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ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

SOURCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Every person is affected by his environment and in turn has an effect on the environment.
Therefore, to obtain an accurate picture of the factors at work, the total environment must

1.
2.
3.
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be considered. i.e., home, social, task and workplace.


The environmental factors of the task and work place include;
Chemical: Dusts, fumes, mists, gases, vapors, toxic materials, corrosives
Physical: Noises, vibration, radiation, and climate
Biological: Micro-predators i.e. insects, mites, mold, spores, bacteria, etc.
Ergonomic: Lighting, posture, fatigue

ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Air Pollution & Their Sources

Air pollution is the contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants

from human and natural sources.


Air pollutants can be either gases or aerosols (particles or liquid droplets suspended in the
air). They change the natural composition of the Atmosphere, can be harmful to the
humans and other living species and can cause damage to natural water bodies and the

land.
Clean air is made up of naturally occurring chemicals. Dry air contains 78% Nitrogen and
21% Oxygen and remaining 1% consists of argon, carbon dioxide, helium and other trace

gases.
Air, of course, also contains water vapor and this may make up as much as 4% of the

total air volume.


Clean air does not contain harmful levels of chemicals or harmful chemicals which
adversely affect living things. Some gases, which are normal components of clean air

for example, carbon dioxide become dangerous when their concentrations become

much higher than normal.


Air pollution has two main sources;
Natural
Human sources
Natural air pollution comes from volcanoes, natural forest fires, soil, plants, seawater,

wetlands and even outer space.


Human air pollution comes from many different human activities which occur during our

daily lives. Sources include industry, vehicles, agriculture, power generation (coal, oil or

gas power stations), mining and waste dumps.


Air pollution can be divided into two basic types.
1. Gases
Gases comes mainly from the burning of fossil fuels. Gaseous pollutants which affect
the atmosphere globally include carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH4) and nitrous
oxide (N2O). These are all greenhouse gases and are responsible for global warming.
2. Particulate matter
Particulate matter consists of a wide range of liquid and solid particles known
significantly as aerosols. The smallest of these particles are hazardous to human
health.
As with the gases, particles can be directly emitted into the air or can form from
gases.

Natural Air Pollution

Natural air pollution can be divided into;


Inorganic pollution e.g. dust and gases from volcanic eruptions, salt particles
brought by the wind from the sea, dust delivered into the air during dust storms, gases
originating from lighting during thunderstorms and dust coming to the atmosphere
from space.

Organic pollution includes smoke and dust from vegetation fires, pollen and fungi
from plants, live organisms including bacteria and volatile substances emitted by trees
and flowers.
Human Air Pollution

Human air pollution can also be divided into two groups according to the character of
emission;
Controlled emission which takes place according to well established rules, under
the supervision of trained staff.
Accidental emission which occurs, for example, during industrial accidents and oil

spills.
So we can define air pollution in two ways;
Primary pollution harmful substances which are emitted directly into the
atmosphere.
Secondary pollution substances which become harmful once in the air or harmful
substances which form as a result of chemical reactions in the atmosphere.

NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX)

The most important forms of reactive nitrogen in the air are nitrogen monoxide (NO) and

nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and are together we call them NOX.


Nitrogen oxides are formed in the atmosphere mainly from the breakdown of nitrogen

gas (N2).
Nitrogen oxides react with water to form nitric acid (HNO 3), which is not only a major
contributor to acid rain but is also the main way in which nitrogen oxides are removed
from the air, either by dry deposition of the acid directly or by removal in rain.

CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas.

A product of incomplete burning of hydrocarbon-based fuels, carbon monoxide consists

of a carbon atom and an oxygen atom linked together.


When breathed in, carbon monoxide replaces the oxygen which cells need to function.
When CO is present in the air, it rapidly accumulates in the blood, causing symptoms
similar to the flu, such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, confusion, and
irritability. As level increase, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and eventually brain

damage or death can result.


Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion, present whenever fuel is burned. It is
produced by common home appliances, such as gas or oil furnaces, gas refrigerators, gas
clothes dryers, gas ranges, gas water heaters or space heaters, fireplaces, charcoal grills,

and wood burning stoves.


Fumes from automobiles and gas-powered lawn mowers also contain carbon monoxide
and can enter a home through walls or doorways if an engine is left running in an

attached garage.
Nationwide, two-thirds of the carbon monoxide emissions come from transportation
sources.

PARTICULATE MATTER (PM)

Particulate matter (PM) is the general term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid
droplets found in the air. Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as soot or

smoke. Others are so small they can be detected only with an electron microscope.
These particles, which come in a wide range of sizes (fine particles are less than 2.5
micrometers in diameter and coarser-size particles are larger than 2.5 micrometers),
originate from many different stationary and mobile sources as well as from natural

sources
Fine particles (PM2.5) result from fuel combustion from motor vehicles, power generation,
and industrial facilities, as well as from residential fireplaces and wood stoves.

Coarse particles (PM-10) are generally emitted from sources, such as vehicle travelling
on unpaved roads, materials handling, and crushing and grinding operations, as well as

windblown dust.
Some particles are emitted directly from their sources, such as smokestacks and cars.
In other cases, gases such as sulfur dioxide and SO2, NOX, and VOC interact with each
other compounds in the air to form fine particles. Their chemical and physical

compositions vary depending on location, time of year and weather.


Natural sources of particulate matter include dust, salt from ocean spray, forest fires and

volcanic ash;
On the other hand man-made sources of particulate matter come from industrial societies,
automobiles and more importantly industries.

SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)

Sulfur dioxide belongs to a family of gases called sulfur oxides (SO X). SO2 is a colorless,
non-flammable gas that is odorless at low concentrations, but at high concentrations can

have a pungent and irritating smell.


