Environmental issues: Local, Regional and Global; Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Waste (solid, liquid, biomedical, hazardous, electronic), Climate change and its Socio-Economic and Political dimensions & Impacts of Pollutants on Human Health

 

                                        Competition Coaching Centre Siliguri & Gangtok

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PAPER 1: UNIT IX

People, Development and Environment 

Environmental issues: Local, Regional and Global; Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Waste (solid, liquid, biomedical, hazardous, electronic), Climate change and its Socio-Economic and Political dimensions  & Impacts of Pollutants on Human Health

 

Developmental activities such as construction, transportation and manufacturing not only deplete the natural resources but also produce large amount of wastes that leads to pollution of air, water, soil, and oceans; global warming and acid rains. Untreated or improperly treated waste is a major cause of pollution of rivers and environmental degradation causing ill health and loss of crop productivity.

Pollution and Pollutants: The existence of harmful substance causing an adverse effect on the environment and on human health is known as pollution. Pollution may be defined as addition of undesirable material into the environment as a result of human activities. The agents which cause environmental pollution are called pollutants. A pollutant may be defined as a physical, chemical or biological substance unintentionally released into the environment which is directly or indirectly harmful to humans and other living organisms.

Pollution can occur in different forms like, Air pollution Water pollution Soil pollution Noise pollution, Radioactive pollution , Light pollution etc.

 

Air pollution:  

Air pollution has a major impact on human health. With the onset of industrialization, there has been a change in the atmosphere due to the fire used for generating energy. Not only industrialization but different modes of transport the burning of fossil fuels forest fires burning of leaves large scale agricultural waste industries and power plants are some of the main sources of air pollution. They are consisting of odours, gaseous pollutants, suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the form of dust, smoke, mist and fume.

These sources of air pollution release harmful gases and substances that are poisonous for human beings. Some of them are sulphur tropospheric ozone sulphur dioxide nitrogen dioxide suspended particulate matter

The effects of air pollution on human health depend upon the physical and physiological of the person who is affected by air pollution. Many organs or body functions can be harmed by this. Some of the consequences are: Respiratory diseases Cardiovascular damage Fatigue, headaches and anxiety Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat Damage to reproductive organs Harm to the liver Damage of nervous system People living in urban areas are the sufferers as they are more exposed to this air pollution.

Particulate pollutants:

Fly ash

Fly ash is ejected mostly by thermal power plants as by-products of coal burning operations. Fly ash pollutes air and water and may cause heavy metal pollution in water bodies. Fly ash affects vegetation as a result of its direct deposition on leaf surfaces or indirectly through its deposition on soil. Fly ash is now being used for making bricks and as a land fill material.

Tetraethyl lead (TEL): It is used as an anti-knock agent in petrol for smooth and easy running of vehicles. The lead particles coming out from the exhaust pipes of vehicles is mixed with air. If inhaled it produces injurious effects on kidney and liver and interferes with development of red blood cells. Lead mixed with water and food can create cumulative poisoning. It has long term effects on children as it lowers intelligence.

Prevention and control of air pollution:

1.    Use of cleaner fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) in power plants, fertilizer plants etc. which is cheaper in addition to being environmentally friendly

2.    Biogas and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) need to be encouraged.

Health impacts of some specific air pollutants:

 Tobacco smoke – it generates harmful chemicals and causes cancer to the smoker. It also affects the passive smoker like burning sensation in the eyes or nose, throat irritation, etc.

Volatile organic compounds – they can cause irritation of the eyes, throat, nose, headaches and nausea. They even can damage the liver and other parts of the body.

Lead – the exposure damages the nervous system, digestive problems, cancer. It is also dangerous to small children.

Ozone – the exposure to this gas causes itching on the eyes, burning and watery. It also increases respiratory disorders like asthma. It also lowers the resistance to colds and pneumonia.

 Nitrogen oxide – this gas makes the children disposed to respiratory diseases in winters.

Carbon monoxide – carbon monoxide combines with haemoglobin and lessen the required oxygen that enters our blood through lungs. This causes changes in the function of the affected organs like the brain and cardiovascular system. It also affects the concentration level, makes one sleepy.

Sulphur dioxide – sulphur dioxide in the air is caused due to the increase in the burning of fossil fuels. It causes diseases of lungs and other lung disorders like wheezing and shortness of breath.

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) –they consist of dust, mist, fumes and smoke. The main components of SPM that affects the health are lead, nickel, arsenic and those present in diesel exhaust. When we breathe these particles, it affects our lungs causing lung damage and respiratory problems.

water pollution

It is also harmful to human beings. Water is very important for survival. We need clean water for drinking, irrigation of crops and many other purposes. If the water resources like the lake, river, streams are polluted and contaminated it will affect our health.

If we drink polluted water then diseases like amoebiasis, typhoid and hookworm will affect our health.

Water is polluted by chemicals like heavy metals, lead, pesticides and hydrocarbon causes hormonal and reproductive problems, damages the nervous system, liver and kidney. Exposure to mercury causes diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and death.

 If the sea beaches are polluted then diseases like rashes, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, stomach aches and vomiting will happen.

