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Environment Pollution
The dictionary explains pollution as “the presence in or
introduction into the environment of a substance which has
harmful or poisonous effects.” Wiki explains pollution as “the
introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that
cause adverse change.” Simply put, Environmental Pollution is
something that brings harm to our environment and in turn to
the people who exist based on the environment.
How does Environmental Pollution occur?
Environmental Pollution occurs when pollutants contaminate
the surroundings; which brings about changes that affect our
normal lifestyles adversely. Pollutants are the key elements or
components of pollution which are generally waste materials of
different forms. Pollution disturbs our ecosystem and the
balance in the environment. With modernization and
development in our lives pollution has reached its peak; giving
rise to global warming and human illness.
What are the different types of Pollution?
Environmental Pollution occurs in different forms; air, water,
soil, radioactive, noise, heat/ thermal and light. Every form of
pollution has two sources of occurrence; the point and the non-
point sources. The point sources are easy to identify, monitor
and control, whereas the non-point sources are hard to control.
Toxic environmental pollution affects more than 200 million
people worldwide, according to Pure Earth, a non-profit
environmental organization. In some of the world’s worst
polluted places, babies are born with birth defects, children
have lost 30 to 40 IQ points, and life expectancy may be as low
as 45 years because of cancers and other diseases.Let us discuss
the different types of pollution, their causes and effects on
mankind and the environment as a whole.
Sources and Causes of Environmental Pollution
The sources and causes of environmental pollution includes the
following:
• Industrial activities: The industries all over the
world that brought prosperity and affluence, made
inroads in the biosphere and disturbed the
ecological balances. The pall of smoke, the swirling
gases, industrial effluents and the fall-out of
scientific experiments became constant health
hazards, polluting and contaminating both air and
water. The improper disposal of industrial wastes
are the sources of soil and water pollution.
Chemical waste resulting from industry can pollute
lakes, rivers and seas and soil too as well as
releasing fumes.
• Dumping solid waste: Household and commercial
waste pollutes the environment when not disposed
of properly.
• Vehicles: The smoke emitted by vehicles using
petrol and diesel and the cooking coal also pollutes
the environment. The multiplication of vehicles,
emitting black smoke that, being free and
unfettered, spreads out and mixes with the air we
breathe. The harmful smoke of these vehicles
causes air pollution. Further, the sounds produced
by these vehicles produces causes noise-pollution.
• Rapid urbanization and industrialization: The
urbanization and the rapid growth of
industrialization are causing through
environmental pollution the greatest harm to the
plant life, which in turn causing harm to the animal
kingdom and the human lives.
 • Population overgrowth: Due to the increase in
population, particularly in developing countries,
there has been surge in demand for basic food,
occupation and shelter. The world has witnessed
massive deforestation to expand absorb the
growing population and their demands.
• Combustion of fossil fuels: The combustion of

fossil fuels pollutes the air, the soil and the water
with noxious gases such as CO2 and CO.
• Agricultural waste: Fertilizers and pesticides used

in agriculture are key causes of environmental

pollution.
Types & Causes of Pollution:
Air Pollution
It is the most prevalent and dangerous form of pollution
especially considered to go hand in hand with urbanization.
There are many reasons to it. Primary among these is the
excessive fuel combustion which has become a basic necessity
for cooking, transport and other industrial activities. This
releases umpteen no. of chemicals to the air which are far from
being removed from it. These are directly affecting our
existence.

