EFFECTS OF POLLUTANTS ON ORGANISMS

PREPARED BY : IRSA IKHLAQ

 • PRESENTATION OUTLINE
• Introduction
• Classification of Pollutants
• Quantative & Qualitative
• Primary and Secondary
• Bio-degradable Pollutants
• Non-degradable Pollutants
• Various Environmental Pollutants and Their Terrible Effect on Our
Environment and Humans
• References
 INTRODUCTION

 Any substance present in the environment in harmful concentration, which adversely

alters the environment by damaging the growth rate of a species and by interfering
with the food chains, is toxic and affects the health, comfort and property etc. is
considered as a pollutant.
 Burning also releases dioxins, which are persistent environmental pollutants. Typical
examples of pollutants included under this category are ash, smoke, fumes, dust, nitric
oxide, sulphur dioxide, hydrocarbons etc.
• CLASSIFICATION OF POLLUTANTS
 Depending upon their existence in nature pollutants are of two types, namely quantitative
and qualitative pollutants.
 Quantitative Pollutants
 These are those substances normally occurring in the environment, who acquire the status of a
pollutant when their concentration gets increased due to the unmindful activities of man. For
example, carbon dioxide.
 Qualitative Pollutants
 These are those substances which do not normally occur in nature but are added by man, for
example, insecticides.
CONTD…..

 Depending upon the form in which they persist after being released into the environment, the pollutants
are categorized into two types, namely primary and secondary pollutants.
 Primary Pollutants
 These are those which are emitted directly from the source and persist in the form in which they were
added to the environment. Typical example are ash, smoke, fumes, dust, nitric oxide, sulphur dioxide,
hydrocarbons etc.
 Secondary Pollutants
 These are those which are formed from the primary pollutants by chemical interaction with some
constituent present in the atmosphere. Examples are: Sulphur trioxide, nitrogen dioxide, aldehydes,
ketones, ozone etc.
• PRIMARY AND SECONDARY POLLUTANTS
• ACCORDING TO THEIR NATURAL DISPOSAL
From the ecosystem point of view, i.e., according to their natural disposal, pollutants are of two
types:
 Bio-degradable Pollutants
 These are the pollutants that are quickly degraded by natural means. Heat or thermal pollution, and
domestic sewage are considered in this category as these can be rapidly decomposed by natural
processes or by engineered systems such as municipal treatment, plants etc.
 Non-degradable Pollutants
 These are the substances that either do not degrade or degrade very slowly in the natural environment.
These include mercury salts, long chain phenolic chemicals, DDT and Aluminum cans.
• VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS

 Pollutants are the various impurities that have found their way into the environment
due to both human activity and natural causes, thus leading to pollution.
 These chemical compounds are harmful to both life and the environment.
 According to environmentalists and scientists, there are various types of pollutants
and are classified according to the type of pollution they cause.
• ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS
 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)
 Lead
 Methane
 Carbon monoxide
 Particulate matter (PM)
 Nitrogen oxides
 Sulfur dioxide
 Plastic
 Mercury
 Ground-level ozone
• COMMON AIR POLLUTANTS
CONTD….
 Bad smells
 Nitrates
 Phosphorus
 Automobiles
 Loud sounds
 Uranium
 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
 PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl)
 Chemical Fertilizers
 Visual Pollutants
• REFERENCES

 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, A framework for Ecological Risk Assessment. EPA/630/R-
92/001, Risk Assessment Forum, Washington, D.C., 1992
 Landis, W.G. and Yu, M.-H., Introduction to Environmental Toxicology, 3rd ed., Lewis Publishers,
Boca Raton, FL, 2004.
 North America’s industrial pollution, Environ. Sci. Technol, Sept. 1, 359A, 2001.
 Murakami, M., Environmental health surveillance system for monitoring air pollution, Environ. Sci., 4,
1, 1996.
 Goldsmith, J.R. and Friberg, L.T., Effects of air pollution on human health, in Stern, A.C., Ed., Air
Pollution, Vol. II, 2nd ed., Academic Press, New York, 1977, p.469.
 Health Consquences of air pollution on population (Article), Geneva, Switzerland, 15 November 2019.