Pollution due to pesticides in agriculture

 Dr.Sarika1 Maheshwari & Tripti Sharma2 & Sonam Yadav3

Pesticides are chemicals  used to remove fungal or animal pests. Approximately 95% reaches  to other organisms apart from the targeted pests, because of their application technique in the farming fields. For instance, overflow can take pesticides into water bodies. Frequently spraying also enhances the pest resistance while still affecting the other organisms in the soil.

Every pesticide or a group of pesticides gets accompanied by a set of hazards in the environment. Such unwanted outcomes have caused the banning of a lot of pesticides in addition to regulations that are meant to minimize and decrease the usage of others. As much as the quantity of pesticides sprayed per hectare has reduced due to pesticide use regulations globally, it is still on the rise in some areas that use old and out of date pesticides.

 Pesticide Pollution Affects Air, Water, and Soil

1. Pesticides contribute to air pollution

When the wind blows, it pollutes the air. Pesticides that have been applied to plants are easily volatile and can be blown away to nearby places, possibly creating danger for wild animals and people living in such areas.Mainly, pesticides that get applied in the form of powder can be transported by the wind to other regions. The relative humidity and temperature at the time of application contribute to the spreading of the pesticide in the air, so, the more the wind blows, the more the spread and vice versa.Thus, the quantity of inhalable pesticides is dependent on the weather and season. The pesticides can also stick to dust particles in the air. Spraying at the ground level can reduce the drift as compared to above ground spraying.

2. Contributes to tropospheric ozone

Since most farmers do not utilize a shield zone around the crops, which can be made up of bare land or plants that are not crops such as trees that will act as windbreakers and take up the pesticides, it mostly gets absorbed in the air and the soil.

As a result, pesticides sprayed on fields to disinfect soil can produce chemicals called volatile organic compounds. These compounds tend to react with other chemicals and create a pollutant known as tropospheric ozone. Thus, pesticides contribute to about 6% of the total tropospheric ozone levels.

3. Contamination of water bodies

In the US (United States), pesticides were discovered to contaminate each watercourse and over ninety percent of wells tested in a research conducted by the US Geological Survey. What is more, residues of pesticides have been also discovered in ground water and rain.

Researches in the United Kingdom show that the concentration in pesticides is too much from samples taken from some rivers and groundwater and for this reason, no longer fit for drinking.

4. Killing of aquatic life

The effects of pesticides on aquatic systems are frequently studied by means of hydrology transport model which studies movement and outcome of chemicals in water bodies. During the 1970’s, quantitative evaluations of pesticides runoff were carried out so to assess the quantity of chemicals that can reach surface waters.

When the chemicals in the pesticides reach water bodies, they are absorbed or ingested by aquatic life forms such as fish leading to organ failure and diseases, eventually killing them. The chemicals may also alter the water body’s PH, therefore, interfering with the normal functioning of aquatic life.

4. Pesticides end up killing the micro-organisms in the soil

Using pesticides for an extended period on crops will, in the long run, percolate into the soil. The moment they are in the soil, they terminate micro-organisms despite their crucial role of breaking down organic substances and help in growing of crops. It can normally take a lot of years for micro-organisms to once more live in an area that has been contaminated by deadly pesticides.

Effects of Pesticides on Human Health and the Environment

1. Causes diseases which can be chronic .Contact with pesticides can happen in a lot of ways; it can be through agricultural activities, treating crops, planting and in grain stores. It can also happen while planting a garden, forestry, skilled and domestic pest control and when spraying is done and using facilities, for instance, the parks, playgrounds, and pavements.

Some of the symptoms may be in the form of:

Coughing, sore throat and irritation in the respiratory tract.Sensitiveness Irritation in the eyes and skin.Feelings of nausea, queasiness, and diarrhoeaLosing consciousness and headachesFeeling extremely weak, convulsions and/or demise

2. Pesticides can alter an individuals’ normal functioning

An additional challenge is that a person who gets affected by the chemicals can be affected when the pesticide interacts with other poisonous substances that people get exposed to. Each day people get exposed to a combination of pesticides and the actuality is that no one is sure of the actual effects of consistently being exposed to even low concentration of pesticides. Often, it can result in reduced physical activity and changes in the normal functioning of certain body organs.