Smoke releases SO into the air making it toxic. It is caused

mainly due to chimneys, factory stacks, vehicles or something
as common as ‘burning of wood’. Release of SO and other
greenhouse gases into air causes global warming and has
capacity to cause acid rain. Global warming or emission of
these gases has increased temperatures, erratic rains and
droughts worldwide. This has heavily increased the cases of
Asthma, Bronchitis and the more dangerous lung cancer,
mainly in the metro cities.
Air pollution is believed to end lives of over 20 lakh people
every year – a study, published in the journal Environmental
Research Letters, says.
One of the major and unfortunate examples of what can air
pollution lead to is the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. It was a
direct result of release of methyl isocyanate gas at Union
Carbide plant in Bhopal. It killed over 2,000 people, and over
200,000 suffered respiratory problems. An irritant (e.g.
particulates less than 10 micrometers) may cause respiratory
illnesses, cardiovascular disease and increases in asthma. Even
today there are birth defects in the babies borne, which are
believed to be because of the tragedy.
“The very young, the old and those with vulnerable immune
systems are most at risk from air pollution. The air pollutant
may be carcinogenic (e.g. some volatile organic compounds)
or biologically active (e.g. some viruses) or radioactive (e.g.
radon). Other air pollutants like carbon dioxide have an
indirect impact on human health through climate change” –
Prof. Harry Sealy, in an interview, to the ‘Live Science’
journal.

Water Pollution
Every living being depends, directly, on water so this has taken
a heavy toll on the entire living population. Other than direct
dependencies, more than 60% of the species live in some form
of water. Thus water pollution is another major type of
pollution that needs to be curbed.
It can be attributed to many factors -industrial effluent dumped
into the rivers and sea causes a huge imbalance in the water
properties which renders the water bodies unfit for aquatic
lives. Water pollution is also a major cause of diseases caused
to the non-aquatic species.
Insecticides, pesticides which are sprayed on the plants,
pollutes the ground water system and oil spills in the oceans
have caused irreparable damage to the water bodies.
Eutrophication is another big source; it occurs due to daily
activities like washing clothes, utensils near lakes, ponds or
rivers; this forces detergents to go into water which blocks
sunlight from penetrating, thus reducing oxygen and making it
inhabitable.
According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), 80 percent of the pollution in marine
environments comes from the land through sources such as
runoff. Water pollution can severely affect marine life. For
example, sewage causes pathogens to grow, while organic and
inorganic compounds in water can change the composition of
the precious resource. According to the EPA, low levels of
dissolved oxygen in the water are also considered a pollutant.
Dissolved oxygen is caused by the decomposition of organic
materials, such as sewage introduced into the water.
Water pollution not only harms the aquatic beings but it also
contaminates the entire food chain by severely affecting
humans dependent on these. Water-borne diseases like cholera,
diarrhoea have also increased in all places.
Soil pollution
Also known as Land Pollution, this occurs due to incorporation
of unwanted chemicals in the soil due to human activities. Use
of insecticides and pesticides absorbs the nitrogen compounds
from the soil making it unfit for plants to derive nutrition from.
Release of industrial waste, mining and deforestation also
exploits the soil. Since plants can’t grow properly, they can’t
hold the soil and this leads to soil erosion.
Food is a big contributor to landfill waste. Up to 40 percent of
food produced in the United States is trashed each year,
according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Commercial or industrial waste is a significant portion of solid
waste. According to the University of Utah, industries use 4
million pounds (1.8 million kg) of materials in order to provide
the average American family with needed products for one
year. Much of it is classified as non-hazardous, such as
construction material (wood, concrete, bricks, glass, etc.) and
medical waste (bandages, surgical gloves, surgical instruments,
discarded needles, etc.). Hazardous waste is any liquid, solid or
sludge waste that contain properties that are dangerous of
potentially harmful to human health or the environment.
Industries generate hazardous waste from mining, petroleum
refining, pesticide manufacturing and other chemical
production. Households generate hazardous waste as well,
including paints and solvents, motor oil, fluorescent lights,
aerosol cans, and ammunition.
While the above three are most common forms of Pollution that
we hear about, there are few other forms of Pollution that have
seemed to grow at an alarming pace these days. Let us briefly
look at what they are.
Noise pollution
It is caused when a noise which is of higher intensity than 85
db reaches our bare ears. It may lead to psychological problems
like stress & hypertension. It can also lead to permanent hearing
impairment, which is worse. It is mainly caused by loud pumps
and compressors in the chemical industries. Even marriage
functions and rock music concerts are often ignored
contributors to this type of pollution.
Radioactive pollution
This is considered one of the most dangerous pollution because
of its permanent effects. An unarrested upset in a nuclear plant
, careless nuclear waste disposal, etc. It can cause cancer – skin,
blood, infertility due to exposure, birth defects and blindness;
It has the ability to permanently change soil, air and water – the
major sources of life. It can even cause mutation in species
which can propagate for ages.
Thermal/heat pollution: This is caused as a result of excessive
heat release in the environment. This leads to irreversible and
undesirable changes of almost permanent nature. Industries and
Vehicles are direct contributors to this. Deforestation is an
indirect contributor.Other than the greenhouse gases,zyada this
has increased the earth’s temperature, and has potential to cause
drastic climatic changes; and wildlife extinction.