SO2 can react with water vapor to form an acid rain.
Roughly one-third of atmospheric sulfur compounds come from human made sources.
Most of SO2 emissions come from electric power plants that burn coal and fossil fuels

containing sulfur.
Natural sources of SO2 include volcanoes and hot gases.

LEAD (PB)

Lead is a heavy, soft metal which has no characteristic smell or taste.


Lead particles can get into the air and travel long distances.
When inhaled or ingested, lead particles are toxic.

Lead is a cumulative poison to the central nervous system and is particularly damaging to

mental development of young children.


The most common uses of lead are in non-ferrous smelters, X-ray equipment, pipe and

tank lining, lead based paints, and the manufacturing of batteries etc.
Atmospheric concentration of lead derived significantly from gasoline additives used
before unleaded gasoline began to be manufactured.

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCs)

VOCs are organic chemicals that, when released into the atmosphere, precipitate in

photochemical reactions.
While VOCs are nearly invisible, they often have a noticeable odor and turn into

evaporated state easily.


While VOCs can be emitted from natural sources, many are man-made, created by

industrial processes.
VOCs include chemicals such as benzenes, toluene, and methyl chloroform.

OZONE (O3)

Ozone (O3) is a gas that forms when three atoms of oxygen are combined.
O3 is a highly unstable gas that smell sweet.
In the upper atmosphere, ozone is found naturally and protects the earth from harmful
ultraviolet radiation. But ground level ozone is a key ingredient in forming urban smog

and is considered one of the greenhouses.


In terms of health and air quality, we are concerned with ground-level, or bad ozone and

upper-atmosphere, or good ozone.


Roughly 6-30 miles above the earths atmosphere surface lies the stratosphere where
ozone occurs naturally. In this layer of our atmosphere, ozone is formed when ultraviolet
radiation dissociates some O2 molecules into two free oxygen atoms. These free oxygen
atoms then combine with other O2 molecules to create O3.

Since O3 is in turn dissociated by UV rays, a net balance is kept with continual formation
and destruction of the oxygen molecules. In the upper atmosphere this good ozone

protects life on earth by absorbing some of the suns ultraviolet rays.


Ozone, also occurs in the part of the atmosphere directly above the earths surface, called
troposphere. Unlike the stratosphere ozone layer, this ground level ozone is harmful to

human health.
Ground level ozone is caused by the releases of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and
nitrogen dioxide (NO2) into the air. When these chemicals are released into the air, they
react with sunlight and heat to create ozone. Consequently, as temperature rise, ozone

level rise as well.


VOC + NO2 + heat + sunlight = ground level ozone (O3)
Ozone is also considered a greenhouse gas. Ozone absorbs infrared radiation emitted by
earths surface and thereby traps heat and warms the troposphere.

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the earth experiences because certain
gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for
example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into the
space and earths average temperature would be about 60 F colder. Because of how they

warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases.


Greenhouses are used to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouse work by

trapping heat from the sun.


Sunlight enters the earths atmosphere passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases.
As it reaches the earths surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlights energy.
Once absorbed, this energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes
back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse
gases, causing our world to heat up.

The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would not be
warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could
make the earth warmer than usual. Even a small extra warming may cause problems for
humans, plants, and animals.

ACID RAIN

Acid rain is a serious environmental problem that affects large parts of the world.
Acid rain is a broad term used to describe several ways that acid fall out of the

atmosphere. A more precise term is acid deposition, which has two parts; wet and dry.
Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow.
Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles.
About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition. The
wind blows these acidic particles and gases onto buildings, cars, homes, and trees. Dry
deposited gases and particles can also be washed from trees and other surfaces by
rainstorms. When that happens, the runoff water adds those acids to the acid rain, making

the combination more acidic than the falling rain alone.


Scientists discovered that sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and nitrogen oxides (NO X) are the primary

causes of acid rain.


Acid rain is measured using a scale called pH". The lower a substances pH, the more

acidic it is.
Pure water has a pH OF 7.0. Normal rain is slightly acidic because carbon monoxide

dissolves into it, so it has a pH of about 5.5.


Acid rain has a variety of effects, including damage to forests and soils, fish and other

living things, materials, and human health.


Acid rain also reduces how far and how clearly we can see through air, an effect called
visibility reduction.

OZONE DEPLETION

It is caused by the release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone depleting


substances (ODS), which were used widely as refrigerants, insulating foams, and

solvents. The discussion below focuses on CFCs, but is relevant to all ODS.
Although CFCs are heavier than air, they are eventually carried into the stratosphere in a

process that can take as long as 2 to 5 years.


When CFCs reach the stratosphere, the ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes them to
break apart and release chlorine atoms which react with ozone, starting chemical cycles
of ozone destruction that deplete the ozone layer. One chlorine atom can break apart more

than 100,000 ozone molecules.


Other chemicals that damage the ozone layer include methyl bromide (used as a
pesticide), halons (used in fire extinguishers), and methyl chloroform (used as a solvent

in industrial processes for essential applications).


As methyl bromide and halons are broken apart, they release bromine atoms, which are
40 times more destructive to ozone molecules than chlorine atoms.

WATER POLLUTION

Comprising over 70% of the earths surface, water is undoubtedly the most precious

natural resource that exists on our plant.


Without the seemingly invaluable compound comprised of hydrogen and oxygen, life on
earth would be non-existent; it is essential for everything on our planet to grow and

prosper.
Although we as human recognize this fact, we disregard it by polluting our rivers, lakes,
and ocean. Subsequently, we are slowly but surely harming our planet to the point where

organisms are dying at a very alarming rate.


In addition to innocent organisms dying off, our drinking water has become greatly
affected as is our ability to use water for recreational purposes. In order to combat water
pollution, we must understand the problems and become part of the solution.

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