Introduction: Pollutants, Type of Pollutants

EHS425 - Chapter 1
Content

• Introduction
• Earth’s System
• Environmental Chemistry
• Human Impacts on the Environment
• Pollution
• Classification of Environmental Pollution
• Pollution Control
 Introduction
• Environmental science is a multidisciplinary academic area that studies the
environment and solves environmental issues by combining physics, biology, and
geography.
• Environmental science has three primary goals:
o to discover how the natural world works,
o to understand how people interact with the environment, and
o to develop solutions to environmental issues and to live more sustainably.
o Environmental science is essential for ensuring a sustainable and healthy planet for
future generations. Understanding the complex interactions between humans and the
environment can lead to a more sustainable and equitable future.
o Environmental scientists apply their understanding of the natural sciences to
safeguard human health and the environment. They could clean up dirty regions,
advise legislators, or collaborate with businesses to cut waste.
o Environmental expertise is needed for critical concerns, including adapting to climate
change, increasing sustainability, and anticipating the implications of environmental
policy.
Environmental science
Environmental science is important for several reasons, including:
• Understanding and managing natural resources: Environmental science
helps us understand the natural resources we depend on, such as water, air,
soil, and minerals, and how to manage them sustainably.
• Protecting human health: Environmental science investigates how
environmental factors, such as pollution, climate change, and toxic substances,
can affect human health.
• Addressing global environmental challenges: Environmental science plays
a critical role in addressing global environmental challenges, such as climate
change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion.
• Informing policy and decision-making: Environmental science provides
scientific evidence and data to inform policy and decision-making related to
environmental issues.
 Environmental Scientists
• Environmental scientists are professionals who work in the field of environmental
science.
• Some examples of environmental scientists include:
o Environmental consultants: These are professionals who work for consulting
firms and advise businesses and governments on environmental issues, such as
complying with environmental regulations and reducing environmental impacts.
o Government scientists: These are professionals who work for government
agencies at the local, state, or federal level and are involved in developing and
implementing environmental policies and regulations.
o Academics and researchers: These professionals work in universities and
research institutions and research environmental issues, such as climate change,
biodiversity loss, and pollution.
o Environmental educators: These professionals work in schools, museums, and
nature centers and teach others about environmental issues and sustainable
practices.
o Overall, environmental scientists work in a variety of settings. They have diverse roles,
but all aim to understand and address environmental issues to promote a sustainable
and healthy planet.
Earth’s System

• A system is a collection of interacting,

interdependent, or linked pieces that
create a complex whole.
• Earth consists of five primary
subsystems or parts: the Atmosphere,
Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Cryosphere,
and Geosphere.
• Each main component is related to the
others via complicated mechanisms.
Major Earth Systems
• Geosphere: This includes the Earth's solid land, rocks, and soil.
• It is the foundation of the other subsystems and provides the nutrients and
minerals necessary for life.
• Atmosphere: This is the layer of gases surrounding the Earth, including
oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
• The atmosphere regulates the climate and weather, protects the Earth
from harmful solar radiation, and provides oxygen for living organisms.
• Hydrosphere: This includes all of the water on Earth, including oceans, lakes,
rivers, and groundwater.
• The hydrosphere is critical for life, regulating the climate, and provides a
habitat for many organisms.
• Biosphere: This includes all living organisms on Earth and their interactions
with each other and their environment.
• The biosphere is an incredibly diverse and complex subsystem that plays
a critical role in the functioning of Earth's system.
• These subsystems are not isolated but are interconnected and interact with each other in
complex ways. For example, the atmosphere interacts with the hydrosphere through the
water cycle, and the geosphere interacts with the biosphere through the cycling of nutrients.
• Understanding the interactions and feedback loops between these subsystems is essential
for understanding Earth's system as a whole.
• Studying Earth's system can help us understand the impacts of human activities on the
environment and develop strategies for sustainability and resilience.
Environmental Chemistry

• Environmental chemistry is a branch of chemistry that

studies the sources, reactions, transport, and effects of
environmental chemicals.
• It focuses on understanding the chemical processes in natural
systems and how human activities can affect these processes.
• Environmental chemistry is interdisciplinary and draws on
principles from other fields, such as geology, biology, physics,
and engineering.
• It is essential to understand environmental problems such as
pollution and develop solutions to them.
 Environmental analysis

