There are a number of chemicals in the environment. Some of them are toxic while the rest are non-toxic. The toxic chemicals are discharged by the industries into air, water and soil. They enter our biological system through food chain and disturb the metabolic processes, leading in some cases to
fatal results.
At present, there are four million known chemicals in the world and we are adding to the list 30,000 new compounds every year. Among these 60,000–70,000 chemicals are commonly used. Apart from their benefit to increasing production, living standards and health, many of them are potentially toxic.
Toxic Chemicals in Air:
- Acrylonitrile, Arsenic, Asbestos
- Banzene, Beryllium
- Cadmium, Chromium, Chlorinated solvents, Coke oven emissions, Chlorofluorocarbons
- Ethylene dibromide, Ethylene oxide
- Lead, Mercury
- Ozone
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- Sulphur dioxide
Toxic Chemicals in Water:
- Arsenic
- Beryllium, Boron
- Cadmium, Chromium, Copper
- Fluoride
- Lead
- Manganese, Mercury, Molybdenum
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Pesticides (from agricultural run-off)