ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Environmental pollution is the effect of undesirable changes in our surroundings that have harmful
effects on plants, animals and human beings. A substance, which causes pollution, is known as
pollutant. Pollutants can be solid, liquid or gaseous substances present in greater concentration than
in natural abundance and are produced due to human activities or due to natural happenings. Do
you know, an average human being requires nearly 12-15 times more air than the food. So, even
small amounts of pollutants in the air become significant compared to similar levels present in the
food. Pollutants can be degradable, like discarded vegetables which rapidly break down by natural
processes. On the other hand, pollutants which are slowly degradable, remain in the environment in
an unchanged form for many decades. For example, substances such as
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), plastic materials, heavy metals, many chemicals, nuclear
wastes etc., once released into the environment are difficult to remove. These pollutants cannot be
degraded by natural processes and are harmful to living organisms. In the process of environmental
pollution, pollutants originate from a source and get transported by air or water or are dumped into
the soil by human beings.

 ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION

The atmosphere that surrounds the earth is not of the same thickness at all heights. There are
concentric layers of air or regions and each layer has different density. The lowest region of
atmosphere in which the human beings along with other organisms live is called troposphere. It
extends up to the height of ~ 10 km from sea level. Above the troposphere, between 10 and 50 km
above sea level lies stratosphere. Troposphere is a turbulent, dusty zone containing air, much water
vapor and clouds. This is the region of strong air movement and cloud formation. The stratosphere,
on the other hand, contains dinitrogen, dioxygen, ozone and little water vapor.

Atmospheric pollution is generally studied as tropospheric and stratospheric pollution. The

presence of ozone in the stratosphere prevents about 99.5 per cent of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet
(UV) radiations from reaching the earth’s surface and thereby protecting humans and other animals
from its effect.

 Tropospheric Pollution

Tropospheric pollution occurs due to the presence of undesirable solid or gaseous particles in
the air. The following are the major gaseous and particulate pollutants present in the
troposphere:

1. Gaseous air pollutants: These are oxides of Sulphur, nitrogen and carbon, hydrogen
sulphide, hydrocarbons, ozone and other oxidants.

2. Particulate pollutants: These are dust, mist, fumes, smoke, smog etc.
1. Gaseous air pollutants

A. Oxides of Sulphur: Oxides of Sulphur are produced when Sulphur containing fossil fuel is
burnt. The most common species, Sulphur dioxide, is a gas that is poisonous to both animals
and plants. It has been reported that even a low concentration of Sulphur dioxide causes
respiratory diseases e.g., asthma, bronchitis, emphysema in human beings. Sulphur dioxide
causes irritation to the eyes, resulting in tears and redness. High concentration of SO2 leads
to stiffness of flower buds which eventually fall off from plants. Unanalyzed oxidation of
Sulphur dioxide is slow. However, the presence of particulate matter in polluted air catalysis
the oxidation of Sulphur dioxide to Sulphur trioxide.

2SO2(g)+O2(g)=2SO2(g)

The reaction can also be promoted by ozone and hydrogen peroxide.

SO2(g) + O3 (g)= SO3(g) + O2 (g)

SO2(g) + H2O2 (l)= H2SO4(aq)

B. Oxides of Nitrogen: Dinitrogen and dioxygen are the main constituents of air. These gases
do not react with each other at a normal temperature. At high altitudes when lightning
strikes, they combine to form oxides of nitrogen. NO2 is oxidized to nitrate ion, NO–3 which
is washed into soil, where it serves as a fertilizer. In an automobile engine, (at high
temperature) when fossil fuel is burnt, dinitrogen and dioxygen combine to yield significant
quantities of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) as given below:

NO reacts instantly with oxygen to give NO2

2NO (g) + O2 (g) = 2NO2 (g)

Rate of production of NO2 is faster when nitric oxide reacts with ozone in the stratosphere.

NO (g) + O3 (g) = NO2 (g) + O2 (g)

The irritant red haze in the traffic and congested places is due to oxides of nitrogen. Higher
concentrations of NO2 damage the leaves of plants and retard the rate of photosynthesis.
Nitrogen dioxide is a lung irritant that can lead to an acute respiratory disease in children. It
is toxic to living tissues also. Nitrogen dioxide is also harmful to various textile fibers and
metals.

