High blood pressure
Stress related ailments
Sleep disruption
Hearing impairment

Colony collapse syndrome in Honey bees due to pesticides herbicides can lead to destruction of hives and lower agricultural productivity.

Chemicals which are used in agriculture for growth of plants and pest control are called agrochemicals or agrichemicals

USEPA : United States Environmental Protection Agency.
MOEFCC : Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Particulate matters are tiny particles of solid matter suspended in a gas or liquid. Combustion of fossil fuels, fly ash produced in thermal power plants, forest fires, asbestos mining units and cement factories are the main sources of particulate matter pollution.

Air pollutants can be
(i) discharge of dusts or particulate matter (PM: 2.5 and 10)
(ii) discharge of gases (SO_x, NO_x, CO and CO₂)

The alterations or changes in the composition of the Earth's atmosphere by natural or human activities (anthropogenic factors) are referred as Air Pollution.

Air Quality Index (AQI) is a number used by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air is at a given time.

1. Fertilizer runoff degrades aquatic eco system by promoting growth of algae, phytoplankton's and other aquatic plants.
2. A phenomenon called algal bloom will take place, by increasing oxygen consuming bacteria and lessening the available oxygen for plants and animals in the area.
3. Depletion of fish special general deterioration of water quality are the serious problems in aquatic eco system.

The naturally occurring greenhouse gases in the air, mainly carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour trap radiation from the sun and act like a thermal blanket around our planet earth. Without the greenhouse gases, the earth would have an average temperature of -180 c and be covered in ice. The greenhouse effect keeps the earth warm enough to sustain life.

Green House Effect and Global warming:
Natural environment and climate are dynamic and keep changing over course of time. Reasons for climate change
a) Human population growth
b) Industrialization
c) Associated anthropological activities the changes.
Impact on Global Warming:
(i) Large-scale changes of global environment can lead to hazards, which may include climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, changes in ecosystems due to loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies of freshwater, land degradation, urbanization, and stress on food-producing systems.
(ii) Greenhouse gases (GHG) water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) causes greenhouse effect. The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth
(iii) Global warming will have a significant impact on people and nature. As global average temperatures rise, precipitation patterns could be affected. Extreme wet and dry conditions can be expected (flooding and desertification). Coastal areas shall become more vulnerable to storm surges as sea level rises. Plant and animal species will migrate or disappear in response to climate change.
(iv) Global warming can directly affect the flora and fauna. This could also result in shortage of food and even lead to a food crisis and affect the health of the people and organisms.
Control Measures:
The UNO has several measures to control or reduce pollution. Through various conventions organized by UNO, the countries assured to take steps to control or reduce emissions by factories and automobiles.

Organic farming is a method of farming system which primarily aims at cultivating the land and raising crops in such a way. so. as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along with beneficial microbes (biofertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an eco-friendly pollution free environment.

There are three main types of sources: point sources, non-point sources, leaks and spills. Point sources: Discharge of pollutants at specific locations through pipelines or sewers into the water body. Factory effluents, sewage, underground mines, oil wells, oil tankers and agriculture are common point sources.
Non-point sources: Sources that cannot be traced to a single site of discharge like acid rain, dumping of the plastics in water bodies and agriculture chemical run off are common examples.
Leaks and Spills: This occurs mostly due to ship collision, off shore oil rigs, oil leakages and discharges into sea.

The main sources of air pollution are:
(i) Transport sources - cars, buses, airplanes, trucks and trains.
(ii) Stationary sources - power plants, incinerators, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and factories.
(iii) Area sources - agricultural - wood / stubble burning and fireplaces.
(iv) Natural sources - wind-blown dust, wildfires and volcanoes.

Acid rain is a form of precipitation that contains acidic components, such as sulfuric acid or nitric acid. It damages trees, crops and harms marine animals (coral reefs) and induces corrosion.

Ozone depletion: Thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer is known as ozone depletion. Such depletion causes the 'ozone hole', resulting in poor screening of the harmful UV rays and increase in incidences of skin cancer. Some of the common agents that deplete ozone are CFCs.

Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) is a secondary pollutant present in photochemical smog. It is thermally unstable and decomposes into peroxyethanol radicals and nitrogen dioxide gas causing eye irritation.

CO in the atmosphere interferes with O₂ transport since haemoglobin has greater affinity for carbon monoxide. At low concentration it causes headache and blurred vision. In higher concentration, it can lead to coma and death

(i) Amrita Devi was a brave lady from Khejarli village of Jodhpur District, Rajasthan. She sacrificed her life to maintain Bishnoi Dharma. In 1730, Maharaja Abhay Singh, ruler of Marwar, Rajasthan state wanted to log green Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees to burn lime for the construction of his new palace. Since there was a lot of greenery in the Bishnoi villages even in the middle of Thar Desert, the king ordered his men to get the wood from Khejri trees. When she came to know about the cutting of trees by the King's men, she and many others had hugged the Khejri trees to save from cutting. But king's men killed Amrita Devi along with more than 363 other Bishnois. It was a Tuesday, black Tuesday in Khejarli. This incident took place to save trees and is recorded in India's history.
(ii) To commemorate her bravery, the Government of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have initiated the prestigious state level award named as 'Amrita Devi Bishnoi Smriti Award' for excellent contribution to the protection and conservation of wildlife.  

