Environmental Pollution

Question 1

Heavy Metals

Answer 1

 Heavy metals found in food sources, such as fish can also have harmful effects. These metals can include mercury, lead, aluminum, and cadmium.

 It has been shown fish that are exposed to higher cadmium levels and grow at a slower rate than fish exposed to lower levels or none.

Question 2

Pesticides

Answer 2

• Insecticides are used to eliminate agricultural pests that attack various fruits and crops.
• Herbicides target weeds and other unwanted plants that reduce crop production.

Question 3

Insecticides

Answer 3

• Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is an
organochlorine insecticide that has been banned due to its adverse effects on both humans and wildlife.

• DDT was widely used by farmers in order to kill
agricultural pests.

• DDT is not easily biodegradable, and thus, the chemical accumulates in soil and sediment runoff.

• Water systems become polluted, and marine life such as fish and shellfish accumulate DDT in their tissues.

• This effect is amplified when animals who consume the fish also consume the chemical

Question 4

MAJOR TYPES OF POLLUTION

Answer 4

1) AIR POLLUTION

2) WATER POLLUTION

3) LAND POLLUTION

Question 5

MAJOR AIR POLLUTANTS

Answer 5

1) Carbon Dioxide
2) Carbon Monoxide
3) Particulate Matter

Question 6

SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION

Answer 6

 Emissions from Power stations
 Emissions from Industrial Processes
 Vehicle Emissions
 Emissions from Burning of Solid Waste
 Emissions from Natural Sources such as Volcanic Eruptions & Forest Fires

Question 7

MAJOR WATER POLLUTANTS

Answer 7

1) Organic Contaminants (Detergents, Herbicides)
2) Inorganic Contaminants (Heavy Metals)
3) Solid Waste (Plastics, Paper)

Question 8

SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION

Answer 8

 Sewage
 Runoff of Pesticides & Fertilizers
 Solid Waste Disposal
 Untreated Effluents from Industrial and other activities
 Chemical and Oil Spills

Question 9

Minamata Disease

Answer 9

 It was caused by the release of methylmercury in the industrial wastewater
 This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, which, when eaten by the local population, resulted in mercury poisoning.
 While cat, dog, pig, and human deaths continued for 36
years, the government and company did little to prevent
the pollution.
 The animal effects were severe enough in cats that they came to be named as having “dancing cat fever”.

Question 10

Symptoms of Minamata Disease

Answer 10

 numbing in the arms and legs
 impairment of balance
 fatigue
 ringing in the ears
 tunnel vision
 loss of hearing
 decrease in communication skills (slurred speech)

Question 11

Itai-itai disease

Answer 11

 The cause of itai-itai disease was determined to
be cadmium poisoning in the drinking water from the Jinzu River basin.

 The cadmium poisoned the river, thus poisoning locals’ source of water.

 Any person who drank that water or ate food that was grown with the contaminated water, such as rice, would be likely to show signs of itai-itai disease.

Question 12

Symptoms of Itai-itai disease

Answer 12

 debilitating pain
 bone fractures from mild traumas or activities (e.g., coughing or walking)
 skeletal deformities
 anemia
 kidney disorders

Question 13

SOURCES OF LAND POLLUTION

Answer 13

1) Dosmetic Solid Waste (Garbage)
2) Construction Waste
3) Agricultural Waste
4) Industrial Waste