3. They are dangerous to terrestrial and aquatic plants

There are a lot of risks to the environment associated with the use of pesticides thus surpassing the benefits that are sought after. They have radical effects on species that were not targeted leading to effects on animal and plant biodiversity. After applying the chemicals, they volatilize in a short period.

For example, herbicides have a tendency of volatizing off the sprayed crops and vaporizing. The vapors, as a consequence, are capable of causing serious harm to other plants. Uninhibited usage of pesticides has caused a decrease in a number of earthly and aquatic organisms and species of plants.

They have also endangered the continued existence of some uncommon species such as osprey, peregrine falcon, and bald eagle. Besides, the air, water, and soil have reached toxic levels due to the pesticide pollution. Amongst all the groups of these chemicals, insecticides are considered to be one of the most deadly while fungicides and herbicides follow with regards to toxicity amounts.

4. They are toxic to animals, both wild and domestic

When pesticides get into the ordinary ecosystems, they do that in two methods depending on how soluble they are. The water-soluble ones get dissolved in water, lakes, ponds, rivers thus harming species that were not targeted. Alternatively, the ones that are fat soluble get into animals’ bodies through “bioamplification” or “biomagnification”. This means that the chemicals get soaked up in the fatty tissues of animals, in consequence, causing perseverance of pesticides in the food chain for long periods of time.

5. Pesticides are poisonous to fish species

When pesticides get into the water, they do so by drifting, running off, and leaching in the soil or through the direct application on top of the water, for example, to eliminate mosquitoes. Water that has been polluted creates a great danger to animals and organisms living in water by reducing the amount of oxygen available and also result in mental and behavioral alterations in the fish populace.

Many studies conducted show that lawn care pesticides have been found in surfaces of ponds, rivers, and oceans. The studies further indicate that pesticide-contaminated water poses a great threat to aquatic form of life namely fishes and other living organisms. Not only are the pesticides harmful, but also in interacting with different stressors such as algal blooms, they become even more lethal.

Studies show that plants in water give about 80% of oxygen in water; the oxygen is essential in sustaining the aquatic life. Terminating the plants through the use of herbicides severely reduces the quantity of oxygen available and eventually leading to the suffocation of fish and reduces their productivity.

        1 Associate Professor, Deptt.of Biotechnology Swami Vivekanand Subharti University,Meerut

        2 Student M.Sc. Biotechnology Final Year Swami Vivekanand Subharti University,Meerut

        3 Student B.Sc. Biotechnology Second Year Swami Vivekanand Subharti University,Meerut

Pollution-A growing Threat

 Sonam yadav1, Dr. Sarika Maheshwari2 & Dr. Sarika Goel3

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us; when we see land as a commodity to which we belong , we may begin to use it with love and Respect’’.

              

Pollution is a serious issue affecting our planet today, yet many people continue to turn a blind eye thinking that it’s not that serious. Pollution is described as the addition of substances to the environment faster that the environment can dispose, recycle, decompose, or store in a harmless state. There are different types of pollution and includes water, soil, air, and sound pollution and all these continue to cause major problems. In our quest to better, our lives we forget or rather ignore the negative impacts such deeds can have on the environment.

Mostly the cities where there is a lot of pollution are most affected. The fumes that emanate from factories and vehicles not only make it difficult to breathe but the future health of the child, suggests that there is a critical exposure time when air pollution may have lasting effects on respiratory health.

At the same time the child’s lungs is developing, the child’s immune system, immature at birth, is also beginning to develop .Much recent attention in asthma research has been focused on this development, in particular factors that influence the development of TH-2[  Humoral immunity dominant] versus TH-1[Cellular immunity dominant ] phenotypes.

Another major factor that influences the relative impact of air pollution on children versus adults is exposure. Children spend more time outdoors than adults, particularly in the summer and in the late afternoon .Some of that time is spent in activities  that increase ventilation rates. This can increase the exposure to air pollutants compares with adults ,as indoor concentrations of air pollutants of outdoor origin are usually lower.