C. Hydrocarbons: Hydrocarbons are composed of hydrogen and carbon only and are formed
by incomplete combustion of fuel used in automobiles. Hydrocarbons are carcinogenic, i.e.,
they cause cancer. They harm plants by causing ageing, breakdown of tissues and shedding
of leaves, flowers and twigs.
 D. Oxides of Carbon
i. Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most serious air pollutants. It is a
colorless and odorless gas, highly poisonous to living beings because of its ability to block
the delivery of oxygen to the organs and tissues. It is produced as a result of incomplete
combustion of carbon. Carbon monoxide is mainly released into the air by automobile
exhaust. Other sources, which produce CO, involve incomplete combustion of coal,
firewood, petrol, etc. The number of vehicles has been increasing over the years all over the
world. Many vehicles are poorly maintained and several have inadequate pollution control
equipment resulting in the release of greater amount of carbon monoxide and other polluting
gases. It binds to hemoglobin to form carboxyhaemoglobin, which is about 300 times more
stable than the oxygen-hemoglobin complex. In blood, when the concentration of
carboxyhaemoglobin reaches about 3–4 per cent, the oxygen carrying capacity of blood is
greatly reduced. This oxygen deficiency, results into headache, weak eyesight, nervousness
and cardiovascular disorder. This is the reason why people are advised not to smoke. In
pregnant women who have the habit of smoking the increased CO level in blood may
induce premature birth, spontaneous abortions and deformed babies.

ii. Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere by respiration,
burning of fossil fuels for energy, and by decomposition of limestone during the
manufacture of cement. It is also emitted during volcanic eruptions. Carbon dioxide gas is
confined to troposphere only. Normally it forms about 0.03 per cent by volume of the
atmosphere. With the increased use of fossil fuels, a large amount of carbon dioxide gets
released into the atmosphere. Excess of CO2 in the air is removed by green plants and this
maintains an appropriate level of CO2 in the atmosphere. Green plants require CO2for
photosynthesis and they, in turn, emit oxygen, thus maintaining the delicate balance. As you
know, deforestation and burning of fossil fuel increases the CO2 level and disturb the
balance in the atmosphere. The increased amount of CO2 in the air is mainly responsible for
global warming.

 Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect

About 75 % of the solar energy reaching the earth is absorbed by the earth’s surface, which
increases its temperature. The rest of the heat radiates back to the atmosphere. Some of the heat is
trapped by gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbon compounds (CFCs)
and water vapor in the atmosphere. Thus, they add to the heating of the atmosphere. This causes
global warming.

We all know that in cold places flowers, vegetables and fruits are grown in glass covered areas
called greenhouse. We humans also live in a greenhouse. Of course, we are not surrounded by glass
but a blanket of air called the atmosphere, which has kept the temperature on earth constant for
centuries. But it is now undergoing change, though slowly. Just as the glass in a greenhouse holds
the sun’s warmth inside, atmosphere traps the sun’s heat near the earth’s surface and keeps it warm.
This is called natural greenhouse effect because it maintains the temperature and makes the earth
perfect for life. In a greenhouse, solar radiations pass through the transparent glass and heat up the
 soil and the plants. The warm soil and plants emit infrared radiations. Since glass is opaque to
infrared radiations (thermal region), it partly reflects and partly absorbs these radiations. This
mechanism keeps the energy of the sun trapped in the greenhouse. Similarly, carbon dioxide
molecules also trap heat as they are transparent to sunlight but not to the heat radiation. If the
amount of carbon dioxide crosses the delicate proportion of 0.03 per cent, the natural greenhouse
balance may get disturbed. Carbon dioxide is the major contributor to global warming.

Besides carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases are methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, CFCs and
ozone. Methane is produced naturally when vegetation is burnt, digested or rotted in the absence of
oxygen. Large amounts of methane are released in paddy fields, coal mines, from rotting garbage
dumps and by fossil fuels. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are man-made industrial chemicals used in
air conditioning etc. CFCs are also damaging the ozone layer. Nitrous oxide occurs naturally in the
environment. In recent years, their quantities have increased significantly due to the use of
chemical fertilizers and the burning of fossil fuels. If these trends continue, the average global
temperature will increase to a level which may lead to melting of polar ice caps and flooding of low
lying areas all over the earth. Increase in the global temperature increases the incidence of
infectious diseases like dengue, malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness etc.

