Pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of air, water and soil that harmfully affects plants, animals and human life. It is a man made problem associated with intensive agriculture, industrialisation and urbanisation, communication etc. Different kinds of waste generation in all such activities are the chief causes of pollution. The substances which cause pollution are known as pollutants. Air in big cities or around an industry is polluted and the chief pollutants are carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, certain hydrocarbons and particulate matter. Carbon monoxide accounts for more than fifty percent of total weight of pollutants added to the atmosphere. Sulphur dioxide is another pollutant which corrodes buildings and marbles. In plants it causes bleaching of leaf pigments. Leaves show necrosis on the margin and between veins. Still another gas is fluorine, which results in damage of natural vegetation. Particulate pollutants reflect too much of light and reduce visibility. Particulates adversely affect the photosynthesis, necrosis in leaves.

         Aquatic bodies are used for wastes of village, towns and cities. These aquatic bodies have a self regulatory mechanism for recycling these wastes quickly if the sewage is small. But when the contamination level increases to such an extent that the water becomes less useful or harmful then we regard it as pollution. Polluted waters are turbid, unpleasant and not suitable for drinking, bathing or washing purposes. They are generally disease carriers. In this chapter we will deal with some experiments on air and water pollution. 

    (A) Air Pollution

• To determine settled particulate matter in the air.

• To  determine the ambient concentration of suspended particulate matter ( SPM ) with the help of High Volume Sampler.

• To  study  the  foliar injury symptoms in plants due to particulate, SO₂, fluoride, peroxy acetyl nitrate ( PAN ) and ozone pollutants.

• To determine the level of sensitivity of some plants with respect to given pollutant on the basis of foliar injury.

• To  determine  foliar  dust  deposition  in  samples collected from sites exposed to air pollution.

• To  study  microscopically  the  biopollutants  and the number per unit   area,   size,  shape  and  colour  of  settled   and  suspended particulates collected on greased slides .

    (B) Water Pollution

• Learn  the  methods  of   collection,   storage  and  analysis  of polluted water and algal samples.

• To determine acidity of water sample.

• To determine alkalinity of water sample.

• To  determine  phosphate  content  of  water  sample  by  stannous chloride method.

• To     determine     nitrate     content     of     water     sample    by phenoldisulphonic acid method.

• To  determine  chloride   content  of  polluted   water  by  Mohr’s method.

• To  measure  dissolved  oxygen ( D.O.) by  azide  modification  of Winkler's method.

• To analyse the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (B.O.D.) of polluted water sample.

• To assess the trophic status of aquatic habitat through algal count method.

• To calculate  Nygaard's  algal  indices  for  evaluation  of  organic pollution in water sample.

• To study bioindicators of polluted water.

• To estimate primary productivity by light and dark bottle method.

• To measure local pollution by counting the bacteria.

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Last modified: May 12, 2000