Environmental Chemistry

Environmental Chemistry
Dr. Mujeeb Rahman P
Dept.of Chemistry,
Government Arts & Science College- Kozhikode
673018
13-07-2018 Dr.Mujeeb Rahman P, GASC-Kozhikode

Environment is sum total of water, air and
land inter relationships among themselves
and also with the human being, other
living organisms and property.
Dr.Mujeeb Rahman P, GASC-Kozhikode13-07-2018

Environmental science
Chemistry
Physics
Biology
Engineering
Sociology
Economics
Health
Commerce

Environmental chemistry deals with the origins,
transport, reactions, effects and fates of chemical species
in the water, air and land.
Environmental
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Analytical
Chemistry
Physical ChemistryPhotochemistry
Biochemistry

Scope of Environmental Chemistry
It deals with protection of natural resources
It deals with the use of renewable resources
Managing waste materials and toxic substances
Promoting safe chemicals and fertilizers
It deals with chemical changes occurring in the
environment by the impact of human intervention

It deals with the origin, transport, reactions, effects and
fates of chemical species in the environment
It deals with the small and large scale c undesirable
changes in the environment
It involves the understanding of undesirable changes in
different components of environment
It is multidisciplinary area and called environmental
science

“Our natural resources can be compared with
money in a bank. If we use it rapidly, the
amount will be reduced to zero. On the other
hand, if we use only the interest, it can sustain
us over the longer term”.

Segments of Environment
Hydrosphere
Environment
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere

ozone

The innermost layer the troposphere extends
17KM above sea level at the equator and about
8 KM over the poles.
It contains about 75 %of the mass of the earth’s
air.
If the earth is an apple troposphere will be
apple’s skin.

Composition of gases in troposphere

Variation of temperature in atmosphere

In in troposphere temperature decreases
when altitude increases
In mesosphere temperature increases with
height becose of absorption ozone molecules
In mesosphere the temperature decreases
with altitude
In thermosphere temperature increases with
altitude

Importance of atmosphere
The atmosphere is the protective blanket of gases which is
surrounding the earth.
It protects the earth from the hostile environment of outer
space.
It controls the temperature of the earth.
It blocks UV radiation.

It acts as a source for CO2 for plant photosynthesis and
O2 for respiration
It acts as a source for nitrogen for nitrogen fixing
bacteria and ammonia producing plants.
It causes for rain

Hydrosphere
Only 1% of the total water is available as fresh water
in the form of rivers, lakes, streams and ground water
for human consumption and other.

Fresh water usage

Fresh water distribution in India

Lithosphere
The crust is the earth’s outer skin that is accessible to human. It
consists of rocks and soil, important part of lithosphere

About 3.2 billion years ago life began on our planet.
The crust of the earth is 6 or 7 kilometres thick
Out of 92 elements in the lithosphere only eight are common
constituents of crustal rocks.
Oxygen 47% , Silicon 28% , Aluminium 8% , Iron 5% , Sodium,
Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium constitute 4%each.
Together, these elements form about 200 common mineral compounds.
Features of earth crust

Biosphere
The biosphere refers to the realm of living organisms and
their interactions with the environment
The biosphere is divided into smaller units called
ecosystems Eg. Pond
Within each ecosystems there are dynamic inter
relationships between living forms and their
environment
These inter relationships are called cycles.(water cycle,
oxygen cycle, nitrogen cycle)Dr.Mujeeb Rahman P, GASC-Kozhikode13-07-2018

The natural cycles operate in a balanced manner
providing a continuous circulation of essential
constituents necessary for life and sustains the life
processes on earth

Pollution ?
Pollution is the effect of undesirable changes in our
surroundings that have harmful effects on plants,
animals and human beings.
Pollution occurs when o short-term economic gains are made
at the cost of the long-term ecological benefits for humanity.

