Environmental Control and Pollution in Nigeria Essay

Civilization has been all overwhelmed with fearful reports that valet is steadily go bading towards self last through the influence of uncontrolled defilement of the milieu. A casual look at our surroundings shows reckless attitude of community towards environmental preservation. Due to this development, regulations and standards throw away been compensate to ensure cleaner and safer environment. These regulations be enforced by agencies like National environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), federal environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) and conjure up Environmental Protection Agencies (SEPAs). There be environment regulations currently in present(a) which intromit regulation on dissonance, wearing away, flood, for manufacturers of beverages and tobacco, pharmaceuticals, chemics, electrical, electronics, sanitation, runs that that redeem to do with contrast taint.There argon as advantageously as regulations on befoulment, hazards , use, argument, nation, surface and underground weewee supply that constitute contamination of the environment. We have major forms of taint such(prenominal) as water, hinderance, air, cut down/soil and thermal defilements which bugs include inbred disaster, industries, motor vehicles, generation sets amongst some otherwisewises. Without befoulment control, the waste products from extraction, performance, distribution, heating, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transportation and other piece activities, whether they accumulate or disperse, will level the environment. In the hierarchy of environmental control, defilement prevention and minimization of wastes atomic number 18 more than desirable to pollution control.Most industries and individuals in this country have erroneously claimed that why they ar not able to delicacy or control their wastes or cut down pollution is that government has not provided the unavoidable facilities for the management of s uch wastes. Apart from the prefatory facilities the government has to provide, each waste rootage is responsible for the safe disposal of his or her waste, except when government insists on a particular system. No government builds un healthful waste incinerators or chemic discourse plants but all the government cornerstone do is to encourage entrepreneurs interested in such ventures by granting special concession, valuate relief, removal of duty on merchandise pollution control equipment. The purpose of linguistic context environmental regulations is to reduce or extinguish health and environmental hazards that induce harm.environmental POLLUTIONWhat is an Environment?The Afri shadow midpoint for Environmental Protection (ACEP) defines environment as the totality of surrounding condition and its features. Scientifically, it is d raw(a) as the combination of physical, chemical, biological and complaisant factors in which a hold organism exists that chance upon the org anism, community and influences its development or existence. Environment piece of tail simply be considered as the surrounding in which we live, work and enjoy leisure, which consists of air, soil, surface and surface water, providing home ground for mankind and other animals, plant species and help as a source for food, water, fuel, raw materials and breathing air.Environmental ProblemsEnvironmental mental unsoundness gives rise to dissimilar environmental problems. approximately of the environmental problems atomic number 18 pollution, soil erosion traceing to floods, salt deserts and ocean recedes, desertification, knowledge domainslides, change of river directions, extinction of species, and vulnerable ecosystem in place of more complex and shelter ecosystems, depletion of natural resources, waste accumulation, dis timberlandation, thinning of ozone seam and global heating plant.Environmental contaminationEnvironmental pollution is defined as the hateful change in physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of our air, land and water. It brush off also be draw as the delibe position or accidental contamination of the environment with waste that is created by human action. As a result of over population, rapid industrializations, and other human activities like agriculture and deforestation etc., reason became loaded with diverse pollutants that argon released as by-products. A pollutant is a burden or effect which adversely alters the environment by changing the gain regularise of species, interferes with the food chains, is toxic or interferes with health, comfort, creature comforts 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 bodily function.The impose on _or_ oppress contractd to the biosphere may be briefly summarized as fol dispiriteds 1. malign to hum an health caused by specific chemical substances present in the air, food, water and radiation sickness materials 2. Damage to the natural environment which affects vegetation, animals, crops, soil and water 3. Damage to the aesthetic quality of the environment caused by smoke, chemical fumes, dust, and ruffle, the dumping of solid waste and waste water 4. Damage caused by long term pollution set up which are not immediately apparent. The grave effects are caused by low level pollution absorbed into the trunk over long periods of time, for example carcinogenic substances, radioactivity and excessive hinderanceTypes of Pollution(a) Water PollutionWater pollution occurs callable to the nominal head of dissolved in original materials, organic materials such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other substances found in domestic and industrial waste wet. It also gets polluted out-of-pocket to physical factors such as turbidity, colour, temperature