SOURCES AND KINDS OF

POLLUTANTS IN
MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Group 6
• The manufacturing process turns raw materials into useful goods. But
some of the by-products of manufacturing — waste materials left over
or substances produced by the manufacturing process itself — may
be harmful to the environment. Manufacturing contributes to air and
water pollution, but regulations that limit the amount of pollutants
released into the air and water have reduced the problem.

• Our activities affect the environment and the environment affects our
health. As the number of humans on earth increases, our agricultural
and industrial activities have a greater impact on the environment,
particularly on the atmosphere.
 AIR POLLUTION
• Many manufacturing processes involve heating
raw materials to transform them into more useful
forms. Oil refining, for instance, is a process called
fractional distillation that heats petroleum to high
temperatures to separate it into various grades of
gasoline and other petroleum products. Doing so
releases sulfur dioxide into the air. Other
manufacturing types use heat from coal or diesel
furnaces to provide steam power to run the plant.
Burning these fuels can also release pollutants into
the air.
 WATER POLLUTION
• Some manufacturing methods use large quantities of water.
Waste water from these processes released into streams, rivers
and lakes adds pollutants to the water. Other water pollution
occurs when tanks storing chemicals leak and leach into the
groundwater. Paper and textile manufacturing, which use
chemicals such as chlorine and benzene, are among the
processes that can contribute to water pollution.
 WHAT KINDS OF POLLUTANTS ARE
EMITTED FROM PAINT AND COATING
MANUFACTURING?
• Paint and Coating manufacturing facilities emit pollutants such
as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), volatile organic compounds
(VOC), and particle pollution (dust).

• While Federal, state, local, and Tribal regulations limit the amount
of emissions from paint and coating manufacturing facilities,
dangerous releases of HAPs can occur if a paint and coating
manufacturing facility does not operate in compliance with
regulations.
• Mixing and cleaning operations can release some HAPs and
VOC. Chemicals in these substances can react in the air to form
ground-level ozone (smog), which has been linked to a number
of respiratory effects. EPA has developed an extensive Web site
related to ground-level ozone.

• Pigment grinding and milling can emit particle pollution (dust),

which can contain heavy metals and other HAPs. EPA has
created a Web site related to particle pollution.
 1) HEAVY METALS
• Heavy metals have been used in paint since the middle ages and the
tradition continues even to this day. Heavy metals are dangerous because
they accumulate in our bodies causing kidney damages, memory and
learning difficulties as well as miscarriages. Heavy metals content of both
water and oil based paint samples obtained from major paint
manufacturing industries.

• Heavy metal contamination has been the subject of a great deal of

discussion and of many articles in the past decade. For years paint was
made with lead. There was no understanding of the fact that this lead could
be harmful. Today we know that it is, and getting the lead and other heavy
metals out of paints has become a major objective in the coatings industry.
 MAJOR HEAVY METALS
1. Lead - Lead is added to paint to accelerate drying, increase durability, maintain a
fresh appearance, and resist moisture that causes corrosion. It is one of the main
health and environmental hazards associated with paint. Lead compounds are also
sometimes added to paints used on metal surfaces to inhibit rust or corrosion.
2. Cadmium - Cadmium is one of the main components used to create bright and
intense pigments in red, yellow, and brown hues.
3. Cobalt - The pigments used for colorants include cobalt in many formulations.
Cobalt pigments are often used in the decoration of ceramics. Cobalt can also be
added to glass as a colour or as a decolouriser. Even 2 ppm of cobalt carbonate
gives a tint and 200 ppm produces a dark blue.
4. Chromium - Chromium is used in stainless steel, and other alloys. Chromium plating,
for example on cars and bicycles, produces a smooth, silver finish that is highly
resistant to corrosion.
5. Mercury - Phenyl mercuric acetate (PMA) and similar mercury compounds have
been widely used as water-based paint additives, and may still be used in some
countries. These compounds were used as “in-can” preservatives to extend the shelf
life by controlling bacterial fermentation in the can (biocides), as well as to retard
fungus attacks on painted surfaces under damp conditions (fungicides).
 EFFECTS OF HEAVY METALS
• Low level exposure to paint may irritate or burn the eyes, nose, throat and
skin and cause reactions such as headaches, dizziness or nausea. These
symptoms are generally mild and will subside once the immediate exposure
has ceased.
• High levels of exposure to some of the elements in paint, even for a short
period of time, can cause severe and lasting impacts, such as kidney or liver
damage, or respiratory problems.
• Heavy metals are not biodegradable and tend to be accumulated in
organisms and cause numerous diseases and disorders.
• Chronic exposure to high amount of lead and cadmium can result in various
and considerable damages to systems of the body, including nervous and
reproductive systems and kidneys. Moreover, high blood pressure, anemia,
lead poisoning, coma and death can be considered among the most
substantial consequences.
• Cadmium is an irritant to the respiratory tract and being exposure to this
pollutant can lead to anemia, renal damage, osseous disease with the
similar symptom as osteoporosis and Itai-Itai disease.
 HOW TO REMOVE HEAVY METALS