 Acid rain

We are aware that normally rain water has a pH of 5.6 due to the presence of H + ions formed by the
reaction of rain water with carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

When the pH of the rain water drops below 5.6, it is called acid rain.

Acid rain refers to the ways in which acid from the atmosphere is deposited on the earth’s surface.
Oxides of nitrogen and Sulphur which are acidic in nature can be blown by wind along with solid
particles in the atmosphere and finally settle down either on the ground as dry deposition or in
water, fog and snow as wet deposition.

2SO2 (g) + O2 (g) + 2H2O (l) = 2H2SO4 (aq)

4NO2 (g) + O2 (g)+ 2H2O (l) = 4HNO3 (aq)

Ammonium salts are also formed and can be seen as an atmospheric haze (aerosol of fine particles).
Aerosol particles of oxides or ammonium salts in rain drops result in wet deposition. SO 2 is also
absorbed directly on both solid and liquid ground surfaces and is thus deposited as dry-deposition.

Acid rain is harmful for agriculture, trees and plants as it dissolves and washes away nutrients
needed for their growth. It causes respiratory ailments in human beings and animals. When acid
rain falls and flows as ground water to reach rivers, lakes etc. it affects plants and animal life in
aquatic ecosystem. It corrodes water pipes resulting in the leaching of heavy metals such as iron,
lead and copper into the drinking water. Acid rain damages buildings and other structures made of
stone or metal.
 2. Particulate Pollutants

Particulates pollutants are the minute solid particles or liquid droplets in air. These are present in
vehicle emissions, smoke particles from fires, dust particles and ash from industries. Particulates in
the atmosphere may be viable or non-viable. The viable particulates e.g., bacteria, fungi, molds,
algae etc., are minute living organisms that are dispersed in the atmosphere. Human beings are
allergic to some of the fungi found in air. They can also cause plant diseases.

Non-viable particulates may be classified according to their nature and size as follows:

a. Smoke particulates consist of solid or mixture of solid and liquid particles formed during
combustion of organic matter. Examples are cigarette smoke, smoke from burning of fossil
fuel, garbage and dry leaves, oil smoke etc.
b. Dust is composed of fine solid particles (over 1µm in diameter), produced during crushing,
grinding and attribution of solid materials. Sand from sand blasting, saw dust from wood
works, pulverized coal, cement and fly ash from factories, dust storms etc., are some typical
examples of this type of particulate emission.
c. Mists are produced by particles of spray liquids and by condensation of vapors in air.
Examples are sulphuric acid mist and herbicides and insecticides that miss their targets and
travel through air and form mists.
d. Fumes are generally obtained by the condensation of vapors during sublimation, distillation,
boiling and several other chemical reactions. Generally, organic solvents, metals and
metallic oxides form fume particles.

The effect of particulate pollutants is largely dependent on the particle size. Airborne particles such
as dust, fumes, mist etc., are dangerous for human health. Particulate pollutants bigger than 5
microns are likely to lodge in the nasal passage, whereas particles of about 10 micron enter into
lungs easily.

 Smog

The word smog is derived from smoke and fog. This is the most common example of air pollution
that occurs in many cities throughout the world. There are two types of smog:

a. Classical smog occurs in cool humid climate. It is a mixture of smoke, fog and Sulphur
dioxide. Chemically it is a reducing mixture and so it is also called as reducing smog.
b. Photochemical smog occurs in warm, dry and sunny climate. The main components of the
photochemical smog result from the action of sunlight on unsaturated hydrocarbons and
nitrogen oxides produced by automobiles and factories. Photochemical smog has high
concentration of oxidizing agents and is, therefore, called as oxidizing smog.
 Formation of photochemical smog

When fossil fuels are burnt, a variety of pollutants are emitted into the earth’s troposphere. Two of
the pollutants that are emitted are hydrocarbons (unburnt fuels) and nitric oxide (NO). When these
pollutants build up to sufficiently high levels, a chain reaction occurs from their interaction with
sunlight in which NO is converted into nitrogen dioxide (NO 2). This NO2 in turn absorbs energy
from sunlight and breaks up into nitric oxide and free oxygen atom.