of effluent, associated radio activity etc.Organic pollutantsOrganic pollution is due to the presence of graduate(prenominal) molecular(a) weight compounds such as doughs, oils and fats, and proteins obtained from distillery, canning, sugar and other food processing industries. They have a high Biological group O Demand (BOD) load to the still waste. These organic compounds are readily degraded in aqueous medium by soil and smallorganisms present in the sewage. During this process, Dissolved oxygen (DO) in the stream is used up. When the DO is reduced below a accepted limit, aquatic life is affected adversely. cover 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 biodegradable leads to a people of foaming and frothing.inorganic pollutants and heavy metal pollutionAlkalis, acidulouss, inorganic salts and other chemicals form during processing lead to inorganic pollution. too being the cause of corrosion of metals, these chemicals are toxic to aquatic life. Industries like radical and pulp, tanneries, textiles and coke-ovens among many others, discharge these chemicals. Inorganic chemicals such as free chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and other sulfides, salts of metals like Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ag etc. are usually found in metal plating liquid wastes, cornerstone producing units, polyvinyl chloride, coke-oven and plant food industries. Pharmaceutical industries also upraise large quantities of free acids and neutralized chemicals during divergent 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 me rcury to midriff cells although there are many operational difficulties in the latter. Eutrophication is a phenomenon that occurs due to the presence of inorganic matter in the 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 closely desirable that industrial liquid effluents are pretreated or reduced with undesirable chemicals before being thrown on the land and in rivers, seas or unexclusive sewers. If discharged i nto public sewers they can wipe out the pipe lines and treatment equipment as well as reduce biological activity due to the presence of toxic materials.(b) denudate PollutionApart from natural causes, pollution of air occurs due to increased industrialization and urbanization. In nature, thou moxies of tonnes of dust, sand and obnoxious gases are carried from one place to another by wind, cyclones, volcanic eruptions and forest fires. A honorable man inhales about 16.5 kg air/day. If this air is polluted, intake of oxygen is reduced. corroding of materials by acid mist and acid gases like SO2, CO2 and oxides of due north can be very significant. Pollution of air occurs from process industries such as secondic acid plants, power station boilers, nitrous acid plants, cement plants, foundries, chloro-alkali industries and plastics industries among many others. It is slackly due to particulate matter matter dot in it or gaseous pollutants all told miscible with it in all prop ortions.Dusts lift to coarser sizes of solids (1-100 microns) that are carried away due to the tumultuous forces of flow. Aerosols refer to particles smaller than 1 micron. sess is obtained during incomplete combustion of organic matter. The sizes of particles parti-color between 0.01-1 microns. Fumes, mists and fog are other forms of pollution which could occur due to various operations in chemical industry. airlike 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, hydro carbon papers, particulate matter and trace quantities of SO2, formaldehyde and lead. make of air pollutionGlobal warming (Green house effect) This is the observed increase in the average temperature of the earths aura and oceans in recent decades. The increased amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other fountainhouse gases (CH4, O3) are t he primary feather causes. They are released by the burning of dodo fuels, land clearing and agriculture, etc. and lead to an increase in the greenhouse effect. venomous rain (SOx, NOx) Acid rain occurs when sulfur 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 scintillation 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 pretend 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 smogginessginess & air borne toxic substances Photochemical smog is due to the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere, which leaves a yellow brown haze that reduces visibility. due north oxides are released in the exhaust of fossil fuel-burning engines in cars, trucks, coal power plants, and industrial manufacturing factories. VOCs are vapors 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, pugilism materials and rejects from households and industries form solid wastes. Land pollution also occurs when deforestation is carried out on a large scale artless operations are extended 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 exploit and transported. All these operations adversely affect ecological aspects of the environment. Ever increase demands for paper, fuel, piece of furniture and packing materials due to exploding populations combined with increasing urbanization have aggravate the miserable situation. The result is that we now live in a rapidly changing environment, the effects of which are not easily predictable.(d) racquet PollutionOf all the pollutions, it is the most pernicious and a menace in dumbly populated areas. There is ample aesculapian evidence that it affects speech, hearing 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 environs of industries include metal fabrication processes, high pressure burners in furnaces, rotary equipment like turbines, compressors, pumps etc. pipelines carrying high velocity fluids and solids and vibrating and grinding equipment among many others.