Pollutants ?
These are the components of pollution.
They are foreign substances or energies or naturally
occurring contaminants causes pollution.
Eg. Heat ,Radiation toxic gases, particulates ,smoke….

Contaminant ?
A contaminant is a substance that does not occur in
nature, but is introduced by human activity into the environment.
It is also a pollutant Eg. Pesticides, CFCs, Plastics .
Receptor ?
A receptor may be any thing which is affected by the
pollutant. For example, man is a receptor of contaminated water.
Sink ?
It is the medium, which receives pollutants. Eg. Oceans
& Ground water are sinks for pesticides used in agriculture.

Degradable or non-persistent pollutants: These can be rapidly
broken down by natural processes. Eg: domestic sewage,
discarded vegetables etc.
Classification of pollutants

Slowly degradable or persistent pollutants: Pollutants
that remain in the environment in an unchanged
condition for decades or longer. Eg: plastics.

Non-degradable pollutants: These cannot be degraded
by natural processes. Once they are released into the
environment they are difficult to eradicate and continue
to accumulate. Eg: toxic elements like lead or mercury,
nuclear waste

Local pollutants cause damage near the emission source.
Eg. pollution caused indiscriminate dumbing of waste,
Smog. it can be controlled by local regulations and
efforts.

Regional pollutants cause damage further from the
emission source. More coordination of societies,
governments and efforts are required to control
regional pollution Eg. Smog

Global Pollutants can cross international borders and
effects globally Eg. Climate Change. It is an
international issue. Efforts across the nations are
required to control this pollution

Air pollution
History of air pollution:
It started when man used firewood as a means of
cooking and heating. Hippocrates first mentioned air
pollution in 400 BC.
460 BC-370 BC

700 years ago in London, smoke pollution prompted
King Edward-I to make the first antipollution law in
1273. In 1300 by another act HE banned the use of coal.
Defying the law led to imposition of capital punishment.
1239 –1307

What is air pollution?
Air pollution is the presence of undesirable solid or
gaseous particles in the air ,that are harmful to human
health and the environment.
Classification of air pollutants
Gaseous pollutants
Particulate pollutants

Pollutants Source Harmful effects
CO2 & CO Automobile, burning of wood
coal
Respiratory problem&
Green house effect
SO2 & H2S Power plants, Refineries and
Volcanic eruption
Respiratory problem, loss of
Chlorophyll ,Acid rain
NO &N2O Automobile & atmospheric
reactions
Irritation to eyes,l ow plant
productivity, Acid rain
Hydrocarbons Automobiles and petroleum
industries
Respiratory problems,
Carcinogenic
Suspended particulate
Matter (SPM)
Thermal Power Plants Poor Visibility, Breathing
Problems
Dust Construction work,
Metallurgical process, Mining
Poor Visibility, Breathing
Problems, Asthma
Fibers Textiles, weaving Industries Lung disorder
Gases pollutants

Pollutants Sources Harmful effects
Suspended Particles Smoke from
industries,
Automobiles,
Domestic exhaust
Reduce visibility,
Corrosion, Asthma,
Cancer, Lungs
diseases
Fly ash Exhaust of power
plants
Reduce visibility,
Corrosion, Asthma,
Cancer, Lungs
diseases, effects
vegetation, settle on
houses
Particulate pollutants

As the earth’s surface warmed by sunlight, the
ground layer of air is heated by convection and it
rises.
During sunset the process is reversed, ground starts
to lose heat and the air near the ground cool
rapidly.
In the absence of wind, the layer of cold air induces
condensation of fog.
If morning sun cannot penetrate this fog layer, it
become dense and is trapped by the warm air
above. It resemble a closed container in which the
pollutants are trapped.
In cold regions this situation can persist for several
days. Such a situation is known as smog

Smoke+ fog= smog
Smog Classical smogPhotochemical
Smog

Classical smog Photochemical smog
Occur in cool humid
climate
Occur warm, dry and
sunny day
Mixture of fog,SO2 and
smoke
Produced by reaction
between sunlight,
unsaturated hydrocarbon,
NOX
Reducing nature Oxidising nature
Reducing smog Oxidising smog
Eg. London smog Eg. Los Angeles smog

