product to improve the skin color. Metallic Hg is utilized in thermometers,
barometers and appliances for determining blood pressure. A chief application of
Hg is in the chloralkali manufacturing, in the electrochemical practices of Cl production, where Hg is applied as an electrode [74]. Inorganic Hg is transformed to
organic compounds, like CH 3 Hg, which is extremely stable and accumulate in the
food web. Methylmercury is a neuro toxic compound which is accountable for
microtubule damage, mitochondrial harm, lipid peroxidation and gathering of
neurotoxic molecules like serotonin, aspartate, and glutamate [75, 76]. Acute
mercury contact may give go up to lung damage. Chronic poisoning is considered
by neurological and psychological symptoms, such as tremor, change in behaviour,
agitation, nervousness, sleep anarchy and sadness. Metallic mercury is an allergen,
which may cause contact eczema, and mercury from amalgam fillings may give
increase to oral lichen [67, 77]. The Minamata tragedy in was initiated by methyl
mercury poisoning from fish infected by mercury discharge to the neighbouring sea.
3.4 Organic Pollutants
Organic pollutants broadly alienated into two categories: oxygen demanding waste
which is degraded by bacterial activities and another one is synthetic organic
pollutants which cannot be degraded by the bacterial actions. The effluents and
waste water from domestic outlets, municipal sewage, canning industries, food
processing units, butcheries, paper and pulp industries, tanneries, breweries, distilleries, etc. have significant amount of biodegradable organic compounds in all
forms, suspended, colloidal and dissolved. These pollutants consume whole oxygen
present in the water body and create anoxic condition in the ecosystem. Moreover,
synthetic organic pollutants are not biodegradable and stay in water body for an
extended duration. Synthetic organic pollutants comprise synthetic pesticides,
synthetic detergents, food additives, pharmaceuticals, insecticides, paints, synthetic
fibers, plastics, solvents and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Synthetic inorganic cation exchange materials are excessively applied in elimination of
radioactive cations from water is also one of the sources of the organic pollution in
water body [78].
Among the organic pollutants some of the poses a immense risk to aquatic
animals, plants, and humans are dyes, cosmetics, petroleum organic pollutants.
They can cause chemical burns, nausea, convulsions and direct to chronic health
turmoil with carcinogenic property.
Persistent organic pollutants (POP’s)
A compound is usually defined as a POP if it shows the subsequent 4 features:
1. Determined in the environment, i.e. chemical, photochemical, and biological
alteration processes do not direct to a considerable elimination of the compound
in any environmental compartment;
52
S. Madhav et al.
barometers and appliances for determining blood pressure. A chief application of
Hg is in the chloralkali manufacturing, in the electrochemical practices of Cl production, where Hg is applied as an electrode [74]. Inorganic Hg is transformed to
organic compounds, like CH 3 Hg, which is extremely stable and accumulate in the
food web. Methylmercury is a neuro toxic compound which is accountable for
microtubule damage, mitochondrial harm, lipid peroxidation and gathering of
neurotoxic molecules like serotonin, aspartate, and glutamate [75, 76]. Acute
mercury contact may give go up to lung damage. Chronic poisoning is considered
by neurological and psychological symptoms, such as tremor, change in behaviour,
agitation, nervousness, sleep anarchy and sadness. Metallic mercury is an allergen,
which may cause contact eczema, and mercury from amalgam fillings may give
increase to oral lichen [67, 77]. The Minamata tragedy in was initiated by methyl
mercury poisoning from fish infected by mercury discharge to the neighbouring sea.
3.4 Organic Pollutants
Organic pollutants broadly alienated into two categories: oxygen demanding waste
which is degraded by bacterial activities and another one is synthetic organic
pollutants which cannot be degraded by the bacterial actions. The effluents and
waste water from domestic outlets, municipal sewage, canning industries, food
processing units, butcheries, paper and pulp industries, tanneries, breweries, distilleries, etc. have significant amount of biodegradable organic compounds in all
forms, suspended, colloidal and dissolved. These pollutants consume whole oxygen
present in the water body and create anoxic condition in the ecosystem. Moreover,
synthetic organic pollutants are not biodegradable and stay in water body for an
extended duration. Synthetic organic pollutants comprise synthetic pesticides,
synthetic detergents, food additives, pharmaceuticals, insecticides, paints, synthetic
fibers, plastics, solvents and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Synthetic inorganic cation exchange materials are excessively applied in elimination of
radioactive cations from water is also one of the sources of the organic pollution in
water body [78].
Among the organic pollutants some of the poses a immense risk to aquatic
animals, plants, and humans are dyes, cosmetics, petroleum organic pollutants.
They can cause chemical burns, nausea, convulsions and direct to chronic health
turmoil with carcinogenic property.
Persistent organic pollutants (POP’s)
A compound is usually defined as a POP if it shows the subsequent 4 features:
1. Determined in the environment, i.e. chemical, photochemical, and biological
alteration processes do not direct to a considerable elimination of the compound
in any environmental compartment;
52
S. Madhav et al.