Light pollution
Whenever illumination available is more than what’s required
in an area, this pollution kicks in. It is more noticeable in big
cities, on advertising boards and billboards, mainly during large
scale events, vis-a-vis Concerts, sport events & even mariiages,
at the night. It mainly affects the astronomical observations by
making the stars very difficult to observe & study.
Effects of Pollution?
Environment Degradation: Environment is the first casualty
for increase in pollution weather in air or water. The increase
in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to smog which
can restrict sunlight from reaching the earth. Thus, preventing
plants in the process of photosynthesis. Gases like Sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause acid rain. Water pollution
in terms of Oil spill may lead to death of several wildlife
species.
Human Health: The decrease in quality of air leads to several
respiratory problems including asthma or lung cancer. Chest
pain, congestion, throat inflammation, cardiovascular disease,
respiratory disease are some of diseases that can be causes by
air pollution. Water pollution occurs due to contamination of
water and may pose skin related problems including skin
irritations and rashes. Similarly, Noise pollution leads to
hearing loss, stress and sleep disturbance.

Global Warming: The emission of greenhouse gases

particularly CO2 is leading to global warming. Every other day
new industries are being set up, new vehicles come on roads
and trees are cut to make way for new homes. All of them, in
direct or indirect way lead to increase in CO2 in the
environment. The increase in CO leads to melting of polar ice
caps which increases the sea level and pose danger for the
people living near coastal areas.
Read all about global warming in this article.
Depletion of the Ozone Layer: Ozone layer stops ultra violet
rays from reaching the earth. UV exposure in excess can lead
to skin cancer. Due to release of CFCs & aerosols in
the atmosphere which contributed to the depletion of ozone
layer. This removes the sheet that protects us from the harmful
UV-rays which is more than just threatening.
Infertile Land:Constant use of pesticides, insecticides & other
chemicals causes the soil to become infertile. Soil is the major
and in some cases the only source of nutrition for plants &
vegetables. Importance of these can never be overstated. But
due to infertile soil, plants will not be able to grow properly.
Industrial waste also affects the fertility of the soil.
Pollution not only affect humans by destroying their
respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological systems; it also
affects the nature, plants, fruits, vegetables, rivers, ponds,
forests, animals, etc, on which they are highly dependent for
survival. It is crucial to control pollution as the nature, wildlife
and human life are precious gifts to the mankind.

Effects of Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution has negatively affected the life of both
human-beings and animals. Almost all of our gains in the fields
of industrial progress, science and technology had so far been
realized at the cost of our health. Even our flora and fauna were
found to be threatened with extinction.
All this really leaves us wondering if all our achievements and
industrial civilization really help us climb the peaks of
prosperity or simply take us down the blind alleys of adversity.
It is not only in India, but all over the world – even in Europe
and U.S.A. – that the question is being raised whether all is well
with our industrial growth and progress in the field of science
and technology. Many crusaders against environmental
pollution are vehemently protesting against the indiscriminate
violations committed daily in the name of development.
The environmental pollution is not caused by the fall-out from
nuclear tests or industries alone. The smoke left behind the
automobiles and other vehicular traffic, the increasing use of
synthetic detergents, nitrogen fertilizers and insecticides
contaminate both air and water.
• The water we drink the vegetables are all
contaminated to-day. As a result of this
contamination our world is afflicted with a quite a
number of incurable diseases.
• Environmental pollution affects water sources
which mean that there is less fresh water available
for drinking, washing, cooking and irrigating crops.
• Nothing in this world is immune, no life is safe and
the future of this world is bleak.
• The factories are mostly built in populated areas
and the smoke-emitting vehicles ply through the
congested areas. Besides causing immense
disturbances, there are increasing case of
pulmonary tuberculosis and thrombosis and various
sorts of brain and heart complications.
• Air-pollution may cause severe lungs-diseases,
asthma, brain-disorder diseases, etc.
 • Soil-pollution may have negative effect on farm
output ratio. It can also contaminate the ground
water.
• Noise-pollution have negative effects on hearing or

