POLLUTION Pollution is the int rod uct ion of contaminan ts int o a nat ura l envi ronment tha t causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form ofchemical substances orenergy, such as noise, heat or li ght. Poll ut ants, th e components of poll ut ion, ca n be ei th er fore ign subs tances /en ergies or nat urally occ urr ing contaminants. Pol lut ion is often classed aspoint source ornonpoint source pollution. The Blacksmith Institute issues an annual list of the world's worst polluted places. In the 2007 issues the ten top nominees are located in Azerbaijan, China, India, Peru, Russia, Ukraine andZambia.
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Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes
instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or livingorganisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise,heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign
substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed
as point source or nonpoint source pollution. The Blacksmith Institute issues an annuallist of the world's worst polluted places. In the 2007 issues the ten top nominees are
located in Azerbaijan, China, India, Peru, Russia, Ukraine andZambia.
Types of PollutionThere are many types of pollution that exists; some of them have been covered in the text
below:
Air Pollution:
When the presence of one or more contaminants in the atmosphere is of such quality and
duration as it is injurious to human, animal and plant health or welfare, it is termed as Air
pollution. Air pollution can lead to health problems and at the same time damage the
environment and get property into losses. One of the worst effects of Air pollution is that
it has led to thinning of the ozone layer of the atmosphere, which is leading to an adverse
climate change that we see today.
As urbanization increases, construction work takes shape on a wider scale; illegaldumping and air pollution is a consequence of it. Industries and commercial units
evacuate harmful gases in the air and so does the ever increasing traffic. On top of it, dust
storms and smoke from accidents like forest or oil refineries fires contribute to air
pollution too.
Waste and Water pollution:
When illegal dumps that are toxic in nature enter lakes, streams, rivers, oceans, and other
water bodies, they either get dissolved or lie hovering in water or get deposited on the
bed. This results in water pollution deteriorating the quality of the water and affecting our
aquatic ecosystems. Lots of industrial units and factories today dump their garbage intostreams, lakes and river thus making all these water bodies the final destination of cans,
bottles and plastics.
Most of today’s cleaning products are synthetic detergents and are an extract of the
petrochemical industry. These impact the health of all forms of life in the water. Polluted
water is a hazard, unsafe and also a poison for drinking, recreation and agriculture. More
fatally, unhygienic water destroys water life and diminishes its reproductive ability.
Sound Pollution:
Any unwanted sound is Noise pollution. However, Man made noises that occur from
machines, trains, planes, firecrackers etc are extremely litigious. All these kind of noises
affect are mental being, peace, sleep, hearing, communication and our overall mental and
physical health. The noise levels are increasing with increasing urbanization and
development. Noise from construction work, industries, factories, traffic jams are all
leading to noise pollution at uncontrollable levels. Noise pollution is not only a source of
irritation, frustration and infuriation but also tightens our arteries and increases the flow
To systematically address the air quality impacts of potential projects or activities,
it is necessary to be familiar with basic information regarding air pollution. Accordingly,
this section includes a definition of air pollution and information on the types and effects
of specific air pollutants, along with summary information on air pollution sources. “ Air
Pollution “ can be defined as the presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more
contaminants in such quantities and of such duration as may be injurious to human, plant,
or animal life, or to materials, or which may unreasonably interfere with the comfortable
enjoyment of life or property, or the conduct of business.
Sources of air Pollutants:
Air pollutant sources can be categorized from several perspectives, including the
type of source, their frequency of occurrence and spatial distribution, and the types of
emissions. Characterization by source type can be delineated as arising from naturalsources or from man-made sources. ‘ Natural Sources ‘ include plant pollens, windblown
dust, volcanic eruptions and lightning generated forest fires. ‘Man-made source’ can
include transportation vehicles, industrial processes, power plants, construction activities
and military training activities.
Source characterization according to number and spatial distribution can include such
categories as single or point sources (stationary), area or multiple sources (stationary or
mobile) and line sources. ‘Point sources’ are characteristic of pollutant emissions from
industrial process stacks, as well as fuel-combustion facility stacks. ‘Area sources’
include vehicular traffic, fugitive-dust emissions from resource material stockpiles or
construction, or military training activities over large geographical areas.
Ambient air quality monitoring refers to appropriate sampling and analysis to
establish the ambient concentrations of specific pollutants. Targeted monitoring might be
desirable in order to verify the experienced changes in air quality concentrations for those
pollutants determined to be of concern. The primary sources of information on air
quality standards, criteria and policies will be the relevant local, state and federalagencies which have a mandate for overseeing the air resources of the geographical area.
Documentation of this information will allow the determination of the significance of air
quality impacts incurred during projects or activities and will aid in deciding between
alternative actions or in assessing the need for mitigating measures for a given
alternative.
Air quality impact prediction can be based on several approaches including mass-
balances, the use of mathematical models and other considerations. Air pollutant
emissions from the construction or operational phase of a project activity can be
considered in relation to the existing emission inventory for the study area. Particular
attention should be given to releases of air toxics and the resultant comparison of
maximum ground level concentrations to appropriate ambient air quality guidelines or
standards. In conjunction with these analyses, it is important to identify prevention,
control and mitigation measures for releases of air toxics. This chapter address potential
air quality impacts identified for the project activity, the existing characteristics of the air
environment, the emission inventory and meteorological characteristics of the study area,
the applicable air quality standards and regulations, the quantification of the anticipated
air impacts due to the activity and the rationale impacts and mitigation measures.