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Air pollution
Air pollution occurs when the air contains gases, dust, fumes or odor in harmful amounts. It could be harmful to the health or comfort of humans and animals or which could cause damage to plants and materials.
Pollutants
The substances that cause air pollution are called pollutants. Pollutants that are pumped into our atmosphere and directly pollute the air are called primary pollutants.
Generally any substance that people introduce into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on living things and the environment is considered air
pollution.
Industries
Sector Biofuel Combustion Industry & Refineries Power Generation Air Pollutants Emitted Mostly CO; also SO2 and NOx Mostly SO2 and NOx; also CO Mostly SO2 and NOx; also CO
Air pollutants are basically the waste products generated by the above mentioned economic sectors.
Carbon dioxide
the main pollutant that is warming Earth
Widely considered to be a pollutant when associated with: cars planes power plants human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas.
Methane
comes from such sources as:
Sulfur dioxide
a component of smog.
Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a cause of acid rain
Volcanic eruptions can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere
Power generation (public electricity & heat production) is by far the largest industry for global SO2 emissions.
Power plants Coal Burning Industry (manufacturing industries & construction) is the second biggest source of sulfur dioxide emissions globally.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) are produced by combustion of all fossil fuels including coal- and gasfired power stations and motor vehicles.
nitric oxide (NO) -colorless gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2)-gas of reddishbrown color with a distinct sharp, biting odor.
Road transport is the biggest global contributor of nitrogen emissions produced by motor fuel combustion.
Airborne Particles- are tiny fragments of solid or liquid nature suspended in the air (aerosols).
Inhalation of airborne particles may lead to asthma, lung cancer and other problems.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) - compounds which are resistant to degradation and persistent in the environment, and may include dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides such as DDT.
-are mostly forest fires and volcano eruptions but may also include vegetation (ex., forests), oceans and decay processes in soil.
Sulfur Dioxide
Irritation of eyes, nose, throat; damage to lungs when inhaled Acute and chronic asthma Bronchitis and emphysema (as a result of synergy between SO2 and suspended particulate matter) Lung cancer
Nitrogen Dioxide
Increased incidence of respiratory illness Increased airway resistance (due to inflammation) Damage to lung tissue Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD (narrowing of the airways) Emphysema (as part of COPD) Pulmonary edema (accumulation of excessive fluid in the lungs) Infant and cardiovascular death
Carbon Monoxide
Toxicity of the central nervous system and heart Headaches, dizziness, nausea and unconsciousness Loss of vision Decreased muscular coordination Abdominal pain
Severe effects on the baby of a pregnant woman Impaired performance on simple psychological tests and arithmetic; loss of judgment of time In cases of prolonged exposure to high CO concentrations, unconsciousness, convulsions and death would occur
Ozone Effects Burning nose and watering eyes Tightening of the chest Coughing, wheezing and throat irritation Rapid, shallow, painful breathing Susceptibility to respiratory infections Inflammation and damage to the lining of the lungs Aggravation of asthma Fatigue Cancer
Ammonia Effects
Livestock farming, animal waste and fertilizer application are the biggest sources of atmospheric ammonia emissions
On the respiratory system: Nose & throat irritation and burns (their severity increasing with the increased ammonia concentrations) Swelling of the throat and airways; airways destruction Pulmonary edema Chronic lung disease Cough Asthma Lung fibrosis Inhaling large amounts of ammonia can be fatal
Dysfunction of the central nervous system: Behavioral problems Memory loss Disturbance of the circadian rhythm Cardiovascular diseases Cancer; specifically leukemia Abnormal changes in fetus development, birth defects VOCs also contribute to sick building syndrome indoors As facilitators in ozone formation, VOCs may indirectly contribute to respiratory problems
Airborne Particles
Increased respiratory symptoms (ex. irritation of the airways, coughing, difficulty breathing) Decreased lung function Aggravated asthma Chronic bronchitis Irregular heartbeat Nonfatal heart attacks Premature death in people with heart or lung disease
Global Warming
The main cause of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels, especially petroleum, in automobile and plane engines, and coal, in the manufacturing of electricity and as an industrial fuel source.
The resulting gases, called greenhouse gases, rise into the atmosphere, where they trap the sun's heat.
Acid Rain
Acid rain is any precipitation that contains high levels of nitric and sulfuric acid. Volcanoes and rotting vegetation can cause acid rain, but the main culprits, by far, are fossil fuels, especially coal and petroleum. When these are burned, they release sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere. Winds can spread these acids hundreds of miles. When they fall as precipitation, they increase the acidity of lakes, rivers, streams
Many marine animals cannot live in acidic conditions, which affects the entire food chain.
On land, soils are affected, in turn affecting trees and plants, making it harder for them to take up water and withstand cold, disease and insects.
Smog forms when these chemicals mix with heat and sunlight.
