ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS

Polluted environment
We live in a chemical environment
We inhale, ingest, or absorb from the
skin many of these chemicals.
Toxicology is concerned with the
deleterious effects of these chemical
agents on all living systems.
?????Humans

Toxicology
Occupational Toxicology
Chemicals found in the workplace
Identifies, defines safety [threshold limit values
(TLVs)] limits and lays down guidelines to minimize
absorption
Environmental Toxicology
Ecotoxicology
Traditional toxicology is concerned with toxic effects on
individual organisms
Ecotoxicology is concerned with the impact on
populations of living organisms or on ecosystems
Environmental toxicology deals with the deleterious
impact of chemicals, present as pollutants of the
environment, on living organisms.
The term environment includes all the surroundings of
an individual organism, particularly AIR,SOIL, WATER.

Pollution And pollutants
Pollution
Introduction of contaminants
Into an environment
[Which] Causes instability, disorder,
harm or discomfort
To the ecosystem i.e. physical systems
or living organisms .
Pollution and pollutants
Pollutants-
A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes
air, water or soil.
Elements of pollution,
Can be foreign substances
Or energies,
Or naturally occurring-when they exceed
natural levels
INTRODUCTION
Pollution may be defined as the state of being
contamined or the act or process of
contaminating soil, water or atmosphere by the
discharge of harmful substances.

Pollution is caused by:-
Man activity from ancient times.
Industries
Automobiles
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Types of Pollutant
Pollutants are divided into 3 board categories:-

Air pollutants
Water and soil pollutants
Food and feed pollutants
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Water Pollution
Uncontaminated water does not occur in nature
Less seriousNatural-N2, Co2, H2S Rain fall
Serious Sewage, Industrial waste, Agricultural waste, radioactive
sub. Urbanization & industrialization
Land pollution
Main causes
Indiscriminate dumping of Industrial, muncipal solid hazardous
waste.
Industrial effluents and domestic sewage
Mining and mineral processing
Other Pollutions
Noise pollution, Light pollution, Visual pollution, Thermal
pollution
Misc.- Pesticides, Natural [Dust, Fungi, Noise, Light]
Tobacco smoke



TYPES OF AIR POLLUTANT.
Primary Pollutants
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon dioxide
Sulphur dioxide gases
Nitrogen oxide gases
Smoke & other particulate
matter
Hydrocarbons
Pesticides
Secondary Pollutants
Ozone
Peroxyacetyl nitrate
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Sources-Air Pollution
1. Automobiles-Major urban
HC, CO, Pb, N.oxides,
Particulate matter
Strong sun lightHC &
N.Oxides Oxidizing
photochemical pollutants
Disel engines Smoke,
Fumes

2. Industries
Smoke, So2, N.Oxides, Fly
ash, H.Fluoride, HCL, CO,
Ozone, H2S, SO2.
3. Domestic
Burning-Coal, wood, Oil.
So2, No2.

London Disaster-1952
Routes
Inhalation
Atmospheric
pollutants ,
Industry
Transdermal
Oral
Pollutants of water
and soil

Duration
Acute exposure
Single or multiple
for 2-3 days
Industry,
occupational
Chronic exposure
Occupational or
atmospheric
Exposure
BIOACCUMULATION
Intake of a
contaminant by an
organism
Exceeds the latter's
ability to metabolize
or excrete the
substance
Chemical
accumulates within
the tissues of the
organism.
Bioaccumulation.
BIOMAGNIFICATION
Concentration of a
contaminant may be
virtually undetectable in
water
Magnified thousands of
time as the
contaminant passes up
the food chain


Biomagnification
Types & Sources
Air pollution
Sulfur oxides
CO
Volatile
organic
compounds
Particulate
matter
Nitrogen
oxides
5 pollutants-
98% of Air
Pollution
Others
Lead
Hydrocarbons
Cadmium
H
2
S
Ozone
Polynuclear
aromatic
hydrocarbon
Indoor air pollution




Toxicology Carbon Monoxide
Colorless, tasteless, odorless, and nonirritating
gas
Incomplete combustion
CO +Hemoglobin= Carboxyhemoglobin.
Cannot transport oxygen
Interferes with the dissociation of oxygen from
the remaining oxyhemoglobin
Brain and the heart most affected
CARBON DIOXIDE
Heavy, colourless, odourless, acid taste
Atmospheric air : 0.4%
Poisoning - rare
Sources :
Respiration, combustion, fermentation, putrefaction of
animal matter, poor ventilated and overcrowded rooms.
Uses :
Fire exinguishers,refrigeration and arc welding.
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5% : Increased respiration, nausea, giddiness, anxiety
and weakness of legs
10%: Tachypnea, muscle tremors, sweating, visual
disturbences, steggering gait, loss of consciousness.
25-30%:Cyanosis, convulsion and death
60%: Suffocation and death.