• Environmental analysis is the process of determining the composition and properties

of environmental samples.
• It identifies and quantifies pollutants and other chemicals in environmental matrices
such as air, water, and soil.
• Environmental analysis techniques include analytical chemistry methods such as
chromatography, mass spectrometry, and spectroscopy.
• Environmental analysis is critical for monitoring environmental quality, evaluating
compliance with environmental regulations, and assessing the risks to human health
and the environment.
• Environmental chemistry and environmental analysis are closely related fields, as
environmental chemistry provides the scientific understanding of how chemicals
behave in the environment, and environmental analysis provides the data on the
levels and types of chemicals in environmental matrices.
Together, these fields are essential for understanding and addressing environmental
problems and protecting the environment's and human populations' health.
 Human Impacts on the Environment

• Overpopulation, pollution, the use of fossil fuels, and deforestation are all ways
in which humans affect the environment.
• Human has a positive impact on the environment when their actions positively
affect the natural world.
• However, when human actions have a negative impact on the environment, we
state that man has an adverse impact on the environment.
• These modifications have led to climate change, land erosion, poor air quality,
and undrinkable water.
• Various human activities that affect an ecosystem: agriculture, deforestation,
overpopulation & overconsumption, plastic production, emission of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and destruction of the reefs and production
of carbon.
Human Population and Environment
• The world population reached 8 billion people in November 2022, according to the
United Nations.
• It took about two hundred thousand years of human prehistory and history for the
population to reach one billion, but only 219 years to reach eight billion.
• Human population expansion affects the Earth system in several ways, including a
rise in the misuse of natural resources.
• These resources consist of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), minerals, plants,
water, and animals, particularly in the seas.
 Pollution

• Pollution, also known as environmental pollution, is the introduction of any material

(solid, liquid, or gas) or any type of energy (such as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to
the environment at a quicker pace than it can be dispersed, diluted, decomposed,
or stored in a harmless form.
• Air pollution, water pollution, and land contamination are the three primary types of
pollution.
• Also important to the modern community are particular forms of pollution, such as
noise pollution, light pollution, and plastic pollution.
• All forms of pollution may negatively damage the environment and animals, as well
as the health and well-being of humans.
Air Pollution

