POLLUTION

C R E S A R 2 0 1 6 / C A S A LU I S A , G E N E R A L S A N T O S C I T Y
BY: E N G R . WA L D E M A R G . S O G U I LO N , R E B / R E A / E N P

Pollution
Pollution -refers to the changes in the
physical, biological and chemical conditions
on the environment which harmfully affects
the quality of life of plants and animals.

Sources of Pollution
1. Point Source Pollution
-comes directly from one's specific
location.
-sewage pipes emptying polluted water
into the
river and farmland.

Sources of Pollution
2.

Non- point Source Pollution

-that comes from large areas

Example: water from the rain can wash off

oil, gasoline and other dirt from highways
and other areas into the wells that supply
drinking water, and into lakes and rivers.

Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Wastes

Biodegradable - wastes which are

decomposed by
organisms.
Non-biodegradable - wastes which
cannot be
decomposed by
microorganisms

Types of Pollution
1. Water Pollution
2. Air Pollution
3. Land/Soil Pollution
4. Noise Pollution

Water Pollution

- the occurrence of impurities in the water system so

that its cleansing processes cannot properly function
- reduces the quantity and quality of water available
for drinking and other necessities of human beings.
70% of world's surface is covered with water, but less
than 3% of the total volume of water is freshwater.

Water Pollution
Many of the wars of this century were about oil,
but wars of the next century will be over water
Water is going to be the hottest issue facing
the world community in the 21st century.

Waly N. Dow and Ismail Gerageldin, Vice

President of World Bank

Water Pollutants
a) Industries
b) Farm Pesticides
c) Sewage/Home
D) Marine Litters

Industrial Pollutants
a) Organic Pollutants
- organic wastes like refuse from slaughter

houses, fish and meat canning factories, leather

tanning companies, manufacturing plants,
pesticides and crude oil companies.

Industrial Pollutants
b) Pollutants
Inorganic wastes which include toxic and
corrosive substances like acids and heavy
, mercury, cadmium and lead, which can
impair normal body processes.
Battery manufacturing - empties lead
into the river

Industrial Pollutants
Mining, pulp & paper mills and electrical
equipment have increased concentration
of mercury
Paint industries produce highly toxic
substance called Polychlorinated Biphenyl
(PCB), with no known way o9f removing
same from the water.
Ship and shipyard create oil spills

Farm Pesticides
Poison aquatic plants and animals
Animal manure, chemical fertilizer,
phosphate detergent pollute water by
supplying excess nutrient
nutrient enrichment or europhication

Europhication
nutrient enrichment greatly increases
growth of algae.
the algae decomposes and use large
amounts of oxygen
the drop of oxygen level in water, thus,
many organisms die

Sewage/Home
garbage and sewers are usually dumped
into the rivers, thus, they are polluted
Waste disposal sites are necessary, for
society to function smoothly
But, no one wants to live near a waste
disposal site.

Waste Disposal Sites

Sanitary Landfill
Incinerator - burn urban waste
Waste Disposal operation for chemical
materials

Sewage System
carries wastes from home and pollutes
the water
human wastes can flow into drinking
water supplies and result to some form of
diseases like dysentery, cholera, typhoid
fever, poliomylitis, hepatitis, etc.

Sewage System
"Mankind must outgrow its ancient
illusion that atmosphere and
hydrosphere represent waste
receptacle of infinite capacity." - La
Mont C. Cole

Reasons why rivers should

not be used as Sewers
1. Excrement carries a number of hazardous
microorganism and the water gets polluted with
human feces.
2. much wildlife lives near the rivers and
produces more organisms resulting to more
decomposers and reducing the amount of
oxygen.
3. Some aquatic animals like claws and oysters
absorb some concentrate poisonous materials

MARINE LITTERS
- is the collective term for any waste
material present
in the marine
environment
- a global problem

Main Sources of Litter in

the Marine Environment
1. Recreational and tourism-related litter
2. Fishing debris
3. Sewage-related debris
4. Shipping wastes

Plastic in Sea Water

Hazardous to wildlife and people
Thrown overboard from boats, discharged
from sewage, carried down to rivers and seas
Degrades very slowly and takes several
decades to break down

Biggest threats to
wildlife and people
Medical waste
Tin cans
Glass bottles
Plastics

Effects of Plastics on Marine

Life
Mistaken to be food by marine animals, if
ingested, can cause starvation poisoning
Aquatic animals may be entangled with lost
net, strapping bands, drink cans, ropes, and
cause wounds in their flesh, strangulation
and drowning.