PM lesion
no specific necropsy lesion
Body heat retained for longer period
Congestion of the brain and lungs
Blood Dark red in colour






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SULPHUR DIOXIDE
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and sulphur trioxide (SO3) industrial
effluents- 18% of total air pollutant.
Combustion of sulfur-containing fossil fuels
Moist membranes+ SO
2
sulfurous acid, severe irritation
of the eyes, mucous membranes, skin.
Bronchoconstriction & P.Edema

Colourless, burnt match like smell
Reacts with water sulphuric acid
Sources:
Combustion of coal and petroleum
Volcanoes, forest fires and oceans
Manufacture of sulphuric acid, sulphur dioxide and cast iron
Petroleum refining, bleaching, disinfectant and paper production.
Preservatives- meat


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TOXICITY
500ppm for 1 hour- dangerous
Pigs ; 40ppm for 8 hours pulmonory fibrosis.
Acid rain : sulfuric acid from the earth and catalyzed by
mangenese and vanadium.

TOXICOKINETICS :
o Respiratory tract / swallowing trough saliva
o GIT form sulphorous acid
o Blood sulphuric acid
o Metabolism : sulphates
o Excretion - urine

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MECHANISM OF ACTION
1.Irritant gas : formation of sulphurous and sulphuric acids
2.Metabollic acidosis
3. Affects carbohydrate, protein metabolism, vitamin B and C
deficiency, thiamine deficiency
4. Affects hemopoietic system methHB
CLINICAL SIGNS
1. ACUTE TOXICITY :
- Intense irriation and reddining of the conjuctive and upper
respiratory tract
- Lacrymation , salivation, coughing, irregular respiration
- Dyspnoea : bronchoconstriction, pulmonory oedema,
hemorrhage and emphysema.- suffocation and death

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CHRONIC TOXICITY
OCCUPATIONAL WORKERS
Bronchopulmonary diseases
Chronic bronchitis
Denatl caries,periodental and gingual disoredrs
Behavirial and nervous system disorders
Pets : turned and tilted heads, disorientation, wobbed legs
paralysis and seizures,
PM LESION
Cyanosis, pulmanory oedema, hyperemia,emphysema, atelectasis
and hemorhages
DIAGNOSIS
o History, Clinical signs , PM lesion
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TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT

No specific antidote
Remove animal from the contaminate area
Artificial respiration
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3. NITROGEN OXIDE GASES
Nitrogen dioxide (NO
2
) 6%
Nitrogen tetraoxide (N
2
O
4
),
Nitric oxide (NO)
Silo- filter diseases or Silo gas Poisoning
Inhalation of the nitrogen dioxide from the silage of nitrogen
rich forages in workers and animals.
Sources :
Automobiles, diesel engines, thermal power plants, boilers,
kerosene lamps, industrial waste.
Forages rich nitratres (Alfafa)
Silo pit
Rocket fuel
Smog : Sunlight converts NO + O2 NO
2
+ Ozone (O
3
)


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TOXICITY
0.6 PPM in air Safety
100ppm: dangerous
200ppm: fatal
In water
Nitrogen dioxide and Nitrogen tetraoxide Nitric acid and
Nitric oxide

Acid rain

Damages the ecosystem

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MECHANISM OF ACTION
1. Nitric acid and nitrous oxide- irritating and corrosive
to the mucus membranes
2. NO
2
initiates free radical generation in the treminal
bronchiloes resulting in protein oxidation and lipid
peroxidation
3. NO2 + HB Nitrosyl HB oxidised to MetHB
4. NO2 - alters the macrophage and immune function
supresses the immunity.
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CLINICAL SIGNS
Pulmonory signs- predominant
Coughing, choking, wheezing, panting, irregular respiration,
respiratory distress, reddening of the mucus membranes,
lacrymation and salivation, inappetence, wasting, dehydration
and cyanosis.
Dyspnoea- pulmanory oedema
Fluid sounds- ascultate in the lungs
Death- 3-25 days
PM LESION
Pulmanory oedema, hyperemia, hemorrhagic lesion with fibrin
deposits in the inflamed bronchiles
Cyanosis, methhaemoglobinemia, necrosis of skeletal muscles,
dark red kidneys
Emphysema chronic cases,
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DIAGNOSIS
History
Clinical evidenes
Clinical signs
PM lesion
Blood : Met HB level
Expose the NO
2
gas to Potassium Iodide strach paper turns
Black colour.

TREATEMNT AND MANAGEMENT
Artificial respiration
Corticosteriods- oedema
Donot fed the silo feed rich in the NO
2
gas.

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Ozone


Bluish irritant gas - occurs normally in the earth's
atmosphere
Source:
WorkplaceAround high-voltage electrical equipment and
around ozone-producing devices used for air and water
purification.
Important oxidant found in polluted urban air.
Important absorbent of ultraviolet light.




SOLVENTS


CCl
4
, Benzene
Chloroform,
Methyl chloroform.
Trichloroethylene,
Tetrachloroethylene,
Uses -Industrial solvents, degreasing agents,
cleaning agents
Occupational hazard





INSECTICIDES




Organophosphorus Insecticides.
Carbamate Insecticides.
Organochlorine Insecticides.
Botanical Insecticides