Effects of inorganic and organic water pollutants on animals
Answers
a. Acidic pollutants are lethal to fish, most invertebrates and micro-organisms at pH below 4.0. Acid mine drainage is the major cause of fish kill.
b. Strong alkalies like NaOH and KOH are known to produce asphyxiation by the coagulation of gill secretions in fish.
c. Excess of inorganic pollutants like CO2-3, SO2-4 , Ca2+, Mg2+ make the water hard and unsuitable for boilers.
d. Soluble salts not only affect aquatic life but they also cause serious diseases in man. Nitrate coming from nitrogenous organic matter causes methaemoglobinemia in children in the range of 20 to 40 ppm.
e. WHO pointed out that shell fish can concentrate mercury to the level of 10 mg per kg. Mercury poisoning caused Minamata disease in Japan in 1953 and killed several people.
Answer:
The greatest contributors to toxic pollution are herbicides, pesticides and industrial compounds. A type of organic pollution can occur when inorganic pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphates accumulate in aquatic ecosystems. High levels of these nutrients cause an overgrowth of plants and algae.
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