• The most widely used methods to remove heavy metals are

chemical or electrochemical precipitation.

• Adsorption process using activated carbon, widely used as

an adsorbent, is among the most effective techniques for
heavy metals removal from waste streams.
 2) HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS
(HAPS)
Toxic air pollutants, also known as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), are
those pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious
health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, or adverse
environmental effects.
Examples of HAPs are:
• Xylenes
• Benzene
• Glycol ethers
• Methyl isobutyl ketone
• Ethyl benzene
• Methylene chloride
 CONTROL ON HAPS
The Clean Air Act requires United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce HAPs from certain major
and area source industrial surface coatings manufacturing
operations. EPA is required to control 187 hazardous air
pollutants. The National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air
Pollutants, or NESHAP rules, establish national technology-
based emissions standards, or maximum achievable control
technology (MACT), that require add-on controls that
capture HAP emissions at major source paint and coating
manufacturing facilities.
 HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EFFECTS OF HAZARDOUS AIR
POLLUTANTS
• People exposed to toxic air pollutants at sufficient concentrations and
durations may have an increased chance of getting cancer or
experiencing other serious health effects. These health effects can
include damage to the immune system, as well as neurological,
reproductive, developmental, respiratory and other health problems.
In addition to exposure from breathing air toxics, some toxic air
pollutants such as mercury can deposit onto soils or surface waters,
where they are taken up by plants and ingested by animals and are
eventually magnified up through the food chain. Like humans, animals
may experience health problems if exposed to sufficient quantities of
air toxics over time.
 SOME HEALTH HAZARD OF HAPS
(ACUTE EFFECTS)
• Xylenes - Acute inhalation exposure to mixed xylenes has been associated with
dyspnea and irritation of the nose and throat; gastrointestinal effects such as nausea,
vomiting, and gastric discomfort; mild transient eye irritation; and neurological effects
such as impaired short-term memory, impaired reaction time, performance decrements
in numerical ability, and alterations in equilibrium and body balance.
• Benzene - Neurological symptoms of inhalation exposure to benzene include
drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, and unconsciousness. Exposure to liquid and vapor
may irritate the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract in humans.
• Glycol Ethers - Acute exposure to high levels of the glycol ethers results in narcosis,
pulmonary edema, and severe liver and kidney damage. On the other hand, acute
exposure to lower levels causes conjunctivitis.
• Methyl isobutyl ketone - Acute exposure to methyl isobutyl ketone may irritate the eyes
and mucous membranes and cause weakness, headache, nausea, lightheadedness,
vomiting, dizziness, incoordination, narcosis in humans.
• Ethyl benzene - Respiratory effects, such as throat irritation and chest constriction,
irritation of the eyes, and neurological effects such as dizziness, have been noted from
acute inhalation exposure to ethyl benzene.
• Methylene chloride - Case studies of methylene chloride poisoning during paint
stripping operations have demonstrated that inhalation exposure to extremely high
levels can be fatal to humans.
 3) VOLATILE ORGANIC
COMPOUNDS (VOCS)
• Are a large group of organic chemicals that include any compound of
carbon (excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid,
metallic carbides or carbonates, and ammonium carbonate).
• VOCs are of interest in part because they participate in atmospheric
photochemical reactions that contribute to ozone formation. Ozone is
formed from chemical reactions involving airborne VOCs, airborne nitrogen
oxides, and sunlight.
• VOCs are also of interest because they play a role in formation of secondary
