH < 5.6 (Ranges 0 to 14): Ph value decreases as
hydrogen ion level increases.
 Two types : Wet Deposition , Dry deposition
 Compounds causing Acid Rain
 Sulphur : burning of fossil fuels , Smelting units
 Nitrogen : combustion of oil, coal gas
 Formic acid : biomass burning causes
formaldehyde(HCHO) & formic acid (HCOOH)

21. Formation of Acid Rain
 Env. receives oxides of sulphur and nitrogen from
natural and man made sources
 Some of these oxides fall directly as dry deposition
 Sunlight stimulates formation of photo oxidants
 photo oxidants interact with oxides of sulphur and
nitrogen to produce H2SO4 and HNO3
 The oxides of sulphur and nitrogen photo oxidants
other gases
 Acid rain containing ions of sulphate , nitrate ,
ammonium and hydrogen falls as wet deposition

22.  Impacts of Acid Rain
 Leaching of the nutrients
 Death of affected trees
 Reduces visibility
 Irritation on skin
 Corrosion, black crust
formation
 Discolouration

23. Environment and Human Health
 inadequate infrastructure facilities
 Lack of proper toilets
 Scarcity of clean drinking
 Poor drainage or improper drainage
 Contamination of food
 Poor personal hygiene

24. E – waste in India
 More than 8 lakh MT by India : 40 MT worldwide
 African and Asian countries such as Ghana, Nigeria,
China, Pakistan, India, and Vietnam are turning into
illegal e-waste hubs, bypassing the legitimate global
waste and recycling market that is thought to be worth
$410bn a year.
 Rare and expensive elements are safely recycled and
reused, boosting the formal economy, depriving
criminals of income and reducing health risks to the
public.”

25.  Water borne diseases : Cholera , Typhoid , Hepatitis ,
trachoma , scabies , Skin infections , malaria, yellow fever,
encephalitis, filaria and dengue , Blue Baby disease
 Air borne diseases : bronchitis, chronic cough, asthma and
emphysema ,
 Mining :silicosis , black lung disease
 UV Radiation : cataracts, skin cancer
 HEAVY METAL TOXICITY
Causes – smelting industry , burning of organic waste
Automobile and coal based power generation
Lead , Mercury (Minamata case) , Arsenic (keratosis),
cadmium ,

26. Ocean Acidification
 As the uptake of co2 by the ocean increases , the
concentration of hydrogen ions decreases.

29. Q : Recently “oilzapper” was in the news. what it is ?
Pre 2011
a) It is an eco-friendly technology for the remediation
of oily sludge and oil spills
b) It is the latest technology developed for under sea oil
exploration
c) It is a genetically engineered high bio fuel – yielding
maize variety
d) It is the latest technology to control the accidentally
caused flames from oil wells

30. Q : Lead ingested or inhaled , is a health hazard , after the addition
of lead to petrol has been banned, what still are the sources of lead
poisoning (Pre.2012)
1 Smelting units
2 Pens and Pencils
3 Paints
4 Hair oils and cosmetics
a) 1 ,2 & 3 only
b) 1 & 3 only
c) 2 & 4 only
d) 1,2,3 & 4

31.  Which one of the following can be found as pollutants in
the drinking water in some parts of India?
1 Arsenic 3 Fluoride
2 Sorbitol 4 Formaldehyde
5 Uranium
Select the correct codes given below.
a) 1 and 3 only b) 2,4 and 5 only
b) 1,3 and 5 only d) 1,2,3,4 and 5

32. Q With reference to the usefulness of the by-products
of sugar industry which one of the following statements
are correct ?
1) Bagasse can be used as biomass fuel for the
generation of energy.
2) Molasses can be used as one of the feed stocks for
the production of synthetic chemical fertilizers.
3) Molasses can be used for the production of ethanol.
Select the correct codes given below
a) 1 only c) 1 & 3 only
b) 2 & 3 only d) 1,2 and 3

33. Q There is some concern regarding the nanoparticles of
some chemical elements that are used by the industry in
the manufacture of various products. Why? (Pre 2014)
1) They can accumulate in the environment, and
contaminate water and soil.
2) They can enter the food chains.
3) They can trigger the production of free radicals.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1) 1 and 2 only
2) 3 only
3) 1 and 3 only
4) 1, 2 and 3

34. Q Which of the following are some important
pollutants released by steel industry in India?
1.Oxides of sulphur
2.Oxides of nitrogen
3.Carbon monoxide
4.Carbon dioxide
Select the correct answer using the code given
below.
1. 1, 3 and 4 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 4 only
4. 1,2, 3 and 4

35. Q Brominated flame retardants are used in many
household products like mattresses and upholstery.
Why is there some concern about their use?
1. They are highly resistant to degradation in the
environment.
2. They are able to accumulate in humans and animals.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2