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Consider the following statements regarding nitrogen pollution:
1. Its contamination causes blue baby’ syndrome.
2. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers contributes towards nitrogen pollution.
3. Runoff of nitrogen from fields to water bodies causes eutrophication.
How many of the above statements are correct?
  • a)
    Only one
  • b)
    Only two
  • c)
    All three
  • d)
    None
Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
Consider the following statements regarding nitrogen pollution:1. Its ...
Consider the following statements regarding nitrogen pol
  • Nitrogen pollution is the term used to describe the harm that excess nitrogen and nitrogen compounds, such as nitrous oxides, nitrogen oxide, and ammonia, do to the environment, wildlife, and human health.
  • It is usually caused due to various reasons as emissions from chemical fertilizers, livestock-rearing, manure-making, and burning of fossil fuels. The overuse of nitrogen fertilizer leads to nitrogen losses from the soil through volatilization, denitrification, leaching to groundwater, and surface runoff and erosion. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • Such excess nitrogen from the fertilizers (in the form of agricultural runoff), can reach the water bodies. In this, the nitrogen is taken up by algae which then grows abundantly to cause eutrophication. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • The maximum limit of nitrate in drinking water is 50 ppm. Excess nitrate in drinking water can cause diseases such as methemoglobinemia (‘blue baby’ syndrome). Hence, statement 1 is correct
    • Infant methemoglobinemia is also called “blue baby syndrome.” It is a condition where a baby's skin turns blue. This happens when there is not enough oxygen in the blood. Parents should immediately contact a physician if the baby's skin is unusually bluish in color.tion:
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Consider the following statements regarding nitrogen pollution:1. Its ...

Explanation:

1. Blue baby syndrome:
- Blue baby syndrome is caused by the contamination of drinking water with nitrates, which are derived from nitrogen pollution.
- Infants who consume water with high nitrate levels can develop methemoglobinemia, a condition that reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen, resulting in a bluish tint to the skin.

2. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers:
- Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture contributes significantly to nitrogen pollution.
- When farmers use more fertilizers than plants can absorb, the excess nitrogen can leach into groundwater or runoff into water bodies, leading to various environmental issues.

3. Eutrophication:
- Runoff of nitrogen from agricultural fields into water bodies can cause eutrophication.
- Eutrophication is the process where excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, stimulate the growth of algae and other aquatic plants, leading to oxygen depletion and harmful algal blooms.

Therefore, all three statements are correct in relation to nitrogen pollution. Blue baby syndrome is linked to nitrate contamination, excessive nitrogen fertilizer use contributes to pollution, and runoff of nitrogen can lead to eutrophication in water bodies.
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Passage -1The law in many parts of the world increasingly restricts the discharge of agricultural slurry into watercourses. The simplest and often the most economically sound practice returns the material to the land as semisolid manure or as sprayed slurry. This dilutes its concentration in the environment to what might have occurred III a more primitive and sustainable type of agriculture and converts pollutant into fertilizer. Soil microorganisms decompose the organic components of sewage and slurry and most of the mineral nutrients become available to be absorbed again by the vegetation.The excess input of nutrients, both nitrogen and phosphorus - based, from agricultural runoff (and human sewag e) has caused many healthy oligotrophic lakes (low nutrient concentrations, low plant productivity with abundant water weeds, and clear water) to change to eutrophic condition where high nutrient inputs lead to high phytoplankton productivity (sometimes dominated by bloomforming toxic species). This makes the water turbid, eliminates large plants and, in the worst situations, leads to anoxia and fish kills; so called cultural eutrophication. Thus, important ecosystem services are lost, including the provisioning service of wild-caught fish and the cultural services associated with recreation.The process of cultural eutrophication of lakes has been understood for some time. But only recently did scientists notice huge dead zones in the oceans near river outlets, particularly those draining large catchment areas such as the Mississippi in North America and the Yangtze in China. The nutrient-enriched water flows through streams, rivers and lakes, and eventually to the estuary and ocean where the ecological impact may be huge, killing virtually all invertebrates and fish in areas up to 70,000 km2 in extent. More than 150 sea areas worldwide are now regularly starved of oxygen as a result of decomposition of algal blooms, fuelled particularly by nitrogen from agricultural runoff of fertilizers and sewage from large cities. Oceanic dead zones are typically associated withindustrialized nations and usually lie off- countries that subsidize their agriculture, encouraging farmers to increase productivity and use more fertilizer.Q.The passage refers to the conversion of pollutant to fertilizer. What is pollutant and what is fertilizer in this context?

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Consider the following statements regarding nitrogen pollution:1. Its contamination causes blue baby’ syndrome.2. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers contributes towards nitrogen pollution.3. Runoff of nitrogen from fields to water bodies causes eutrophication.How many of the above statements are correct?a)Only oneb)Only twoc)All threed)NoneCorrect answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
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