E-Waste:
(i) Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical electronic devices as well as any refuse created by discarded electronic devices and components and substances involved in their manufacture or use.
(ii) Their disposal is a growing problem because electronic equipment frequently contains hazardous substances.
(iii) In a personal computer, there may be lead (Pb) in the cathode ray tube (CRT) and soldering, compound, mercury (Hg) in switches and housing, and cobalt (Co) in steel components, among other equally toxic substances.
(iv) E-wastes are basically PCB (Polychlorinated biphenyl) based, which are non-degradable.
(v) Used electronics which are destined for I reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal are also considered e-waste.
(vi) Unauthorised processing of e-waste in developing countries can lead to adverse I human health effects and environmental pollution.
(vii) Recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve Significant risk to the health of workers and communities in developed countries and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaking of materials such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes.
Plastic Waste:
(i) Remedies: '4R' - Refuse, Reduce Reuse and Recycle mantra is the best available remedy for plastic waste pollution.
(ii) Tamil Nadu State government succes implemented the ban on single use plastics from 1st January 2019.

Certain measures help to remove pollutants, reduce their presence or prevent their entry into the atmosphere.
1. Trees are the best remedy for urban particulate and gaseous pollution.
2. Forests act as carbon sinks and lungs of the planet.
3. Catalytic converters in vehicles help to reduce polluting gases drastically.
4. Diesel exhaust filters in automobiles cuts particulates.
5. Electrostatic precipitators reduce release of industrial pollutants.
6. Cost effective air pollution treatment systems like indoor plants and high performance biofilters can improve indoor air quality.

1. Affects all organisms as they depend on the atmosphere for respiration.
2. Causes irritation in the throat, nose, lungs and eyes. It causes breathing problems and aggravates existing health conditions such as emphysema and asthma.
3. Contaminated air reduces the body's defense mechanism and decreases the body's capacity to fight other infections in the respiratory system.
4. Frequent exposure to polluted air increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Breathing air that is filled with fine particulate matter can induce hardening of the arteries, triggering cardiac arrhythmia or even a heart attack.
5. People who exercise outdoors can sometimes be susceptible to adverse effects of air pollution because it involves deeper and faster breathing. Hence it is advisable to walk or jog in the mornings in places with ample tree cover .
6. Gas leaks can be lethal or affect the quality of air in the affected area .
7. CO in the atmosphere interferes with O₂ transport since haemoglobin has greater affinity for carbon monoxide. At low concentration it causes headache and blurred vision. In higher concentration, it can lead to coma and death.

(i) The alteration or changes in the composition of the earth's atmosphere by natural or human activities is called air pollution.
(ii) Increase in carbon dioxide concentration of air is also a form of air pollution. The normal CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere is only about 0.03%. Deforestation is one of the major contributions for increase in carbon dioxide of the air. Forests act as carbon sink by utilizing the atmospheric carbon dioxide for photosynthesis.
(iii) When forests are cut down, the concentration of the atmosphere increases. This leads to global warming or greenhouse effect which is an effect of air pollution.
(iv) Thus by forest conservation, we can reduce the carbon footprint by increased trapping of atmospheric CO₂ and thereby reducing global warming. This leads to reduced levels of air pollution.

(i) When trees are cut down and burnt or allowed to rot, their stored carbon is released into the air as carbon dioxide. This adds to the carbon dioxide content of the air. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. The increase in concentration of carbon dioxide in the air increases the greenhouse effect and thereby causes global warming. It has been estimated that 25-30% of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year is because of deforestation.
(ii) Trees act as carbon sink since they utilize carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. When trees are cut down, the carbon footprint increases. This, in turn leads to global warming.

(i) Catalytic converter:
1. Used in automobiles for reducing emission of harmful gases.
2. They have expensive metals like platinum, palladium and rhodium as catalysts.
3. As the exhaust passes through the catalytic converter, unburnt hydrocarbons are converted to CO₂ and water, carbon monoxide & nitric oxide are changed into CO₂ & nitrogen gas respectively.
4. Vehicles fitted with catalytic convertor must use unleaded petrol as lead will inactivate the catalyst.
(ii) Ecosan toilets
1. Ecological sanitation, commonly abbreviated as ecosan, is an approach to sanitation provision which aims to safely reuse excreta in agriculture.
2. It desires to close the loop' mainly for the nutrients and organic matter between sanitation and agriculture

The main goal of the Kyoto protocol is to control emissions of the main Anthropogenic (human-emitted) greenhouse gases (GHGs) in ways that reflect underlying national difference in GHG emission, wealth and capacity to make the reductions.

(i) Less use of fossil fuels.
(ii) Planting more and more trees.
(iii) Recycling of the wastes to reduce their quantity and produce useful materials.
(iv) Less or no use of fertilizers and pesticides.
(v) Dispose off the solid wastes in landfills.