Radioactive Wastes & Environmental Laws | Biology for JAMB PDF Download

RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION:

The property of sudden emission of the different particles (charged) and radiation (rays) by the decay of atomic nuclei is called radioactivity and the elements are called as radioactive elements. The radioactivity of the atmosphere is increased by Atomic power stations and Atomic tests. Radioactivity contributes to the pollution of air, water as well as soil and it proves extremely harmful to the organisms.

The various sources of radioactive materials are as follows:

Natural sources : Cosmic rays, radiation from the earth such as Radium-224, Uranium-235, Uranium-238, Thorium-232, Radon-222, Potassium-40 and Carbon-14.

Man-made Radiation : The radiations are released in the atmosphere during mining and purification of Thorium and Plutonium, and in producing nuclear weapons etc.

Nuclear reactor and nuclear fuel causes pollution by radioactive radiation. The nuclear fuel and coolants are the sources of radioactive radiation. Radioactive waste is also the most important radio active pollutants because these wastes are not dumped at particular or right place.

Other sources : Some of the radioactive elements (isotopes) are used in experimental laboratories for scientific researches which causes radio active pollution. X-rays are also proved to have harmful effects. In the month of April 2010, 6 people at Delhi were affected by such radioactive pollution by cobalt-60. 

Harmful radiation are divided into two categories:

(a) Non-ionizing components : Non ionising components such as UV radiation. UV radiations are harmful for living beings. These radiations cause harm to the DNA, RNA and protein. Higher concentration of U.V.  radiation can cause xeroderma pigmentosum disease. UV radiations cause destruction of hydrogen bonds in DNA.

(b) Ionising components : X-rays, α-particles, β-particles etc. are ionising components. Ionising radiations are high energy radiations which release electrons from atoms and form a pair of negative and positive ions.

Ionising radiations cause physical weakness and sudden death of living beings. The effects like hereditary changes, mutations, tumours, cancer and developmental changes are seen due to radiations.

Excluding these, Iodine-131, Strontium-90 are spreading in the environment through nuclear explosion and their effects remain for long duration. Iodine-131 reaches in the human body through the food chain and causes harm to the bone marrow, WBC, Lymph nodes and spleen.

Similarly, they lead to skin cancer, sterility and poorer eye sight. Strontium-90 leads to bone cancer and degeneration of tissues.

Control Measures : The competition of nuclear weapons should be completely banned to prevent radioactive pollution. An atomic bomb was first used in Hiroshima and then in Nagasaki in 1945 during the second world war and due to that genetic disorders are present even today therefore, such type of atomic blast should be avoided. Leakage of nuclear reactions has been totally plugged. Transportation, use and disposal of the radioactive fuels and wastes has to be handled carefully.

SPECIAL POINT:

1. Air pollution: According to central pollution control board (CPCB), particulate size of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter are responsible for causing the greatest harm to human health. These fine particulates can be inhaled deep into the lungs and can cause breathing and respiratory symptoms, irritation, inflammations and damage due to the lung and premature deaths.

2. Catalytic converters: Automobiles are a major cause for atmospheric pollution in the metro cities. Proper maintenance of automobiles along with use of lead free petrol or diesel can reduce the pollutants they emit.

Catalytic converters, having expensive metals namely platinum – palladium and rhodium as the catalysts, are fitted into automobiles for reducing emission of poisonous gases. As the exhaust passes the catalytic converter, unburnt hydrocarbons are converted into CO₂ and water, and CO and nitric oxide are changed into CO₂ and nitrogen gas respectively.

Motor vehicles equipped with catalytic converter should use unleaded petrol because lead in the petrol inactivates the catalyst.

CNG (compressed natural gas) :-

• In the 1990's, Delhi ranked fourth among the 41 most polluted cities of the world.
• All the buses of Delhi were converted to run on CNG by the end of 2002.
• CNG is the better than diesel because CNG burns most efficiently as compared to diesel or petrol in the automobiles and very little of it is left unbrunt. CNG is cheaper than petrol or diesel.

3. MIC [Methyl Isocyanate] was released in Bhopal gas tragedy on 3rd December 1984. which was used in the production of "Savin" insecticide in Union Carbide.

4. Tetraethyl lead and tetramethyl lead are formed by combustion of petroleum. They are known to hamper haemoglobin formation.

• The disease caused by use of lead polluted water is called as plumbism.
• Lead causes nervousness, anaemia in human beings. It also damages kidney.
• Lead concentration in blood is considered alarming if it is 10 mg/ 100 ml.