Oxygen atoms are very reactive and combine with the O2 in air to produce ozone.

The ozone reacts rapidly with the NO(g) to regenerate NO2.NO2 is a brown gas and at sufficiently
high levels can contribute to haze.

NO (g) + O3 (g) = NO2 (g) + O2 (g)

Ozone is a toxic gas and both NO2 and O3 are strong oxidizing agents and can react with the
unburnt hydrocarbons in the polluted air to produce chemicals such as formaldehyde, acrolein and
peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN).

 Effect of photochemical smog

The common components of photochemical smog are ozone, nitric oxide, acrolein, formaldehyde
and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). Photochemical smog causes serious health problems. Both ozone
and PAN act as powerful eye irritants. Ozone and nitric oxide irritate the nose and throat and their
high concentration causes headache, chest pain, dryness of the throat, cough and difficulty in
breathing. Photochemical smog leads to cracking of rubber and extensive damage to plant life. It
also causes corrosion of metals, stones, building materials, rubber and painted surfaces.

 How can photochemical smog be controlled?

Many techniques are used to control or reduce the formation of photochemical smog. If we control
the primary precursors of photochemical smog, such as NO2 and hydrocarbons, the secondary
precursors such as ozone and PAN, the photochemical smog will automatically be reduced. Usually
catalytic converters are used in the automobiles, which prevent the release of nitrogen oxide and
hydrocarbons to the atmosphere. Certain plants e.g., Pinus, Juniparus, Quercus, Pyrus and Vitis can
metabolize nitrogen oxide and therefore, their plantation could help in this matter.
 Stratospheric Pollution

Formation and Breakdown of Ozone

The upper stratosphere consists of considerable amount of ozone (O 3), which protects us from the
harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiations (= 255 nm) coming from the sun. These radiations cause skin
cancer (melanoma) in humans. Therefore, it is important to maintain the ozone shield.

Ozone in the stratosphere is a product of UV radiations acting on dioxygen (O2) molecules. The
UV radiations split apart molecular oxygen into free oxygen (O) atoms. These oxygen atoms
combine with the molecular oxygen to form ozone.

Ozone is thermodynamically unstable and decomposes to molecular oxygen. Thus, a dynamic

equilibrium exists between the production and decomposition of ozone molecules. In recent years,
there have been reports of the depletion of this protective ozone layer because of the presence of
certain chemicals in the stratosphere. The main reason of ozone layer depletion is believed to be the
release of chlorofluorocarbon compounds (CFCs), also known as freons. These compounds are
nonreactive, non-flammable, non-toxic organic molecules and therefore used in refrigerators, air
conditioners, in the production of plastic foam and by the electronic industry for cleaning computer
parts etc. Once CFCs are released in the atmosphere, they mix with the normal atmospheric gases
and eventually reach the stratosphere. In stratosphere, they get broken down by powerful UV
radiations, releasing chlorine free radical.

The chlorine radical then reacts with stratospheric ozone to form chlorine monoxide radicals and
molecular oxygen.

Reaction of chlorine monoxide radical with atomic oxygen produces more chlorine radicals.

The chlorine radicals are continuously regenerated and cause the breakdown of ozone. Thus, CFCs
are transporting agents for
continuously generating chlorine radicals into the stratosphere and damaging the ozone layer.

The Ozone Hole

In 1980s atmospheric scientists working in Antarctica reported about depletion of ozone layer
commonly known as ozone hole over the South Pole. It was found that a unique set of conditions
was responsible for the ozone hole. In summer season, nitrogen dioxide and methane react with
chlorine monoxide (reaction iv) and chlorine atoms (reaction v) forming chlorine sinks, preventing
much ozone depletion, whereas in winter, special type of clouds called polar stratospheric clouds
are formed over Antarctica. These polar stratospheric clouds provide surface on which chlorine
nitrate formed (reaction iv) gets hydrolyzed to form hypochlorous acid (reaction (vi)). It also reacts
with hydrogen chloride produced as per reaction (v) to give molecular chlorine.

