Effect of industrial pollution

The presentation discusses the effects of Industrial Pollution ....beneficial for students of Geography and Environmental Education

1. Dr. MeenakshiPrasad
Assistant Professor
P.G. Department of Geography
MagadhUniversity, BodhGaya
FOR DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN STUDIES
Source : all googleimages

2. Disclaimer
The material for the presentation has been
compiled from various books and online sources
& it is for general information & educational
purpose only. While the author makes an
endeavor to keep the information up to date and
correct she makes no representation of any kind
about the completeness and accuracy of the
material. The information shared through this
presentation should be used for educational
purposes only.

3. Content
•Background
•Definition of Industrial Pollution
•Causes of Industrial Pollution
•Effect of Industrial Pollution
•Why are Women more Vulnerable to
Industrial Pollution?
•Ways to Control or Reduce Industrial Pollution

4. Background
•An important landmark in the history of human
civilisationis the advent of Industrial Revolution.
•With the coming of the Industrial Revolution, humans
were able to advance further into the 21
st
century.
•Technology developed rapidly, science became
advanced and the manufacturing age came into view.
•With all of these came one more effect, industrial
pollution.

5. •Earlier industries were small factories that produced smoke
as the primary pollutant.
•However, prior to the industrial revolution since the
number of factories were limited and worked only a certain
number of hours a day, the level of pollution was not very
significant.
•But when after the industrial revolution these factories
became full-scale industries and manufacturing units, the
issue of industrial pollution started to take on more
importance.
•Countries facing sudden & rapid growth in industrial
pollution are finding it to be a serious problem that needs
to be brought under control immediately.

6. Definition of Industrial Pollution
Any form of pollution that can trace its immediate
source to industrial practices is known as industrial
pollution. In other words, any type of undesirable
emissions, effluent discharge, land & soil
contamination, that takes place due to industrial
activities is called industrial pollution.
Soource: googleimages

7. Causes of Industrial Pollution
•Burning of fossil fuels such as –coal, petroleum &
natural gas as a source of energy
•Inefficient waste disposal under which untreated gas &
liquid waste is released into the environment
•Improper disposal of radioactive material
•Lack of effective policies to control pollution in
industries and poor enforcement of the existing ones

8. •Use of outdated technologies to produce products that
generates a large amount of waste
•Extraction of minerals to be used as raw materials and
source of power in the industries
•Excessive pumping of underground water
•Deforestation
•Presence of a large number of small scale industries which
often escape environmental regulations
•Unplanned industrial growth
•Industrial accidents

9. Effect of Industrial Pollution
Industrial pollution has disastrous effects and is liable to
affect the earth & its inhabitants. Some of its effects are as
follows :
Water Pollution
•Most of the industries require large amounts of water for
their work.
•When involved in a series of processes, the water comes
into contact with heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium,
zinc, etc.), harmful chemicals, ions of chlorine, sulphate,
magnesium, nitrate, phospahteetc, radioactive waste and
even organic sludge.

10. •The effluents are either
dumped into open oceans
or rivers or terrestrial
lakes.
•As a result many of the
water resources have a
high amount of industrial
waste in them which has
serious repercussions on
environment and human
health. The same water is
then used by farmers for
irrigation purposes which
affects the quality of food
that is produced.Discharge of Effluents in river
Source : googleimages

11. •Many power plants and industries use water as a
coolant. When this water is discharged into a water
body without cooling it, it elevates the temperature of
the water body and causes thermal pollution of water.
•Excessive pumping of groundwater for industrial uses
can lead to subsidence of land.
•Sometimes solid industrial wastes are dumped on the
ground. The leachatesfrom these contaminates
groundwater and renders its useless for human use.

12. •Off –shore oil drilling platforms may cause oil–spills in the
oceans
Some examples :
•According to E.K. Fedorov(1983) all the rivers of U.S.A, Japan
& Europe and 2/3
rd
of the rivers of European Russia have lost
their original form due to industrial effluents.
•In Kanpur, 151 leather tanneries discharge 5.8 million tonnes
of effluents in river Gangaon a daily basis causing its
pollution.

13. MinamataDisease :
•On May 1, 1956, a doctor in
Japan reported an
"epidemic of an unknown
disease of the central
nervous system," marking
the official discovery of
Minamatadisease.
Source : all googleimages

14. •In the late 1950s MinamataBay, Japanbecame
contaminated withmercuryfrom a nearby
factory manufacturing the chemical acetaldehyde
(ChissoCorporation's chemical waste pipe).
•The mercury was biotransformedby bacteria in
the water into methylmercury, or organic
mercury, that bio-accumulated and biomagnified
in the muscle of fish.
•First, local cats that ate the fish began to stagger
about and die.