5. Common dust disease is known as Pneumoconiosis.

• Disease due to cotton dust in textile industries is – Lung fibrosis or Byssinosis.
• Disease due to coal dust – Anthracosis.
• Disease due to asbestos dust – Asbestosis.
• In stone grinders disease due to sillica dust – Sillicosis.
• In Iron mills, disease due to iron dust – Siderosis.
• Cadmium causes anaemia, hypertension, damage to liver and kidneys. In Japan, it causes bone softening or skeleton deformitcis called Itai-Itai disease or Ouch-Ouch.

6. Stone leprosy is caused due to acid rain because due to acid rain outer surface of metals, marbles, and stone gets destroyed.

7. Blue Baby disease :- This disease is caused by the high amount of nitrate in water. It is also known as methaemoglobinaemia or cyanosis.

8. Hypertension and Uremia – Caused by Copper

9. Arsenic :- It causes black-foot disease and poisoning in fodder plants which are eaten by live stock and causes their death.

10. Fluorides :- The higher concentration of fluorides causes chlorosis or necrosis in tips and margin of leaf (leaf lamina). The compounds of fluorine reach in the animals through the fodder and causes abnormal calcification of teeth, this is called Fluorosis.

Note : The experts hold that the maximum level of fluoride which the human body can tolerate is 1.5 parts per million [ppm]. When ingested in excess over a long period of time it causes "Fluorosis".

11. ELNino effect - It is the process in which water of Pacific ocean get warm, in this process warm water current flows to Ecuador & Peru in between 5 to 8 year at Christmas time. Effect of ELNino is flood, drought and monsoon damage in India. On the other hand, when cold water comes in effect in pacific ocean it is called La-Nina effect.

12. Cesium[Cs] accumulates in muscles and causes muscular pain.

13. Strontium-90 is radioactive element which causes Leukamia and bone cancer.

14. Iodine isotope-131[I¹³¹] causes damage to RBC, bone marrow, Lymph nodes and Skin cancer.

15. Tobacco and smoke contain seven poly cyclic hydrocarbon and Radio active Polonium-210 which is carcinogen and causes Lung cancer.

16. Aldehydes produce irritation in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

17. Phenols cause damage to spleen, Kidney, liver and lungs.

18. D.D.T. caused Cerebral haemorrhage and malfunctioning of sexual maturity.

19. Largest source of air pollution (80%) caused by automobiles in the cities i.e., CO(77.2%), Nitrogen oxide(7.7%), Hydro carbons (13.7%), SO₂, NH₃, Aldehyde and Lead [in the form of Pb(C₂H₅)₄ and Pb[(CH₃)₄] as anti-knocking agent].Lead is an air pollutant. Automobiles also reduce atmospheric O₂ which is utilised in oxidation.

20. Particulate pollutants [soot] are Carcinogenic [Cancer causing].

21. The particulate matter released to the atmosphere by mechanical operations include a number of trace metals contained in the fly ash. Some of harmful trace metals are Antimony, Arsenic, Beryllium, Cadmium, Germanium, Lead, Mercury, Nickel, selenium, Vanadium and yttrium.

22. Studies have shown that tobacco smoke contain at least seven poly-cyclic hydrocarbons and radio active Polonium-210 which are known as carcinogens. An average smoker has the risk of developing and dying from lung cancer ten times more than a non-smoker. The risk of lung disease is six times and that of heart disease is twice as compared to a non-smoker.

23. Exposure of plants to high fluoride concentration results in nectosis or chlorosis in leaf tip and leaf margin.

ENVIRONMENT LAW FOR CONTROLLING POLLUTION

1. The National Environment (Protection) Act (NEPA) 1986 :- This act clearly brings the protection of water and soil quality, and the control environmental pollutants.

2. The insecticide Act, 1968 :- This act deals with the regulation of import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of insecticides with a view of preventing risk to human health and other organisms.

3. The water (Prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1974 :- This act deals with the preservation of water quality and the control of water pollution with a concern for the detrimental effects of water pollutants on human health.

4. The air (Prevention and control of Pollution) Act, 1981 :- This act deals with the preservation of air quality and the control of air pollution with a concern for the detrimental effects of air pollutants on human health and also on the biological world.

In 1987, important amendments to the air Act 1981 were made and noise was recognized as air pollutants.

Important Information :

1. Conference on human environment in 1972 held at Stockholm.

2. In 1987, 27 industrialized countries signed the Montreal protocol to protect stratospheric ozone. Till date, more than 175 countries have signed the Montreal protocol.