Water pollution also affects our marine life which is one of the food sources.

Thermal pollution : Power plants- thermal and nuclear, chemical and other industries use lot of water (about 30 % of all abstracted water) for cooling purposes and the used hot water is discharged into rivers, streams or oceans. The waste heat from the boilers and heating processes increases the temperature of the cooling water. Discharge of hot water may increase the temperature of the receiving water by 10 to 15 °C above the ambient water temperature. This is thermal pollution.

 Eutrophication: ‘Eu’ means well or healthy and ‘trophy’ means nutrition. The enrichment of water bodies with nutrients causes eutrophication of the water body.

Discharge of domestic waste, agricultural surface runoff, land drainage and industrial effluents in a water body leads to rapid nutrients enrichment in a water body. The excessive nutrient enrichment in a water body encourages the growth of algae duckweed, water hyacinth, phytoplankton and other aquatic plants. The biological demand for oxygen (BOD) increases with the increase in aquatic organisms. As more plants grow and die, the dead and decaying plants and organic matter acted upon by heterotrophic protozoans and bacteria, deplete the water of dissolved oxygen (DO). Decrease in DO result in sudden death of large population of fish and other aquatic organisms including plants, releasing offensive smell and makes the water unfit for human use. The sudden and explosive growth of phytoplankton and algae impart green colour to the water is known as water bloom, or “algal blooms”. These phytoplankton release toxic substances in water that causes sudden death of large population of fishes. This phenomenon of nutrient enrichment of a water body is called eutrophication. Human activities are mainly responsible for the eutrophication of a growing number of lakes and water bodies in the country.

Soil pollution: Soil pollution happens when the toxic chemicals, pollutants or contaminants in the soil are high causing risk to the plants, wildlife, human beings and to the soil.

The major causes of soil pollution are:

Use of chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers are the main factors.

1.    The breaking of the underground storage tank

2.    Leakage of wastes from landfills

3.     Direct discharge of industrial wastes

4.    Harmful irrigation practices

5.     Improper maintenance

6.    Leakage from sanitary sewage, acid rain falling onto the soil

7.    Fuel leakage of automobiles that soak into the soil

Noise pollution: When there is too much noise or an unpleasant sound causing a temporary disruption in the natural balance is known as noise pollution.

The main causes of noise pollution are:

1.    Industrialization

2.    Poor urban planning

3.    Social events

4.    Transportation

5.    Construction activities

6.    Household chores

7.    Noise pollution causes health issues like

8.    Hearing problems

9.    Sleeping disorders

10.  Cardiovascular issues

11. Trouble in communicating

Radioactive pollution: Radioactive pollution happens when there is the presence of radioactive materials in the environment caused by the emission of harmful radiations like alpha or beta particles or gamma rays.

The main causes of radioactive pollution are:

1.    Nuclear accidents from nuclear energy generation plants

2.     The use of nuclear weapons for mass destruction

3.    Mining

4.    Spillage of radioactive chemicals

5.    Tests on radiation

6.    Cosmic rays

7.    The major effects of radioactive pollution are:

8.    Genetic mutations

9.    Diseases like cancer

10.  Infertility in soils

11. Cell destruction

Some of the solutions of radioactive pollution are

1.    We should dispose of the radioactive wastes properly like burying the wastes.

2.     We should properly label the content of any radioactive content so that one can take protective measures to handle it.

3.    Banning of nuclear tests

4.    We should think of alternative sources of energy like solar energy, hydro-electric and wind power. Proper storage or container should be there for the radioactive materials so that there is no leakage.

Light pollution: By light pollution, we understand the excessive, flashy and unwanted artificial lighting. The cause of light pollution is mainly due to

1.    Industrialization

2.    Modernization

Following are the adverse effects of light pollution:

1.    Over-illumination causes headache, fatigue, stress and anxiety.

2.    Light trespass during night causes the sleeping disorder.

3.    Glaring on outdoor lights decreases our vision and the chances of accidents increases

Climate change:

Climate change creates injustices in who caused the problem, who is suffering worst and first, and who is taking action.  Power between nations and social groups drives unequal disaster risks and the “compounded vulnerabilities” of poor peoples and nations, and has led to gridlock in United Nations negotiations.  The course reviews social and political dimensions of local and national adaptation efforts, media dynamics, collective and individual denial, and the rise of climate social movements.

The human emissions of billions of tons of gases known to trap heat in the atmosphere is a massive experiment on the systems that support our species.  Human civilization has developed in a remarkably stable period of global temperature and precipitation, but the climate impacts are rising and projected to get much worse in the decades ahead. 

The complex politics of climate change results from numerous cofactors arising from the global economy's dependence on carbon dioxide  (CO₂) emitting fossil fuels; and because greenhouse gases such as CO
2, methane and N₂O ( Nitrous oxide)  (mostly from agriculture) cause global warming.

 

Human activities have polluted the environment that we live in. But, at the same time, we are also trying to repeal the damage caused by pollution. Small efforts we make towards our greener environment will show can start showing its effect. We can still keep and save what is left from our natural resources to make the world a better place to live for our future generation.