Test: Solid & Radioactive Wastes (Old NCERT) - NEET MCQ

Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. The blue baby syndrome can also be caused by nitrates in drinking water leading to methemoglobinemia. Nitrates from polluted drinking water form compounds in the body that change haemoglobin to methemoglobin, decreasing the ability of blood to carry oxygen.
Minamata disease is a poisoning disease that affects mainly the central nervous system and is caused by the consumption of large quantities of fish and shellfish living in Minamata Bay and its surroundings, the major causative agent being some sort of organic mercury compound.
DDT is a class 2 insecticide, meaning it is moderately toxic. It is important to note that it was banned in the US in 1972, because of the health risks that emerge from its usage. DDT is very insoluble in water and very persistent in the environment, making it a highly polluting hazard.
A primary pollutant is an air pollutant emitted directly from a source. A secondary pollutant is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other pollutants (primary pollutants) react in the atmosphere. Peroxyacyl nitrates are powerful respiratory and eye irritants present in photochemical smog.

Ahmed Khan, a plastic sack manufacturer of Bangalore in 1998, developed polyblend, a fine powder of recycled modified plastic in collaboration with R.V. College of Engineering and Bangalore City Corporation. He proved that the mixture of polyblend and bitumen was better for road carpeting as it has better water repellent was better for road carpeting as it had better water repellent property. It increased road life by a factor of three.

• Plastic sack manufacturers in Bangalore has managed to find the ideal solution for increasing problem of accumulating plastic waste. Ahmed Khan, 57 years old, has been producing a plastic sack for 20 years. About 8 years ago, he realised that plastic waste was a real problem.
• Polyblend, a powder of recycled modified plastic, was developed by his company. This mixture is mixed with the bitumen, that is used to lay roads.
• In collaboration with RV College of engineering and the Bangalore city corporation, Ahmed Khan proved that mixture of polyblend and bitumen when used to lay roads enhance the bitumen's water repellent properties and help to increase road life by factors of 3.
• Using Khan's technique by the year 2002, more than 40 km road in Bangalore has already been laid. At this rate Khan will soon be running short on plastic waste in Bangalore, to produce polyblend.

Explanation: Statement 1 correctly describes open landfilling as a process where waste is dumped in an open area without any protective covering, often leading to environmental issues such as pollution from burning or leaching of waste materials.

Statement 2 accurately describes sanitary landfilling, which is a method where waste is compacted to save space and then covered with soil to reduce the exposure to the air, pests, and to prevent pollution. This method is a more environmentally friendly alternative to open landfilling.

However, statement 2 is not an explanation of statement 1; rather, it describes a different method of waste management.

Cowdung and other organic wastes of farm houses can now be profitably placed in gobar gas plants which not only provide enrich manure but also gas for domestic use.

The radioactive fallout can cause near-immediate effect by killing cells and damaging tissue. But radioactive fallout can also casuse long term effect by causing mutations in the DNA of living cells. These mutated genes are usually recessive and so they can appear anytime in our future generations. That is the reason why effect of radioactive fallout probably will be more harmful to children of futruegenerations than the present.

Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission. Strontium-90 is very harmful to human beings. It get deposits in our bones and bone marrow, causing bone cancer and leukaemia.

EcoSan toilet has emerged as a sustainable concept and is prevalent in Delhi, Kerala, and Mumbai for footpath and slum dwellers. These are solid wastes from home, offices, stores, schools, hospitals, hotels etc. These domestic solid wastes one usually, thrown in municipal garbage collecting cans. a depression or trench is made in the ground and wastes are dumped into it after compaction and covered with dirt every day. the above statements are correct.

An electrostatic precipitator(ESP_s) is a device that removes suspended dust particles from a gas or exhaust by applying a high-voltage electrostatic charge and collecting the particles on charged plates. It can remove 99% of particulate matter from thermal power plant exhaust.
e-waste is discarded electronic appliances such as mobile phones, computers, and televisions. Over half of the e-waste generated in developed countries are exported to developing countries, mainly to China, India, and Pakistan, where metals like Cu, Fe, Si, Ni, etc., are recovered during the recycling process.
Nuclear waste is the radioactive waste material, for example from the use or reprocessing of nuclear fuel. Hence Use of nuclear energy has two very serious inherent problems first is accidental leakage and the second is the safe disposal of radioactive wastes. Hence It has been recommended that storage of nuclear waste after sufficient pretreatment should be done in suitably shielded containers buried within rocks about 500m deep to prevent its harmful effects.