15. Source : googleimages

16. •Then, the local population of people that depended
on fish were affected, particularly developing fetuses
and children.
•Over two thousand people died, and thousands
more experienced crippling injuries.

17. Chromium contamination
at Ranipet(Vellore
District, Tamil Nadu) :
•In 1995 at Ranipetin Tamil
Nadu,a factory calledTamil
Nadu Chromates and Chemicals
Limited (TCCL) shut down its
operations.
•TCCL, before it shut operations
in 1995, used to manufacture
sodium dichromate, basic
chromium sulphate and sodium
sulphate.
Source : googleimages

18. •It dumped around 2.27 lakhtonnes of chromium-
bearing solid waste in an area of two hectares in its
compound.
Dumping of Chromium at the factory Premises of TCCL, Ranipet
Source : googleimages

19. •The huge heap of yellow-
coloured chromium, about
three to five metres high, is so
toxic that because of it this
place finds place in the List of
Hazardous Waste
Contaminated Dump Sites in
the Country,compiledby the
Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB).
•The surface run-off from the
chromium dumping site has
polluted the surface water in
the area turning it yellow in
colour.
Source : googleimages

20. •Even now, during rains, leachatecontaining
hexavalentchromium, a form of the metal that is
more toxic to humans as it is carcinogenic, has been
steadily flowing on the ground, with devastating
effects.
•With its tanneries and chemical units, Ranipetin
2006 earned the dubious distinction of being one of
the 10 cities/districts/villages on New York-based
Blacksmith Institute’s list of worst polluted places in
the world.

21. Air Pollution:
•The gases, fumes and aerosols coming out of the
chimneys' of the industries adversely effect the
environment.
Source : googleimages

22. Global Warming :
•The burning of fossil fuels in industries releases CO
2in
the atmosphere due to which the gaseous composition
of the atmosphere is gradually changing. At the start of
the industrial revolution (1860), the concentration of
CO
2in the atmosphere was 0.029% (290 ppm) which
had increased to 0.037% (370 ppm) by 2000 A.D. & is
still increasing.
•The increase in the amount of CO
2and other Green
House gases is increasing the Green House Effect
thereby leading to an imbalance in earth’s heat budget
and it is ultimately causing Global Warming.

23. Source : googleimages

24. Ozone Depletion:
•The CFC (ChloroFluoro
Carbon) & HCFC (Hydro
ChloroFluoroCarbon)
emissions from the
industries are damaging
the ozone layer.
•Because of this more
amount of ultraviolet
radiations will reach the
earth’s surface.
Ozone Depletion
Source : googleimages

25. This will increase the temperature of the earthand
cause severe health issues like cataract, skin cancer,
etc. It will also adversely affect the crop productivity.
Acid Rain:
•Another effect of industrial pollution is the occurance
of acid rain.
•The SO
2, CO
2and nitrous oxides coming out of the
industrial chimneys react with the moisture in the
atmosphere and forms mild acids (sulphuricacid,
carbonic acid & nitric acid respectively). With rainfall
this falls on the ground and this is termed as acid rain.

26. •It has harmful effects on plants, soil, water bodies,
aquatic animals and infrastructure.
Acid Rain
Source : googleimages

27. •Acid Rain has destroyed nearly 2/3
rd
of the forested region in
the black forest in Germany. The acid rain increased the
acidity of the soil, the trees were not able to withstand it.
Slowly their leaves started falling and they started dying. The
trees can no longer be grown again.
Acid Rain in Black Forest Region, Germany
Source : googleimages

28. Yellowing (Corrosion) of TajMahaldue to Acid Rain
Before After
Source : googleimages

29. Land Degradation & Soil Pollution
•Excavation of minerals from
the ground to be used as
raw material or sources of
energy in industries,
degrades the landscape. A
very good example of this
can be seen in the Damodar
Valley coal fields where due
to open cast mining land
has become degraded &
has been rendered useless
for any use.
Land Degradation due to Open Cast
Mining of Coal
Source : googleimages

30. •In areas of underground mining the threat of land
subsidence looms as in case of Jhariaregion of
Dhanbad(Jharkhand state)
•Mineral processing like grinding of limestone for
cement industry, and calcite and soapstone for ceramic
industries generates heavy amount of dust and
releases it in the atmosphere. It later on settles down
in the surrounding areas, affecting infiltration of water
and crop cultivation.
•Dumping of toxic solid waste on the ground
contaminates the soil making it unsuitable for
cultivation. A good example is the chromium dumping
site at Ranipetin Tamil Nadu where the soil has been
contaminated.

