SS3 First Term Chemistry Lesson Note – Ethical; Legal and Social Issues

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WEEK 9

TOPIC:   ETHICAL, LEGAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES

CONTENT:

1. Chemical waste
2. Industrial pollutants

• Roles of governments in preventing chemical degradation regulation etc.

ETHNICAL, LEGAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Human activities and industrialization have led to the occurrence of wastes in our environment today. These wastes pollute the air and negatively affect respiration and photosynthesis process. Water and land are also affected by the generation of chemical wastes resulting in various health hazards and at times death. Mostly affected are cities and highly industrialized environment. It is therefore important for government to put to check environmental pollution by laws regulations that will guide industries and individuals in waste generation disposal and management. These laws and regulations should be enforced to the letter so as to have environment and healthy citizens.

PERIOD 1: CHEMICAL WASTE

Unwanted materials that are generated from homes, offices industries, factories and are chemical in nature are called Chemical Waste. They are categorized into two namely: waste from combustion (ii) wastes from other sources.

1. Waste from combustion. This includes:

• Tobacco smoke produced by smoking tobacco products.
• Combustion of coal and solid fuel which generates, SO₂ and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon as smoke.
• Combustion of liquid petroleum generating CO, oxides of nitrogen etc.
• Industry and incineration can generate oxides of sulphur and nitrogen.
• Home generated combustion products such as NO₂ (from gas cookers, formaldehyde (from building materials)

2. Wastes from other sources. They include:

• Fluoride addition to water. This has an unwanted effect like mottling of the teeth.
• Leaching of lead from pipes by soft water.
• Fertilizer leaching by water which increases the risk of methemoglobinemia (blue babies) due to the presence of nitrates in water.
• Deposition of solid hazardous waste.

PERIOD  2: INDUSTRIAL POLLUTANTS

Industrial pollutants are agents of pollution generated from different industries. These pollutants include: CO, NO₂, CO₂, ground level, Ozone (O₃), particulate matter, SO₂, hydrocarbon and lead.

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