Formation of photochemical smog

Peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) CH3COOONO2
Acrolein , CH2=CHCH=O

London smog
The earliest recorded major disaster.
London Smog occurred in 1952.
Everybody used indiscriminately coal for energy generation, this led to huge
accumulation of oxides of sulphur carbon in the atmosphere.
A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless
conditions, collected pollutants, formed a thick layer of smog over the city.
It lasted from Friday, 5 December to Tuesday, 9 December 1952 and then
dispersed quickly when the weather changed.
More than 12000 people died in hospitals, houses, streets etc.

Automobile pollution
Automobile emits oxides of carbon, Nitrogen ,
Sulphur, Toxic metals Pb, particulates and
hydrocarbons.
It causes local, Regional and Global pollutions
Increase emission of green house gases

Contribution of various gases by automobiles

Acid Rain
Generally, rain water has a pH value of 5.6 because of the
carbon dioxide from air dissolved in it.
Any rainfall has a pH value less than 5.6 is defined as acid
rain.
When gas pollutants like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen
dioxide dissolve in rain water, various acids are formed.
CO2 + H2O H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
SO2 + H2O H2SO3 (sulphorous acid)
NO2 + H2O HNO2 (nitrous acid) +HNO3

Causes of Acid Rain SO2 (70%) & NOx (30%)

Wash away essential nutrients ions from soil Poor
growth of plants
Inflow of acidic water containing poisonous metal ions
Kill the fish and water plants
Destroy vegetation
Effect of Acid Rain in Environment

It destroy wild life and disrupt food chain
Mayflies have a high mortality when water has a pH of
6.0, decline in supply of mayflies, frog populations may
also decline.

Acid rain and dry acid deposition damages buildings,
automobiles, and other structures made of stone or
metal.
The acid corrodes the materials causing extensive
damage and ruins historic buildings.
Parthenon in Greece and the TajMahal in India have
been affected by acid rain

Ozone (O3) is a highly-reactive from of oxygen, strong oxidising
Agent and blue in colour
Ozone exists in tropospheric and stratospheric zones
of the Earth’s atmosphere
Ozone layer depletion

Dr.Mujeeb Rahman P, GASC-Kozhikode
In the troposphere, ozone is air pollutant and
primary constituent of photochemical smog
In the stratosphere, the ozone is an essential
protector of life on earth as it absorbs harmful
UV radiation
13-07-2018

Ozone layer depletion
Ozone is formed in Stratosphere in the presence of
UV radiation. It is a reversible reaction.
UV

Ozone layer depletion is the decrease in concentration of
Ozone molecules in the stratosphere
13-07-2018

Pass through
hole
13-07-2018

In 1970, Scientists discovered CFCs as refrigerant
later proved destroy the ozone molecules.
Chlorofluorocarbons are created and
used in refrigerators and air
conditioners. These chlorofluorocarbons
are not harmful to humans and have
been a benefit to us. Once released into
the atmosphere, chlorofluorocarbons are
bombarded and destroyed by ultraviolet
rays.
13-07-2018

Ozone layer depletion molecules
CFCs,
HCFCs,
Halons,
Methyl bromide,
Carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform
Sources
Refrigeration, Air conditioning, Fire extinguishers, Cleaning
solvents, Aerosols (spray cans of perfumes, medicine, insecticide)
13-07-2018

Oxides of Nitrogen (JET planes)
destroys ozone
CFCs absorbs UV radiations,
breaks to Cl* radicals which
In turn destroys ozone
13-07-2018

Risk effects ozone layer depletion
Skin Cancer
Premature aging of the skin and other skin problems

