Environmental Control and Pollution in Nigeria Essay

Civilization has been overwhelmed with stately reports that publickind is steadily working towards self destruction through the puzzle out of uncontrolled contamination of the milieu. A casual look at our surround shows reckless attitude of people towards surroundingsal preservation. Due to this development, regulations and standards piddle been batch to ensure cleaner and skillfulr purlieu. These regulations atomic number 18 en agonistic by agencies bid discipline Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Federal Environmental surety Agency (FEPA) and State Environmental Protection Agencies (SEPAs). There atomic number 18 environment regulations currently in coif which include regulation on reverberate, corrosion, flood, for manufacturers of beverages and tobacco, pharmaceuticals, chemics, electrical, electronics, sanitation, emissions that that earn to do with air befoulment.There atomic number 18 too regulations on contaminatio n, hazards, dissipation, air, soil, turn up and sub go on irrigate supply that constitute contamination of the environment. We confuse major underframes of defilement such(prenominal) as water, make noise, air, footing/soil and thermal pollutions which sources include indwelling disaster, industries, motor vehicles, generation sets amongst others. Without pollution control, the waste products from extr march, production, distribution, heating, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transportation and other tenderkind activities, whether they accumulate or disperse, will degrade the environment. In the hierarchy of environmental control, pollution prevention and minimization of wastes are more desirable to pollution control.Most industries and individuals in this country have erroneously claimed that why they are not able to treat or control their wastes or smother pollution is that government has not provided the necessary facilities for the management of such wastes. as under from the basic facilities the government has to provide, each waste generator is responsible for the safe disposal of his or her waste, except when government insists on a event system. No government builds unhealthful waste incinerators or chemical substance intervention plants but every(prenominal) the government domiciliate do is to encourage entrepreneurs implicated in such ventures by granting special concession, tax relief, removal of concern on imported pollution control equipment. The purpose of setting environmental regulations is to reduce or eliminate health and environmental hazards that induce harm.environmental POLLUTIONWhat is an Environment?The Afri lowlife Centre for Environmental Protection (ACEP) defines environment as the totality of surrounding condition and its features. Scientifically, it is described as the combining of physical, chemical, biological and social factors in which a living organism exists that impress the organism, community and in fluences its development or existence. Environment can simply be considered as the surrounding in which we live, work and enjoy leisure, which consists of air, soil, surface and surface water, providing habitat for mankind and other animals, plant species and serving as a source for food, water, fuel, raw materials and breathing air.Environmental ProblemsEnvironmental derangement gives overture to non-homogeneous(a) environmental problems. Some of the environmental problems are pollution, soil erosion lasting to floods, salt deserts and sea recedes, desertification, landslides, change of river directions, extinction of species, and indefensible ecosystem in place of more complex and stable ecosystems, depletion of natural resources, waste accumulation, deforestation, thinning of ozone layer and global warming.Environmental PollutionEnvironmental pollution is defined as the undesirable change in physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of our air, land and water. It c an also be described as the deliberate or accidental contamination of the environment with waste that is created by tender-hearted action. As a result of over population, rapid industrializations, and other kind activities like agriculture and deforestation etc., earth became loaded with diverse pollutants that are released as by-products. A pollutant is a substance or effect which adversely alters the environment by changing the growth rate of species, interferes with the food chains, is toxic or interferes with health, comfort, amenities or property values of people. Pollutants are introduced into the environment in significant amounts in the form of sewage, waste, accidental discharge, or as a by-product of a manufacturing process or other human activity.The damage caused to the biosphere may be briefly summarized as follows 1. aggrieve to human health caused by specific chemical substances present in the air, food, water and radioactivity materials 2. Damage to the natural e nvironment which affects vegetation, animals, crops, soil and water 3. Damage to the aesthetic quality of the environment caused by smoke, chemical fumes, dust, and noise, the dumping of unwavering waste and waste water 4. Damage caused by long landmark pollution do which are not immediately apparent. The dangerous effects are caused by low level pollution abstracted into the automobile trunk over long periods of time, for example carcinogenic substances, radioactivity and excessive noiseTypes of Pollution(a) Water PollutionWater pollution occurs collect to the heading of dissolved in thorough materials, organic materials such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other substances entrap in domestic and industrial waste waters. It also gets polluted due to physical factors such as turbidity, colour, temperature of effluent, associated radioactivity etc. thoroughgoing pollutantsOrganic pollution is due to the presence of high molecular weight compounds such as sugars, oils and fats, and proteins obtained from distillery, canning, sugar and other food processing industries. They impart a high Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) load to the liquid waste. These organic compounds are readily degraded in aqueous medium by soil and microorganisms present in the sewage. During this process, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in the spud is used up. When the DO is reduced below a certain limit, aquatic life is affected adversely. Oil spillage from tankers and ships leads to the pollution of beaches. Some wastes from pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries and coke-ovens contain phenols which are toxic to fish, microorganisms and other aquatic life. Liquid effluents from industries manufacturing drugs, dyestuffs, pesticides and detergents can also be toxic. Usage of anionic detergents which are not perishable leads to a lot of foaming and frothing.Inorganic pollutants and heavy metal pollutionAlkalis, acrids, inorganic salts and other chemicals formed during processing lea d to inorganic pollution. as well being the cause of corrosion