15.

POLLUTION TYPES AND SOURCES

Exercise

1. Define pollution. How is it caused?

Ans. Any activity that violates the original characters of nature and leads to its degradation is
called pollution. It is caused by improper management of resources or by careless human
activity.

 While pollution is caused by natural as well as man-made sources, it is the man-made

pollution which is adding to the severity of this issue and threatening the existence of
life on the planet.
 To a large extent, environment pollution can be attributed to various human activities,
such as transportation, industrial production, construction, mining, agriculture, etc.

2. State the causes of soil pollution.

Ans. The causes of soil pollution are:

 Industrial waste: Chemicals dumped in soil, contaminate them. For example, thermal
plants generate large quantity of fly ash and waste from fertilizer factories, chemical
from oil refineries and iron and steel plants pollute the soil.
 Urban commercial and domestic waste: Non-biodegradable waste like glass, polythene
bags remain in the soil.
 Chemical fertilizer: The harmful substance like phosphorus and potassium are released
into water and soil.
 Biomedical waste: Plastics, metal needles, chemicals etc., are dumped into the soil. The
pathogens which contaminate the soil effect the human health.
 Pesticides: They mix in water mostly. The phosphates and nitrates accumulate in the
soil permanently.

3. State the effects of freshwater pollution. How is it caused?

Ans. Freshwater pollution may be caused due to:

Natural sources: are gases, animal wastes, living organisms, soil, minerals and other pollutants
soluble in water. The poisonous minerals like Nickel, Cobalt, and Lead etc. are also responsible
for polluting the water.

Human sources: Urbanisation and industrialisation have resulted in excessive water pollution.

 Sewage from homes and industries discharges untreated into rivers and other water
bodies leads to pollution.
 The main causes are effluents from industries, oil spilling from tankers, fertilizer and
pesticides added to soil eventually reach the water bodies.
Effects of fresh water pollution:

 Chemical destroy aquatic life.

 Organic pollutants like sewage increase bacterial growth thus, depleting dissolved
oxygen for aquatic life.
 Poisonous chemicals like DDT, mercury enter the food chain and get concentrated
which reach fish and ultimately man.

4. How do agriculture wastes harm the environment?

Ans. Agriculture wastes cause soil, water and air pollution.

 Agriculture practices today mostly use chemical fertilizers, which contains harmful
substances such as phosphorus and potassium. This also effects the plants growth in
the soil.
 Pesticides used to control pests and weeds in farming, contaminate the soil. The
phosphates and nitrates accumulate in the soil permanently.
 Agriculture including commercial livestock and poultry farming is a source of many
organic pollutants in surface waters.

5. Which gases are emitted through refrigerators and air-conditioners?

Ans. CFCs-Chlorofluorocarbons are the gases emitted into the Stratosphere through
refrigerators and air-conditioners.

6. Differentiate between the natural and man-made sources of pollution.

Natural
The sources which are present in the
nature and from which pollution occurs
without human intervention.
The main sources are volcanic
eruptions, forest fires, dust storms, etc.
They are not under the control of
human being.
Man-made
Human beings are responsible for
increasing the pollutants in the
atmosphere.
They include sewage and domestic
waste, industrial waste, agriculture
waste, nuclear waste, oil spills, mining
hospital waste etc.
They can be controlled by finding a
remedy or alternate source of
production.

7. What is mean by oil spill?

Ans. Waste oil from city drains, tankers and leakage from oil wells cause the oil to seep into
sea and pollute the water.
8. How is oil spill caused?

Ans. Oil spill are cause by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refiners, drilling rigs,
and storage facilities. Spills can be cause by: people making mistakes or being careless,
equipment break down.

9. What is mean by radiation?

Ans. Radiation is the emission of highly charges particles and electromagnetic rays entering the
Earth’s atmosphere.

10. Explain the following terms:

(a) Smog: Smog is a combined word of smoke and fog. Smog is formed during winters when
the condensation happens on the suspended air pollutants in the air. Smog is harmful
as it causes breathing problems and reduce the visibility.
(b) Pollutant is a substance, gas or tiny particles that makes the environment dirty or
contaminated is called pollution.
(c) CFC: CFC is the short form of chlorofluorocarbon, typically used gas in refrigerators, air
conditioner, aerosol, and propellants. This gas is harmful to the ozone layer.
(d) Eutrophication: The process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved
nutrients, which stimulate the growth of algae or other aquatic plants resulting the
depletion of dissolved oxygen.