Cataracts and other eye damage
Immune system suppression
Immunodeficiency disorders are a group of disorders in
which part of the immune system is missing or defective.
Therefore, the body's ability to fight infections is
impaired.
13-07-2018

The ozone hole is defined as the area
having less than 220 dobson units (DU)
of ozone in the overhead column

Make sure that technicians working on your car air conditioner,
home air conditioner, or refrigerator are certified by an EPA
approved program to recover the refrigerant .
Have your car and home air conditioner units and refrigerator
checked for leaks.
Remedies
13-07-2018

Contact local authorities to properly dispose of refrigeration
or air conditioning equipment.
Protect yourself against sunburn.
Minimize sun exposure during midday hours (10 am to 4
pm).
Wear sunglasses, a hat with a wide brim, and protective
clothing with a tight weave.
Use a broad spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor
(SPF) of at least 15 and 30 is better.

Green House Effect and Global Warming

The “Greenhouse Effect”
The Earth’s surface heated by sunlight, the heat absorbed
by the earth is radiated back into space.
But Greenhouse gases trap shorter wave length
radiations emitted back by earth, send back to earth. This
phenomena heats up earth surface and it is called green
house effect

Green house gases
Carbon Dioxide
Methane
Water vapour
Ozone
Nitrous Oxide
These gases trap out-going infrared radiation from the earth,
increase thermal energy or heat in the atmosphere. Thus, the
temperature of the global atmosphere is increased

Impact of Green House Effect
o Global warming

oClimate change

oMelting of polar region

oFlooding and drought

o Fertility of soil lost

Prevention of global warming
Use alternative energy sources(wind, light, solar)
Reduce use of automobiles

Promote efficient automobile engine
Ban on CFCs
Develop environmentally benign
technologies

Global warming and climate change
If current trends in greenhouse gas build up continue,
TEMERATURE WILL RISE BY 1.5° to 4.5° in 2030. Sea
level could rise from 1 to 4 feet. Ocean currents could shift,
altering the climate of many areas and disrupting fisheries.
The ranges of plant and animal species could change
regionally, endangering protected areas as well as species
whose habitats are now few and confined. Record heat waves
and other weather anomalies could harm susceptible people,
crops, and forest.

Bhopal tragedy 1984
Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) of the, United States was third largest chemical
manufacturing company

Chemistry of Cyanide, and Isocyanates
Cyanide is KCN, NaCN & HCN. HCN is the most toxic of all.
KCN can cause painless death in a very short time, it has been
used for execution and suicide
Isocyanates are highly reactive and very toxic. Their toxicity is
greater following inhalation than following oral ingestion.
Methyl isocyanate leakage caused the tragedy
(It was used as an intermediate in the manufacture of a variety of carbamate
pesticides)
13-07-2018

The UCIL plant was built on the outskirts of the city
barely one km from the railway station and 3 km from
two major hospitals, This was done against the advice
of authorities.

The most likely reason for negligence on the part of the UCIL
was the dwindling market for its pesticide, Sevin.
A major drought struck India in 1977, which forced many
farmers to borrow heavily from the government.
When these loans started to come due in 1980, the farmers
started buying pesticides produced by small operations at
almost one half the price of UCIL’s Sevin.
The sales of Sevin dropped by 23% in 1983. As the profit of the
UCIL shrunk, the management ignored safety measures and
stopped upgrading of equipment's.

Careless Handling
MIC was stored in three tanks, each with a capacity of 15,000 gallons. All
three tanks were in use. It is expected that one tank will be kept free for
emergency purposes.
In the United States, Japan, and Germany, MIC was either used up as it was
produced or stored only for brief periods and never in such huge quantities
as in Bhopal.
It is expected that tanks should be no more than half full; however, prior to
the fateful night in Bhopal, the Tank was 87% full, which is far above the
recommended capacity.
Tanks containing MIC are required to be kept under refrigeration; this
elementary caution was violated at Bhopal. The Union Carbide manual
specifies that the alarm should respond whenever the temperature goes above
11°C; in Bhopal it was set at 20°C

The scrubber and flare tower were nonfunctional at
the time of the accident. The third main safety device,
the water spraying system, was functional but late it
could shoot water only up to a height of 12 meters to
15 meters whereas MIC escaped at a height at
approximately 50 meters.
The practice of employing degree holders as operators
and providing them with a 6-month training was
abandoned.
The number of staff were reduced

No effective public warnings system was
installed
The plant was not automated to monitor leaks,
which used to be detected by workers by
irritation of eyes and throat.