auditory sense organs. It can also cause deafness,

tiredness, and mental losses.
• The heat generated by industries and vehicles

causes thermal pollution by raising the

environmental temperature of the nearby areas.
• Many scientists believe that we are living in an era

of mass extinction, due to human made

environmental pollution.
The birth of mills and factories is the result of the growth of
industry in this machine-predominated age. As long as they will
be there, they must emit smoke, pollute the air and hasten our
end by slow-poisoning.
The worst industrial environment tragedy occurred at Bhopal
on December 3, 1984 as a result of toxic and poisonous leakage
of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from a multi-national Union
Carbide pesticides manufacturing plant. Over 2000 people
including woman and children were killed, and hundreds were
severely hurt.
How is Environmental Pollution in India?
1. India’s high air pollution, ranked by the World
Health Organisation among the worst in the world,
is adversely impacting the lifespan of its citizens,
reducing most Indian lives by over three years, a
new study has said.Over half of India’s population
– 660 million people – live in areas where fine
particulate matter pollution is above India’s
standards for what is considered safe, said the study
by economists from the University of Chicago,
Harvard and Yale published in this week’s
‘Economic & Political Weekly’.Of the world’s top
20 polluted cities, 13 are in India compared to just
three in China. Air pollution slashes life expectancy
by 3.2 years for the 660 million Indians who live in
cities, including Delhi. In China, the corresponding
dip is marginally lower at three years, according to
a report in The Hindustan times.in -&nbspThis
website is for sale! -&nbspTimes Resources and
Information. 2014, a global analysis of how nations
tackle environmental challenges has ranked India
155 among 178 nations and labelled the country’s
air quality among the worst in the world, tying it
with China in exposing its population to hazardous
air pollution.The Environmental Performance
Index 2014, generated by researchers at Yale
University in the US, has bracketed India among
“bottom performers” on several indicators such as
environmental health impact, air quality, water and
sanitation. Although India is an emerging market
alongside Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa,
its environment severely lags behind these others,”
Angel Hsu, the lead author of the report at Yale
University said.The Ganga and Yamuna are ranked
among the world’s 10 most polluted rivers. China
has just one. An evaluation in February ranked
Vapi in Gujarat and Sukinda in Odisha among the
10 most environmentally-degraded zones in the
world. China had no entries on the list.Mindless
concretization of ground and green belts and
booming real estate has led to heat island effect
which is burning the Capital as short-wave
 radiations emanate from concrete surfaces at night
time. Concretization prevents ground water
recharge thus depleting green cover. Tall buildings
also block winds thereby reducing their cooling
effect. Excessive concretization also leads to
weakening of trees.Despite the directives of the
National Green Tribunal, civic agencies continue to
allow concretization in green belts. Massive green
cover is destroyed in the name of development.
Booming real estate and demand for housing units
is leading to change of land use and shrinkage of
natural conservation zones such as forests, water
bodies, wastelands, sanctuaries, groundwater
rechargeable areas, Aravallis and wetlands in the
National Capital Region including Delhi, Haryana,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.A 2015 report by the
Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based
NGO, says the decline in the country’s overall
environmental standards was because of river
pollution, which is worse now than it was three
decades ago, piling garbage in cities and
increasingly toxic urban air.According to a report
in The Economic Times citing research by
environmental economists from Chicago, Harvard
and Yale that finds that well over half of the Indian
population may be set to lose three years of their
lives due to the adverse effects of breathing air with
highly excessive levels of pollutants. It has been
known for some time that the air that people breathe
in Indian cities is among the worst in the world.
It is time we start doing something to save the air we breathe,
the water we drink & the land that we live in. It is time to stop
increasing environmental pollution any more, before time runs
out.
Solutions to Environmental Pollution
• Gas emission pollution is being mitigated in a
variety of ways with car emission control, electric
and hybrid vehicles and public transportation
systems. Not all major cities have successful
implementation and decent public transportation in
place, but the world is working on this issue
constantly and we have managed to reduce
emissions profoundly over the last decade. There is
much catching up to do.
• The cost of radioactive power plants is becoming
apparent and the days of coal power plants are
nearly dead. The radiation is a serious issue.
Radioactive leakage from power plants and nuclear
testing have already contaminated oceanic life to
such a degree that it will take hundreds of years to
return to normal. More radiation solutions are in the
works with various ecologically friendly power
technologiesbeing built every day.
• Solar power is a fantastic solution. Now that solar
radiation is at a climactic peak, we can reap power
from the sun using solar panel systems. These range
from home systems to larger scale systems
powering entire communities and cities.
• Wind power is coming into play. This may not
seem like much at first, but when you get about 100
feet off the ground, there is a great deal of wind up
there. By building wind turbines to harvest natural
wind energy, electricity is produced. Wind turbine
power and solar power are both powerful forces
 against fossil fuel power and radioactive power.
The one problem here is power companies. They
want to stay with radioactive power plants because
they actually can’t be removed. It has become the
crusades of many individuals and small
corporations to make the switch and there are
plenty of people following this as populations cry
out for help.
• Electromagnetic radiation (ER) reduction. Once