31. •Cadmium enrichment of soilcan also be associated
with industrial pollution. Topsoilscontaminated by
mine spoil showed a wide range of Cd
concentrations.
•Industrial effluents are commonly discharged to
surface water drainage systems after clarification in
tailing ponds. Recent investigations have disclosed
very high concentrations of Cdin the overbank and
bottom sediments of the rivers.

32. Loss of Biodiversity & Threat to Biodiversity:
•Forests are being destroyed not only to gain space to
establish industries but also to obtain raw materials for
forest based industries, such as –paper & pulp
industry, furniture industry, etc.
•This is destroying the natural habitats of birds &
animals and leading to their extinction.
•The increasing liquid, solid & hazardous wastes coming
from the industries undermine ecosystem health and
impact on food, water & health security.

33. •Industrial effluents
containing nitrogen and
phosphorus may lead to
eutrophicationand
algal boomwhich in
turns decreases the
BOD of a water body
destroying the
organisms living in it.
Algal Boom due to Eutrophication
Source : googleimages

34. •In case of thermal pollution of water, elevated water
temperatures decrease oxygen levels, which can kill
fish and alter food chain composition, reduce species
biodiversity, and foster invasion by
newthermofilicspecies.
•The chemicals that reach the water bodies through
industrial effluents may also lead to
biomagnification.
•The industrial pollution causes natural rhythms &
patterns to fail.

35. Adverse Effect on Crop Productivity:
•Degradation of land due to industrial pollution makes it
unsuitable for cultivation, thus, bringing down the
agricultural production.
•The pollution of surface & underground water restricts the
water supply for irrigation.
•Chemically contaminated soil may lead to bio-magnification
in the plants, thereby decreasing their quality.
•At places where solid particulate matter coming out of the
industries is deposited on the ground, the land becomes
unfit for cultivation

36. Some examples :
•In Ranipet(Vellore District, Tamil Nadu), the dumping
of toxic chromium on ground has adversely affected
the agriculture in the area & the agricultural
production has dwindled over the years due to
polluted ground water.
•In the vicinity of the thermal power plant at Barauni
industrial complex (BegusaraiDistrict, Bihar ) a thick
layer of fly ash has been deposited on the ground
making it useless for cultivation. Earlier in the same
area the land was so fertile that three crops could be
cultivated in a yea.r

37. Industrial Accidents & their impacts
•Yet another impact of industries is industrial accidents
and their effect. These effects are sometimes so grave
that they are termed as industrial disasters.
Chernobyl Disaster:
•This disaster took place in April 1986 at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant inUkraine.
•The Chernobyl accident was the result of a flawed
reactor design that was operated with inadequately
trained personnel.

38. •The resulting steam
explosion and fires
released at least 5% of
the radioactive reactor
core into the
environment, with the
deposition of radioactive
materials in many parts
of Europe.
•Two Chernobyl plant
workers died due to the
explosion on the night of
the accident, and a
further 28 people died
within a few weeks as a
result of acute radiation
syndrome
Source : googleimages

39. •According to The United Nations Scientific
Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation some
6500 people have suffered from thyroid cancers
(resulting in 15 fatalities) caused by the radiation
•Some 350,000 people were evacuated as a result of
the accident, but resettlement of areas from which
people were relocated is ongoing.

40. Bhopal Gas Tragedy:
•The Bhopal Gas Tragedy
also known as Bhopal
Disaster occuredon 2-3
December, 1984in
Bhopal (Madhya
Pradesh, India)
•It was caused by the
leakage of Methyl
IsoCynategas from the
pesticide factory of
Union Carbide India Ltd.
Source : all googleimages

41. •Estimates vary on the death toll. The official
immediate death toll was 2,259. In 2008,
theGovernment of Madhya Pradeshhad paid
compensation to the family members of 3,787
victims killed in the gas release, and to 574,366
injured victims.A government affidavit in 2006
stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries,
including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and
approximately 3,900 severely and permanently
disabling injuries.Others estimate that 8,000 died
within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have
since died from gas-related diseases.
[

42. VizagGas Leak:
•The Visakhapatnam gas
leak, also referred to as
the Vizaggas leak, was an
industrial accident that
occurred at the LG
Polymers chemical plant
in the R. R. Venkatapuram
village of the
Gopalapatnam
neighborhood, located at
the outskirts of
Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh, India.
Source : googleimages

