AIR POLLUTION

Defined as that quantity of pollutants which is sufficient to cause injury to human being and their living creatures. Air pollution can be categorized into two parts 1. Primary pollutants which enter in the air directly 2. Secondary pollutant these are created in the air from other pollutants under the influence of electromagnetic radiation from sun

Sources of air pollution

1. Stationary combustion sources: such air pollutants are produced mainly by burning of fuels and these may be gaseous or particulate in nature .the largely used fuel is coal and petroleum both are fossil fuels which on burning produce mixture of oxides in addition to CO2 and H2O. 2. Mobile combustion source: includes automobiles, locomotives, air crafts etc.largets source of air pollution in the cities which causes about 80% of air pollution and 75% of noise pollution the major pollutants are Carbon monoxide(77.2% highest) Nitrogen oxide (7.7%) Hydrocarbons (13.3%)

 Several products produced due to incomplete combustion of fossil fuels undergo photochemical reaction with oxide of nitrogen to produce photochemical smog which contains Ozone (O3),peroxyacetyl nitrate(PAN) ,aldehydes etc. these are often called the secondary pollutants. 3. Industrial processing and other sources: all industries that process organic chemicals using high temperature release various gases causing pollution. The chemical industry are the main source of carbon monoxide and sulphur oxides. Compound containing chlorine and fluorine especially CFC are widely used as propellants for aerosol can and as refrigerants these escape in air an cause pollution.

Major air pollutants

I. Gaseous pollutants: are grouped into inorganic and organic gases: a) Inorganic gases are oxides of sulphur about 80 million tone of SO2 per year added globally .oxides of carbon its two common types are CO and CO2 .CO when absorbed into the lungs combines with haemoglobin in blood and produce carboxyhaemoglobin which reduces the O2 carrying capacity of the haemoglobin .CO is fatal and is called silent killer. A continuous increase of unabsorbed CO2 in atmosphere would have disastrous effect on the flora and fauna and disturb the ecological balance effect the atmosphere and result in green house effect .

 Oxides of nitrogen main source is thermal power station, factories ,automobiles and air crafts where fossil fuels are used ,each tonne of coal after burning produces 5-10 kg of nitrogen oxide and about 10 million tonnes of nitrogen containing gases like NO and NO2 are entering into the atmosphere every year. Both when combine with water to form nitrous acid /nitric acid which are highly reactive in nature. These also give rise to most dangerous pollutant i.e. petrochemical smog and PAN. Ozone is produced by chemical reaction between reactive organic gases and oxides of nitrogen. Ozone is a life savior if present in stratosphere and a pollutant if present in troposphere.

b) Organic gases are aldehydes ie the thermal decomposition of fats ,oil and glycerol releases aldehydes in form of organic gases. They effect nasal and respiratory tract causing irritation. Hydrocarbons which pollute the atmosphere are methane ,ethylene etc anaerobic degradation of organic matter produces about one billion metric tonnes of methane annually .hydrocarbons cause irritation and injury to mucous membrane.

II. Particulate pollutants: these may be in form of solid particles /liquid droplets including smoke,fogg,dust ,pollen, bacteria and fungi. It is estimated that about 8 billion solid particles penetrate in atmosphere every day.eg are smoke from factory chimneys causing lung irritation asthma bronchitis etc., photochemical smog a combination of smoke and fog. Biocides and pesticides chemical commonly applied in the form of spray and are non biodegradable hence seriously effect the human health.

 Air pollution can affect our health in many ways. Numerous scientific studies have linked air pollution to a variety of health problems including: (1) aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease; (2) decreased lung function; (3) increased frequency and severity of respiratory symptoms such as difficulty breathing and coughing; (4) increased susceptibility to respiratory infections; (5) effects on the nervous system, including the brain, such as IQ loss and impacts on learning, memory, and behavior; (6) cancer; and (7) premature death.

Effects of air pollution

1. On human health: discussed in previous slides 2. On plants:SO2 pollution develop symptoms like bleached spots on leaves reduced yield etc. Oxides of nitrogen reduces the crop yield .in many regions it is found that alfalfa is susceptible to SO2 ,tobacco to O3 .fluoride reduces the crop yield and damage leaf tissues. Chlorine develop symptoms like bleaching of leaves.photchemical smog results into silvering and bronzing of leaves.O3 causes trees to lose their leaves prematurely.