Children’s expose to air pollution is a special concern because their immune system and lungs are not fully developed when exposure begins, raising the possibility of different responses than seen in adults. In addition, children spent more time outside, where the concentrations of pollution from traffic, power plants ,and other combustion sources are  generally higher. Although air pollution has long been thought to exacerbate minor acute illness, recent studies have suggested that air pollution ,particularly traffic-related pollution, is associated with infant mortality and the development of asthma and atopy. Other studies have associated particulate air pollution with acute bronchitis in children and demonstrated that rates of bronchitis and chronic cough declined in areas where particle concentrations have fallen. More mixed results have been reported for lung function. Overall ,evidence for effects of air pollution on children have been growing, and effects are seen at concentrations that are common today.

Mostly the cities where there is a lot of pollution are most affected. the garbage , honking, blaring music are all menaces that we should aim to reduce for a better planet . the biggest paradox is that the more we pollute the environment the riskier it becomes for us to live in it. Pollution effects our health ,which lowers our quality of life significantly.

Poisonous chemicals emmited in factories are dangerous and exposes us to various elements that can cause cancer. Garbage scattered all over increases the chance of getting a variety of epidemic diseases. Agriculture practice also leads to pollution of land through the use of chemical fertilizers that degrade the soil fertility. Jhum cultivation or slash or burning process in which the harvested land is burned and became barren also contribute towards the land pollution.

“Nature is for everyone’s need and not for everyone’s greed”.

According to scientists, it’s not too late to take action we can take measures to prevent any further damage and adopt better waste disposal measures for a better planet. Each one of us needs to be responsible in protecting the environment. We can all do things better to ensure we safeguard our human race for our benefit and our future generations. Simple things such as a saving electricity, fuel, using biodegradable materials , recycling, among others count in reducing pollution.

We should take measures to protect our mother planet earth. We can make a step for the mentioned intention by planting trees , cultivate garden to curb polluted air and release of more oxygen, avoid plastic bags and use paper bags, use recyclable products , wherever possible, restrict usage of hazardous chemicals , don’t overuse air conditioners and heaters , use public transport to reduce air and noise pollution, stop burning crackers, protect mother earth  by not spilling oil, garbage, sewage, at undesired place. Pollution disturbs our ecosystem so we have to take initiative to the quality of life .Only by taking the above mentioned steps we can contribute at an enormous level in saving our environment.

         “Go Green To Breathe Clean”.

1.Student of BSc Biotechnology II Year Swami vivekanand subharti university,Meerut

2Associate professor Department of biotechnology Swami vivekanand subharti university,Meerut

3.AAssistant professor ,Department of biosic science,Shri ram college Muzaffarnagar

 

 

Air Pollution and automobile

 Tripti Sharma1 & Dr.Sarika Maheshwari2

                       Air pollution is caused by harmful smoke and fumes as also particulate matter from various sources such as exhausts of vehicular traffic, factories, burning of fossil fuels, burning of garbage and farm refuse, and construction sites. Air pollution is a big health hazard causing several diseases in humans. It affects the respiratory and cardiac systems of the human body, and also affects the eyes and other organs of the body. Millions of people die each year due to air pollution. We need to take stringent measures urgently to curb air pollution and improve the quality of the air we breathe.

NATURAL AIR POLLUTION:

                When we think of pollution, we tend to think it's a problem that humans cause through ignorance or stupidity—and that's certainly true, some of the time. However, it's important to remember that some kinds of air pollution are produced naturally. Forest fires, erupting volcanoes, and gases released from radioactive decay of rocks inside Earth are just three examples of natural air pollution that can have hugely disruptive effects on people and the planet.

Forest fires (which often start naturally) can produce huge swathes of smoke that drift for miles over neighbouring cities, countries, or continents. Giant volcanic eruptions can spew so much dust into the atmosphere that they block out significant amounts of sunlight and cause the entire planet to cool down for a year or more. Radioactive rocks can release a gas called radon when they decay, which can build up in the basements of buildings with serious effects on people's health (each year, around 21,000 people die of lung cancer, due to radon gas in the United States).

