INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION CAUSE AND EFFECT Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from a pre-industrial society into an industrial one. It is a part of a wider modernization process, where social change and economic development are closely related with technological innovation. Since independence, India has achieved self-sufficiency in manufacturing of basic and capital goods. Some of the major industries in India are textiles industry, chemicals industry, food processing industry, steel industry, cement industry, mining, petroleum and software industry. Pollution can be defined as any undesirable change in physical and chemical environment, which is harmful for human being, are called pollution. The substances, which cause the changes, are called pollutants. Presently many man-made things are causing the destruction of environment. For example smoke of industries and kilns, various effluents of industries, pesticides, wastewater of industries. Industrial Pollution India’s industrial rise is closely accompanied by a mounting problem of pollution and the destruction of natural resources. Industrial pollution deteriorates the environment in a range of ways, and it has a negative impact on human lives and health. Pollutants can kill animals and plants, imbalance ecosystems, degrade air quality, damage buildings, and adversely affect quality of life. Pollution threatens natural systems, human health and esthetic sensibilities and arises due to industrial activities. Main types of industrial pollution are, water pollution, air pollution, pollution from solid wastes and noise pollution. Industrial Pollution is the most prominent and immediately pressing environmental concern. Water Pollution Throughout history man has been ravaged by plague and epidemics visited on him by poor sanitation and polluted water. In more modern times, the great typhoid epidemics that swept London in the mid-19th century underscored the peril of water pollution and launched the first organized steps to combat it. And until very recent times this stress on preventing waterborne disease was the major thrust of efforts to stem the decline of the environment. Americans have acted, until recently, as though their rivers and lakes had an infinite capacity to absorb wastes. Pollution was considered the price of progress. Industrial water pollution control legislation and programs have now been broadened to embrace a host of environmental concerns, including recreation
and esthetics. Epidemics due to water borne causes are largely of the past, and our health efforts have moved to a more sophisticated concern for the effects of small amounts of toxic chemicals on humans and other forms of life. Three reasons, besides the changed nature of the health problems, help explain the broader environmental concern of today: First, the growth of industries and cities has multiplied pollution in most water ways; second, demand for outdoor recreation has grown in a society increasingly affluent and leisure oriented; and third a thread running through all the other is man’s inexplicable affinity to water. Pollution problems exist in all parts of the world in some areas of the different countries remedial programs have succeeded in raising the levels of water quality. However, population and industrial growth, higher water quality demanded by the public, and the increasing severity of certain types of pollution for example, oil spills and increased algal blooms in lakes all mean that we have only begun to tackle the problems. Heated water discharged into lakes and rivers often harms aquatic life. Heat accelerates biological and chemical processes, which reduce the ability of a body of water to retain dissolved oxygen and other dissolved gasses. Increases in temperature often disrupt the reproduction cycles of fish. By hastening biological processes, heat accelerates the growth of aquatic plants often algae. Finally, the temperature level determines the types of fish and other aquatic life that can live in any particular body of water. Taken together, these effects of excess heat operate to change the ecology of an area sometimes drastically and rapidly. Although there is as yet no detailed inventory of industrial wastes, indications are that over half the volume discharged to water comes from four major industry groups paper, organic chemicals, petroleum, and steel. Most industrial water waste can be curbed and much has been by treatment by designing production process that minimize waste. “The average waste from modern sulfate pulp and paper plants is only 7 percent of what it was in the older sulfite process4” Treatment processes are now available for most industrial wastes. Their total estimated costs, as a percentage of gross sales by all industry are well under 1 percent, although cost are much higher for some industries. Also, many industrial wastes those from food processing, for example can be treated efficiently (after pretreatment in some cases) in municipal waste treatment systems. Some industrial pollution, however, presents difficult abatement problems. The trend toward using and shipping complex chemical products has greatly increased the possibility of releasing wastes in the environment. Many of these new chemicals are very difficult to detect and to control, and there is fear that too