Oil spill responders trying to recover oil from a marsh

 Jakartas rain highly acidic: Expert The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/17/2012 7:29 PM A scientist has said that the rain that falls in the capital is highly acidic because of the large quantity of pollutants in the air. "The thickness of the acid is strongly related to how close the rain is to air pollution sources like the thousands of factories near Jakarta. In Jakartas case, they are close enough, Indonesian Institute of Sciences water and climate change expert Heru Santoso said on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Pollution, loss of habitat drive away feathered guests

Hamari Jamatia, Hindustan Times New Delhi, February 02, 2012

The high pollution level in the Yamuna, continuous destruction of natural habitat and inconsistent winter have made many migratory birds 21 of the 27 major species skip the city this year.Endangered species like painted storks, black-headed ibis and ferruginous pochards have come in few numbers, says the Asian Waterbirds Census (AWC). Of the various stretches of Share more... between Wazirabad barrage and the point where it leaves the the Yamuna 1 Comment Capital, the Okhla Bird Sanctuary has fared better with 58 of the 75 local and Email print migratory species being lighted Those who did not show up include temmincks stint, Indian cormorant, greater flamingo and great white pelican. Also, the numbers of several species of ducks and storks bar-headed geese, northern shoveler, northern pintail and red-wattled lapwing have witnessed a sharp decline at Okhla, the census said. From the other stretches of Yamuna, the species that have missed the city include red-crested pochard, common coot, spot-billed duck and little cormorant.

3. On animals: the general effects of air pollution on animals are similar to those as human. 4. On material :the acid rain and the products of photochemical smog cause considerable effect on metal and buildings, air pollutants damage historical monuments e.g. Taj Mahal of Agra is endangered due to SO2 pollution produced by Mathura refinery,SIU and locomotive exhausts. Books and papers turn yellow due to SO2 pollution, hydrogen sulfide decolorizes silver and lead paints.

5. On climate: the release of green house gases from various sources are causing rise in global temperature (global warming),an increase of global temperature by 2-3 degree Celsius may lead to melting of glacier ,flooding of low lying coastal plains,increse in flow of rivers and change in rainfall pattern. Freon gas from aerosol sprays and nitrogen oxide in atmosphere depletes ozone layer. 6. Aesthetic insults: a dust hanging smoke causes poor visibility smoke and foul smelling odours emitted by factories,automobiles,drain and garbage dumps make urban life unpleasant.

Control of air pollution

Some important measures to reduce or minimize the air pollution are: 1. Use of purified petrol :use of purified unleaded and good quality of petrol reduces the level of sulphar and lead oxide in auto mobile exhausts. 2. Modernization of industries: the industrial machine and vehicle engine should be made energy efficient . 3. Installation of air treatment plant: large number of treatment plants for air purification must be installed. 4. Use of alternative energy source: common alternatives are wind, water and sun. Automobile industry should manufacture battery operated and solar operated vehicles.

5. Treatment of emission: the emission from factories and industries should be treated by various techniques before releasing into the atmosphere e.g. gravitational settling chambers, cyclone seperator,wet and gas scrubbers, catalytic combustion etc. 6. Plantation of tree: 7. Change in life style: could be use of energy more efficiently, use of alternative source of energy, plantation of tree as green belt, car pooling checking the undesirable burning of vegetation.

8. Enforcement of air prevention and control pollution act 1981 9. Environmental education

Functions of Central Pollution Control Board : Advise the Central Government on matters relating to pollution; Coordinate the activities of the State Boards; Provide Technical assistance to the State Boards, carry out and sponsor investigations and research relating to control of pollution; Plan and organize training of personnel; Collect, compile and publish technical and statistical data, prepare manuals and code of conduct. To lay down standards; To plan nation wide programme for pollution control

What are the steps taken to control vehicular pollution?

The following steps are taken: Establishment of Ambient Air Quality Monitoring throughout India Notification of Ambient Air Quality Standards under Environment (Protection) Act. Notification of vehicular emission norms for year 199091,1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 Improving fuel quality by phasing out lead from gasoline, reducing diesel sulphur, reducing gasoline benzene, and etc. Introduction of alternate fuelled vehicles like CNG/LPG. Improvement of public transport system. Public awareness & campaigns.