When sunlight returns to the Antarctica in the spring, the sun’s warmth breaks up the clouds and
HOCl and Cl2 are photolysed by sunlight. The chlorine radicals thus formed, initiate the chain
reaction for ozone depletion as described earlier.
 Effects of Depletion of the Ozone Layer

With the depletion of ozone layer, more UV radiation filters into troposphere. UV radiations lead to
ageing of skin, cataract, sunburn, skin cancer, killing of many phytoplankton’s, damage to fish
productivity etc. It has also been reported that plant proteins get easily affected by UV radiations
which leads to the harmful mutation of cells. It also increases evaporation of surface water through
the stomata of the leaves and decreases the moisture content of the soil. Increase in UV radiations
damage paints and fibers, causing them to fade faster.

 WATER POLLUTION

Water is essential for life. Without water there would be no life. We usually take water as granted
for its purity, but we must ensure the quality of water. Pollution of water originates from human
activities. Through different paths, pollution reaches surface or ground water. Easily identified
source or place of pollution is called as point source. e.g. Municipal and industrial discharge pipes
where pollutants enter the water-source. Non point sources of pollution are those where a source of
pollution cannot be easily identified, e.g., agricultural runoff (from farm, animals and crop-lands),
acid rain, storm-water drainage (from streets, parking lots and lawns), etc. Table lists the major
water pollutants and their sources.

Major Water Pollutants

POLLUTANT SOURCE
Micro-organism Domestic sewage
Organic wastes Domestic sewage, animal excretes
and waste, decaying animals and
plants, discharge from food
processing factories.
Plant nutrients Chemical fertilizers
Toxic heavy Industries and chemical factories
metals
Sediments Erosion of soil by agriculture and
strip mining
Pesticides Chemicals used for killing insects,
fungi and weeds
Radioactive Mining of uranium containing
substances minerals
Heat Water used for cooling in
industries

 Causes of Water Pollution

i. Pathogens: The most serious water pollutants are the disease causing agents called
pathogens. Pathogens include bacteria and other organisms that enter water from domestic
sewage and animal excreta. Human excreta contain bacteria such as Escherichia coli and
Streptococcus faecalis which cause gastrointestinal diseases.
 ii. Organic wastes: The other major water pollutant is organic matter such as leaves, grass,
trash etc. They pollute water as a consequence of run off. Excessive phytoplankton growth
within water is also a cause of water pollution. These wastes are biodegradable. The large
population of bacteria decomposes organic matter present in water. They consume oxygen
dissolved in water. The amount of oxygen that water can hold in the solution is limited. In
cold water, dissolved oxygen (DO) can reach a concentration up to 10 ppm (parts per
million), whereas oxygen in air is about 200,000 ppm. That is why even a moderate amount
of organic matter when decomposes in water can deplete the water of its dissolved oxygen.
The concentration of dissolved oxygen in water is very important for aquatic life. If the
concentration of dissolved oxygen of water is below 6 ppm, the growth of fish gets inhibited.
Oxygen reaches water either through atmosphere or from the process of photosynthesis
carried out by many aquatic green plants during day light. However, during night,
photosynthesis stops but the plants continue to respire, resulting in reduction of dissolved
oxygen. The dissolved oxygen is also used by microorganisms to oxidize organic matter.

If too much of organic matter is added to water, all the available oxygen is used up. This
causes oxygen dependent aquatic life to die. Thus, anaerobic bacteria (which do not require
oxygen) begin to break down the organic waste and produce chemicals that have a foul smell
and are harmful to human health. Aerobic (oxygen requiring) bacteria degrade these organic
wastes and keep the water depleted in dissolved oxygen.

Thus, the amount of oxygen required by bacteria to break down the organic matter present in
a certain volume of a sample of water, is called Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). The
amount of BOD in the water is a measure of the amount of organic material in the water, in
terms of how much oxygen will be required to break it down biologically. Clean water
would have BOD value of less than 5 ppm whereas highly polluted water could have a BOD
value of 17 ppm or more.

iii. Chemical Pollutants: As we know that water is an excellent solvent, water soluble
inorganic chemicals that include heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, nickel etc.
constitute an important class of pollutants. All these metals are dangerous to humans because
our body cannot excrete them. Over the time, it crosses the tolerance limit. These metals then
can damage kidneys, central nervous system, liver etc. Acids (like sulphuric acid) from mine
drainage and salts from many different sources including raw salt used to melt snow and ice
in the colder climates (sodium and calcium chloride) are water soluble chemical pollutants.