A local journalist Raj Kumar Keswani. In a Hindi
weekly, On September 17, & October 1, policy makers
and public with prophetic headlines: “Save, Please
Save This City,” and “Bhopal on the Mouth of a
Volcano,”

Accident
It was just past midnight on December 2, 1984. Nearly 30 of the 42 metric tons
of MIC stored in Tank 610 of the UCIL pesticide plant escaped with
considerable velocity within a matter of 45 minutes to 60 minutes. The dense
cloud of the heavier-than-air gas soon settled on the shanty towns adjoining
the plant showing no mercy to people, animals, and plants. The exact human
death toll is still to be unknown; however, it is estimated that nearly 5,000
people died within 2days, and the death toll eventually reached upward of
20,000. A total of 200,000 in a city of 800,000 (1984 population) were exposed
to the gas. More than 60,000 of them required long-term treatment.

The immediate effect of the poisonous gas was irritation in the
eyes and difficulty in breathing. By early morning on December 3, 1984,
streets were littered with dead or dying humans, buffalos, cows, dogs and
other animals. Trees were denuded. It is interesting to note, houseflies
were unaffected by the gas, perhaps because they lay still at ground level.
Those who could manage were rushing to the hospital. Deaths within the
first 4 days of the leak were caused by pulmonary edema.
The condition is identical to severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS), which is caused by a virus.
In short, Bhopal suffered from an epidemic of chemically
induced SARS. There is no specific treatment of such a condition;
supporting therapy is needed. Even in the industrialized world, treatment
would have been nearly impossible had SARS affected thousands on
thousands of people within a very short time.

Control measures for air pollution
Air pollution caused by gaseous pollutants like
hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide, ammonia, carbon
monoxide, etc can be controlled by using three
different methods.
Combustion-This technique is applied when the pollutants
are organic gases or vapours. The organic air pollutants are
subjected to 'flame combustion or catalytic combustion'
when they are converted to less harmful product carbon
dioxide and a harmless product water.

Absorption-In this method, the polluted air
containing gaseous pollutants is passed through a
scrubber containing a suitable liquid absorbent.
The liquid absorbs the harmful gaseous pollutants
present in air.
Adsorption-In this method, the polluted air is
passed through porous solid adsorbents kept in
suitable containers. The gaseous pollutants are
adsorbed at the surface of the porous solid and
clean air passes through.

Methods of controlling particulate
emissions
The air pollution caused by particulate matter like dust,
soot, ash, etc can be controlled by using fabric filters,
wet scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators and certain
mechanical devices.

Tall chimneys should be installed in
factories.
Better designed equipment and
smokeless fuels should be used in homes
and industries.

Renewable and non-polluting sources of energy
like solar energy, wind energy, etc should be used.
Automobiles should be properly maintained
and adhere to emission control standards.
More trees should be planted along

Our liquid planet glows like a soft blue sapphire in the hard-edged darkness of
space. There is nothing else like it in the solar system. It is because of water. – John
Todd
WATER POLLUTION
If the world’s water supply were only 100 litres our usable
supply of fresh water would be only about 0.003 litres (one-
half teaspoon)
WATER IS SO PRECIOUS

Water Cycle
Definition
Addition or presence of undesirable substances in
water is called water pollution