AIR POLLUTION IN INDIA:

                             Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances including gases, particles, and biological molecules are introduced into the Earth's atmosphere. Air pollution in India is a serious issue, ranking higher than smoking, high blood pressure, child and maternal malnutrition, and risk factors for diabetes. At least 140 million people breathe air 10 times or more over the WHO safe limit  and 13 of the world's 20 cities with the highest annual levels of air pollution are in India.  Air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of 2 million Indians every year. In urban areas, most emissions come from vehicles and industry, whereas in rural areas, much of the pollution stems from biomass burning for cooking and keeping warm. In autumn and winter months, large scale crop residue burning in agriculture fields – a low cost alternative to mechanical tilling – is a major source of smoke, smog and particulate pollution. India has a low per capita emissions of greenhouse gases but the country as a whole is the third largest after China and the United States. A 2013 study on non-smokers has found that Indians have 30% lower lung function compared to Europeans.

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was passed in 1981 to regulate air pollution and there have been some measurable improvements. However, the 2016 Environmental Performance Index ranked India 141 out of 180 countries.

In 2015, Government of India, together with IIT Kanpur launched the National Air Quality Index.[10] In 2019, India launched 'The National Clean Air Programme' with tentative national target of 20%-30% reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2024, considering 2017 as the base year for comparison. It will be rolled out in 102 cities that are considered to have air quality worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION:

      Different types of causes which is responsible for air pollution.

POWERPLANTS:

Renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines are helping us generate a bigger proportion of our power every year, but the overwhelming majority of electricity (around 70 percent in the United States, for example) is still produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil, mostly in conventional power plants. Just like car engines, power plants should theoretically produce nothing worse than carbon dioxide and water; in practice, fuels are dirty and they don't burn cleanly, so power plants produce a range of air pollutants, notably sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates. (They also release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, a key cause of global warming and climate change when it rises and accumulates in the atmosphere. We discuss this a bit more down below).

INDUSTRIAL PLANT AND FACTORIES:

Plants that produce the goods we all rely on often release small but significant quantities of pollution into the air. Industrial plants that produce metals such as aluminumand steel, refine petroleum, produce cement, synthesize plastic, or make other chemicals are among those that can produce harmful air pollution. Most plants that pollute release small amounts of pollution continually over a long period of time, though the effects can be cumulative (gradually building up). Sometimes industrial plants release huge of amounts of air pollution accidentally in a very short space of time. One notable case happened in Bhopal, India in December 1984, when a large chemical plant run by the Union Carbide company released a poisonous gas (methyl isocaynate) that hung over the local area, killing around 3000 people and injuring thousands more.

EFFECTS:

Effects On the Environment

Like people, animals, and plants, entire ecosystems can suffer effects from air pollution. Haze, like smog, is a visible type of air pollution that obscures shapes and colors. Hazy air pollution can even muffle sounds.

Air pollution particles eventually fall back to Earth. Air pollution can directly contaminate the surface of bodies of water and soil. This can kill crops or reduce their yield. It can kill young trees and other plants.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide particles in the air, can create acid rain when they mix with water and oxygen in the atmosphere. These air pollutants come mostly from coal-fired power plants and motor vehicles. When acid rain falls to Earth, it damages plants by changing soil composition; degrades water quality in rivers, lakes and streams; damages crops; and can cause buildings and monuments to decay.

Like humans, animals can suffer health effects from exposure to air pollution. Birth defects, diseases, and lower reproductive rates have all been attributed to air pollution.

Effects On Humans

People experience a wide range of health effects from being exposed to air pollution. Effects can be broken down into short-term effects and long-term effects.

Short-term effects, which are temporary, include illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis. They also include discomfort such as irritation to the nose, throat, eyes, or skin. Air pollution can also cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Bad smells made by factories, garbage, or sewer systems are considered air pollution, too. These odors are less serious but still unpleasant.

Long-term effects of air pollution can last for years or for an entire lifetime. They can even lead to a person's death. Long-term health effects from air pollution include heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people's nerves, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Some scientists suspect air pollutants cause birth defects. Nearly 2.5 million people die worldwide each year from the effects of outdoor or indoor air pollution.