Oil Pollution in the Aquatic Environment

Main Source :
a. Oil spills from ships
b. Routine operations

- Leaks at installations tanker terminal and coastal

refineries
- Operational discharges from tankers and other vessels
at sea
- Routine cleaning or deliberate release of oil into the sea

Oil Pollution in the Aquatic Environment

Toxic Effect

- Kills all aquatic life like plankton, fish,

larvae, birds and others

Coral Reefs
Are the marine equivalent of rainforest, one of
the essential life-support necessary for human
survival, home of huge number of plants and
animals.
the greatest diversity of flora and fauna
in the world is in Southeast Asia, in the
waters stretching from the Philippines
south to the Great Barrier Reef in
Australia.
- Dr. Helen T. Yap, Marine Institute, UP

Philippines has:
27,000 square kilometres of coral reef within a
15m to 30m depth
- one of the largest reef areas
in the world
abort 55 % of the fish consumed by Filipinos
depend on Coral reefs
about 10% to 15% of the total marine fisheries
production come from the coral reefs.

COASTAL PROBLEMS IN
THE PHILLIPPINES
Cyanide Fishing

- An estimated 330,000 pounds per year of

cyanide sprayed on Phil. Coral reefs alone

Muro-ami method of fishing

- Fishes are flushed out of hiding and herded

into the nets, thus shattering fish habitats.

Effects of Oil in Coral Reefs

Coral Reef- a wave-resistant underwater ridge moved around
built of fragments of coral, coral sands and solid
limestone at or slightly below sea level
Very rich, but have been destroyed or degraded because of

human activities that led to death of 5-10% of the Worlds reef.

One of the most damaging forms of pollution is sediment
runoff, which kills some of the corals.
Sediments often comes from deforestation and development
near the coast.

Pollution in Philippine Rivers

Loss of Aquatic Species
Phils has: 421 rivers
59 inland lakes
-for irrigation and fish
cultures

Pollution in Philippine Rivers

National Pollution Control Commission
(NPCC) in 1993 declared that 35 major rivers
are dying due to heavy metal pollution from
mining areas.
25 mining firms emit 100,000 tons of
mine tailings everyday into the rivers.
PHILIPPINES has the longest coastline in the
world

Pollution in Philippine Rivers

Its coastal area covers 60% of the countrys 73
provinces, 1,152 municipalities
The archipelago has 24 major fishing bays and gulfs
Inland waters:
421 rivers
70 natural lakes
more than 106,328 has o f freshwater swamps
30,000 has of dams and reservoirs

Pollution in Philippine Rivers

Rising coastal population of 40 million is

straining marine resources

Pasig river is a waste sink to more than
150 factories that discharge 11 million
gallons of industrial waste water every
year.

AIR POLLUTION
It is the contamination of the
atmosphere by gaseous, liquid, or solid
wastes or by-products that can endanger
human health and the health and welfare
of plants and animals.

Two 2) Major Sources of Air Pollution

1. Natural air pollution include soil
particles, dust and
golden grain particles
2. Artificially created air pollution

a. Transportation the carbon monoxide from

automobiles,
cars, trucks, ships, airplanes, etc.
b. Electric power plant- such as sulphur oxide
and nitrogen
oxide

Air Pollution
c) Industrial process- hydrocarbons, ammonia,
sulphur oxide, and organic acids, plants that release
aluminium and fluoride dust to the atmosphere.
d) Solid wastes disposal-burning of garbage, trees,
leaves, and other solid wastes.
e) Miscellaneous chemical sprays, forest fires, and
structural fires, burning of grasses.

TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION

Particulate smoke, dust, certain forms of
haze, particles of soot from coal, cement.
Gaseous complex and usually invisible foul
smell like sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon
dioxide, methane gas and other gases, which
when combined with water, form corrosive
acids.
Photochemical and radioactive
combination of gaseous and particulate air
pollution.

ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF
AIR POLLUTION
1. Effects on natural ecosystem
This can be directly by air pollution or
indirectly by acid rain

2. Effects on Agricultural ecosystem

Many of the toxic effects of air pollution and
acid precipitation on forest and natural
vegetation occur on agricultural crops.

ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF
AIR POLLUTION
3. Effects on human health
The effects of air pollution in human health can be of two
broad categories:
- Acute or Short Term illness or death
- Chronic or Long Term, Lung Disease

4. Effect on Man-Made Materials

It can damage buildings. The physical damage caused by air
pollution is diffused and extensive
It includes the deterioration of paint, metals, stonework,
plastic, rubber, fabric, and all other physical materials.

LAND / SOIL POLLUTION

Solid Wastes one of the most visible forms of
pollution. Includes junk materials, cans,
packaging materials, scraps of metals, papers.
- Also called refuse or garbage
- One of the most serious problems facing heavy
populated urban areas in the Philippines

Types of Garbage
Biodegradable objects that can be
decomposed or acted upon by
microorganisms. These include food
wastes, left over vegetables, peelings, fish
or food extrails, seeds, soft shells,
garden litter, animal manure and human
wastes.

Types of Garbage
Non-biodegradable objects that cannot
be acted by microorganisms to
decompose. These include materials like
metals, cans, glass, plastics, bottles,
styrofoam feathers, leather, hard shell,
bones.

Garbage Elsewhere in the

Phils:
-in Metro Manila, about 6,000 to 8,000
metric tons every day.

Different Methods of Disposal of Waste

Materials

1. Landfill
2. Incinerators
3. Ocean Dumping

Different Methods of
Disposal of Waste Materials
Landfill is a pit or hole where solid
waste is safely disposed of using soil to
cover the waste material. A layer of soil is
regularly placed on top of the composted
waste. When the depth has reached its
peak the pit is covered with a thick layer of
soil.

Different Methods of
Disposal of Waste Materials
Sanitary Landfill is designed to contain
refuse without creating a nuisance or
hazard to public health and safety. This is
to concentrate and the waste materials to
the smallest practical volume and cover it
with a layer of compacted soil at the end
of each day of operation or if necessary.

DENR has urged LGUs to consider

352 sanitary landfills.

Types of Landfill
1. Trench Landfill

These are areas with low water table

and soil deep enough for excavations.
Garbage is piled into the trench in layers,
compacted, covered with soil and
compacted again by a bulldozer before
the is spread.

Types of Landfill
2. Area Landfill areas where land
depressions already exist. The garbage is
placed on top of the ground, compacted,
covered with soil and compacted again.

Qualities of the Soil to

Cover the Landfill
1. Good compaction characteristics
2. Low Permeability
3. Resistant to wind erosion
4. Resistant to cracking when wet or dry
5. Able to support land growth

Disposing Waste in
Landfill:
1. Air emission
2. Water pollution
3. Loss of land
4. Propagation of diseases
5. Breeding ground for pests carrying and
transmitting diseases

Items Unacceptable for

Disposal at Landfill
1. Explosives
2. Hazardous wastes
3. Biological and Pathological wastes
4. Sewage sludge
5. Animal remains

Items Unacceptable for

Disposal at Landfill
6. Syringes, needles
7. Liquid wastes
8. Oil containers
9. Telephone poles and rail road ties
10. Drums, barrels
11. Radioactive substance

