Ch 14Environmental Chemistry — Class 11 Chemistry, concept-first.

Environmental pollution is any undesirable change in our surroundings — air, water or soil — that harms plants, animals and humans. The substance responsible for this harm is called a pollutant.

The atmosphere is not uniform — it is arranged as concentric layers of differing density and composition.

Tropospheric pollution arises from undesirable solid or gaseous particles building up in the air we breathe. These fall into two categories:

The stratosphere holds a natural reservoir of ozone (O₃) that shields the earth from harmful UV radiation (around 255 nm), which otherwise causes skin cancer (melanoma).

Water is essential to all life, and we often assume it is pure — but pollution of water sources is a direct consequence of human activity, reaching surface water and groundwater through many different…

The most serious water pollutants are disease-causing agents called pathogens — bacteria and other organisms entering water through domestic sewage and animal excreta.

Fluoride concentration in drinking water must be monitored carefully because both too little and too much cause harm.

India's economy places high priority on agriculture, fisheries and livestock, and surplus produce is stored by government and non-government bodies for the lean season — but significant food loss occu…

Before World War II, farmers relied on naturally occurring substances such as nicotine (from tobacco plants) to control pests.

Industrial solid wastes fall into two broad categories:

Having studied air, water, soil and industrial-waste pollution, the natural next question is: how can each of us actually help control pollution in our own surroundings? Controlling pollution is not o…

Solid waste is not limited to household garbage — it also includes medical, agricultural, industrial and mining waste.

This unit closes by introducing Green Chemistry — the philosophy and set of practices for designing chemical processes and products that minimise pollution and environmental harm at the source, rather…

India achieved self-sufficiency in food production in the late 20th century through the use of fertilizers, pesticides, improved farming methods, better seeds and irrigation.

Tetrachloroethene () was traditionally used as the solvent for dry cleaning, but it contaminates groundwater and is a suspected carcinogen.