In winter, the smog is thicker, as the cooler winter air holds the particles and gases lower to the ground. This type of smog killed 4,000 people in a five-day period in London in 1952.
Type of Vehicle Light Light Commercial (<1250) Light Commercial (>1250 but <1700) Light Commercial (>1700)) Heavy
HC+Nox (g/km) Pma (g/km) 0.97 0.97 1.4 1.7 9.1 0.14 0.14 0.19 0.25 0.36
WATER POLLUTION
Environmental pollution is the contamination of the physical and biological components of the earth/atmosphere system to such an extent that normal environmental processes are adversely affected.
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the environment that cause harm or discomfort to living organisms, or that damage the environment which can come in the form of chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants can be naturally occurring substances or energies, but are considered contaminants when in excess of natural levels.
History
Throughout history, the quality of drinking water has been a factor in determining human welfare. Fecal pollution of drinking water has frequently caused waterborne diseases that have decimated the populations of whole cities
Currently, waterborne toxic chemicals pose the greatest threat to the safety of water supplies in industrialized nations. In some areas, the quality of groundwater is subject to a number of chemical threats. Since World War II, there has been a tremendous growth in the manufacture and use of synthetic chemicals. Many of the chemicals have contaminated water supplies.
ELEMENTAL POLLUTANTS
Trace element is a term that refers to those elements that occur at very low levels of a few parts per million or less in a given system. heavy metals are among the most harmful of the elemental pollutants and are of particular concern because of their toxicities to humans. These elements are, the transition metals, and some of the representative elements, such as lead and tin, in the lower right-hand corner of the periodic table
Metalloids, elements on the borderline between metals and nonmetals, are significant water pollutants. Arsenic, selenium, and antimony are of particular interest. Inorganic chemicals manufacture has the potential to contaminate water with trace elements.
HEAVY METALS
Cadmium
cadmium in water may arise from industrial discharges and mining wastes.
The effects of acute cadmium poisoning in humans are very serious. Among them are high blood pressure, kidney damage, destruction of testicular tissue, and destruction of red blood cells.
Lead
Inorganic lead arises from a number of industrial and mining sources. In addition to pollutant sources, lead-bearing limestone contribute lead to natural waters in some locations.
Acute lead poisoning in humans may cause severe dysfunction of the kidney, reproductive system, liver, brain, and central nervous system leading to sickness or death. Mild lead poisoning causes anemia. The victim may have headaches and sore muscles, and may feel generally fatigued and irritable.
Mercury
Mercury enters the environment from the human use of the element. These include discarded laboratory chemicals, batteries, broken thermometers, amalgam tooth fillings.
The toxicological effects of mercury are neurological damage, including irritability, paralysis, blindness, or insanity; chromosome breakage; and birth defects. The milder symptoms of mercury poisoning such as depression and irritability have a psychopathological character.
INORGANIC POLLUTANTS
Cyanide
Cyanide is widely used in industry. It is also one of the main gas and coke scrubber effluent pollutants from gas works and coke ovens. Cyanide is widely used in certain mineral-processing operations.
Ammonia
Excessive levels of ammoniacal nitrogen cause water-quality problems. It is the initial product of the decay of nitrogenous organic wastes, and its presence indicates the presence of such wastes.
Hydrogen sulfide
a product of the anaerobic decay of organic matter containing sulfur. produced in the anaerobic reduction of sulfate by microorganisms and is evolved as a gaseous pollutant from geothermal waters. Wastes from chemical plants, paper mills, textile mills, and tanneries may also contain H2S
carbon dioxide
is frequently present in water at high levels due to decay of organic matter. It is also added to softened water during water treatment as part of a recarbonation proces. Excessive carbon dioxide levels may make water more corrosive, therefore, damaging to water distribution systems, and may be harmful to aquatic life.
ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
Sewage
From domestic, commercial, food-processing, and industrial sources contains a wide variety of pollutants, including organic pollutants. Some of these pollutants, particularly oxygen-demanding substances oil, grease, and solidsare removed by primary and secondary sewagetreatment processes. Salts, heavy metals, and refractory (degradation-resistant) organics, are not efficiently removed.
Water pollution may also result from interactions between water and contaminated soil, as well as from deposition of air contaminants (such as acid rain) Damage to people may be caused by fish foods coming from polluted water (a well known example is high mercury levels in fish) Damage to people may be caused by vegetable crops grown / washed with polluted water.
DOH Policies
Republic Act 9275: The Philippine Clean Water Act
Enacted in 2004 The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 aims to protect the countrys water bodies from pollution from land-based sources (industries and commercial establishments, agriculture and community/household activities). It provides for a comprehensive and integrated strategy to prevent and minimize pollution through a multi-sectoral and participatory approach involving all the stakeholders
Other policies
AO 18A s. 1993 Standards of quality and Requirements for the Provision, Packaging and Labeling of Bottled Water AO 2007 0012 Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water