of metals, these chemicals are toxic to aquatic life. Industries like paper and pulp, tanneries, textiles and coke-ovens among many others, discharge these chemicals. Inorganic chemicals such as let go chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other sulfides, salts of metals like Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ag etc. are usually effect in metal plating liquid wastes, understructure producing units, polyvinyl chloride, coke-oven and fertilizer industries. Pharmaceutical industries also produce large quantities of free acids and change chemicals during different unit processes. Chromates, phosphates, ammonia and urea are typical chemicals found in effluents from fertilizer industries.Pollution due to mercury in chloro-alkali industries has forced to switch from mercury to diaphragm cells although there are many run difficulties in the latter. Eutrophication is a phenomenon that occurs due to the presence of inorganic matter in t he water. Though it is a natural process in lakes and rivers, human activities can accelerate the rate at which nutrients enter these water bodies. Inorganic pollutants containing nitrates and phosphates are essential for plants. When these compounds are present in excess in water body there is an over growth of plant matter creating an imbalance in the aquatic environment.Apart from these factors, effluent waters can have pathogenic micro organisms and harmful substances like organochlorides, phenolic and benzenic compounds that cause various types of acute and chronic diseases among living beings. Therefore, it is most desirable that industrial liquid effluents are pretreated or reduced with undesirable chemicals before being propel on the land and in rivers, seas or domain sewers. If discharged into public sewers they can corrode the pipe lines and treatment equipment as well as reduce biological activity due to the presence of toxic materials.(b) melodic phrase PollutionApart from natural causes, pollution of air occurs due to emergence industrialization and urbanization. In nature, thousands of tonnes of dust, sand and obnoxious gases are carried from one place to another by wind, cyclones, volcanic eruptions and forest fires. A healthy man inhales about 16.5 kg air/day. If this air is polluted, intake of oxygen is reduced. erosion of materials by acid mist and acid gases like SO2, CO2 and oxides of northward can be very significant. Pollution of air occurs from process industries such as sulfuric acid plants, power station boilers, nitric acid plants, cement plants, foundries, chloro-alkali industries and plastics industries among many others. It is broadly due to particulate matter disperse in it or gaseous pollutants completely miscible with it in all proportions.Dusts refer to coarser sizes of solids (1-100 microns) that are carried away due to the turbulent forces of flow. Aerosols refer to particles littler than 1 micron. Smoke is obtained durin g incomplete combustion of organic matter. The sizes of particles vary betwixt 0.01-1 microns. Fumes, mists and fog are other forms of pollution which could occur due to various operations in chemical industry. Gaseous pollutants are gaseous solutes such as SO2, Cl2, NOx, CO2, CO, mercury or organic vapour dispersed in air. Another source of ambient air pollution is the emission from automobiles. The pollutants in this case are CO, NOx, hydrocarbons, particulate matter and trace quantities of SO2, formaldehyde and lead. effect of air pollutionGlobal warming (Green house effect) This is the observed increase in the average temperature of the earths atmosphere and oceans in juvenile decades. The increased amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (CH4, O3) are the primary causes. They are released by the burning of fogy fuels, land clearing and agriculture, etc. and lead to an increase in the greenhouse effect. Acid precipitate (SOx, NOx) Acid rain occurs when su lfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are emitted into the atmosphere. These substances undergo chemical transformations and are absorbed by water droplets in clouds. The droplets then fall to earth as rain or snow. This can increase the acidity of the soil, and affect the chemical balance of lakes and streams. Depletion of the ozone layer (CFCs, HCFCs etc.) Ozone layer prevents most harmful UV wavelengths (270- 315 nm) of ultraviolet illumination light from passing through the earths atmosphere.The decrease in ozone is due to the production of CFCs and ozone depleting chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethane. It is suspected that a variety of biological consequences, including, for example, increases in skin cancer, damage to plants, and reduction of plankton in the ocean result from the increased UV exposure due to ozone depletion. photochemical smog & air borne toxic substances Photochemical smog is due to the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides (NOx) an d volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere, which leaves a scandalmongering brown haze that reduces visibility. Nitrogen oxides are released in the exhaust of fossil fuel-burning engines in cars, trucks, coal power plants, and industrial manufacturing factories. VOCs are blue devils released from gasoline, paints, solvents, pesticides, and other chemicals.(c) Land PollutionThe greatest land pollution by far occurs due to urbanization and concentration of population, garbage, waste paper, packing materials and rejects from households and industries form solid wastes. Land pollution also occurs when deforestation is carried out on a large scale agricultural operations are all-encompassing to forest and mountainous areas, large areas covered with green vegetation are submerged in water by the construction of dams. It can also get polluted when coal, oil, ores, stones, sand and other construction materials are tap and transported. All these operations adversely affect eco logical aspects of the environment. Ever change magnitude demands for paper, fuel, furniture and packing materials due to exploding populations combined with increasing urbanization have aggravate the unhappy situation. The result is that we now live in a rapidly changing environment, the effects of which are not easily predictable.(d) preventive PollutionOf all the pollutions, it is the most insidious and a menace in thickly populated areas. There is ample medical evidence that it affects speech, consultation and the general health and behavior of people exposed to it over extended periods of time. The measurements designed to determine noise levels include the intensity and frequency of noise periods of exposure and duration of noise. The community noise levels are expressed as a weighted sound-pressure level in decibels dB. The sources of noise in surroundings of industries include metal fabrication processes, high pressure burners in furnaces, rophy equipment like turbines , compressors, pumps etc. pipelines carrying high velocity fluids and solids and vibrating and grinding equipment among many others.