little caution and study preceded the processing and marketing of some of these materials. Air Pollution Air pollution is a phenomenon that occurs when the pollutants in the air increases beyond the prescribed limit. Population and industrial growth and a high degree of dependence on the motor vehicle cause gaseous and particulate emissions. Main Sources of Air Pollutants are: i) Particulate matter ii) Sulphur oxides iii) Carbon Monoxide iv) Hydrocarbons v) Nitrogen oxides Carbon Monoxide Co is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas, slightly lighter than air that is produced by the in complete burning of the carbon in fuels carbon monoxide emission can be prevented by supplying enough air to insure complete combustion. When this occurs, carbon dioxide, a natural constituent of the atmosphere is produced instead of carbon monoxide. Particulate Matter Particulate matter includes particles of solid or liquid substances in a very wide range of sizes, from those that are visible as soot and smoke to particles too small to detect except under an electron microscope. Particulates may be so small that they remain in the air for long periods and can be transported great distances by the winds. Sulphur Oxides Sulphur Oxides (SOX) are acid, corrosive, poisonous gases produced when fuel containing Sulphur is burned. Electric utilities and industrial plants are its principal producers since their most abundant fuels are coal and oil, which contain Sulphur as an impurity. The burning of coal produces about 60% of all Sulphur oxides emissions, oil about 14% and industrial processes that use Sulphur 22%. Other sources of Sulphur oxides may be large industrial plants, smelters or power plants. Any of these may throw out several hundred thousand tons of Sulphur oxides in a year. Nitrogen Oxides Nitrogen Oxides comes in atmosphere from nuclear reactors and fertilizers having nitrogen contents. “In air 5x108 tons of it is formed naturally whereas
5x103 tons is being produced by human sources3”. No is four times more poisonous than NO2. Hydrocarbons Hydrocarbons like carbon monoxide represent unburned and wasted fuel. Unlike carbon monoxide, gaseous hydrocarbons at concentrations normally found in the atmosphere are not toxic, but they are a major pollutant because of their role in forming photochemical smog. “Under the influence of sunlight, nitrogen oxides combine with gaseous hydrocarbons to form a complex variety of secondary pollutants called photochemical oxidants. These oxidants, together with solid and liquid particles in the air, made up what is commonly known as smog” Effects of Carbon Monoxide Carbon monoxide shows harmful effects on various vegetables and small plants. It enters the blood of human and takes the place of hemoglobin due to which the oxygen absorbing capability of blood is reduced and heart has to work hard to keep the fresh blood circulating, which causes heart piscases. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas and may cause lung diseases on smelling. Longer exposure to such atmosphere may also cause death. Effects of Sulphur Oxides The pressure of Sulphur oxides in air may cause many dangers to human health. It causes lung troubles. SO2 can cause tuberculoses, asthma, whopping cough and eye irritation. They also affect plants. These oxides cause harmful effects on structures in which white stone is used. An example of such deterioration is Taj Mahal at Agra. Effects of Nitrogen Oxides NO2 affects human lungs and may sometime cause death. It also affects plants. Moreover it causes deterioration of dyes used in textile industry. Noise Pollution The simplest definition of noise is, an objectionable sound, may be owing to the intensity or Loudness. The common unit of noise measurement is the decibel. It is a measure of its relative loudness to the human ear. The cause of noise in industry is generally because of faulty design of equipment, worn machine parts, improper mounting of equipment, improper location of machines, use of wrong type of material and recklessness in operation of equipment. Effects of Industrial Noise Noise can have many adverse effects including damage to hearing, disruption of normal activity and general annoyance. Extremely loud noise, such as sonic boom can also cause physical damage to structures. The most common and
best-understood physiological effect of noise is hearing impairment either temporary or permanent. Solid Wastes Pollution Million tons of industrial solid wastes are generated every year. These include: • • • • •
Scrap metal Paper and paper products wastes Food and Food products wastes Slag Waste plastics, and
The effect of industrial solid wastes is detriments to the lives of the local public and fetch: • • •
Poor quality of food products Unpalatable drinking water Various diseases
Conclusion The growth of technology has generated new chemicals at a rate never before experienced. The safety of these new materials is a major concern. Many substances utilized, formulated and manufactured in the industrial environment possess the ability to adversely affect humans. All these substances are call toxic substances. A toxic substance is one that demonstrates the potential to induce cancer, tumors, or neoplastic effects in man or experimental animals. Some industrial hazards have been known for centuries. In the first century AD, the lead was identified as toxic substance. Mercury intoxication was identified in France in the seventh century. Exposure to other hazardous substances is an out growth of modern technology. It is interesting to note that despite the fact that development in the history of toxicology began more than 3000 years ago, a large percentage of knowledge in this area has been developed in the last 30 years. Industrial toxicology is a specific segment of environmental toxicology concerned with the harmful potential of the raw materials, intermediates and finished products encountered by workers. Environmental toxicology is primarily concerned with the harmful effects of chemicals encountered by man in the total ecological system.
WATER POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION
INDUSTRIAL AIR POLLUTION