INCINERATORS considered as one of the

solutions to the countrys garbage problem

Incineration is the process of burning waste

products.
No better than landfill; make things even worse;
only transform solid waste into gaseous waste;
gives off foul exhalations into the atmosphere.
Reduce volume of mass of solid waste to 50% but
it produces toxic hazardous gases.
Cause the emission of more than 200 toxins,
including furans and dioxins

Furans and Dioxins the deadliest

compounds known to man

- 200 times more toxic than DDT
- Are known to cause cancer, birth defects
and other
reproductive and nervous
disorders.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

-Substances which are chemically carbonbases that are not easily broken down by
chemical, biological or physical factors.
- Remain in the atmosphere for years and
increase in concentration to threaten both
human health and the environment.

Kinds of Persistent
Organic Pollutant
(UN Environment Program has named and
identified 12 out of 200 POPs which are
dangerous
a. By-products in the burning of wastes
and in the production of some chemicals
1. Dioxins
2. Furans

Kinds of Persistent
Organic Pollutant
b. Used as pesticides in agriculture
3.DDT
7. Endrin
4. Aldrin
8. Mirex
5. Dieldrin
9. Heptachlor
6. Chlordane
10. Toxaphene

Kinds of Persistent
Organic Pollutant
c. For industrial purposes

11. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)

12. Polychlororinated biphenyls (PCBs)

OCEAN DUMPING
- Is the oldest method of waste disposal
- Biodegradable, plastics, cans, and other
wastes are thrown
- Ugly and causes a lot of sickness, hence, being
discouraged
- Every year about 2,500 metric tons of
packaging, including half a million cans,
bottles, and plastic containers are dumped in
the sea.

OCEAN DUMPING
- Threatening more human lives as well as
affecting aquatic organisms of the environment
- Reduces the amount of fresh water that is
available for drinking and activities like fishing,
swimming.

NOISE POLLUTION
Noise - random or unwanted sound

- Caused by any kind of sound, tones or

harmonic sound
- It is unwanted if it is annoying or
distracting or if it
is damaging to the
hearing mechanism of an
individual

NOISE POLLUTION
- concentrated where population is concentrated
- Does not alter the environment physically or
chemically like water and air pollution
- Considered a pollutant when it is present
in great intensity to cause psychological
stress or physiological damage to people in
the environment.

Effects of Noise Pollution

1. Noise may affect man adversely if the noise level is
high and prolonged.
2. Noise may cause permanent loss of hearing.
3. It may cause physiological damage or psychological
and emotional stress.
4. Noise may result to general irritability. It may
interfere with sleep and may affect workers to work
efficiently.
5. It may affect the communication properly.

Intensity or Decibels
- The terms of measurement of noise
- A unit used in comparing sound, power, and other
related acoustical and electrical quantities
10 Decibels barely audible to the ear of a normal human
being
40 Decibels the level of sound pressure in a quiet room
70 Decibels considered as noise; transmit 1,000 times as
much as sounds as 40
decibels

Some Noise Levels and

their Decibel Values
Noise Levels
Threshold level (hearing)
Normal Breathing
Whispering
Office
Quiet Homes
Quiet Restaurants
Conversation
Vehicles
Blender Machines
Heavy blender equipment
Airplanes, jets

Decibels
1
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
100
120

Major Sources of Noise

Pollution
1. Household
2.Transportation
3. Industrial/Factories
4. Military Warfare equipment

Methods to Control Noise

Pollution

1. To avoid the ill effects of noise pollution, block

reception unwanted sound by wearing earplug.
2. At busy airports, the members of ground crew
should ear muffs to protect them from noise of jets
and airplanes.
3. Sound absorbing or sound proof materials
surrounding the noise producing source may be
used.

complicated as it is serious
because things that benefit human
beings cause much pollution
a) The exhaust from cars causes a large
percentage of all air pollution, but cars provided
transportation for millions of people.
b) Factories release much of the materials that
pollute the water and air, but factories provide
and produce goods for the people.
c) Pesticides and fertilizer can ruin soil, but
fertilizers and pesticides are important for crops
to grow.