major manufacturers of computers and electronic

devices realized the blatant potential for huge ER
emissions directly into the eyes and brains of users,
they started to implement hardware protocols to
minimize risks and reduce ER production
significantly. Newer devices are in the lead to
knock this problem out and, fortunately, this is
working.
Also, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is well
aware of all leaks and tricks industries are using to dump
wastes. This agency now has extremely strict protocols and
testing procedures implemented against such facilities so
populations are not affected. Additionally, the EPA is
measuring air pollution and implementing regulatory
procedures for vehicle emissions. They also monitor pollen
issues and, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), they implement solutions to reduce pollen in the air.
Dropping pollen counts is a major focus for EPA and CDC
activities. Asthma and other allergic conditions are flooding
medical care facilities and pharmaceutical companies with
serious public health problems. The response has been swift
and various methods to control emissions and reduce pollen
counts are in the works. Children and elderly people are at the
highest risk for environmental pollution related health
problems. The good news is we are directly on the horizon to
cut down the causes and risks while providing practical health
solutions for the general public throughout the world.
What is a Greenhouse Gas
A greenhouse gas (often abbreviated as GHG) is a gas that
both absorbs and emits radiation in the infrared range,
commonly called thermal radiation or heat. When present in the
atmosphere, these gases trap radiation in the form of heat,
causing a warming process called the greenhouse effect. The
presence of four major greenhouse gases, namely water vapor
in the Earth’s atmosphere keeps the average temperature of 15º
C (59º F), whereas without the greenhouse effect the average
temperature would be a frosty -18º C (0º F).
Some concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is
normal, and in fact necessary for life on Earth as we know it. It
is normal for the concentrations of these gases to fluctuate over
time, causing the average global temperature to vary over a
period of hundreds of thousands or millions of years. These
natural fluctuations are slow, especially in comparison to
the atmospheric lifetime of GHGs, or the time it takes for a gas
emitted to the atmosphere to be removed by the ocean, the
biosphere (the living systems of Earth), or by other means.
Because the changes in GHG concentrations are slow and
buffered, life on Earth has time to adapt to the corresponding
changes in temperature, for the most part avoiding mass
extinction of other catastrophic events.
Global warming The gradual increase in the overall
temperature of Earth’s atmosphere due to the greenhouse
effect. This effect is caused by increased levels of carbon
dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons and other gases in the air, many
of them released by human activity.