Classification of Water pollution
Point source pollution
It is defined as any single identifiable source of pollution
from which pollutants are discharged. Example: Industrial
discharge, factory smoke stack, municipal sewage etc
Non Point source of pollution
When a source of pollution cannot be readily identified i.e,
sources are scattered or diffuse they are called Non Point source
of pollution. Example: run off from farm lands, construction
sites, parking lots, agriculture logging, animal waste etc

Source of water pollution Pollutants
Water and sewage company
works
Organic wastes and sometimes
industrial wastes. Aluminum
residues from water treatment
Petroleum industry
Oil spills from ships, oil super
tanker disasters and offshore
drilling operations.
Acid rain
Formed by combination of SO2
and NO2 with water in the
atmosphere
Radioactive materials
Present in wastes and (i) uranium
and thorium mining and refining
(ii) nuclear power plants and (ii)
industrial, medical and scientific
use

Causes of Water Pollution
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
The sewage and other organic matter discharged to a water
body are degraded by oxygen-requiring microorganisms.
The amount of oxygen consumed by the microbes is the
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
Although some natural BOD is always present, BOD is often
indication of the presence of sewage and other organic waste.
High levels of BOD can deplete the oxygen in water.

The amount of oxygen absorbed by a sample of sewage
during a specific period, generally five days at 200

Chemical Oxygen Demand COD
Chemical Oxygen Demand is the total measurement of
all chemicals in the water that can be oxidized.
COD value indicates the amount of oxygen which is
needed for the oxidation of all substances in water in
g/m3.

Nutrients
Nutrient pollution is the process where too many
nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to
bodies of water and can act like fertilizer, causing
excessive growth of algae.
This process is also known as eutrophication

Suspended solids / Sediments
Suspended solids are physical pollutants. They are always
naturally present in water to some extent and as usual, it is
a an excess is pollution.
Fine particles from soil runoff can remain suspended in
water and increase its turbidity or cloudiness. This can
stunt the growth of the aquatic plants by limiting the
amount of sunlight.

Oil and grease
Oil spills are a major problem in near-coastal waters
and can kill or adversely affect fish, other aquatic
organisms and birds and mammals.
Spills can kill or reduce populations of organisms living
in coastal sands and rocks, and may kill the worms and
insects that serve as food to birds and other animals

Bacteria, Viruses and protozoa
Micro organisms are naturally found in water, can cause
infection.
Nonpoint sources and point sources generate pathogenic
micro organisms in water

Hard and Soft water
soft water forms lather with soap but hard water doesn’t
form lather with soap
lather

Recommendations have been made for the
maximum and minimum levels of calcium (40–80
ppm) and magnesium (20–30 ppm) in drinking
water, and a total hardness expressed as the sum
of the calcium and magnesium concentrations of
2–4 mmol/L.

Fluorides in water
Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride
to a public water supply to reduce tooth decay.
The current water standard for fluoride is 4.0 mg/L.
This is the maximum amount that is allowed in water
from public water systems, also called the Maximum
Contaminant Level

fluoride levels in drinking water higher than 15 mg/l
may cause multidimensional health problems,
including not only the mottling of teeth and dental
fluorosis but also several neurological disorders.

Minamata dieses
Minamata City is situated in the most southern corner of Kumamoto
Prefecture. Its land area is 162.6 square kilometers; its population, about
32,000 people. With its average annual temperature at 16.8 degrees celsius.
Surrounded by mountains and rolling hills on three sides, the city
straddles the mouth of the Minamata river where it opens into the sea. The
coastal regions facing the Shiranui Sea (Yatsushiro Sea) are many fishing
ports. The sea is blessed with a natural fish reef. It was also a spawning
site for many species of fishes.

Out break of minamata diseases
In 1950s, strange phenomena appeared in the
bay. Shellfish began to die, fish floated on the
surface of the water, seaweed failed to grow,
and cats died in strange ways.

