Unit 5 Environmental Pollution PDF

UNIT-5: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION 2 Marks Questions with answers: 1. What is Environmental pollution? Pollution is the introduction of harmful material into the environment. 2. What are the types of pollution? a) Air pollution b) Water pollution c) Soil pollution...

UNIT-5: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION 2 Marks Questions with answers: 1. What is Environmental pollution? Pollution is the introduction of harmful material into the environment. 2. What are the types of pollution? a) Air pollution b) Water pollution c) Soil pollution d) Noise pollution e) Nuclear pollution 3. What is pollutant? Pollutant is a substance which causes pollution. The pollutant may be solid, liquid or gas. 4. What is air pollution? Air pollution is the contamination of air by smoke and harmful gases, mainly oxides of carbon, Sulphur and nitrogen. 5. What is water pollution? Water pollution is the addition of harmful substances in water which causes pollution. 6. What is soil pollution? Soil pollution is defined as the build-up in soils which includes toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials or disease causing agents which have adverse effects on plant growth and animal health. 7. What is noise pollution? Noise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or animal life. 8. What is nuclear pollution? Nuclear pollution is pollution caused by nuclear waste. Nuclear waste consists of radioactive waste from military, scientific and industrial fields. 9. What is solid waste? The term solid waste means material such as household garbage, food wastes, yard waste and demolition or construction debris. It also includes discarded items like household appliances, furniture, scrap material, car parts etc. 10. What is incineration? Incineration means to burn something at very high temperature until nothing is left but ashes. 11. What is vermicomposting? Vermicomposting is the process of composting using various worms such as white worms, earth worms. 12. What is compost? Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer. 13. What is E-waste? Electronic waste may be defined as discarded computers, office electronic equipment, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators which are unwanted, non-working and reached the end of their life cycle. 14. What is recycling? It includes collection, processing and utilization of waste material. Conversion of waste materials into new products or useful materials to reduce consumption of fresh materials. 15. What is hazardous waste? Hazardous waste is waste that is dangerous or potentially harmful to our health or the environment. 5 Marks Questions with Answers: 1. Explain the various types of pollution. The types of pollution are as follows: 1. Air pollution 2. Water pollution 3. Soil pollution 4. Noise pollution 5. Nuclear pollution 1. Air pollution: The release of harmful contaminants including toxic gases, particulates, biological molecules, chemicals, etc. into the environment is called air pollution. 2. Water pollution: Water pollution is caused when water bodies like rivers, seas, and lakes get polluted with toxic matter. 3. Soil pollution: It is land degradation that is caused by chemicals or other changes in the natural soil environment. Certain industrial activities, agricultural chemicals and improper waste disposal are some of the major factors contributing to soil pollution.  4. Noise pollution: Noise pollution is the excess amount of noise in surroundings disrupting the natural balance. Generally, it is due to man-made activities but can also be caused due to natural factors like volcanoes. Man-made contributions are from heavy machines, factories, mills, transportation noises from vehicles and airplanes, construction noises like boring and drilling machines, social events noises from firecrackers and loudspeakers, and household noises from mixers, Television, and washing machines. 5. Nuclear pollution: Nuclear pollution is pollution caused by nuclear waste. Nuclear waste consists of radio-active waste from the unusable radioactive by-products from the military, scientific and industrial fields. 2. Write a note on Air pollution. The release of harmful contaminants including toxic gases, particulates, biological molecules, chemicals, etc. into the environment is called air pollution. Gaseous pollutants for damaging the atmosphere include carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides that are produced by industry and motor vehicles. Causes of Air Pollution: A. Natural Sources: The volcanic eruptions, forest release suspended particulate matter, carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide, radioactive elements and organic matter into the atmosphere as pollutants. B. Man-Made causes: a) Industries smoke b) Burning of agriculture residue c) Mining and quarrying: Dust from mining d) Power generation: Combustion of fuels and coal in thermal power point e) Transportation: Smoke from vehicles f) Nuclear test: conducting nuclear tests and war, explosion of bombs Effects of Air-pollution: i. Diseases Air pollution has resulted in several respiratory disorders and heart diseases among humans. ii. Global Warming Due to the emission of greenhouse gases, there is an imbalance in the gaseous composition of the air. This has led to an increase in the temperature of the earth. This increase in earth’s temperature is known as global warming. iii. Acid Rain The burning of fossil fuels releases harmful gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides in the air. The water droplets combine with these pollutants, become acidic and fall as acid rain which damages human, animal and plant life.  iv. Ozone Layer Depletion The release of chlorofluorocarbons, halons, and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere is the major cause of depletion of the ozone layer. The depleting ozone layer does not prevent the harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the sun and causes skin diseases and eye problems among individuals. v. Effect on Animals The air pollutants suspend in the water bodies and affect aquatic life. Pollution also compels the animals to leave their habitat and shift to a new place. 