People react differently to different types of air pollution. Young children and older adults, whose immune systems tend to be weaker, are often more sensitive to pollution. Conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and lung disease can be made worse by exposure to air pollution. The length of exposure and amount and type of pollutants are also factors.

Automobile

                    With the cultural and technological revolution came the automobile, totalling 53 million in the 1950s, world automobiles in 2010 exceed 550 million. About 19 million vehicles are added each year to the global total. Automobiles have come to mankind as a mixed blessing. While they enable mankind to conquer distances they also caused blatant destruction of the human environment, poisoned the atmosphere and made human beings vulnerable to several diseases, road accidents and fatalities. They are also a major consumer of oxygen.

The most affected group of people are the urban habitants, the city-dwellers, drivers, hawkers, vendors, shopkeepers and residents in the busy city area. But perhaps the worst sufferers are the traffic policemen, who remain close to the fumes of vehicle exhaust and must inhale large quantities of their toxic pollutants every day, while on duty. Roughly, a man breathe 22,000 times and inhales 16 kg of air, daily.

In 2005, for example, the vehicle population in India comprised about 25 million two wheelers, 5 million cars, jeeps and taxis and 4 million buses and goods vehicles. Of these 40% were concentrated in Delhi, 25% in Mumbai and 15% in Kolkata. However, the overall vehicular population distribution of major categories in metro-cities are depicted

In years past, levels of air, noise, and sight pollution were much lower than they are today. There are more cars on the road today, and because of this we experience higher levels of pollution than before. The automobile is probably the leading contributor pollution in our cities. They release toxic emissions into our atmosphere. Automobiles are linked particularly to carbon monoxide pollution. They are noisy (especially if you are living near the highway), and they take up valuable space in the form of vast parking lots that are unpleasing to the eye.

 The Characteristics of Automobile Pollution:

The internal combustion engine has made an important contribution to the air pollution.

The main pollutants released by engines are:

1. Carbon monoxide

2. Un-burnt hydrocarbons

3. Nitrogen oxides

4. Sulphur oxides

5. Lead compounds

6. Smoke

7. Particulates

8. Odour.

Among the important constituents of the petrol engine exhaust are carbon monoxide, un-burnt hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulates and lead, while diesel engine emits un-burnt hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, smoke and odour.

The vehicle population is growing rapidly throughout the world and emissions from transportation will increase in proportion, if unchecked.

Effect of Automobile Pollutants:

i.                    Prolonged exposure to hydrocarbons contributes to asthma, liver disease, and cancer, overexposure of carbon monoxide poisoning may be fatal.

ii.                  NOx is a precursor to smog and acid rain. NOx  is a mixture of NO and NO2. NO2 destroys resistance to respiratory infection.

iii.                Particulate matter causes negative health effects, including but not limited to respiratory disease.

iv.                Oil, petroleum products and other toxins from automobiles kill fish, plants, aquatic life and even people. One quart of oil will contaminate thousands of gallons of water because it does not dissolve. These toxins as well as trace metals and degreasing agents used on automobiles contaminate drinking water and can cause major illness. Some of these toxins and metals are absorbed in various sea life and cause medical problems to people when eaten.

 Control of Automobile Pollution:

i. Engine efficiency has been steadily improved with improved engine design.

ii. One of the first-developed exhaust emission control systems is secondary air injection. Originally, this system was used to inject air into the engine’s exhaust ports to provide oxygen so unburned and partially-burned hydrocarbons in the exhaust would finish burning.

Air injection is now used to support the catalytic converters oxidation reaction, and to reduce emissions when an engine is started from cold. After a cold start, an engine needs a fuel-air mixture richer than what it needs at operating temperature, and the catalytic converter does not function efficiently until it has reached its own operating temperature.

 1. Student M.Sc. Biotechnology Final Year Swami Vivekanand Subharti University,Meerut

2. Associate Professor, Deptt.of Biotechnology Swami Vivekanand Subharti University,Meerut