On Apri1 21, 1956, a child from Minamata City, was admitted,
with severe complaints such as the inability to talk, walk and eat,
to the Chisso Hospital. Following that, three patients were
admitted to the hospital with similar symptoms. On May l of the
same year, Dr. Hajime Hosokawa, Director General of the
hospital, reported to Minamata Public Health Center) that four
patients were in the hospital showing cerebral symptoms with an
unknown cause.

After the disease was officially recognized on May l, 1956, new
patients were confirmed one after another. This unknown illness
was called the 'strange disease' by the local community, and on
May 28 the Minamata Strange Disease Action Committee was
established. The committee requested on August 14 that the
Kumamoto University Medical School investigate the cause .
On August 24, at Kumamoto University Medical School
Minamata Disease Study Group (conducted medical
examination of patients, patients were admitted to the University
hospital under strict clinical observation. Autopsies were
conducted in the Pathology Department on the bodies of fatal
victims of the disease.

On July 22, 1959, the Kumamoto University Study
Group, based on the pathological and clinical research of
Professor Tadao Takeuchi and Assistant Professor
Haruhiko Tokuomi, made a formal announcement that
"Minamata disease is a disease of the nervous system
which is caused by eating fish and shellfish of the local
area (Minamata Bay). Mercury has come to our attention
as a likely cause of pollution of the fish and shellfish".

Chisso counterclimed that "The organic mercury theory of
Kumamoto University is a speculation without actual proof,
and it is irrational in view of chemistry common sense”
The Chisso Corporation first opened a chemical factory in
Minamata in 1908. Initially producing fertilisers, the factory
followed the nationwide expansion of Japan's chemical
industry, branching out into production of acetylene,
acetaldehyde, acetic acid, vinyl chloride, and octanol, among
others. The Minamata factory became the most advanced in all
of Japan, both before and after World War II.

Pollutant Methyl mercury cation CH3Hg+ ?
Acetylene Acetaldehyde
Hg(catalyst)

Naming of disease
The name 'strange disease' was not an acceptable medical
term, the Kumamoto University Study Group tentatively
named the disease after the area from which it originated in
1957. Thus the name 'Minamata disease' was born.
By August 1958, about one and a half years since the first case
was reported, almost all newspapers were calling it Minamata
disease.

Acetaldehyde manufacture by Chisso was
suspended in May, 1968
At the end of August 2007, the number of
certified patients are 2,268 persons.
50 years have passed since the outbreak of
Minamata disease and 639 patients are
alive now.

Measures to control pollution
Regulate factory effluent
Instruction to Fishermen to Voluntarily Refrain from Catching and
Consuming Fish - The Self-Imposed Fishing Bans
Minamata City, employed a full time police and ocean patrol to monitor
fishing.

National Government establishes "Provisional
Regulatory Standards for the Level of Mercury in
Fish and Shellfish"
Installation of Dividing net in sea to stop spreading of
contaminated fishes.
The nets closed off the bay for a period of 23 years until
their complete removal on October 14,1997.

Compensation was paid by Chisso
In March 1990, Kumamoto Prefecture
provided compensation (total amount 3.315
billion yen) to the Fisheries Co-op.

Minamata Bay Pollution Prevention Project
In accordance with its policy, Kumamoto Prefecture
initiated a follow up investigation in the first half of
fiscal 1997, confirming the continuing decline of
mercury levels in all fish species, and that the
mercury levels had remained below provisional
regulatory standards for the past three years.
Governor Fukushima issued the "Minamata Bay
Safety Declaration" on July 29, 1997.

A control measures for preventing water pollution
Setting up effluent treatment plans to treat
waste.
Recycling of water must be encouraged.
Industrial wastes must be treated before
discharge.
Educate Public for preventing water pollution

Strict enforcement of water pollution control act.
Continuous monitoring of water pollution at
different places.
Developing economical method of water
treatment
River, streams, lakes and other water reservoirs
must be well protected from being polluted.

THANK YOU ALL

Environmental Chemistry

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