organic aerosols, which are found in airborne particulate matter.
• Finally, VOCs are of interest because many individual VOCs are known to be
harmful to human. Health effects vary by pollutant. VOCs are emitted from a
variety of sources, including motor vehicles, chemical manufacturing
facilities, refineries, factories, consumer and commercial products, and
natural (biogenic) sources (mainly trees).
 VOC EMISSIONS FROM TRADITIONALLY
INVENTORIED ANTHROPOGENIC SOURCE
CATEGORIES:
(1) “Fuel combustion,” which includes emissions from coal-, gas-, and
oil-fired power plants and industrial, commercial, and institutional
sources, as well as residential heaters and boilers;
(2) “Other industrial processes,” which includes chemical production,
petroleum refining, metals production, and processes other than fuel
combustion;
(3) “On-road vehicles,” which includes cars, trucks, buses, and
motorcycles; and
(4) “Non-road vehicles and engines,” such as farm and construction
equipment, lawnmowers, chainsaws, boats, ships, snowmobiles, and
aircraft.
 VOCs come mainly from natural sources, like forest fires
and the transformation of biogenic precursors; nevertheless,
anthropogenic activities have become important sources of
toxic VOC emissions into the atmosphere, so much so that
they account for 25% of VOCs in our global atmosphere.
Petroleum and natural gas extraction, petrochemical
activities and the burning of fossil fuels in industries, homes
and mobile sources, including automobiles, trucks, buses and
motorcycles, ships and airplanes are the major contributors of
VOC, followed by chemical and industrial processes
(manufacturing of paints, lubricants, adhesives, oil
derivatives), mining, commercial sources, gas leaks
from stoves, residential water heaters and boilers
and use of pesticides in agriculture.
 To determine the amount of pollutant emissions into the
atmosphere, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
developed the national emissions inventory (NEI), where a
comprehensive and detailed estimate of air emissions of the
most hazardous atmospheric pollutants and their precursors is
made from different sources across its territory. Pollutants
included in the NEI are associated with the national ambient
air quality standards (NAAQS) and with the EPAs air toxic
program, which include hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). NEI
estimates of compounds include carbon monoxide (CO),
lead (Pb), particulate material (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
ozone precursors (O3), which are nitrogen oxides (NOx) and
VOCs.
Regarding VOC emissions from industrial processes, the EPA reported in
2014 the activities with the highest VOC emissions into the atmosphere
were oil and gas production, totaling more than 3 million tons that year,
followed by storage and transportation, and new and existing
chemicals (NEC) with nearly 200 thousand tons in both cases; whereas,
oil refineries emitted just over 50 thousand tons. It is worth mentioning
that these figures account for only the United States, and so it is of
concern that not all countries have reliable air pollution emission
inventories, because despite the existence of the Global Atmosphere
Watch (GAW), it monitors only VOCs present in large geographic areas,
not at a regional municipal level, where health
impacts occur.
 HEALTH IMPACTS OF VOCS
• VOCs play a pivotal role in the creation of ground-level ozone. Ground-level
ozone can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, and can aggravate asthma
and other lung diseases, including bronchitis. Exposure to high levels of
ground-level ozone can increase the risk of premature death in individuals
already suffering from heart or lung disease. Children, whose lungs are still
forming and many of whom spend a large amount of time outdoors, are at
particular risk under high ozone concentrations.
• Exposure to VOCs themselves can cause a variety of health effects,
including irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat; headaches and the loss of
coordination; nausea; and damage to the liver, kidneys, or central nervous
system. Some VOCs are suspected or proven carcinogens.