3. Write a short note on Water Pollution. Water pollution is the contamination of water sources by substances which make the water unusable for drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and other activities. Pollutants include chemicals, trash, bacteria, and parasites. Water pollution is caused when water bodies like rivers, seas, and lakes get polluted with toxic matter. Types of pollution: a) Organic substance b) Thermal pollution c) Ecological pollution Sources of water pollution: a) Industrial waste b) Municipal waste c) Agricultural waste d) Radioactive waste e) Petroleum waste f) Pharmaceutical waste Causes of water pollution: A. Natural causes: Volcanoes, earthquakes will also result in changes of water quality. B. Man-made causes: i. Industrial waste and chemical waste ii. Municipality sewage iii. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides iv. Mining v. Oil spills in water bodies vi. Radio-active substances Effects of water pollution: i. Water pollution drastically affects human health ii. It can cause contamination of drinking water – thereby contributing to waterborne diseases iii. Water pollution also affects the ecosystem – it can cause a phenomenon called eutrophication. This can cause fish and other aquatic organisms to die.  iv. Toxic elements dissolved in water can make their way to humans through fish or other aquatic organisms. v. Water pollution also leaches chemicals into the soil that may impact the growth of plants or other food crops. 4. Write a short note on soil pollution. Soil pollution is when the soil is contaminated by different pollutants like toxic chemicals from man-made products or even from wind or precipitation, which are natural pollutants. Sources of soil pollution: i. Industrial waste: Disposal of industrial waste ii. Disposal of human and animal waste iii. Use of chemical fertilizers iv. Using pesticides v. Fly ash vi. Municipal waste vii. Radio-active waste viii. Accidental oil spills ix. Acid rain Effects of soil pollution: a. Effect on health of humans b. Effect on growth of plants c. Decreases soil fertility d. Toxic dust e. Changes in soil structure 5. Write a short note on Noise Pollution: Noise pollution refers to sound pollution that is distracting, irritating or damaging sounds which are freely audible. Types of noise pollution: i. Street traffic sounds from cars, buses, pedestrians, ambulances etc. ii. Construction sounds like drilling or other heavy machinery in operation iii. Workplace sounds, often common in open-space offices iv. Constant loud music in or near commercial venues v. Industrial sounds like fans, generators, compressor, mills vi. Train stations traffic vii. Household sounds, from the television set to music playing on the stereo or computer, vacuum cleaners, fans and coolers, washing machines, dishwashers, lawnmowers etc. viii. Events involving fireworks, firecrackers, loudspeakers etc. ix. Conflicts generate noise pollution through explosions, gunfire etc. Effects of noise pollution: i. Noise pollution causes auditory problems ii. It increases blood pressure, increased hearth beat, anxiety, cardio-vascular diseases iii. In increases tension iv. It may cause damage to heart, brain, liver and kidney. v. Noise cause disturbance in communication  vi. Noise pollution causes irritation, dissatisfaction, and dis-interest and affects work performance. 6. Write a short note on nuclear pollution. Nuclear pollution is pollution caused by nuclear waste. Nuclear waste consists of radio- active waste from the unusable radioactive by-products from the military, scientific and industrial fields. Causes of Nuclear pollution: i. Medical x-rays ii. Biomedical waste iii. Mining and refining iv. Industrial waste v. Nuclear power plants vi. Nuclear explosion Effects of nuclear pollution: a. It affects human health diseases like leukaemia, anaemia, haemorrhage, a decline in the lifespan b. Infertility of Soil c. Effects on Plant Life d. Radioactive Pollution and Cell Damage 7. What are the types of Municipal Solid Waste? And explain the causes or sources of MSW. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)—more commonly known as trash or garbage— consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. This comes from our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses. Types of solid waste: i. Garbage: Vegetable waste, animal waste, food waste ii. Litter: Paper, discarded wrappings, bottles iii. Domestic waste: paper, plastic iv. Agricultural: pesticides, chemicals v. Construction: debris, concrete, metal, paints, tiles vi. Medical waste: needles, syringe, drugs, cotton, diapers vii. Commercial waste: from hotels, tourism Causes of solid waste: i. Urban waste ii. Industrial waste iii. Agricultural waste iv. Biomedical v. E-waste vi. Ash vii. Other hazardous waste 8. Explain the MSW collection methods. Municipal solid waste is collected in several ways: A. Community bins: Users bring their garbage to community bins that are placed at fixed points in a locality. It will be picked by the municipality according to set schedule. B. House-to-House: Waste collectors visit each individual house to collect garbage. The user generally pays a fee for this service C. Curb side pickup: Users have their garbage directly outside their homes according to a garbage pick- up schedule set with the local authorities D. Self-delivered: Generators deliver the waste directly to disposal sites or transfer stations, or hire third party operators (or the municipality) E. Contracted service: Businesses hire firms who arrange collection schedule and charges with customers, 9. Briefly explain the various MSW disposal methods. a) Manual component separation: The manual separation of solid waste component is done to achieve the recovery and use of materials. b) Compaction: After separation of reusable or disposable articles, compactors are used to compress the waste materials. c) Incineration: Incineration involves burning of waste materials which further converts into ash, flue gas and heat d) Open dumping: Open dumping of solid waste is done in low lying areas and outskirts of the towns and cities. e) Land filling: Sanitary land filling involves the disposal of municipal waste on or in the upper layers of the earth’s mantle in degraded areas in need of restoration. f) Recycling: It includes collection, processing and utilization of waste material. g) Composting: Composting is process of recycling decomposed organic matter into rich soil known as compost.