11. Write a short note on the following:

(a) Radiation: It is the emission of highly charge particles and electromagnetic ray entering
the Earth’s atmosphere from outer space.
Causes: Nuclear power plants, transport and disposal of nuclear wastes, mining of
radioactive substances, fall-out of bomb explosions, nuclear weapons, testing of
nuclear devices and nuclear accidents, etc. are major sources of radiation pollution.
Effect: These sources cause permanent damage to life and property, e.g., Chernobyl
disaster.
(b) Oil spill: Waste from city drains, tankers and leakage from oil wells cause oil seep into
the sea and pollute the water.
Causes: Oil spill are caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries,
drillings rigs, storage facilities. It may also be due to people making mistakes or being
careless.
Effect:
 Cleaning up of oil-soaked beaches is very difficult and lot of money is wasted,
e.g., oil in the gulf of spill Mexico.
 Birds and mammals die by thousands.
 (c) Air pollution: Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances
including gases, particulates and biological molecules are introduced into Earth’s
atmosphere.
Sources:
 Natural: Volcanic eruptions, forests fires, dust storms and earthquakes, etc.
 Man-made: Releasing more greenhouse gases into space. Automobile and
industrial pollution, burning of garbage, brick kilns and indoor air pollution are
some of the sources.

Effects: Poor air quality, which makes people sick, causing breathing problems and
increasing the likelihood of cancer.

 Acid rain: Corrodes statues and buildings, damages crops and forests.

(d) Noise pollution: Any sound that causes annoyance is regarded as noise and is
considered as a source of pollution. Sound levels of 80 decibels cause noise pollution.
Sources: The machines in factories and industries and their whistling sounds, crushing
noise and thundering sounds, loudspeakers, bands, loud music and mining activities.
Effects: In extreme cases, it damages hearing or even cause deafness. It creates an
unpleasant and irritating atmosphere. Continuous exposure leads to serious diseases.
It may cause high BP, palpitation, fatigue, headaches and vomiting. It lead to anxiety,
depression, irritability and tension.

12. What kind of pollution is produced by bricks kilns?

Ans. Brick kilns give out huge quantity of carbon dioxide and particulate matter such as
smoke, dust which is very harmful to the people working there and the areas surrounding
it. The dust particles cause lung diseases.

13. How is thermal pollution caused?

Ans. Thermal power plants release the recycled hot water into the rivers and seas causing
water pollution. The hot water rises the temperature of the water body, affecting marine
life.

14. What are the sources of radioactive pollution?

Ans. The sources of radioactive pollution are:
 Natural: The cosmic rays emit radioactive radiation which is very harmful to
living organisms. It pollutes life supporting systems like air, water and soil.
 Man-made resources:
- Waste water from nuclear power station.
- Waste generated during nuclear weapon testing.
- Mining and testing of uranium ore.
- Waste from research laboratories where radioisotopes are used.
- X-ray wastes.
15. How do water bodies get contaminated by the effluents from industries?
Ans. Water bodies get contaminated by the effluents from industries:
 Most of the industries release chemicals like Chlorides, Sulphides, carbonates,
Nitrates and metals like Zinc, Mercury, Copper, Chromium etc., in the rivers or
water sources.
 Waste and sewage generated by industry can get into the water supply, introducing
large organic pollutants into the system.
 Waste can become contaminated with toxic or radioactive material from the
industry, mine sites and abandoned hazardous waste sites.

16. What is difference between primary and secondary pollutants?

Ans.

Primary Pollutants Secondary Pollutants

(i) The pollutants which are directly (i) The pollutants which are formed due
released into the air. They are called to chemical interactions between the
SPM (Suspended Particulate Matter). atmospheric components and primary
pollutants.

(ii) They are less toxic. (ii) They are more toxic.
e.g., smoke, dust, ash, sulphur oxide e.g., Smog, ozone, etc.
and radioactive compounds, etc.

17. How does urbanisation cause air pollution?

Ans. Urbanisation means increase of population in an area. Then they need more foods,
clothes, and other materials to live. To supply their needs industries are growing up by
which air is polluted.
(i) More people burn more fuels which creates carbon dioxide and other gases.
(ii) More people need more vehicles for transportation. Vehicles pollute air rapidly. So
air is polluted for the result of urbanisation.
(iii) Industries are the main components of urbanisation. From industries various types
of gases are produced which causes acid rain.
(iv) For urbanisation forests and many other agricultural lands are reduced which
effects badly on air.
(v) Urban people use refrigerators, air cooler, perfume etc., which produce CFCs.
(vi) For urban people construction of buildings are necessary. Air pollutes when dust
particles are being mixed with air from construction works.