• Air pollution is air contamination caused by compounds that are hazardous to the
health of people and other living organisms or impair the climate or materials.
• There are several air contaminants, including gases, particles, and biological
substances.
• The primary causes of man-made air pollution include vehicle emissions, fuel oils
and natural gas used to heat houses, byproducts of manufacturing and electricity
generation, notably coal-fueled power plants, and chemical industrial pollutants.
• The production of sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and volatile
organic compounds, among others, are the primary sources of air pollution.
• Heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory disorders like emphysema are some
long-term health repercussions of air pollution. Additionally, air pollution may cause
long-term harm to humans' nerves, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Some
researchers believe that air pollution may cause birth abnormalities.
• According to research undertaken by the WHO, air pollution is responsible for
nearly seven million deaths worldwide.
Air Pollution Kills
Air pollution is the 3rd leading risk factor for early death worldwide.
Water Pollution
• Water pollution is polluting water bodies, often because of human activity, to impair
their usefulness.
• Most people are acquainted with physicochemical indicators as the classic 'water
quality indicators. These are dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity, and
nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). In addition, they contain measurements of
harmful substances, including pesticides, herbicides, and metals.
• Agriculture is the primary driver of water deterioration on a global scale. Agriculture
is the leading cause of contamination in rivers and streams, the second-largest
source in wetlands, and the third-largest source in lakes in the United States.
• Industrial and agricultural effluents pollute water bodies such as rivers, lakes, seas,
groundwater, and aquifers, resulting in water pollution. Water pollution harms all
organisms that directly or indirectly rely on this resource.
Water Pollution Kills
 Land Pollution
• As part of land degradation, soil contamination, soil pollution, and land pollution are
caused by the presence of organic pollutants or other alterations to the natural soil
environment.
• Land is contaminated or polluted when garbage, compost, and other poisons are put
on it. Human activities such as trash and debris washed ashore from ships, oil rigs,
and sewage treatment facilities contribute to land contamination.
• Isolation, immobilization, toxicity reduction, physical separation, and extraction are
general techniques for the cleanup of contaminated soils. Combining one or more of
these methods often results in more cost-effective therapy.
• Examples of land pollution:
• Oil spills.
• Illegal dumping in natural habitats.
• Debris or damage caused by unsustainable logging practices.
• Pesticides and other farming chemicals.
• Nuclear accidents or radiation spills.
 Industrial Wastewater
• Industrial wastewater is the aqueous byproduct of compounds that have been
dissolved or suspended in water, often as a consequence of the use of water in an
industrial production process or associated cleaning operations.
• Fossil-fuel power plants, in particular, are a significant source of industrial
wastewater. Numerous of these factories release wastewater with high
concentrations of metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium, as well as
arsenic, selenium, and nitrogen compounds (nitrates and nitrites).
• The waste may differ from industry to industry according to the raw materials used,
the manufacturing processes, and the product outlets, but these kinds of waste can
be categorized into three forms: solids, liquids, and gases.
• The odor, temperature, color, and turbidity are critical physical properties. In
situations where industrial effluents are combined with wastewater, Biological
Chemical Demand (BOD) plays a crucial role in determining the appropriate
treatment techniques.
• Industrial waste may also be dangerous or toxic waste.
 Sewage Pollution
• In addition to organic material, sewage includes nutrients. The most important
nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. If sewage is released untreated, its
nitrogen and phosphate concentration may contribute to the eutrophication of lakes
and reservoirs.
• Sewage discharges contaminate streams, endanger human health, kill fish, and
smother coral reefs.
• The bacteria, fungus, parasites, and viruses found in sewage and wastewater may
cause intestinal, lung, and other illnesses. Bacteria may cause diarrhea, fever, and
cramps, as well as sometimes vomiting, headache, weakness, or appetite loss.
• The collected solid waste (biosolids and sludges) is disposed of on land, burnt, or
transferred to landfills. Additionally, wastewater treatment emits mainly carbon
dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
• Domestic and industrial wastewater disposal accounts for about 9 percent of
worldwide anthropogenic methane sources.
Solid Waste
• Solid waste encompasses trash, refuse, and abandoned materials. It may be
classed based on where the trash is created, such as municipal solid waste,
medical waste, and electronic waste.
• Annual production of municipal solid garbage exceeds 2 billion tons.
• Types of Solid Wastes:
o Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
o Construction and Demolition Debris.
o Industrial/Commercial Waste.
o Regulated Medical Waste.
o Used Electronic Equipment.
o Used Oil /Waste Tires.
• Poor waste management - ranging from non-existing collection systems to
ineffective disposal -causes air pollution and water and soil contamination.
• Open and unsanitary landfills contribute to the contamination of drinking water
and can cause infection and transmit diseases.
Other Kinds of Pollution
• Noise pollution
• Pesticide pollution
• Food pollution
• Metal pollution
• Thermal pollution
• Pollution due to radiation
Pollution Kills
• Some ways pollution can cause death include:
• Respiratory problems: Air pollution can cause respiratory problems
such as asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Exposure to high levels of
air pollution can also cause lung cancer and in extreme cases, can lead
to respiratory failure.
• Cardiovascular disease: Exposure to air pollution has been linked to
an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This is because pollutants
in the air can enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation and
damage to the heart and blood vessels.
• Cancer: Exposure to certain pollutants, such as asbestos, lead, and
some chemicals, can increase the risk of developing cancer.
• Infectious diseases: Water pollution can spread infectious diseases
such as cholera and typhoid fever. Chemical pollutants in water can also
harm aquatic life and contaminate the food chain.
• Birth defects and developmental disorders: Exposure to pollutants
during pregnancy can increase children's risk of birth defects,
developmental disorders, and cognitive impairment.
Pollution Control (1 of 2)

•Pollution control refers to the measures and strategies implemented to prevent or

reduce the release of pollutants into the environment and mitigate their negative
impacts. It involves a range of approaches, including regulation, technology, and
behavior change.
•Some examples of pollution control measures include:
• Regulation: Governments can establish laws and regulations that limit the
amount of pollutants that can be released into the environment. These
regulations may apply to specific industries, such as power plants and
factories, or specific types of pollutants, such as emissions of greenhouse
gases or discharge of toxic chemicals into waterways.
• Technology: Technological solutions can be developed and implemented to
reduce or prevent pollution. For example, air pollution control devices can be
installed in factories and power plants to reduce emissions, and wastewater
treatment plants can be used to remove pollutants from sewage.
Pollution Control (2 of 2)
• Waste management: Proper management of waste can help prevent
pollution. This includes recycling, composting, and safe disposal of
hazardous waste.
• Education and behavior change: Education and awareness
campaigns can encourage individuals to adopt behaviors that reduce
pollution, such as carpooling, using public transportation, and reducing
energy consumption.
• Conservation and preservation: Protecting natural areas and
ecosystems can help prevent pollution by reducing the risk of air,
water, and soil contamination.
• Pollution control is an essential part of environmental protection and sustainability
efforts.
• It is necessary to reduce the negative impacts of pollution on human health,
wildlife, and the environment and to ensure that natural resources are conserved for
future generations.
Class Discussions

Source of Pollution Component Environmental Impact

Nuclear Industry

Industrial Effluents

Medical Waste

Food Industry

Chemical Industry