The organic chemicals are another group of substances that are found in polluted water.
Petroleum products pollute many sources of water e.g., major oil spills in oceans. Other
organic substances with serious impacts are the pesticides that drift down from sprays or
runoff from lands. Various industrial chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls, (PCBs)
which are used as cleansing solvent, detergents and fertilizers add to the list of water
pollutants. PCBs are suspected to be carcinogenic. Nowadays most of the detergents
available are biodegradable. However, their use can create other problems. The bacteria
responsible for degrading biodegradable detergent feed on it and grow rapidly. While
growing, they may use up all the oxygen dissolved in water. The lack of oxygen kills all
other forms of aquatic life such as fish and plants. Fertilizers contain phosphates as additives.
 The addition of phosphates in water enhances algae growth. Such profuse growth of algae,
covers the water surface and reduces the oxygen concentration in water. This leads to
anaerobic conditions, commonly with accumulation of obnoxious decay and animal death.
Thus, bloom-infested water inhibits the growth of other living organisms in the water body.
This process in which nutrient enriched water bodies support a dense plant population, which
kills animal life by depriving it of oxygen and results in subsequent loss of biodiversity is
known as Eutrophication.

 SOIL POLLUTION

Nepal being an agriculture based economy gives high priority to agriculture, fisheries and livestock
development. Some insecticides and pesticides are used for protection of our crops. However, these
insecticides, pesticides and herbicides cause soil pollution. Hence, there is a need for their judicious
use.

a. Pesticides

Many naturally occurring chemicals such as nicotine (by planting tobacco plants in the crop field),
were used as pest controlling substance for major crops in agricultural practices. During World War
II, DDT was found to be of great use in the control of malaria and other insect-borne diseases.
Therefore, after the war, DDT was put to use in agriculture to control the damages caused by
insects, rodents, weeds and various crop diseases. However, due to adverse effects, its use has been
banned in Nepal.

Pesticides are basically synthetic toxic chemicals with ecological repercussions. The repeated use
of the same or similar pesticides give rise to pests that are resistant to that group of pesticides thus
making the pesticides ineffective. Therefore, as insect resistance of DDT increased, other organic
toxins such as Aldrin and Dieldrin were introduced in the market by pesticide industry. Most of the
organic toxins are water insoluble and non-biodegradable. These high persistent toxins are,
therefore, transferred from lower trophic level to higher trophic level through food chain. Over the
time, the concentration of toxins in higher animals reach a level which causes serious metabolic and
physiological disorders.

In response to high persistence of chlorinated organic toxins, a new series of less persistent or more
bio-degradable products called organo-phosphates and carbamates have been introduced in the
market. But these chemicals are severe nerve toxins and hence more harmful to humans. As a
result, there are reports of some pesticides related deaths of agricultural field workers. Insects have
become resistant to these insecticides also. The insecticide industry is engaged in developing new
groups of insecticides.

These days, the pesticide industry has shifted its attention to herbicides such as sodium chlorate
(NaClO3), sodium arsinite (Na3AsO3) and many others. During the first half of the last century, the
shift from mechanical to chemical weed control had provided the industry with flourishing
economic market. But one must remember that these are also not environment friendly.
 INDUSTRIAL WASTE

Industrial solid wastes are also sorted out as biodegradable and non-degradable wastes.
Biodegradable wastes are generated by cotton mills, food processing units, paper mills, and textile
factories.

Non-biodegradable wastes are generated by thermal power plants which produce fly ash; integrated
iron and steel plants which produce blast furnace slag and steel melting slag. Industries
manufacturing aluminum, zinc and copper produce mud and tailings. Fertilizer industries produce
gypsum. Hazardous wastes such as inflammables, composite explosives or highly reactive
substances are produced by industries dealing in metals, chemicals, drugs, pharmaceuticals, dyes,
pesticides, rubber goods etc.

The disposal of non-degradable industrial solid wastes, if not done by a proper and suitable method,
may cause serious threat to the environment. New innovations have led to different uses of waste
material. Nowadays, Fly ash and slag from the steel industry are utilized by the cement industry.
Large quantities of toxic wastes are usually destroyed by controlled incineration, whereas small
quantities are burnt along with factory garbage in open bins. Moreover, solid wastes if not managed
effectively, affect the components of the environment.