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Difficulty: MediumPollution Types, Causes, Effects, and Control

Match each environmental pollutant listed on the left with its corresponding primary ecological or physiological impact on the right.

  • Sulfur dioxide (SO2SO_2)Combines with atmospheric moisture to form acid rain, causing soil nutrient leaching
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)Releases free chlorine radicals that destroy stratospheric ozone molecules
  • DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)Accumulates in fatty tissues and undergoes biomagnification up food chains
  • Lead (PbPb)Inhibits heme synthesis enzymes, leading to anemia and nerve damage

Answer

Sulfur dioxide matches with forming acid rain and soil nutrient leaching; Chlorofluorocarbons match with destroying stratospheric ozone via chlorine radicals; DDT matches with accumulation and biomagnification up food chains; Lead matches with inhibiting heme synthesis and causing nerve damage.
Each pollutant is correctly matched with its specific ecological or physiological impact: sulfur dioxide forms acid rain causing soil mineral leaching; chlorofluorocarbons decompose stratospheric ozone via chlorine radicals; DDT undergoes bioaccumulation and trophic biomagnification; and lead inhibits heme synthesis enzymes causing neurological and hematological damage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze atmospheric gaseous pollutants and their chemical impacts.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2SO_2) forms acid rain causing terrestrial soil degradation and mineral leaching, while Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) release chlorine radicals that degrade the protective stratospheric ozone layer.
Gaseous emissions affect specific atmospheric layers and hydrological processes.
2
Evaluate synthetic organic pesticides and their ecological behavior.
DDT is fat-soluble and non-biodegradable, leading to biomagnification in top carnivores across food chains.
Persistent organic pollutants accumulate in living tissues rather than breaking down.
3
Examine heavy metal pollution and physiological toxicity in organisms.
Lead (PbPb) impairs enzyme function during heme production in blood cells and damages the central nervous system.
Heavy metals act as metabolic poisons disrupting critical enzyme systems.

Key Concept

Pollutants have specific biochemical mechanisms, pathways of dispersal, and ecological impacts across atmospheric, terrestrial, and biological systems.
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Topics

Pollution Types, Causes, Effects, and Control

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