3. UNCED (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) Earth Summit held at Rio-de-Janerio (Brazil) in 1992 for reducing green house gases & biodiversity conservation and make Agenda-21.

4. Kyoto protocol conference held in Kyoto (Japan) for climate change (1997). This protocol requires countries to take appropriate measures to reduce their overall green house gas emission to a level at 5 percent below the 1990 level by the commitment period 2008-2012.

5. Earth Summit or world summit on sustainable development (2002) was held in Johannesburg (S. Africa).

6. International Biological Programme (IBP) 1967-74.

7. The united Nations, conference on desertification was held in Nairobi (Kenya) in 1977 under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Types of Lakes –

(i) Eutrophic lake – They are shallow water lakes which contain high amount of organic materials and nutrients. They have little O₂ because decomposers rapidly use it up. Chironomous larva are commonly present in it. e.g. Dal lake of Kashmir

(ii) Oligotrophic lakes – These are deep lakes which have less amount of organic materials and nutrients.

(iii) Dystrophic lake – Maximum amount of un-decomposed organic matter is present e.g. Marshy lake.

Some Other Information :-

1. Third pollution or landscape pollution :- To make Fertile-land barren by dumping wastes e.g., ash, industrial waste.

2. Incineration – Solid wastes burning in presence of oxygen.

3. Pyrolysis – Solid wastes burning (combustion) in the absence of oxygen.

4. Flu gas – Gas which releases from chimneys.

5. Plume – Smoke which release from chimneys.

6. Hydro thermal vents – These are hot water springs in the deep ocean having high concentration of H₂S, ocean water oxidizes H₂S producing energy which is used by bacteria, Filter-Feeders (clams) eat the bacteria so that this food chain is based on chemical energy.

7. Phytotrons - Such a type of house where plants are grown in controlled environment.

8. Hydrocarbon – Are also known as volatile organic carbons (VOC).

9. Snow-blindness – In human eye, cornea absorbs U.V.-B radiation, and a high dose of U.V.-B radiations causes inflammation of cornea, called snow-blindess cataract.

10. Electronic wastes are also called e-wastes.

11. Ganga Action plan for controlling pollution in Ganga (1985) included city : (i) Kolkata (ii) Kanpur.

12. At 50 ppm, CO converts 7.5% of haemoglobin into carboxy haemoglobin within 8 hours.

13. Maximum green house gas is released by – USA .

14. Cotton dust is an important pollutant in Ahmedabad.

• CEPHERI : An institution established in India. It majorly works on Environmental issues arising through industries and environmental pollution issues. i.e. "Central Environmental and Public Health Engineering research institute" (CEPHERI).
  This institution submits the measures on the basis of results of detailed survey.
• NEERI : National Environmental Engineering Research Institute - Nagpur.
  (Environmental planing organisation is related with NEERI )
• IPCC : The " Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change".
• I. A. P. : Index of atmospheric pollution prepared with the help of lichens.
• I. W. P. : Index of water pollution, prepared by Daphnia, E. coli, Trout.
• M. P. N. : Most probable number of E. coli in water.

The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is affected by human activities.

Case study - Integrated Waste Water Treatment:

One of the example of waste water treatment including sewage is the town of Arcata (California) in collaboration with Humboldt State University.

This cleaning occurs in two stages -

(1) Conventional sedimentation, filtration and chlorine treatment. But dissolved heavy metals still remain.

(2) Series of six connected marshes over 60 hectares of marshland. Appropriate organisms were seeded into this area, which neutralise, absorb and assimilate the pollutants.

Friends of Arcata Marsh (FOAM) are responsible for upkeep and safe guarding this wonderful project. Ecological sanitation is a sustainable system for handling human excreta, using dry composting toilets. This is a practical, hygienic, efficient and cost effective solution for recycling human excretion. EcoSan toilets are common in Kerala & Sri Lanka.

Case study of Remedy for Plastic Waste :

Polyblend : A fine powder of recycled modified plastic, developed by company owned by Ahmed Khan in Bangalore.

This mixture is mixed with Bitumen that is used to lay roads. Blends of polyblend and bitumen, enhanced the bitumen's water repellant properties and increased road life.

Case Study of Organic Farming :

Integrated organic farming is a cycle, zero waste procedure when waste products from one process are cycled as nutrients for other processes. There is maximum utilisation of resources. Ramesh Chandra Dagar is the initiator of this process. He includes

Bee keeping – Dairy management – Water harvesting – Composing – Agriculture

Dagar has created 'Hariyana Kisan Welfare Club'.