43. •It occuredduring the early morning of 7 May 2020
•Cause:Malfunction in the cooling system
ofstyrenestorage tanks (suspected)
•Total number of deaths:11
•Non-fatal injuries:1,000+

44. What Makes Women More Vulnerable
to Industrial Pollution?
•Exposures to dangerouschemicals
have a multigenerational
impacton women, families and
entire communities.Pregnant
women can transmit toxins to
theirinfants in uteroand via breast
milk.Toxic exposures have been
linked to pre-term birth, and
infantmortality. Research
showsthatexposure to toxic
pollution in uterocan also impact
the futurereproductive
andgenetic health of a developing
fetus.
Source : googleimages

45. •Because of their traditional gender roles, women
usually work with children nearby. Then they return
to their homes to care for and prepare meals for the
family. If women are exposed to toxic pollution,
chances are that their families will be poisoned too.
•Millions of women work in artisanal and small-scale
industriesthat pollute and use dangerous chemicals
on a daily basis. These industries include artisanal
gold mining, used lead-acid battery recycling and
leather tanning.

46. •Women are commonly
pushed to the fringe in
these industries, thereby
forming a de facto high-
risk population. For
example, they may be
economically isolated,
excluded from
cooperatives or ownership
positions or paid through
back channels to work in
their homes or backyards
rather than in monitored,
safer industrial
environments. Women working in unsafe home
based tannery
Source : googleimages

47. •Toxic pollution can make women’s daily routines
more difficult, preventing them from making strides
in their lives. For example, contamination of soil and
rivers has made many ground and surface water
sources no longer usable for domestic use. Not only
does this affect the availability of clean water but it
also disrupts women’s daily routines with the need to
fetch or buy water in areas located farther away,
keeping them away from their family and work
opportunities. In addition, this could mean that scarce
income has to be diverted to the purchase of safe
water.This can trap women in a cycle of poverty.

48. •Pollution impacts the poor the most, and women
are more likely to be at the bottom of the social-
economic ladder.Due to poverty they cannot afford
to move or clean up their toxic communities.

49. Ways to Control or Reduce Industrial
Pollution
•The issue of industrial pollution is critical to every
nation on the planet. With the increase of the harmful
effects of industrial pollution, there are many agencies
and individuals who are working toreduce carbon
footprintsand live and work in an eco-friendly way.
•However, industrial pollution is still rampant and will
take many years for proper control and regulation.
Many steps can be taken to seek permanent solutions
to the problem.

50. •Source Control -Adopting new technology, efficient
training of employees for safe use and development of
better technology fordisposal of waste, and being more
conscientious about the use of raw materials can help
control industrial pollution at the source.
•Recycling -Recycling as muchpolluted waterin the
industries as possible by increased recycling efforts to
reduce industrial pollution.
•Cleaning of Resources -Organic methods should be
adopted to clean the water and soil, such as using microbes
that use heavy metals and waste as feed naturally. Cooling
rooms or bins need to be developed that allow industries to
recycle the water they need instead of pushing it back into
the natural water source it came from.

51. •Industry Site Selection -Consideration of location of
the sites and the potential impact on the surrounding
environment can help reduce harmful consequences.
•Proper Treatment of Industrial Waste -By developing
and implementing adequate treatment facilities for
handling industrial waste and proper habits can reduce
pollution.
•Rebuilding Habitats and Afforestation-Rebuilding
habitats byplanting more treesand plants can help
give wildlife back their homes, and the trees can help
purify the air with enough oxygen, and act as a buffer
against the environment.

52. •Stricter Laws and Enforcement -The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) works to correct the damage
from industrial pollution. There should be more
stringent rules to take action against the companies
who do not follow proper protocol and more
significant rewards for the companies who operate
properly. It requires creating policies that prevent
misuse of land.
•Regular Environmental Impact Assessments -Being a
responsible company or industry should require regular
environmental impact assessments that are reported
for evaluation. If there are harmful impacts discovered
during the review, necessary actions to correct the
negative consequences should be developed and
enforced.

53. References
•https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-
effects-of-industrial-pollution.php
•https://www.conservationinstitute.org/industrial-
pollution/
•https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-
library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-
accident.aspx
•: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-
groundwater-beneath-their-feet/article17321183.ece
•https://www.healthandenvironment.org/environmenta
l-health/social-context/history/mercury-the-tragedy-
of-minamata-disease
•https://brainly.in/question/3754272

54. Source : googleimages